This Friday world-renowned chef and writer Anthony Bourdain, 61, passed away in a French hotel. His cause of death was suicide.
Bourdain was working in France on a new episode for his critically acclaimed TV show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.
Many of his friends and fans, including President Donald Trump and former president Barack Obama, have spoken about their interactions with Bourdain and how he influenced their lives.
Trump said he enjoyed Bourdain’s show and that Bourdain was quite a character. Meanwhile, Obama exactly made an appearance on Parts Unknown. Today Obama tweeted a picture of that moment the two shared in a Vietnamese restaurant.
“Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer.” This is how I’ll remember Tony. 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. pic.twitter.com/orEXIaEMZM
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 8, 2018
From Humble Beginnings to a Bright Spotlight
Bourdain was raised in Leonia, New Jersey and even as a teenager worked in kitchens, not as a chef but as a dishwater. Also, during his youth, Bourdain acquired a heroin addiction. As an older man, he wasn’t shy to talk about his past.
He was also accepted to and attended Vassar College in New York for two years until he dropped out to attend the Culinary Institute of America. He graduated from the culinary school with an associate degree in 1978.
Twenty years later, Bourdain became the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles (located in Manhattan). In 2017, the restaurant went bankrupt and closed.
He achieved fame as a writer with his New Yorker article, “Don’t Eat Before Reading This” which then grew into a best-selling book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (published in 2000).
In the 21st century, Bourdain hosted several cooking TV shows before Parts Unknown including A Cook’s Tour, No Reservations and The Layover. No Reservations won two Emmys and Parts Unknown won four Emmys. He also won a Peabody award in 2013 for Parts Unknown.
Bourdain also made a cameo as himself in the Oscar-winning 2015 film The Big Short. In the movie, he uses seafood stew as an analogy for a collateralized debt obligation.
In the past year, he had been dating Italian actress Asia Argento, one of the women to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. Bourdain had been very supportive of Argento. Argento loved him deeply and this news is a great pain for her.
http://twitter.com/AsiaArgento/status/1005116310366269440
Three days ago, beloved fashion designer Kate Spade, 55, also committed suicide. Both of their deaths really show that no matter how successful people are or how happy they seem, they can still hold a deep sadness within themselves. Talk to your friends and family, even if you think they seem okay.
If you, yourself are feeling depressed, then please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK and go to the website speakingofsuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
Featured Image via Google
