Celeb Reactions To Anthony Bourdain's Death

Anthony Bourdain, the iconic chef and author whose gift of storytelling took viewers around the globe to discover new cuisine and new cultures, was found unresponsive in a hotel room in France. He'd died of an apparent suicide. Bourdain's tragic passing was confirmed by CNN, the home of his award-winning series Parts Unknown. He was 61. 

"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," CNN said 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. 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."

News of his untimely death soon spread via social media where many celebrities were quick to mourn and remember the beloved TV host. 

Bourdain's peer from the other side of the pond, celebrity chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay, expressed his disbelief over the loss of Bourdain, and he pleaded with others to seek help when needed. "Stunned and saddened by the loss of Anthony Bourdain," the Master Chef host tweeted. "He brought the world into our homes and inspired so many people to explore cultures and cities through their food. Remember that help is a phone call away US:1-800-273-TALK UK: 116 123."

Overcome with grief, Rose McGowan posted a tearful video to Twitter. "Anthony I am so mad at you. You were so loved, the world is not better without you. I have a message for those considering suicide as a solution to a temporary problem. Please call a hotline. Please reach out. Asia [Argento] needed you, Anthony. We needed you. Please come back."

Bourdain was dating McGowan's friend and actress Asia Argento at the time of his death. According to the Mirror, he'd allegedly felt tormented over Argento's reveal that she was one of Harvey Weinstein's victims. 

A published chef in her own right, model and television personality Chrissy Teigen was heartbroken over the devastating news of Bourdain's death. "Anthony. One of my idols. Unapologetic, passionate and one of the best storytellers on the planet, the best-selling author of Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat tweeted. "Thank you for making food so exciting. And always standing up for everything right. Horrible. Why why why. Be at peace now."

Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston shed light on the suicide rates in the United States and challenged us all to be more cognizant of the silent suffering around us. "According to [the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention], there are nearly 45,000 suicides every year in the US. Shocking. I was saddened to hear of the deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain," the multiple Emmy award-winner tweeted. "RIP. It illustrates that success is not immune to depression. We all need to be more aware of our friends who are suffering."

Pop culture astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson made sure to promote science while also mourning Bourdain. "As @NASA searches for life on Mars, we lose the life of beloved Anthony Bourdain on Earth, he tweeted. "Implicit and explicit reminders of how precious life is, anywhere in the universe." The former Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey host added, "A friend of @StarTalkRadio. A friend of Food & Culture. A friend to us all. Anthony Bourdain, RIP. (1956-2018)."

Bourdain's fellow CNN host Jake Tapper confirmed Bourdain's death as a suicide in a tweet and explained that the chef had been working at the time of his passing. "This is so awful. Anthony Bourdain, 61, has died. He took his own life," the The Lead with Jake Tapper host tweeted. "He was in France working on an upcoming episode of his award-winning CNN series. His close friend Eric Ripert, the French chef, found Bourdain unresponsive in his hotel room Friday morning."

Actress and singer Lucy Hale took to Twitter to show the effect Bourdain had on the millions of people who watched him. "Anthony Bourdain lived in a way that most of us should," the Pretty Little Liars alum tweeted. "A seeker of the unknown [and] a man who exposed magnificent parts of the world to us through our TVs. I don't even know what to say, this makes me so damn sad. I truly loved him [and] what he stood for."

Actor, producer, and director Elijah Wood celebrated what made Anthony Bourdain the man he was and mourned the thought of no longer having him share those qualities with the world. The Lord of the Rings trilogy star tweeted, "His wisdom, his insight, his humor, his compassion, his staunch resistance to the inauthentic and support of all that resonates from the heart, and his passion for life that he shared with the us....Its difficult to process a world without Anthony Bourdain."

Actress Amber Tamblyn, who got her start on 2003's Joan of Arcadia, took the time to ask her Twitter followers to give strength to her friend and Bourdain's girlfriend, Asia Argento, during her time of need. "Witches: please prepare the strongest protection spell you have for our sister Asia Argento today," the star of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants tweeted. "Please lift her up with all the love and light your conjuring is capable of casting. #AnthonyBourdain."

Actor and stand-up comedian, Tom Arnold, remembered his friend Anthony Bourdain in a loving tribute on Twitter. "Anthony Bourdain was a genius, a warrior, a survivor & a fearless friend," the True Lies star tweeted. "He was also very humane. Some of us battle monsters. Humans let their guards down. Monsters monster. #RipAnthony This World Lost A Very Good Man."

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

In a lengthy Facebook post, actor Val Kilmer mourned his friend by lashing out in anger. The Top Gun star invoked his own battle against throat cancer and Bourdain's young daughter, suggesting the chef didn't have a right to "take away all this love from us so soon." 

Claiming a spiritual guide once told him that suicide was "the most selfish act a human can execute," Kilmer's post said, in part: "Oh the dark thick pain of loss. The selfishness. How many moments away were you from feeling the love that was universal. From every corner of the world you were loved. So selfish. You've given us cause to be so angry..."

Golden Globe winner and political activist Mia Farrow reminded us that Anthony Bourdain was the epitome of cool while simultaneously serving as a beacon of empathy and understanding toward other cultures. "Maybe we all wanted to hang out with him. He was that cool, fun, frank, insightful," she tweeted. "He introduced us to distant lands and to people with different traditions. And without ever preaching, he reminded us that we humans are far more alike than different. Thank you, Anthony Bourdain."

Bourdain and Italian actress and director Asia Argento met in Rome during an episode of Parts Unknown and ignited a relationship that was reportedly both romantic and professional. She released a grief-stricken statement following his death. "Anthony gave all of himself in everything that he did," she tweeted, in part. "His brilliant, fearless spirit touched and inspired so many, and his generosity knew no bounds. He was my love, my rock, my protector. I am beyond devastated."