It is with a heavy heart that we announce the death of CNN’s Anthony Bourdain, “the gifted chef, storyteller and writer who took TV viewers around the world to explore culture, cuisine and the human condition for nearly two decades.” 1 Bourdain had been in France working on an upcoming episode of his award-winning CNN series, “Parts Unknown” when he found by his close friend Eric Ripert, a French chef, unresponsive in his hotel room early this morning. He was 61.

Bourdain had been dating actress Asia Argento. In October 2017, he publicly supported her amid her accusation that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her in the past tweeting, “@AsiaArgento I am proud and honored to know you. You just did the hardest thing in the world.”

Hours before the news of his death broke, Argento was active on Instagram, posting a picture of herself wearing a ripped t-shirt that read: “F— EVERYONE.” She captioned the post, “You know who you are.” However, her Instagram story has since been deleted.2

His death has been confirmed as suicide. As of right now we don’t have any further information but will update you as more details of the story emerge.

In a statement this morning the network said,
“It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain. His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time.”3

IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS AND NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE, PLEASE CALL THE NATIONAL SUICIDE HOTLINE: 1-800-273-TALK. There is also a crisis text line. And if you need crisis support in Spanish, call 1-888-628-9454.

His colleagues and friends have been on Twitter today posting about how much he will be missed:

Here’s a video from the last time Bourdain spoke to TMZ. Please be aware there is foul language in the clip:

In 1999, a New Yorker article entitled, Don’t Eat Before Reading This” put him “on the map” and would go on to become a best-selling book “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” in 2000. Speaking about the book he said, “When the book came out, it very quickly transformed my life — I mean, changed everything.”4

He quickly found himself on a path to international stardom hosting “A Cook’s Tour” on the Food Network and then “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations,” on the Travel Channel (he earned two Emmy Awards and more than a dozen nominations thanks to that show).

“In 2013, both Bourdain and CNN took a risk by bringing him to the news network still best known for breaking news and headlines. Bourdain quickly became one of the principal faces of the network and one of the linchpins of its prime-time schedule.”5

According to the CDC, suicide is a growing issue in the United States with suicide rates increasing by 25% across the country over nearly two decades ending in 2016.

Again, IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS AND NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE, PLEASE CALL THE NATIONAL SUICIDE HOTLINE: 1-800-273-TALK. There is also a crisis text line. And if you need crisis support in Spanish, call 1-888-628-9454.

Sources and References

  1. CNN, June 8, 2018.
  2. People, June 8, 2018.
  3. CNN, June 8, 2018.
  4. CNN, June 8, 2018.
  5. CNN, June 8, 2018.