Brandon Lee – The Crow dies on movie set in Wilmington

On March 31, 1993, at Carolco Studios (renamed it EUE/Screen Gems Studios in 1996), Lee was filming a scene where his character, Eric, is shot after witnessing the rape of his girlfriend.

It was a flashback scene, intended to show how his character was killed. The premise of the flick was that his spirit returns, and avenges his death. Actor Michael Masee played a drug dealer that had broken into Lee’s apartment, and was in the process of raping

**The film was being shot in Wilmington, North Carolina, at Carolco (Screen Gems) Studios, on Stage 4 / Image: via wilmingtonbiz.com**

Brandon was to enter the apartment, and Masse was to shoot Lee. Massee was to fire a pistol full of blanks (defective blank ammunition) at Brandon, from a distance of about 12 feet. Lee collapsed on the set, bleeding profusely through the right side of his abdomen. He let out a groan and just collapsed.

The only son of Bruce Lee was rushed to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, where he underwent six hours of surgery. However, attempts to save him were unsuccessful, and Lee was pronounced dead at 1:03 pm on March 31, 1993 at the age of 28. The shooting was ruled an accident.

The Crow, directed by Alex Proyas and starring Brandon Lee in his final film appearance. The film is based on James O’Barr’s comic book of the same name, and tells the story of Eric Draven (Lee), a rock musician who is revived to avenge the rape and murder of his fiancée, as well as his own death. The film also stars Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, Bai Ling, Sofia Shinas, and Michael Massee.