David Carradine's unusual cause of death revealed: Find out every detail here
David’s death had inflicted a traumatic experience on his half-brother Robert, struggling with mental stress, which claimed his life on February 23, at age 71
February 24, 2026
Tragedy is no stranger to the Carradine acting dynasty.
The Carradine family has faced another tragedy: the Revenge of the Nerds star Robert Carradine's suicide at age 71 follows the mysterious death of his half-brother, David, in a Thai hotel years earlier.
As per the US media outlet ABC News, the cause of David Carradine’s death was suicide, as he had a “cord wrapped around his neck and genitals.”
The report has cited Police Lt. Gen. Worapong Chewprecha, who told the outlet and didn’t rule out the possibility of a suicide attempt altogether, saying, “The two ropes were tied together." It is unclear whether he committed suicide or not or he died of suffocation or heart failure.”
However, officials are of the view that David may have died from autoerotic asphyxiation, which is defined as “the practice of cutting off one’s air supply to heighten sexual pleasure.”
After two independent autopsies, the medical examiner declared Carradine’s cause of death to be “accidental asphyxiation.”
But in a dramatic turn of events, David’s family brought in a forensic expert named Dr. Michael Baden to ascertain the cause of David’s death.
Dr. Michael’s initial findings were not less than a shock to the family and David’s fans all over the world; he ruled out David’s death as a result of suicide.
Dr. Michael said, “The autopsy findings and the evidence thus far available demonstrate that Mr. Carradine’s death was not the result of suicide.”
While in an interview later with a British publication, The Guardian, Dr. Michael said that “his report was consistent with the findings of the Thai doctor who performed the first autopsy, who also said Carradine had died from asphyxiation.”
However, Baden stressed that he is at odds to come to the conclusion of whether the death was murder or an accident.
Besides the facts, David’s death had inflicted a traumatic experience on his half-brother Robert, struggling with mental stress, which claimed his life on February 23, at age 71.
