Michael Hernandez
08 June 2018•Update: 09 June 2018
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
Anthony Bourdain, the celebrity chef who inspired a generation with his global culinary adventures, died aged 61 on Friday.
CNN, the television network Bourdain most recently worked with, said the cause of death was suicide.
"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," CNN said in a statement.
"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."
Bourain was in Strasbourg, France, taping a segment for his show, Parts Unknown, when friend and frequent television guest Eric Rippert found him in his hotel room unresponsive early Friday morning, according to the news network.
Commonly referred to as a "bad boy chef", Bourdain used food to expose his audience to parts of the world that are often out of bounds for the common person.
He began his run on CNN with an episode in Myanmar, which had until recently been off-limits for most Americans, and would later travel to post-Ghadaffi Libya, Palestine and Iran. His show often pivoted between edgy and refined, showing both the most exquisite dining the world has to offer and the importance of a simple meal.
But the fame Bourdain garnered over the course of his career was not always so certain for the former line cook.
He battled heroin addiction early on in his life, but rose to stardom after penning an article in the New Yorker magazine that would go on to become his acclaimed tell-all book about the restaurant industry, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, in 2000.
Reactions to his death began pouring in early Friday morning.
Former President Barack Obama, whom Bourdain broke bread with in Vietnam during an episode of Parts Unknown, posted a picture of the encounter on Twitter, recollecting the man and his legacy.
"He taught us about food — but more importantly, about its ability to bring us together. To make us a little less afraid of the unknown. We’ll miss him," Obama wrote.
Model and amateur chef Chrissy Tiegen described Bourdain as one of her idols who was "Unapologetic, passionate and one of the best storytellers on the planet."
"Thank you for making food so exciting. And always standing up for everything right. Horrible. Why why why. Be at peace now," she wrote on Twitter.
Italian actress Asia Argento, whom Bourdain had been dating for the past year, remembered him as a man whose "fearless spirit touched and inspired so many, and his generosity knew no bounds."
Bourdain is survived by his daughter, Ariane, and ex-wife Ottavia.
