Just days after fashion icon Kate Spade was declared dead by suicide, celebrity chef and host of CNN’s hit show “Parts Unknown,” Anthony Bourdain, was found dead in his hotel room in France by an apparent suicide. He was 61.
CNN host Brian Stelter announced on Friday that friends of the celebrity chef discovered he had hung himself. No details have been provided as to whether a note had been left.
“Anthony was found dead this morning in his hotel room in France. He had hung himself, in his hotel room,” Stelter said.
In a statement on Friday morning, CNN confirmed that Bourdain had committed suicide.
“It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain,” the network said. “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.”
The celebrity chef had been working on an upcoming episode for his award-winning show “Parts Unknown,” which featured Bourdain traveling to exotic locations all around the world as he indulged in local cuisine and customs.
In an email to employees, CNN president Jeff Zucker mourned Bourdain’s passing. “Tony was an exceptional talent,” said Zucker. “Tony will be greatly missed not only for his work but also for the passion with which he did it.”
Bourdain rose to international stardom in 1999 when he wrote The New Yorker article, “Don’t Eat Before Reading This,” which morphed into the top-selling book, “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.”
Since then, Bourdain became a household name in the culinary world. He first hosted “A Cook’s Tour” on Food Network before moving on to his two-time Emmy Award-winning series “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.”
While accepting the Peabody award in 2013 for his work on “Parts Unknown,” Bourdain said his work revolved around “very simple questions.” “We ask very simple questions: What makes you happy? What do you eat? What do you like to cook? And everywhere in the world we go and ask these very simple questions,” he said. “We tend to get some really astonishing answers.”
Bourdain also became a prominent figure in the #MeToo movement this past year with the announcement that his girlfriend, Asia Argento, had been allegedly raped by notorious movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
“I am proud and honored to know you. You just did the hardest thing in the world,” Bourdain tweeted at Argento in response to the revelation.
Bourdain leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter, Ariane.