Community Chat

[I am still oxox]

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Anthony Bourdain, a gifted storyteller and writer who took CNN viewers around the world, has died. He was 61.

CNN confirmed Bourdain's death on Friday and said the cause of death was suicide.

"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," the network said in a statement Friday morning. "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."

Bourdain was in France working on an upcoming episode of his award-winning CNN series. His close friend Eric Ripert, the French chef, found Bourdain unresponsive in his hotel room Friday morning.

Bourdain was a master of his crafts -- first in the kitchen and then in the media. Through his TV shows and books, he explored the human condition and helped audiences think differently about food, travel and themselves. He advocated for marginalized populations and campaigned for safer working conditions for restaurant staffs.

Along the way, he received practically every award the industry has to offer.

In 2013, Peabody Award judges honored Bourdain and "Parts Unknown" for "expanding our palates and horizons in equal measure."

"He's irreverent, honest, curious, never condescending, never obsequious," the judges said. "People open up to him and, in doing so, often reveal more about their hometowns or homelands than a traditional reporter could hope to document."

The Smithsonian once called him "the original rock star" of the culinary world, "the Elvis of bad boy chefs."

In 1999 he wrote a New Yorker article, "Don't Eat Before Reading This," that became a best-selling book in 2000, "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly."

The book set him on a path to international stardom.

First he hosted "A Cook's Tour" on the Food Network, then moved to "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" on the Travel Channel. "No Reservations" was a breakout hit, earning two Emmy Awards and more than a dozen nominations.

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 the prime time schedule.

Season eleven of "Parts Unknown" premiered on CNN last month.

While accepting the Peabody award in 2013, Bourdain described how he approached his work.

"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."

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How to get help: Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

[Mimi 1883]

OMG! What is going on? How sad. Prayers to his family and friends.

[Goldengate8361]

Maybe after his and Kate Spades suicides, more national media attention will rightly be devoted to understanding and preventing suicide. Fact: more u.s. people die from suicides every year than homicides— by a significant margin. Most people don’t seem aware of that.

[Caaareful Shopper]

I'm speechless.

[cherry]

God rest his soul. I always enjoyed his  programs. I think he was a lot of fun ,and very interesting.  I would have never eaten most of the food he did, but lots of people do

It's such a shame to know ,so many people feel so bad, and need to   end their desperate pain. He was another one that hid it well, He was an ex drug addict, and perhaps he had just been always looking for a release from his pain. I will miss him

[Vivian]

I just heard the announcement on CNN. I was shocked. Two famous people gone this week due to suicide...and how many others? The suicide rate in our country has gone up dramatically. I loved Bourdain’s programs. What could be better than travel and food? I’ll never forget his trip to the Congo, where the tragedy of colonialism became a far more important issue than the menu.

I just want to add that for 35 years I worked at a research-oriented university that had a reputation for stress-induced suicides. I was an academic advisor who worked with undergraduates who were having problems. For all the decades I worked with those kids, my greatest fear was that I’d lose one to suicide. So, when I retired, my first thought was to thank God that none of my students took his or her life. My department was known to take good care of its students. I am proud of that. Still, I am so sad that we have lost some wonderful people to suicide, especially this week.

[spud188]

How sad,he also has a young daughter.

I enjoyed his TV shows and his books.

[SXMGirl]

This has been a terrible week with several known and not-as-well-known celebs committing suicide.  The suicide rate in the United States continues to climb, with some states reporting an increase of 30 percent.   While sometimes life can seem not worth living, I feel very sorry for the people left behind who loved them.

[nun ya]

oh my gosh. How awful.

I loved watching him go to all the places off the beaten path.

[sidsmom]

Wow...this hits hard.

CNN’s morning host, Alisyn Camerota, teared up while on the air.  

I’m afraid many hosts on CNN will be affected personally today.

******. 

 ^^^, my thoughts exactly.