Rose McGowan has penned an open letter about the death of Anthony Bourdain, lamenting the late chef’s passing and defending his girlfriend Asia Argento.
In the letter, McGowan spoke about her “friend” — Bourdain — and how “brave” Argento has been throughout the tragic news of his apparent suicide.
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“When Anthony met Asia, it was instant chemistry. They laughed, they loved and he was her rock during the hardships of this last year,” McGowan wrote of the couple. “Anthony was open with his demons, he even wrote a book about them.”
As fans may be aware, Argento and McGowan have been unified in their mission against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, as both have alleged that he raped them on separate and numerous occasions.
“She stood up to her monster rapist and now she has to stand up to yet another monster, suicide,” McGowan explained of Argento’s battles. “The suicide of her beloved lover and ally, Anthony Bourdain”
McGowan went on to explain that Bourdain once told a friend, “He’s never met anyone who wanted to die more than him,” insinuating that Argento may have expressed suicidal thoughts in the past.
“And through a lot of this last year, Asia did want the pain to stop,” McGowan added. “But here’s the thing, over their time together, thankfully, she did the work to get help, so she could stay alive and live another day for her and her children. Anthony’s depression didn’t let him, he put down his armor, and that was very much his choice.”
“Anthony was 61, the same age my father was when he died. My father also suffered from intermittent deep depression, and like Anthony, was part of a ‘pull up your bootstraps and march on’ generation. The a ‘strong man doesn’t ask for help’ generation,” the former Charmed star continued. “I know before Anthony died he reached out for help, and yet he did not take the doctor’s advice. And that has led us here, to this tragedy, to this loss, to this world of hurt. Do NOT do the sexist thing and burn a woman on the pyre of misplaced blame.”
“Anthony’s internal war was his war, but now she’s been left on the battlefield to take the bullets. It is in no way fair or acceptable to blame her or anyone else, not even Anthony,” McGowan went on to say. “We are asking you to be better, to look deeper, to read and learn about mental illness, suicide and depression before you make it worse for survivors by judging that which we do not understand, that which can never fully be understood. Sometimes we are stuck in the unknowable, and that is where we are now, a massive wave of darkness that threatens to swallow everyone in its wake.”
The actress concluded her letter by encouraging fans to “do more and be better” because “Anthony, our friend, would want it that way.”
Read the full letter here, as shared by TMZ.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
