PARIS -- Anthony Bourdain, the celebrity chef and citizen of the world who inspired millions to share his delight in food and the bonds it created, was found dead in his hotel room Friday in France while working on his CNN series on culinary traditions. He was 61.
CNN confirmed the death, saying that Bourdain was found unresponsive Friday morning by friend and chef Eric Ripert, and the company called the death a suicide.
A prosecutor in eastern France said Bourdain apparently hanged himself in a luxury hotel in the ancient village of Kaysersberg on the Alsatian wine route. French media quoted Colmar prosecutor Christian de Rocquigny du Fayel as saying that "at this stage" nothing suggests that another person was involved.
However, investigators were verifying the circumstances of Bourdain's death.
Widely loved and rarely afraid to speak his mind, he mixed a coarseness and whimsical sense of adventurousness, true to the rock 'n' roll music he loved. Bourdain's Parts Unknown seemed like an odd choice for CNN when it started in 2013 -- part travelogue, part history lesson, part love letter to exotic foods. Each trip was an adventure. There had been nothing quite like it on the staid news network, and it became an immediate hit.
Colleagues, friends and admirers shared their grief Friday. CNN chief executive Jeff Zucker sent a company letter calling Bourdain "an exceptional talent. A storyteller. A gifted writer. A world traveler. An adventurer."
Bourdain's death came three days after fashion designer Kate Spade killed herself in her Park Avenue apartment in New York. Spade's husband and business partner said the 55-year-old business mogul had suffered from depression and anxiety for many years.
In a 2008 interview, Bourdain had said that his daughter's birth had changed his outlook on life. "I feel obliged to at least do the best I can and not do anything really stupidly self-destructive if I can avoid it," he said.
Besides showcasing food, Parts Unknown also served as a window to the local culture -- particularly the parts not overrun by tourists. A trip to Japan in the series' first season included an odd show with robots and scantily clad women, a visit with a death metal band and a meal shared with a woman involved in the city's sadomasochistic community.
Bourdain was reluctant to analyze why his series succeeded.
"If you think about who the audience is and what their expectations might be, I think that's the road to badness and mediocrity," he said. "You go out there and show the best story you can as best you can. If it's interesting to you, hopefully it's interesting to others. If you don't make television like that, it's pandering."
Bourdain was born in New York City and was raised in Leonia, N.J. He had written that his love of food began as a youth while on a family vacation in France, when he ate his first oyster. He was candid about his personal struggles, saying that drug use led to his dropping out of Vassar College after two years.
Working in restaurants led him to the Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated in 1978, and began working in kitchens in New York City. He became executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in 1998.
CNN is currently airing the 11th season of Parts Unknown, and Bourdain was in France shooting an episode for the 12th season.
CNN said it has not made a decision yet on whether it will proceed with the current season.
Information for this article was contributed by Sylvie Corbet, Elaine Ganley, Hillel Italie, David Bauder, Shawn Marsh, Danica Kirka and Pablo Gorondi of The Associated Press.
A Section on 06/09/2018