David Carradine's ex: Star tied self for pleasure, enjoyed 'kinky' meditation

June 10, 11:31 PMSF Health News ExaminerJefferson Adams

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Outrage over the handling of the death of actor David Carradine
spread with the release and online publication of pictures from
the autopsy of the 70's TV icon and member of the famed
Carradine acting family. Carradine, best known for TVs 1970s
TV series "Kung Fu, "was found naked and bound in a hotel
closet in the Thai capital, Bangkok." This file photo released
from 1981, shows Carradine toasting 'Americana,' his directorial
debut. AP Photo/file

An ex-wife of David Carradine says the late actor tied himself up for pleasure and enjoyed "kinky moments" as a way to meditate and relieve the pressures of celebrity.

Gail Jensen revealed the details in an interview with website radaronline.com just days after the actor, 72, was found naked, bound, and hanged in a Bangkok hotel room amid speculation he died accidentally when a sexual practice known as autoerotic asphyxiation went fatally awry.

Jensen conceded that Carradine had his "kinky moments,"  but insisted that she had never known him to do anything dangerous enough to kill him. She also admitted that in the past she had often discovered her husband nearly naked with his wrists bound.

"He told me it was for meditation because of all the pressure on his life and things, so he'd tie himself up and relax, and I mean, I didn't think it was a horrible thing, but to me, it was a little weird," she said.


Family outrage over leaked autopsy photos
Outrage over the handling of the death of actor David Carradine spread with the release and online publication of pictures from the autopsy of the 70's TV icon and member of the famed Carradine acting family.

The Carradine family was reportedly furious, and family attorney Marc Garagos threatened to sue, after the scandalous death photo on the cover of the Thai Rath newspaper, it seems perhaps inevitable that a photo from the David Carradine autopsy has been leaked and is now available online. For those whose morbid curiosity just won't rest, the Hungarian website Velvet.hu has published a photo from the David Carradine autopsy. The image can be found through the Post Chronicle.

A link to the Hungarian site Velvet, where the David Carradine autopsy picture appear, can be found on the Post Chronicle.

Warning!  Although the photo is not extremely graphic, it is an autopsy photo of a dead person, so please use caution in making your choice about viewing the photo. It's creepy, and a bit disconcerting, to say the least. So, don't go view it and then run screaming to your lawyer claiming irreversible emotional trauma.

The autopsy photo shows what looks to be Carradine's dead body lying on an autopsy table. The photo I saw had the head cropped out of the picture, but clearly showed his body from the neck down with tattoos visible, and the autopsy incision stitched up. The hands appear to be slightly clutched and a black thread or wire appears near his hands.
 

Death photo: Fishnets and Wig
Controversy has erupted over the investigation into the death of American cult actor David Carradine, after the Thai publication Thai Rath published a grisley death photo taken after the late star's naked body was found in a hotel closet in the Thai capital of Bangkok.

News of the photo's publication has infuriated the Carradine family, and lawyer Mark Garagos is threatening legal action against any media outlet that publishes the grisly David Carradine death photo.

The grainy published photo shows Carradine with his hands tied in front of him, hanging from the support bar in a closet. Tattoos on the lower half of his nude body can be seen. He is wearing what appear to be fishnet stockings and a wig.

Police sources have confirmed that a rope was found tied to Carradine's neck and gentials, and that his hands were bound. Carradine's previous wife, Gail Jensen, confirmed that the actor had "strange" bondage habits, but said she doubted a connection with his death. Meantime, the family has asked the FBI to get involved, and the Thai authorities okayed the FBI's observation of the investigation.

Carradine is perhaps best known for the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu," though he gained fame among a younger demographic recently for his work with Quentin Tarantino in "Kill Bill."


Auto-erotic asphyxiation?
The mystery deepened over the death of American cult actor David Carradine, best known for the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu," whose naked body was found in a hotel closet in the Thai capital of Bangkok.

Police initially suspected suicide but after information emerged that Carradine had a rope running to his neck and genitals, speculation has run rampant that the star's death was due to accidental suffocation, possibly due to auto-erotic sex play gone awry. The practice of auto-erotic asphyxiation involves temporarily cutting the supply of oxygen to heighten the effects of a sexual climax.

A chambermaid found Carradine's body Thursday morning in his luxury suite at Bangkok's Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel, said general manager, Aurelio Giraudo. Police were summoned and arrived shortly thereafter. "When I arrived, I saw the dead body with a string of rope tied around his neck, also tied around his wrist," said Police Colonel Somprasong Yenthuam, Superintendent of Lumpini Police station, which is handling the case.

Another police officer, Lt. Gen. Worapong Chewprecha told reporters that Carradine was found with a rope tied around his genitals and another rope around his neck.

Celebrity bloggers and social media sites were buzzing with news of Carradine's death, which has dominated search traffic since his death was announced.