On July 13 this year, the film Bruce Lee, My Brother (released as Young Bruce Lee in English), will be coming to Japan. It was originally released in Hong Kong in 2010 and tells the story of Bruce Lee’s childhood and early career as based on a book, Memories of Lee Siu Loong, written by the dearly departed movie star’s siblings.

Robert Lee, Bruce Lee’s younger brother, has visited Japan to promote the film. While here he took part in an exclusive interview with online newspaper, Tokyo Sport, where he addressed many of the rumors surrounding Bruce Lee’s untimely death at the age of just 32. He also shared an unexpected story involving the top-notch fighter’s dreadful fear of cockroaches.

There are a great many rumors and speculations regarding the early death of beloved martial artist, Bruce Lee. In a medical examination just two months before his passing, doctors declared that Lee’s body was like that of an 18-year-old, and yet for some reason, his life could not be sustained. People wonder if perhaps his death was the result of some allergic reaction or maybe a nefarious murder plot. According to an early autopsy, brain swelling was the cause of death. However, after the body was returned to Hong Kong, it was examined a second time, and the cause of death marked as unknown.

When asked about the possibility of Bruce having been murdered, Robert found that bit of speculation unlikely. “Before dying, he was far too busy to have gotten wrapped up in any sort of trouble,” the younger brother stated.

It’s so difficult to reconcile the thought of such a healthy young man dying so suddenly. Apparently, there are many fans who believe that Bruce Lee is still alive somewhere. Hanging out with Elvis, perhaps? At the mention of this theory, Robert took on a forlorn expression and responded, “I love Bruce very much, but I have to embrace the truth. I’m sorry to say that that’s really not the case.”

Thankfully, rather than dwell on all things sad, Robert Lee was kind enough to share an interesting side of Bruce that one wouldn’t really expect from the famous action hero we’ve seen in the movies.

Apparently, Bruce Lee was terrified of cockroaches. Robert, himself, had no idea of this until one night in Hong Kong there was a sudden series of loud bangs coming from the kitchen. It was the middle of the night, and everyone had been asleep, but quickly jerked awake and ran to the kitchen to see what was going on. There, on top of the kitchen table was Bruce Lee screaming and crying as a cockroach flew circles around him.

Funny as it is, the story seems a bit unbefitting an epic action hero, but to Robert, Bruce was above all his brother, a friendly guy, with a wonderful sense of humor and a big, warm heart.

Source: Tokyo Sports (Japanese)