Fans of the late Anthony Bourdain are reacting following the death of the chef’s mother, Gladys Bourdain. Just 19 months after her son’s sudden death, Gladys passed away on Friday, Jan. 10 at a hospice facility in New York City. She was 85. News of her passing is sending shockwaves through social media, with many fans taking to Twitter to mourn the loss.
Anthony Bourdain’s mother Gladys died last week. She was a New York Times copy-editor and the story of how she got her son’s article in front of David Remnick and launched his writing career absolutely has me 🥺🥺🥺🥺https://t.co/L7m8qzJN1R pic.twitter.com/BRCLV7ek16
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) January 14, 2020
“She’s finally with her boy…. miss Anthony so much!!” wrote one person.
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“Gladys Bourdain was a tough copy editor and I was always incredibly grateful for her careful and pointed questions about my stories. RIP,” Times alum Lydia Polgreen tweeted.
It should also be mentioned that Gladys was hugely knowledgeable about opera. She wrote widely on the subject and translated the memoirs of her friend Régine Crespin. I’ll always be grateful for her deft copy-editing during my youthful years at the NYT. https://t.co/KDCCbOAJb8
— Alex Ross Hyphen (@alexrossmusic) January 15, 2020
“RIP to Mama Bourdain,” tweeted one. “A food writer. A mother. Our Auntie in our heads.”
“rip gladys bourdain, thank you for Anthony,” wrote another.
I sat near Gladys for several years on the Metro Copy Desk, and she always made sure we ordered good takeout. https://t.co/HA4wQ4oKVk
— Patrick LaForge (@palafo) January 14, 2020
At this time, details surrounding Gladys’ death remain unclear, though her only surviving son, Christopher, confirmed to the New York Times that his mother passed away at a hospice facility in New York City.
During her lifetime, Gladys worked as a copy editor at the New York Times, starting at the publisher in 1984 and remaining there until 2008. She is credited with helping jump start Bourdain’s career as a culinary storyteller, playing an instrumental role in getting his article “Don’t Eat Before Reading This” published in The New Yorker in 1999. That article landed Bourdain a book deal just days later and helped launch his career in TV, including as host of the award-winning TV programs No Reservations and Parts Unknown.
Gladys is survived by her son Christopher and three grandchildren, including Bourdain’s daughter, Ariane, whom he shared with ex-wife Ottavia Busia.
