Celebrity chef and television host Anthony Bourdain was found dead last Saturday in a French hotel room of an apparent suicide.
"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," CNN, the company behind Bourdain’s popular food and travel shows, said in a statement. "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."
Gordon Ramsay tweeted his sadness, writing that Bourdain "brought the world into our homes and inspired so many people to explore cultures."
In New Zealand, Simon Gault said that Bourdain was a “legend” and a “fantastic guy”. Josh Emmett paid tribute to Bourdain’s 2000 book Kitchen Confidential, saying that it was honest about the long hours and intense pressures that come along with working in a commercial kitchen.
Bourdain was known for being outspoken on issues far removed from the kitchen. He was a vocal supporter of the Me Too movement, recently posting an image of a prison menu with the caption “Le Menu Weinstein” following the arrest of the movie mogul, and harboured an intense dislike of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
