Every year, the highest-paid actors in Hollywood make a fortune. In 2020 actors like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sofia Vergara, Vin Diesel, Mark Wahlberg, and Ryan Reynolds were some of the Hollywood actors who got rich since they all were paid an incredible amount of money for their work. On top of that, millions of their fans will remember their performances decades from now.
Even though the aforementioned stars have a lot to be proud of, they almost certainly will never reach the heights of one of the most celebrated actors of all time, Bruce Lee.
Even though Bruce passed away far too early in life, it is almost certain he will never be forgotten For that reason, it is all the more shocking that Bruce’s daughter once rejected a big part of his legacy.
Bruce Lee’s Truly Incredible Legacy
Throughout Bruce Lee’s life, the famous actor and martial artist was known for his physical abilities. Despite that, in 1973 the actor’s body began to betray him when the actor who was only in his early thirties at the time began to suffer headaches and seizures.
In July of that year, Bruce decided to lie down while suffering from a headache and he never woke up again.
After Bruce Lee passed away, he left behind three main legacies from his amazing life. First of all, Bruce Lee was the father of two children, Brandon and Shannon, both of whom grew up to be extraordinary people.
Secondly, it seems likely that Bruce’s films will live forever as they are discovered by each new generation.
The last major thing that Bruce Lee left behind is his legacy in the martial arts world. Often labeled the most influential martial artist of all time, Bruce made millions of people develop an interest in learning to fight.
After all, generations of moviegoers have been trained in the martial arts after being mesmerized by the things Bruce could do in his films.
On top of the influence of his movies, Bruce Lee is the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a martial arts philosophy that brought together parts of many other fighting disciplines.
Cutting edge at the time Bruce came up with it, many people believe that Jeet Kune Do paved the way for Mixed Martial Arts since they both brought together different fighting styles.
Shannon Lee Was Overwhelmed By Part Of Her Father Bruce Lee’s Legacy
When Bruce Lee tragically lost his life, his youngest child Shannon Lee was only four years old. Despite how young she was at the time, based on the things that Shannon has said, she cherishes some very clear memories of her father.
When Shannon was interviewed for the website nextshark.com, she spoke about what she remembers most about her father.
“The memory that I have of him that is very clear is his presence, what it was like to have his attention, love and focus. You know from watching the movies that his energy is palpable.
It jumps off the screen even still today when you watch his movies. You can feel it. Imagine having that amplified right in front of you and then also just filled with love.”
Even though Shannon Lee clearly loves her father and is proud of him, when she spoke to Bleacher Report in 2011, she revealed it was too much for a while.
Due to the pressure Shannon and her brother Brandon once felt, they both rejected martial arts for years.
“After my father died, my brother and I both sort of tended to shy away from the martial arts. I don’t know why. It just felt like a lot to continue after he was gone. We moved from Hong Kong and finally settled back in California. I think we just wanted to feel like normal kids and not worry too much about that.”
Later in the same Bleacher Report interview, Shannon revealed when she embraced martial arts. “I really didn’t approach the martial arts till I was in my early twenties.
I started with some JKD and I think that was a natural progression.” Shannon also made it clear that learning to fight is something she felt like she had to do.
“I think probably for my brother and I know for myself that it just felt like something you needed to do. It was part of your heritage and another way to get to know my father, which was to study his art, and to understand the thing that he was so passionate about as best as I could.”
Tragically, after Brandon Lee followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a movie star, he lost his life after an accident on the set of The Crow.
Now that Shannon Lee is the only living child of Bruce Lee, she has put a lot of effort into making sure his legacy lives on forever. After all, on top of talking to people about her father and martial arts, Shannon became the President of the Bruce Lee Foundation.