On screen he looked so enthusiastic…
I don’t know if he was ever diagnosed as depressive. I don’t remember him ever talking about it. So it makes me wonder if he fell off the wagon and OD’ed. In time I would expect more details to come out. In the meantime it’s just sad.
1 Like
This is just so unbelievable, I thought initially it was an elaborate joke he set up with Ripert. He was at the top of his game. WTH.
1 Like
RIP.
Shocked.
1 Like
He reportedly hanged himself in a Paris hotel room.
His girlfriend of two years, Asia Argento, (a Harvey Weinstein accuser), had apparently “found a younger fella’”.
Such a loss. I loved his books and his first couple of food/travel series, but he had kind of lost me with the new one, to be honest.
RIP, man.
RIP.
Cross posting
5 Likes
Unfortunately, I have lost too many people to suicide. Depression is often a trigger according to every professional I have talked to.
AB’s twitter account has nothing but praise for those he worked with, loved or enjoyed meeting. If there is one thing I have learned words spoken aloud dont always match the words in our heads.
While this topic is not entirely food related, the food world has had so many serious spotlights placed upon it lately, AB taking his life just makes me incredibly disappointed…for those who remain.
4 Likes
Sometimes , you do. Doesn’t make it better. Must be awful for Ripert.
3 Likes
You said what I think many of us are feeling today… And I’m heartbroken for Eric Ripert. It’s all a very sad, reminder that mental illness is very real and very serious.
1 Like
Not really the point, I know, but I’ve often been concerned that he didn’t come accross to me as "on the wagon. "
1 Like
Shocked and saddened.
1 Like
Yeah. What a surprising news.
1 Like
“What I do is not complicated,” Bourdain told the New York Times in 2005. “Any stranger who shows an honest curiosity about what the locals think is the best food is going to be welcomed. When you eat their food and you seem happy, people sitting around a table open up and interesting things happen.”
3 Likes
I am admittedly behind on catching up on the Parts Unknown episodes. One of the reasons I like his No Reservations show is that Anthony Bourdain brought us not just food, but the context, and the geopolitics behind the food. He took us to a journey to understand humanity and other culture better, to understand the surroundings of which the food is created.
He didn’t glamorize food and chefs, and he didn’t make food that were unfamiliar to the CNN or Travel Channel audience gimmicky. He just told the story about the people who created food and the culture and geopolitics around them. He gave as much attention to home cooks, mom and pop shops and known chefs. He’s the opposite of the stereotypical ‘ugly American’.
I am saddened that he died, but I am thankful of what he shared with us.
11 Likes
I heard this on the radio this morning, and just sat down and cried. I’m still crying. Even my CEO at work knew this hit me hard when I was just sitting in the work kitchen and he came in. He looked at me, and said “I’m so sorry” and brought out a box of tissues.
This was a man that seemed to have the world by the balls and made the most of the life he had been granted. He sat down with everyone - whether it was a street vendor or the President of the United States - just to have a beer, a good meal, and to just shoot the shit. He was real.
My heart aches for his family, friends, and most especially his daughter. And for all of us who loved him as he was - warts and all.
12 Likes
He hanged himself.
Some years back, my husband and I heard Anthony Bourdain speak about his books and his travels. He was unfailingly gracious to all. I got to ask a question about why he decided to do a guest appearance on the kids’ show “Yo Gabba Gabba!” His daughter was a fan. I can no longer recall his answer exactly, so here’s a write up I found over at Serious Eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/02/video-anthony-bourdain-as-dr-tony-on-yo-gabba-gabba-tv.html#continued
I remember being so happy for him at that moment, with the success he had found and the happiness his daughter seemed to bring to his life. Today I’m saddened and reminded that we never know what burdens others carry. Peace.
6 Likes
I’ve been thinking of him all day. I think they were really close, or they certainly acted close on camera. What a shock for him to find AB’s body. Also feeling for Zamir Gotta. The two of them together made me laugh til I cried.
5 Likes
It wasn’t an act - they were genuinely very close friends. I saw both AB and ER in Boston during their talk tour a few years back - they parried and riposted with each other like a pair of expert swordsmen. They were black and white / complete opposites in their mannerisms, but they became the unlikeliest of good friends.
4 Likes
I thought of that too
