Today Marks the 30th Anniversary of Brandon Lee’s Death While Filming ‘The Crow’

THE CROW, Brandon Lee, 1994
Miramax/Everett Collection

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Brandon Lee, who suffered a terrible fate by dying after an accident on the set of the cult classic The Crow. Lee, the son of famous martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, passed away at the tragic age of 28 years old on March 31, 1993. With news of The Crow remake let’s revisit the sad day when a young star was taken too soon before he could properly forge his own path away from his father’s shadow.

The Crow was rumored to be cursed due to how many accidents took place during the filming process. Prior to Lee’s death, a carpenter on set suffered from severe burns, a crew member crashed his car into the studio lot, and a storm destroyed tons of exterior sets. The storms caused a lot of issues and Lee and his manager both complained to production about the conditions. He worked such long hours that he lost 20 pounds during filming and was stressed out to the max.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of Brandon Lee’s death on the set of ‘The Crow’

THE CROW, US poster art, Brandon Lee, 1994

Miramax/Everett Collection

Much like the horrible incident on the set of the recent movie, Rust, Lee was killed by a prop gun that had live bullets in them. The prop master reportedly kept live bullets in his car and modified them into blanks when the blanks had run out. Unfortunately, a lead tip was lodged inside and it was never double-checked. Lee and his co-star Michael Massee were filming a scene where Massee fired a gun. After realizing that Lee wasn’t moving, he was rushed to the hospital but after unsuccessful operations, he was pronounced dead on March 31st.

RAPID FIRE, Brandon Lee, 1992

20th Century-Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection

His mother, Linda Cadwell, filed a civil suit against the studio that was later settled out of court. It was ruled an accident but fans still love to discuss conspiracy theories to this day. With a reboot in the works, it begs the question… was the set really cursed and will the curse live on in the new film? Several months after his death, the movie began filming again and used stuntmen replacements for Lee. However, many of the crew did not return due to the trauma from the accident.

THE CROW, Brandon Lee, 1994

Miramax/Everett Collection

Despite all of the controversy around the film, it did well in theaters and made over $50 million at the box office. It spawned several sequels and a television series. Now a remake is in the works starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs, and being directed by Rupert Sanders.

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