Reports have confirmed that Anthony Bourdain has died at the age of 61.
Bourdain was in Strasbourg, France where he was filming an episode for the 12th season of his TV series, Parts Unknown. Fellow celebrity chef, Eric Ripert, discovered the late Bourdain in his hotel room after he reportedly took his own life.
The Smithsonian once referred to the celebrity chef as the “original rockstar” of the culinary world.
CNN, for whom Bourdain hosted Parts Unknown stated that, “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.”
Fellow celebrity cookbook author, Chrissy Teigen, paid tribute to Bourdain, calling him one of her idols:
Anthony. One of my idols. Unapologetic, passionate and one of the best storytellers on the planet. Thank you for making food so exciting. And always standing up for everything right. Horrible. Why why why. Be at peace now 🙁
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) June 8, 2018
Hamilton star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, revealed how the chef had made him brave:
Bourdain's exceptional writing made this one formerly picky, fearful eater very brave and want to try everything and I'll always be grateful for him and the worlds he opened
— 🇵🇷 Lin-Manuel Miranda 🏳️🌈 (@Lin_Manuel) June 8, 2018
And even former US President Barack Obama, whom Bourdain interviewed in Hanoi, highlighted “Tony’s” ability to bring people together:
“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
Bourdain, who was twice divorced, is survived by his daughter, Ariane.
