Anthony Bourdain 1956-2018

June 8th, 2018: a day that should be full of elation and ecstasy. The Washington Capitals, my favorite sports team, won the Stanley Cup last night! This day was going to be full of joy! I woke up and was reading over the news like one does every morning. I was fully expecting to just read stories about my Caps being Stanley Cup champions and that would be it. Then I saw this:

In a world where fake news is a thing, where people will make up headlines just to upset one another, my first thought was "this can't be real." I clicked on the link and assumed that there would be some snarky joke about him. I was not expecting a heartbreaking narrative about his best friend, Eric Ripert finding his unresponsive body.

My wife and I are huge fans of Anthony Bourdain and when I told her the news she said "had this been 10 years ago, I would have believed that... but now?" What she was referring to was Bourdain's struggles with substance abuse and depression. He seemed like he was so happy! He had a beautiful and loving girlfriend, he had a daughter, he had an immensely popular T.V. show on CNN. He was well respected across the world for his biting wit, his cooking skill and social consciousness. His works were constantly awarded for their skill and relevancy. It was a harsh reminder that mental illness is not something that just "goes away" because good things happen. 

You never truly know what someone is going through, especially a celebrity that you only know from their work. I didn't know Anthony Bourdain in real life. I wish I had. In a world where there are too many people who are only focused on their own celebrity, their own vanity, or their own "brand," Anthony Bourdain gave a crap about the world. He never sugar-coated his beliefs or opinions and would call out those who abused their power or privilege.  He gave a damn about people who were struggling to stay alive. He did things to help others and he was humble. Here's what he had to say about himself.

"I should’ve died in my 20s. I became successful in my 40s. I became a dad in my 50s. I feel like I’ve stolen a car — a really nice car — and I keep looking in the rearview mirror for flashing lights."

 

Anthony Bourdain was the punk rock god of an otherwise overly homogenized Food TV host world. He was opinionated, funny, angry, he loved amazing food, he didn't give a crap about popular opinion and was unafraid to call out those he found vile. More importantly, the guy actually gave a damn about his fellow man, which stood out in comparison to his contemporaries' shows. He was an artist who saw the world for what it really was, and that can wear down even the strongest of us. God...you will be missed man. Rest In Peace, Chef.