Shortly after news of Anthony Bourdain’s death was announced, CNN president Jeff Zucker sent an email out to staff that has now been revealed.
“Tony will be greatly missed not only for his work but also for the passion with which he did it,” Zucker wrote in the message, adding that Bourdain was an “exceptional talent.”
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In a separate announcement to the public, CNN broke the sad development of Bourdain’s passing, believed to possibly be due to suicide.
“It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain,” CNN wrote 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.
CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour also commented on Bourdain’s death, saying on Twitter that her “heart breaks” over the news.
My heart breaks for Tony Bourdain. May he rest in peace now. He was a friend, a collaborator, and family. A huge personality, a giant talent, a unique voice, and deeply, deeply human. My heart goes out to his daughter and family, and his longtime partners and friends at ZPZ.
— Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) June 8, 2018
“May he rest in peace now. He was a friend, a collaborator, and family. A huge personality, a giant talent, a unique voice, and deeply, deeply human,” Amanpour added. “My heart goes out to his daughter and family, and his longtime partners and friends at ZPZ.”
“Anthony was a major #MeToo supporter. He strongly defended our rights; he spoke up publicly for us. He was that vital male partner,” she later added in a subsequent tweet.
“I am humbled and forever grateful that one of his last major projects was believing in and becoming EP of my recent CNN series on the lives of women,” Amanpour concluded.
Anthony was a major MeToo supporter. He strongly defended our rights; he spoke up publicly for us. He was that vital male partner. I am humbled and forever grateful that one of his last major projects was believing in and becoming EP of my recent CNN series on the lives of women.
— Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) June 8, 2018
Comedian and author John Hodgman was another to open up about Bourdain, recalling a story of when they first met.
“I ate with Bourdain. Probably 2004. He was big even then but he took time to sit with me in Chinatown to talk ‘weird’ food for a magazine piece I was writing,” Hodgman recounted, later adding that Bourdain taught him “that our ‘weird’ is the world’s delicious” and that the afternoon they spent together “vibrated with life.”
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
