KVSP Shannon Lee celebrates dad Bruce Lee’s “legacy” on 50th anniversary of his death
Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on July 20, 2023
Bruce Lee‘s family is reflecting on his legacy on the 50th anniversary of his death.
Shannon Lee, daughter of the late actor and accomplished martial artist, shared a video to Instagram in which she and her daughter, Wren, pay tribute to the life of their “Baba and Gung Gung,” or dad and grandpa.
Bruce, the founder of the martial arts style of Jeet Kune Do, died on July 20, 1973, at the young age of 32 — but not before he left a lasting impact on Hollywood for Asian actors.
“To help us celebrate, we’ve been asking everybody: What is Bruce Lee’s legacy to you?” Shannon says in the clip. “So we thought we’d kick it off.”
Wren answered first, saying, “To me it is unity.”
“Unity. I like that,” Shannon said in part. “He was truly an artist, and the way in which he just moved everything forward and just created so much impact and meaningfulness in this life has helped me.”
Shannon’s video also had the caption, “July 20, 2023! 50 YEARS OF LEGACY!!! Take a moment to smile, bow, punch, kick, connect, laugh, or WATAAH!!!!”
Co-signing the message with Wren, they added, “We lost a vibrant being 50 years ago today but we gained an ICON in Mind, Body, and Soul! We love and miss you…But we celebrate all you’ve given us!”
Enter the Dragon, Bruce’s biggest film in the U.S., was released a month after his death.
He starred as Kato in TV’s The Green Hornet, as well as Hong Kong films like The Big Boss and Fist of Fury.
Bruce and wife Linda Lee, whom he married in 1964, had two children, Shannon and Brandon. Brandon died in 1993 at the age of 28 after he was accidentally shot on the set of The Crow.
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