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His naked body was found hung with a nylon rope noose around his neck and genitals, which is thought to have been taken from the hotel curtains.

This has sparked speculation that the actor may have died whilst performing a solo sex act, such as auto-erotic asphyxiation.

A dangerous practice where the participant will bring themselves to the brink of death by cutting off the blood supply to the brain as a form of sexual arousal which in many cases can lead to accidental asphyxiation.

It is estimated that in the USA alone, between 500 and 1000 victims of A.E.A die each year, most of these being men.

Another star who lost their lives in this way, was Michael Hutchence when in 1997, the INXS frontman was found dead, strangulated by a leather belt in a hotel room in Sydney.

It was concluded that He too had also died from auto-erotic asphyxiation but even though there was no suicide note a verdict of suicide was recorded.

Carradine failed to show for an arranged meal with the crew on Wednesday night and his body was found the next morning by the maid.

He was in Bangkok for filming on his latest film ‘Stretch’ when his body was discovered in the wardrobe.

Carradine achieved iconic status when he played the part of a travelling, fugitive Shaolin monk, Kwai Chang Caine in the popular cult 70’s TV series ‘Kung Fu’, a role in which he portrayed great charisma and a quiet sense of serenity.

More recently he came to the fore once again when he played the title role of Bill in the Quentin Tarantino ‘Kill Bill’ films, volumes 1 and 2.

Foul play is not suspected at this stage and there were no visible signs of forced entry to the hotel room. Though the police do seem to be ruling out a shoe-print which was found on the bed which does not match any of Carradine’s shoes

There was no obvious signs of a struggle and no suspicious circumstances were evident the police in Thailand said. They are treating the actor’s death as suicide. There was no suicide note.

Though it does apppear that he did have thoughts on suicide. In an interview a few years ago, Carradine said: “I remember one time sitting in the window of the third or fourth floor of the Plaza Hotel for about an hour, thinking about just tipping off. And that was at a time when I was having more fun than you could imagine.

“I just thought, ‘Who the —- cares, man? Why don’t I just split?’ Of course I didn’t, so there you go.”

“Look, there was a period in my life when I had a single action Colt 45, loaded, in my desk drawer. And every night I’d take it out and think about blowing my head off, and then decide not to and go on with my life. Put it back in the drawer and open up the laptop and continue writing my autobiography or whatever. But it was just to see.” -

Carradine was a great actor and a modest and gentle man who suffered with acute shyness throughout his life.

He is quoted as saying: “I’ve made it pretty big as an actor in spite of being terminally shy. … Invariably, I had huge obstacles to overcome in anything I tried. Had to work against my genes to achieve my dreams.”

“I’ve always had an especially hard time with everything I’ve tried to do”.

An autopsy on the actor is being carried out at the Bangkok hospital and the findings will be complete over the next 24 hours.

His long and prestigious film career has spanned half a century in which he has played many diverse roles in over 100 films.

In one of the highlights of his career in 1976, Carradine was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as folk music legend Woody Guthrie in the film “Bound For Glory”.

David Carradine, son of character actor John Carradine, was born in Hollywood, California, and married five times, divorced four. He leaves behind three children.

It states on his official Website: “David’s career as an artist did not begin on the stage, though some of his early career was on and off Broadway.

David’s earliest work was as a sculptor and painter”. -

David Carradine: 1936 - 2009 - R.I.P.