It's an understatement to say that the world was shocked by the death of Anthony Bourdain,
the chef and writer who committed suicide at the age of 61. But some have speculated
that things weren't what they seemed. We're here to clear up the myths about Anthony Bourdain's
death.
No one can argue that Anthony Bourdain didn't live a fascinating life. For one, his career
beginnings in the New York City food industry were documented in his widely-lauded book
"Kitchen Confidential," in which he exposed readers to sordid culinary secrets and lambasted
the phenomenon of brunch. After that, Bourdain started his influential television career,
which followed the adventures he had eating, drinking, and exploring different parts of
the world.
People have wondered, could a man with seemingly such a rich and fulfilling life be so depressed?
Sadly, yes, which is something his fixers — local freelance writers or producers who'd
help with shoots and serve as interpreters on TV projects — had begun to notice in
the chef's later years.
For one, Bourdain's work had gotten more stressful than it used to be. Speaking to Vanity Fair
in 2018, fixer Michiko Zentoh said,
"It was a brutal schedule for the production team. Tony had no time to digest anything
— not the food or the experience."
Bourdain also didn't like being away from his daughter, according to fixer Alex Roa,
who noticed he just didn't seem that excited on location anymore. She said to Vanity Fair,
"He would just show up for a call, do the shoot, and go straight back to the hotel."
Others described him as simply "tired."
Anthony Bourdain got to do things that most of us can only dream of. For one, he had noodles
and beer with former President Barack Obama at a Vietnamese restaurant in Vietnam. He
spent time on the continent of Antarctica, which isn't exactly a cheap getaway. And let's
not forget that Bourdain and his ex-wife owned a multi-million dollar home just a block away
from Manhattan's Central Park.
To that end, it's not all that surprising that Celebrity Net Worth asserted that Bourdain
was worth a cool $16 million when he died. But as it turns out, Bourdain wasn't worth
nearly that much. According to Page Six, the chef and writer was worth $1.21 million when
he died, which is a lot of money — just not nearly as much as many observers suspected
he had.
In his will, Bourdain left most of his money to his daughter, Ariane Busia-Bourdain; his
ex-wife, Ottavia Busia-Bourdain, was given control of his estate, as well as all of Bourdain's
frequent flyer miles. She also was given his personal effects, like cars, books, and other
possessions.
One especially commendable aspect of Anthony Bourdain's personality was his candor about
everything in life, especially his past drug use; most notably, he was open about the fact
that he used to have an addiction to heroin.
In sharing that information about himself with the world, Bourdain showed not only that
anyone can become addicted to substances, but also that you can come back from the throes
of addiction.
But despite what anyone might have insinuated, Bourdain didn't have a relapse or die from
a drug overdose. According to the New York Times, at the time of his death, there were
"no narcotics in his system," and the only substance that was detected was a therapeutic
dose of nonnarcotic medicine.
While Bourdain was the first to admit he had a tendency to, quote, "drink himself stupid"
on his shows, as he told Men's Journal, he barely ever drank at home. And although there
was alcohol in his system at the time of his death, neither it or any other substances
are thought to have contributed to Bourdain's death.
Another thing that Anthony Bourdain was known for was his curiosity, which is what brought
him to the many far-flung locales he traveled to in his lifetime. And he didn't just go
to the kinds of places we all want to visit, like Rome, Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo — rather,
Bourdain sought to see places that the rest of us might be too afraid to ever go.
For example, Bourdain once traveled to Libya for "Parts Unknown," a place that he acknowledged
was dangerous at the time.
In fact, a "close associate" of someone the CNN series interviewed for that episode was
later reported to be kidnapped — a frightening and haunting thing to consider. And then there's
the episode of "Parts Unknown" that Bourdain and company filmed in Iran, after which his
friend, Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, was unjustly thrown into an Iranian
prison for 544 days.
Given Bourdain's history with these types of encounters, some folks might have wondered
if he might have gotten himself into similar trouble with unsavory characters who may have
wished to do him harm in a place far from his home. But as many outlets credibly reported,
there were no signs of foul play in Anthony Bourdain's death.
When news of Anthony Bourdain's death broke in June of 2018, fans were devastated. But
if you thought there would never be any new Bourdain-related content, that's a myth you
can stop believing.
For one, viewers got to see the remaining episodes of "Parts Unknown" that had been
filmed but were still in production when Bourdain died. Additionally, a comic book that Bourdain
wrote entitled "Hungry Ghosts" was published several months after he died.
Bourdain's final book — "World Travel: An Irreverent Guide" — was published in April
2021, thanks to the help of his longtime assistant and co-author, Laurie Woolever.
And there was more news for Bourdain fans: A documentary about Anthony Bourdain's life
dropped in the summer of 2021, as noted by The New York Times. "Roadrunner: A Film About
Anthony Bourdain," helmed by director Morgan Neville, debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival
in June 2021 and was released in theaters on July 16, 2021.
"This is what you want. This is what you need. This is the path to true happiness and wisdom."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.