Ottavia Busia, the estranged wife of the late Anthony Bourdain, has been praised for the “best mothering imaginable” in the wake of Bourdain’s suicide last month.
Doug Quint, Busia’s best friend and the co-founder of New York’s Big Gay Ice Cream, praised Busia in a statement posted on the business’ official Twitter account Friday. Quint did not directly mention Bourdain, but provided an update on how Busia is doing, reports PEOPLE.
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“Five weeks ago my best friend’s husband killed himself. Five weeks ago the father of the ring-bearer at my wedding killed himself,” Quint wrote in a statement spread over six tweets. “For five weeks I have watched my best friend display more poise and grace than I could ever imagine, in the face of a global publicity s–storm.”
Quint continued, “For five weeks I have seen the best mothering imaginable. This whole f–g thing sucks so horribly and it always will but I discovered she’s not just my best friend. Ottavia is my idol.”
Busia, a mixed martial artist, was Bourdain’s second wife. The couple married in 2007, two years after he divorced his first wife, Nancy Putkoski. Bourdain and Busia are also parents to daughter Ariane, 11. The couple split in 2016, before Bourdain began dating actress Asia Argento.
Bourdain and Busia were not officially divorced at the time of Bourdain’s death on June 8 at age 61 from suicide. A source told PEOPLE that Bourdain’s body was cremated in France five days later and his ashes were returned to the U.S. Bourdain was in France to film a new episode of his CNN series, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.
Bourdain was also a close friend of Quint and the Big Gay Ice Cream family. When Quint and Bryan Petroff opened their East Village shop in 2011, Bourdain showed up, dressed as a priest to christen the shop.
“Tony was an important part of who Doug & me call our Big Gay Family,” Petroff wrote last month after Bourdain’s death. “He was there for us at every major milestone in our business. But more than that he was always simply there — whether to give his two cents on opening our first shop or to sit around & watch Adventure Time.”
Earlier this month, details of Bourdain’s will surfaced. Most of his money was left to Ariane, with Busia controlling the estate. Bourdain’s fortune was estimated at $1.21 million.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Photo credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images
