Industry executives and celebrities took to Twitter early Friday in reaction to the sudden death of CNN personality and world-renown chef Anthony Bourdain, who reportedly committed suicide.
CNN released a statement Friday morning confirming the death of the 61 year-old Bourdain, who hosted the network’s original series Parts Unknown – which explored various culinary dishes and cultures from around the world -- since 2013. "It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain. 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."
Bourdain was in France working on an episode of Parts Unknown at the time of his death, according to CNN. Network president Jeff Zucker said in an email to employees that "Tony will be greatly missed not only for his work but also for the passion with which he did it,” the news network reported.
President Trump Friday morning extended his "heartfelt condolences" to Bourdain's family.
Prior to his stint at CNN, Bourdain hosted the Travel Channel series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and The Layover and before that starred in Food Network’s series A Cook’s Tour. Quickly, #RIPBourdain was trending on Twitter.
Social media exploded Friday with an outpouring of reactions to Bourdain’s death, with celebrities from Bryan Cranston to Christie Tiegen, to cable networks like TCM turning to Twitter to morn the loss of the charismatic author, chef and television personality. Here’s a sampling of Twitter postings:
Actor Bryan Cranston:
[embed]https://twitter.com/BryanCranston/status/1005066450254561282[/embed]
ESPN personality Jemele Hill:
[embed]https://twitter.com/jemelehill/status/1005067175638503425[/embed]
TCM (Turner Classic Movies):
[embed]https://twitter.com/tcm/status/1005066004752461824[/embed]
Actress Christie Teigen:
[embed]https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/1005054849057034240[/embed]
Actor George Takei:
[embed]https://twitter.com/GeorgeTakei/status/1005054865465372673[/embed]
Bourdain's death comes on the heels of the apparent suicide of fashion designer Kate Spade earlier this week.
It also comes as Netflix took some heat Wednesday from some television advocacy groups for giving a third season to its controversial original series 13 Reasons Why, which revolves around the suicide of a high school student.
