Thursday, August 4, 2011

Bruce and Brandon Lee's Graves

Okay. So I promised to talk about what I did while I was out of town. One of those things was visiting Bruce and Brandon Lee's grave. Bruce, and his son, Brandon, are buried next to each other at Lakeview Cemetary, on Capitol Hill, in Seattle.

It's a famous cemetary, filled with the graves of many of the cities founders and captains of industry, but the Lee grave and memorial is the most famous, and most visited of all of them.

If you don't know who Bruce Lee was, I probably can't help you, but I'm sure most of you do, so I'll just go ahead and get right to the pictures:



Your Inspiration Continues To Guide
Us Toward Our Personal Liberation


"Because we don't know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five time more. Perhaps not even that. How many times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless."
For Brandon and Eliza
Ever Joined in True Love's Beauty


The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.

Rest in peace, gentlemen. We will remember you always. May your lessons shroud the earth in their humble authenticity.

NOTE: The giveaway for Tawna Fenske's Making Waves is still open. Scroll down to yesterday's post to find out how to enter.

32 comments:

Steve MC said...

That is definitely one of the few places I'd have to go to in Seattle. I got a book with b/w photos of Bruce Lee's grave, but I hadn't seen color ones.

DRC said...

One of my favourite films is 'the crow' with Brandon. When I heard that he had died I was devastated. I'll probably never get to see these graves in person, so thank you for sharing.

Heather M. Gardner said...

Growing up we watched all of Bruce Lee's movies but of course he was already gone.
It was heart breaking when Brandon Lee died. I still watch The Crow to catch a glimpse of him.
I had no idea they had such a nice memorial for them.
Thanks for sharing.
HMG

Jared Larson said...

That's amazing! Great stuff. I just watched Legend of the Fist, so my mind has been on Bruce Lee a bit at late. Very inspirational. Thanks, Matt.

Jess said...

Wow. Thanks for sharing those photos. I know the whole story, and it just breaks my heart. Powerful stuff, Matt.

Old Kitty said...

Awwwww I do remember when Brandon Lee's death made the news. It was so awful - such a tragedy!! It's lovely that father and son are together here and lovely too that such wise and sweet words grace their gravestones. Thanks for sharing the pictures, take care
x

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Brandon's death was so tragic - right on edge of the roll of a lifetime. The Crow is so immortal now. And they dedicated it to Brandon and Eliza.

Amanda Bonilla said...

I'm definitely going to have to visit this cemetery the next time I go to Seattle.

Lori M. Lee said...

Bruce Lee was and still is a huge inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing these pix.

Michael G-G said...

Wow! I'm only three hours from Seattle and have been there a bunch of times, but had no idea this was the Lee's resting place. The quotations are amazing.

One of my sons does martial arts. We'll have to visit when we're next in Seattle. Thanks for posting this.

Jessica Bell said...

Sounds like a very inspiring day!

Elana Johnson said...

Very cool! I wish I could simply travel the world, visiting stuff like this.

LTM said...

both their stories are so interesting and strange. And their headstones seem fitting for their lives. Very cool, my friend~ :o) <3

Samantha VĂ©rant said...

I loved Brandon Lee in the Crow! Honestly, I have never seen a Bruce Lee film. Do I have to do a shot of tequila now?

Slamdunk said...

I had no idea those were there. Brandon's death was certainly a freak thing.

Shannon said...

Both were extraordinary men. Thanks for sharing this, Matt.

Laura M. Campbell said...

The quote about life feeling limitless, but never really knowing when it will all end is beautiful. It puts things in perspective. I am a big believer that death should be a celebration of life. Instead of looking back with sadness, allow the lost life to propel you forward in happiness and fulfillment.

Anita said...

Very cool! My brothers loved Bruce and I have fond memories of watching the man in action with my bros. Thanks for sharing!

Jenny S. Morris said...

Wow, I didn't realize they were buried in Seattle. I will have to go see this next time we are there. I love watching both of them, they were so amazing! Thanks for the info.

Donna K. Weaver said...

Have you seen the video of Bruce Lee using Nunchuks to play badmitton? Amazing.

Bryan Russell said...

Now I want to go watch The Crow.

Bethany Elizabeth said...

That's so cool - I didn't know he was buried in Seattle, I should visit the grave next time I go into the city. :) Very cool.

Jennifer Hillier said...

I was a huge fan of Bruce and Brandon Lee, and I live in the Seattle area, and yet I haven't been to this cemetery! What's up with that? Thanks for sharing these pics. Love the quote in the last picture.

p.s. I KNOW I was a follower here, but I don't know what happened? Anyway, I've re-followed! :)

Ted Cross said...

It was sad Brandon died just when he was getting started.

Is Hendrix buried there?

Shah Wharton said...

A master of his form of combat and a true inspiration as a human being. Shame some scumbag had to go and kill him and steal it all away. And didn't Brandon die tragically too - like an accident or something, in his prime on a film set?

Still, great to see their headstones, not likely to have had the opportunity otherwise. So many thanks Matthew.

PS: I absolutely love that B&W pic of you with your little girl. Happy weekend. Shah. X

http://wordsinsync.blogspot.com/2011/08/weekend-creation-blog-hop-plus-poem.html

Donna K. Weaver said...

Ooops, and you're right. It wasn't badmitton. My brain knew that but my fingers typed it wrong.

Christine Danek said...

Wow what inspiration. I loved the Crow. I watched that movie so many times. Brandon Lee's death was so tragic. And Bruce Lee is still an inspiration.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

How beautiful. Bruce Lee and his legacy is amazing. I remember the day Brandon Lee died. I was in school and the movie "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" had just come out. So sad. Despite his corny lines like "You have the biggest dick on a man that I've ever seen" <=== said in Showdown in Little Tokyo to Dolph Lundgren (personally...I would have refused to say that line...I mean, come on? Like really?) but whatever.

Cut short before his time. Some say a family curse...hmmm.

It must have felt strange standing over such hallowed ground.

Cole Gibsen said...

Wow. I can only imagine the emotions you must have felt standing before the graves.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure most of your followers/people who commented only know Bruce Lee as a martial arts film star and an inconsequential one at that, so I don't think I'm being presumptuous in assuming that almost nobody here understands how profound it is to visit those graves.

I once told a person that a good teacher does not only affect the field they teach, but everything else surrounding the pupil's life. In that sense, Bruce Lee was a great master, teacher, and philosopher. Just hearing his martial arts aphorisms can wake my mind from depression and misery.

And that's only a tiny part of what he left the world... His son is very much like him in the sense that they are both wise and individualistic. Great post

ali cross said...

I loved the quote on the bench a lot. We are HUGE Lee fans here. We own all the books, all the movies. Bruce did so many remarkable things. But I didn't know about this memorial for them. Thanks for sharing Matt!

Ishta Mercurio said...

Those quotes are amazing - worth being carved into stone, as they were.

Thank you for sharing them.