James Yimm Lee

James Lee died aged 52 on 30 December 1972 due to lung cancer caused by welding fumes, only about 7 months before the death of Bruce Lee.

He and Linda Lee were eyewitnesses of the fight between Bruce Lee and Wong Jack-man held privately at Chinatown, Oakland in 1964.

Jesse Glover was introduced to Chinese Kung Fu by James Lee during a trip before meeting Bruce Lee in 1959.

James Lee became well known for his Iron Palm specialty, and would routinely break bricks at demonstrations. He was the first to publish an Iron Palm book in America in 1957.

Lee married Katherine Margaret Chow on October 13, 1951, in Nevada, they had at least two children, a daughter Karena Lee and a son Greglon Yimm Lee.

James Yimm Lee (January 31, 1920 – December 30, 1972) was an American martial arts pioneer, teacher, author, and publisher. James Lee is known for being a mentor, teacher and friend of Bruce Lee.

Lee was born on January 31, 1920, in Oakland, California. He was a welder by profession. He joined the United States Army in August 1944. After basic training, he was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky for radio operator school. In January 1945, he was deployed to the Philippine Islands for about a year while part of the 716th Tank Battalion and fought in the Luzon and Mindanao campaigns. In January 1946, he was sent to the Letterman Army Hospital, San Francisco, California due to recurring bouts of Malaria. He became a private first class and was assigned to 801st Military Police Battalion in San Francisco, California.