Actor David Carradine Dead in Bangkok at 72.

Thai police told the BBC the 72-year-old was found naked by a hotel maid in a wardrobe with a cord around his neck and other parts of his body.

A US embassy official confirmed the actor's death, but added that the cause of death had not yet been established.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, Michael Turner, confirmed the death to The Associated Press but would provide no further details out of respect for Carradine's family.

However, Thai newspaper The Nation reported that police believe the actor took his own life, and preliminary investigations found that he hanged himself.

Citing ... unidentified police sources, the Thai English-language newspaper The Nation has reported that Carradine was found hanged in a luxury hotel room and died as a result of a suicide, though other sources say he died of natural causes.

The newspaper said Carradine could not be contacted after he failed to appear for a meal with the rest of the film crew on Wednesday, and that his body was found by a hotel maid at 10 a.m. Thursday morning. The name of the movie was not immediately available.

It said a preliminary police investigation found that he had hanged himself with a cord used with the room's curtains. It cited police as saying he had been dead at least 12 hours and there was no sign that he had been assaulted.

The officer responsible for investigating the death, Teerapop Luanseng, said Carradine was staying at a suite at the luxury Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel.

"I can confirm that we found his body, naked, hanging in the closet," Teerapop said. He said police suspected suicide.

The star was best known for his role as Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s TV series Kung Fu, which spawned sequels in the '80s and '90s.

The character became one of the most iconic roles in US TV and earned Carradine both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

Kung Fu, which ran from 1972 to 1975, combined both genres. Carradine's character, Kwai Chang Caine, was the son of an American man and Chinese woman who roamed the Old West in search of his brother. Carradine shared the role with his own younger brother, Keith Carradine, who played Caine in his younger years. David Carradine was nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe for the role, to which he returned in two TV movies and a mid '90s series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.

Though he became best known for martial arts roles, Carradine rose to fame in Westerns. He was featured in the 1964 film Taggart, and then in the 1966 series Shane.

One of his prominent early film roles was as singer Woody Guthrie in Ashby's 1976 biopic "Bound for Glory."

While his film career saw him working with directors including Martin Scorsese and Ingmar Bergman, the cult actor was considered something of a B-movie legend.

In 2003, after years in the straight-to-video market, Carradine found a new audience thanks to his role in the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill.

Carradine was an accomplished composer, musician, musical performer and songwriter. According to his official website, he was also a sculptor and a painter.

Carradine was a leading member of a venerable Hollywood acting family that included his father, character actor John Carradine, and brother Keith.

He is survived by his wife, Annie Bierman, and three children including actresses Calista and Kansas.

A statement on behalf of his family has yet to be released, but [Carradine's manager] Binder called the death "shocking and sad ... He was full of life, always wanting to work ... a great person."

But despite an enthusiasm for his work, the actor had openly discussed his battle with suicidal thoughts. In a 2004 interview, Carradine said: "I remember one time sitting at the window of the third or fourth floor of the Plaza Hotel for about an hour, thinking about just tipping off."

He also said he had considered shooting himself.

"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 the laptop and continue writing my autobiography or whatever. But it was just to see."