Morgan Spurlock, a documentary filmmaker well known for his Oscar-nominated movie Super Size Me, has died. He was 53. According to the NY Times, Spurlock’s family confirmed the news and stated that his death was related to complications from cancer.
“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” said Spurlock’s brother Craig, per Variety. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity. Today the world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”
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Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia in 1970, Spurlock was catapulted into the spotlight in 2004 when Super Size Me was released. The documentary film followed Spurlock as he consumed nothing but McDonald’s for every meal for an entire month. The purpose of the film was to explore the effects of fast food on the human body, as well as offer commentary on how corporate influence can lead to poor nutrition.
Super Size Me became a massively popular movie, garnering many award nominations, including winning a Writers Guild of America award for Best Documentary Screenplay. Notably, following the film’s social and cultural impact, McDonald’s discontinued their super size option on meals.
Following the success of Super Size Me, Spurlock went on to helm and produce dozens of documentary projects — through his Warrior Poets production company — over the next several years, including Where In the the World Is Osama Bin Laden, 30 Days and a Super Size Me sequel: Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, which focused on the the impact that the corporate food industry has on family farms. He also directed the One Direction documentary One Direction: This Is Us and helmed the CNN show Morgan Spurlock Inside Man.
In December 2017, Spurlock took to social media to show support for the MeToo movement by sharing a lengthy post about how he was “part of the problem.” In his post, Spurlock confessed to numerous infidelities and revealed that he previously had been accused of sexual harassment by a former assistant.
The filmmaker also confessed that he’d been accused of rape in college. Spurlock’s post soon stepped down from Warrior Poets, effectively ending his documentary career.
Spurlock is survived by his two children, Laken and Kallen; his mother father; and two brothers; as well as multiple nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his two former spouses: Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein.
