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- The celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain was found dead in his hotel room in France on Friday.
- The cause of death is believed to be suicide.
- Bourdain had a history of drug addiction.
- Last year, he told The Guardian he had been an “unhappy soul.”
- “I hurt, disappointed, and offended many, many, many people, and I regret a lot,” Bourdain told the publication. “It’s a shame I have to live with.”
Anthony Bourdain, the celebrity chef who was found dead on Friday at the age of 61, opened up about his regrets, shame, and what he called his “unhappy soul” in an interview with The Guardian last year.
Bourdain’s body was found in his hotel room in France. He is believed to have killed himself.
Bourdain hosted CNN’s “Parts Unknown,” wrote a best-seller about his time as a chef, and received numerous awards and nominations for his work throughout the late 2000s and 2010s.
He also had acknowledged that he struggled with drug addiction and had a history of heroin use.
Speaking to The Guardian in January 2017, Bourdain reflected on his chaotic life in the kitchens, saying he had finally “put aside my psychotic rage, after many years being awful to line cooks, abusive to waiters, bullying to dishwashers.”
He added: “I was an unhappy soul, with a huge heroin and then crack problem. I hurt, disappointed, and offended many, many, many people, and I regret a lot. It’s a shame I have to live with.”
However, he also said he was “in much better shape than I’ve probably ever been,” adding: “I travel 250 days a year. I’m lean, my alcohol bloat has gone, and I do Brazilian jiu-jitsu every day.”
He said he had “learnt to take food less seriously and try whenever possible to experience it emotionally rather than as a professional or critic.”
“When you’ve seen what I’ve seen on a regular basis, it changes your worldview,” he said.
Bourdain had been in France working on new episodes “Parts Unknown,” in which he travels the world and reports on local cuisine and culture.
“I’ve spent such a lot of time in the developing world. I was caught in a war in Beirut, been in Liberia, the Congo, Iraq, and Libya, and realised how fast things can get bad, how arbitrary good fortune and cruelty and death,” he told The Guardian last year. “I suppose I’ve learnt humility. Or something.”
On being close to death at points in his career, Bourdain said: “The great Warren Zevon was asked, close to death, whether he had any important words of wisdom to pass on, and he said, ‘Enjoy every sandwich.’ I definitely enjoy my sandwiches, given how low I fell and how likely it was that there was going to be a different and tragic outcome.
“I’m a pretty lucky man. I enjoy my food and presenting ‘Parts Unknown.’ I have the best job in the world.”
Bourdain leaves behind a daughter and a girlfriend, the Italian actress Asia Argento. Argento accused the Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault in a high-profile New Yorker article last year and has become a vocal critic of his.
“It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain,” CNN 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,” CNN said. “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.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress, as well as best practices for professionals and resources to aid in prevention and crisis situations.
This content was originally published here.
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