Why Anthony Bourdain Claimed He and Asia Argento Would Never Marry

Though Anthony Bourdain was in a relationship with actress Asia Argento, the CNN host told PEOPLE prior to his death that the two would never get married.

While Bourdain’s divorce from his estranged wife was not finalized at the time of his passing, he reportedly never intended to get married again because of it.

Bourdain, who was found dead in his hotel room in France after an apparent suicide earlier this month, was still in the process of divorcing his ex-wife, Ottavia Busia, with whom he shared an 11-year-old daughter, Ariane, according to PEOPLE. Despite separating in 2016, Busia was still listed as the next of kin for Bourdain.

Now, Busia will have to decide how to allocate all of Bourdain’s assets and lay him to rest. Pascal Lohr, Mayor of the French town where Bourdain passed, spoke to PEOPLE about trying to get his remains home.

“We are only awaiting the wishes of the family,” he said. “Everything then will be done as quickly as possible.”

Bourdain and Busia got married in 2007, but when they separated in 2016, the two spoke candidly about the decision, assuring fans it was amicable.

“My wife and I live, have lived, very separate lives for years,” Bourdain said at the time. “There’s no drama here. We get along really, really well and it’s not a big lifestyle change happening here.”

“Because of professional decisions we both have made, my husband and I have been for years in an unconventional relationship,” Busia added. “Nothing has changed. We love each other. We respect the decisions the other has made. And we’ll always consider ourselves a family.”

That same year, Bourdain began dating Italian actress Asia Argento. The two grew extremely close, but in 2016, Bourdain told PEOPLE that though he “wouldn’t hate” moving in with his girlfriend, he couldn’t foresee the two of them marrying.

“Look, I like being around her as much as possible,” he said. “She’s like me, in a lot of ways. We’ve both been married twice. So that’s not something that’s ever, ever going to happen.”

Bourdain said that marriage is an obstacle for high-profile people like TV hosts and actresses.

“That’s the death of everything. I think we both respect each other’s work. Nobody’s ever going to say, ‘Oh, but you promised we were going to go to the beach.’ No, you know, you get a gig, that’s it. That’s it. Nothing else matters. Work first.”

Argento shocked by Bourdain’s suicide, posted numerous messages to and about him on social media.

“Anthony gave all of himself in everything that he did,” she wrote on Twitter. “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.”