Asia Argento Has Blunt Message About Life for Followers in Wake of Anthony Bourdain’s Death

Asia Argento isn’t shying away from social media in the aftermath of the death of her late boyfriend, Anthony Bourdain. The Italian actress shared a blunt message to her Instagram followers Monday, 10 days after Bourdain died by suicide.

The 42-year-old posted a selfie to her Instagram story with the caption, “Life is a bitch and then you die.”

Argento has been active on Instagram ever since Bourdain was found dead on June 8 in his hotel room in France. Authorities there revealed that there was no evidence of foul play and that Bourdain died by suicide.

Shortly after the news of his death, Argento wrote an emotional letter.

“Anthony gave all of himself in everything that he did. His brilliant, fearless spirit touched and inspires so many, and his generosity knew no bounds,” she wrote on Instagram later that same day. “He was my love, my rock, my protector. I am beyond devastated. My thoughts are with his family. I would ask that you respect their privacy and mine.”

Since then, she’s posted various Instagram stories paying tribute to Bourdain and reflecting on his life. On June 14, she shared lyrics from David Bowie’s “Lazarus.”

“Look up here, I’m in heaven / I’ve got scars that can’t be seen / I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen / Everybody knows me now,” she wrote on top of a screenshot of the song playing on her phone. “[Verse 2] Look up here, man, I’m in danger/ I’ve got nothing left to lose / I’m so high it makes my brain whirl / Dropped my cell phone down below / Ain’t that just like me?”

Days later, she filled her Instagram with suicide awareness posts, including one of a quote attributed to Plato.

“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always,” the quote read. She then added in a caption, “For nothing is concealed that won’t be revealed, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known and brought to light.” She added a hashtag for “Truth will prevail.”

She also remembered Bourdain by sharing a photo of herself to her Instagram story in a shirt that read “Legends Never Die” and by dancing in a video alongside her daughter Lou to the Bee Gee’s hit “Staying Alive.”

The rest of her posts consisted of poetry, the Prayer of St. Francis and Bob Dylan’s album, Saved.

Argento and Bourdain began dating in 2017 after working together on a 2016 episode of his CNN series, Parts Unknown. In an open letter about Bourdain’s death, Argento’s close friend, actress Rose McGowan, wrote that Bourdain and Argento had a “free relationship.”

“Anthony and Asia had a free relationship, they loved without borders of traditional relationships, and they established parameters of their relationship early on,” McGowan wrote. “Asia is a free bird, and so was Anthony.”

The two did not ever intend to marry, perhaps because both had been married twice, with Bourdain’s divorce to estranged wife Ottavia Busia never official.

“Look, I like being around her as much as possible,” Bourdain told PEOPLE about Argento. “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.”