Linda Lee Cadwell
American teacher, writer, the widow of Bruce Lee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linda Claire Emery Lee Cadwell (née Emery; born March 21, 1945)[1] is an American retired teacher and writer, the widow of martial artist and actor Bruce Lee (1940–1973), and the mother of actor Brandon Lee (1965–1993) and actress Shannon Lee (born 1969).[2] She is the author of the Bruce Lee biography Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew, upon which the film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993) is based, as well as the founder, a former trustee of, and an unpaid advisor of the Bruce Lee Foundation.
March 21, 1945
- Teacher
- martial artist
- writer
Linda Lee Cadwell | |
|---|---|
Lee in 2026 | |
| Born | Linda Emery March 21, 1945 Everett, Washington, U.S. |
| Other name | Linda Lee |
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1964–2001 |
| Notable work | Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew (1975) The Bruce Lee Story (1989) |
| Spouses |
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| Children | |
| Website | bruceleefoundation |
Early life
Cadwell was born and raised in Everett, Washington,[3] the daughter of Vivian R. (née Hester; 1911–1998)[4] and Everett Emery (1910–1950).[5][6] Her family was Baptist and of Swedish, Irish, and English descent.[7][8] Cadwell's father died of a heart attack when she was five years old; she, her mother, and older sister subsequently moved to Seattle, where she attended Edward Meany Junior High. When Cadwell was eight, her mother remarried to a man who she says "did not participate in being a parent to us, not as a Dad and not financially at all either."[9]
Personal life
Cadwell met Bruce Lee while she was attending Garfield High School, where Lee came to give a kung fu demonstration; he was attending the University of Washington at the time. Eventually, she became one of his kung fu students when she was attending the University of Washington, studying to become a doctor.[10] Cadwell's mother disapproved of the relationship due to Lee's ethnicity.[3] They dated for about a year before they married on August 17, 1964.[9][3] They had two children, Brandon (born 1965) and Shannon (born 1969).[3] Lee died suddenly on July 20, 1973, of an allergic reaction to an analgesic.[11][12]
Cadwell married Tom Bleecker in 1988, and they divorced in 1990. She married Bruce Cadwell in 1991, and they settled in southern California.[3]
On March 31, 1993, Brandon was accidentally shot to death by an improperly loaded prop gun while filming The Crow.[13]
Shannon married Ian Keasler in 1994. Cadwell became a grandmother when Shannon gave birth to a daughter in 2003.[14]
Books
Cadwell wrote the 1975 book Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew (ISBN 0-446-89407-9), on which the 1993 feature film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story was based. She was portrayed by actress Lauren Holly in the film adaptation.[15] She also wrote the 1989 book The Bruce Lee Story (ISBN 0-89750121-7).