New York (CNN) 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, has died. He was 61.
CNN confirmed Bourdain's death on Friday and said the cause of death was suicide.
Bourdain was in France working on an upcoming episode of his award-winning CNN series, "Parts Unknown." His close friend Eric Ripert, the French chef, found Bourdain unresponsive in his hotel room Friday morning.
"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.
The lines are staffed by a mix of paid professionals and unpaid volunteers trained in crisis and suicide intervention. The confidential environment, the 24-hour accessibility, a caller's ability to hang up at any time and the person-centered care have helped its success, advocates say. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.
There is also a crisis text line . For crisis support in Spanish, call 1-888-628-9454.
The suicide rate in the United States has seen sharp increases in recent years. Studies have shown that the risk of suicide declines sharply when people call the national suicide hotline: 1-800-273-TALK.
"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 joined CNN five years ago. In an email to employees, the network's president, Jeff Zucker, remembered him as an "exceptional talent."
"Tony will be greatly missed not only for his work but also for the passion with which he did it," Zucker wrote.
Viewers around the world felt connected to Bourdain through his fearless travels, his restless spirit and his magical way with words. Fans, fellow chefs, celebrities and friends reacted to his death with stunned sorrow.
"My heart breaks for Tony Bourdain," CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, wrote on Twitter. "May he rest in peace now.
"He was a friend, a collaborator, and family. A huge personality, a giant talent, a unique voice, and deeply, deeply human. My heart goes out to his daughter and family, and his longtime partners and friends at (production company) ZPZ."
My heart breaks for Tony Bourdain. May he rest in peace now. He was a friend, a collaborator, and family. A huge personality, a giant talent, a unique voice, and deeply, deeply human. My heart goes out to his daughter and family, and his longtime partners and friends at ZPZ. — Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) June 8, 2018
Author and humorist John Hodgman recalled eating with Bourdain some 14 years ago.
"He was big even then, but he took time to sit with me in Chinatown to talk 'weird' food for a magazine piece I was writing. He taught me that our 'weird' is the world's delicious," Hodgman wrote on Twitter. "We ate chicken feet. The afternoon vibrated with life. RIP."
I ate with Bourdain. Probably 2004. He was big even then but he took time to sit with me in Chinatown to talk "weird" food for a magazine piece I was writing. He taught me that our "weird" is the world's delicious. We ate chicken feet. The afternoon vibrated with life. RIP — John Hodgman (@hodgman) June 8, 2018
Chef Gordon Ramsay said Bourdain "brought the world into our homes and inspired so many people to explore cultures and cities through their food."
'The Elvis of bad boy chefs'
Bourdain was a master of his crafts -- first in the kitchen and then in the media. Through his TV shows and books, he 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."
A New Yorker article put Bourdain on the map in 1999. Its title: "Don't Eat Before Reading This."
"In America, the professional kitchen is the last refuge of the misfit. It's a place for people with bad pasts to find a new family," he wrote. The article became a best-selling book in 2000, "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly."
"When the book came out, it very quickly transformed my life -- I mean, changed everything," he told NPR.
Bourdain found himself on a path to international stardom. First, he hosted "A Cook's Tour" on the Food Network, then moved to the Travel Channel with "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations," a breakout hit that earned 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 its prime-time schedule.
Season 11 of "Parts Unknown" premiered last month on CNN.
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."
Bourdain's death came days after fashion designer Kate Spade hanged herself in an apparent suicide Tuesday at her Manhattan apartment.
Suicide is a growing problem in the United States. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a survey Thursday showing suicide rates increased by 25% across the United States over nearly two decades ending in 2016. Twenty-five states experienced a rise in suicides by more than 30%, the government report finds.
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The death of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain on Friday and fashion designer Kate Spade earlier in the week spotlights the importance of recognizing potential warning signs when someone intends to end their life.
If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, here are ways to help:
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Anthony Bourdain in New York City in April
US celebrity chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain has been found dead in his hotel room, aged 61, of a suspected suicide, CNN reports.
The culinary bad boy was near Strasbourg, France, working on a shoot for his series, Parts Unknown, on CNN.
"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," the cable network said in a statement on Friday.
Bourdain was a best-selling food, fiction and nonfiction author.
Image copyright Pete Souza Image caption Former President Barack Obama sits down for a meal with Anthony Bourdain at a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam, in May 2016
His influence grew so large that even former President Obama sought his counsel as he prepared to leave the White House.
"If you have an important state function after you might not want to go too heavy on the garlic," Bourdain said as the two men sat down for a quick bite during a political summit in Vietnam.
CNN's statement continued: "His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller.
Image copyright Le Chambard / Facebook Image caption Bourdain was staying at Le Chambard luxury hotel in Kaysersberg
"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."
Authorities in France's Alsace region confirmed his death at the Le Chambard luxury hotel in Kaysersberg, AFP reported, adding that no foul play was suspected.
He shot to fame in 2000 with a best-selling book called Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, a behind-the-scenes expose on the world of haute cuisine.
In the book he wrote candidly about his abuse of drugs, including cocaine, heroin and LSD.
Bourdain travelled more than 250 days of the year to film his show, he told the Wall Street Journal in March.
Image copyright Getty Images
His first TV show was A Cook's Tour on the Food Network in 2002. Three years later he joined the Travel Channel with Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, picking up two Emmy Awards.
He moved to CNN in 2013 with a new travel and food show, Parts Unknown, which is in its 11th season.
He grew up in Leonia, New Jersey, an affluent suburb of New York City.
His father was a Yale-educated record executive, and his mother worked as a copy editor at the New York Times.
Anthony Bourdain's wit and wisdom
"Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life - and travel - leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks - on your body or on your heart - are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt.""
"Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride."
"Maybe that's enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom is realising how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go."
"Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don't have."
"Assume the worst. About everybody. But don't let this poisoned outlook affect your job performance. Let it all roll off your back. Ignore it."
He began writing after a former university roommate offered him a free holiday to Cozumel, Mexico, if he promised he would write a book after he returned.
Less than six months after the 1993 trip, he penned his first work of fiction - satirical crime novel Bone in the Throat - while working as a chef at Sullivan's on New York City's Broadway Avenue.
"My cooks view my writing career with suspicion," he told the New York Times in 1997, before finding fame. "It isn't tangible. There's something a little shady about it."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Jonathan Head samples the noodle dish President Obama and Anthony Boudain ate in Vietnam
Bourdain was married twice, first to his high-school sweetheart Nancy Putkoski in 1985. They divorced after 20 years.
Two years later he married mixed martial artist Ottavia Busia and they had a daughter, Ariane, born in 2007.
They divorced in 2016, a split he blamed partly on his constant travel for work.
Last year Bourdain he began a relationship with Italian actress Asia Argento, who directed an episode in which he visited Hong Kong.
He became an outspoken advocate for the #MeToo movement after Argento accused former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of rape.
Bourdian's death comes days after the suicide of another much-loved celebrity, 55-year-old fashion designer Kate Spade, in New York.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Anthony Bourdain was romantically linked with Italian actress Asia Argento
On Thursday, US government health officials said US suicides had risen by 30% since 1999, and that the crisis presented a growing problem. Nearly 45,000 Americans died by suicide in 2016.
US President Donald Trump said as he left the White House for the G7 summit: "I want to extend to his family my heartfelt condolences."
"That was a shock when I woke up this morning: Anthony Bourdain is dead! I enjoyed his show, he was quite a character."
He added that he also wished to give condolences to the family of Kate Spade.
Tributes have been pouring in from fellow foodies, celebrities, entertainers, and broadcasters.
Skip Twitter post by @robdelaney ❤️A couple things I’ve written about my depression & how I’ve grappled with the urge to kill myself.
1. https://t.co/Nxz9b4VrPy
2. https://t.co/yPoMHbG9cp
In recovery suicide is often referred to as “a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”
We beat it *together*❤️ — rob delaney (@robdelaney) June 8, 2018 Report
Skip Twitter post by @rosemcgowan Anthony I am so mad at you. You were so loved, the world is not better without you. I have a message for those considering suicide as a solution to a temporary problem. Please call a hotline. Please reach out. Asia needed you, Anthony. We needed you. Please come back. pic.twitter.com/kqOEdJ80h9 — rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) June 8, 2018 Report
Where to get help
From Canada or US: If you're in an emergency, please call 911
You can contact the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 or the Crisis Test Line by texting HOME to 741741
Young people in need of help can call Kids Help Phone on 1-800-668-6868
If you are in the UK, you can call the Samaritans on 116123
For support and more information on emotional distress, click here.
Did you ever meet Anthony Bourdain? Or did Bourdain change the way you cooked or ate? Please let us know. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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Chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain dies at 61 copied!
Chef, travel host and author Anthony Bourdain has died at the age of 61 from suicide, CNN confirms. The Morning Joe panel discusses Bourdain's life, the suicide of Kate Spade and resources for those dealing with depression.
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