Anthony Bourdain was a popular chef, author, and television host of the CNN program "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown," and other programs.
Bourdain Is Found Dead
On June 8, Bourdain was found dead in a hotel room in France. He was on the road to film an upcoming episode of his television show. The reported cause of death was suicide. Chef Eric Ripert, a close friend of Bourdain, found him unresponsive in his hotel room. He was 61 years old.
"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," CNN wrote 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.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Speaks Out
Immediately after news of Bourdain's passing surfaced, scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson appeared on CNN. He was originally scheduled to discuss the recent discovery of organic matter on Mars, but instead, he spoke about the loss of Bourdain. deGrasse Tyson appeared on his show twice.
"When you lose a life, particularly one that is lost tragically and not sort of by natural causes, especially for me and certainly for everyone, it hits that much more deeply because of so much effort that I know we spend in this search for life in the universe," deGrasse Tyson said. "But at least we got to share this universe with him."
deGrasse Tyson reflected on his conversations with Bourdain about the science of food and the culture of cuisine. He implored viewers to read more about Bourdain's journey through life, including his history with drug use.
"Many people struggle with drug use and heroin, and any kind of drugs. He rose up from all of that. He was cleaning dishes in a restaurant," he said. "You can have these curve balls thrown at you in life, and you can still rise up and overcome that and make something of your own life. But not only that but to touch the lives of others in the way that he has."
He applauded Bourdain for his "authenticity" on television and for his "street philosophy" that touched many viewers. He also imagined what would have happened if Bourdain did an episode of his CNN show on Mars.
"What he would do, if we found life on Mars, he go there and find out what kind of food it is eating," deGrasse Tyson said.
If you or anyone you know need to talk to someone, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
