Here’s what I wrote, the moment I read –with the same shock and sadness most of the planet shared– Bourdain not only was gone, but had taken his life, in 2018:
I’m gutted, like seemingly everyone else in the world (for all the right and obvious reasons) by the sudden loss of Anthony Bourdain. In addition to being sad, shocking, and all the normal reasons death is usually unwelcome, there’s something extra somber about his suicide. I keep thinking: if THIS guy, so obviously full of life, curiosity, passion, intelligence, wit, soul, so famished to drink deeply from life, so useful a tour guide for the unexplored and unknown (something we need now more than ever in our world), decided life was no longer worth living, I can’t help but wonder: what hope is there for us mere mortals?
Time will only be kind to Anthony, and as the years deepen our appreciation of what we’ve lost, we’ll grow to cherish what we were fortunate to have: a unique and original voice, a man allergic to easy answers and insular thinking, a brilliant writer and thinker, a rebel with too many causes to count, an artist who augmented our understanding and enjoyment of cuisine (high and especially lower-brow), an iconoclast of the old school who knew the only way to experience life is to dive into the muck and make a mess. Chips on the shoulder seldom are as sexy and stylish as Bourdain made them.
His life was, indeed, the most beautiful kind of mess. Seemingly insatiable, he could only be content in motion, moving ahead to the next adventure, the newest experience. I admire and envy that, and hope to imitate it in my own paltry way. I was always inspired by his energy and elan, and he’ll remain a hero to me, someone who lived and, sadly, decided to die, entirely on his own terms.
America has always been able to produce, in spite of the millions who march backwards to the same song, the rare outcasts who, by refusing to conform, remake the world in their flawed, indelible image. Bourdain left his mark, in so many ways, we were lucky to have him among us. Existence is fleeting but a life well-lived is immortal, unkillable. The man is gone, but his legend is merely beginning.
RIP to a chef, an author, a raconteur, and an utter original.
Here’s what I’ll add, six years later. It’s more of the same sentiment, but more in the sense that when any artist is alive we are usually too busy and fortunate following their exploits in real time; once they’re gone we can appreciate the body of work, assess the legacy, and ponder all we are left without:
Six Years Gone. As predicted, we both miss him and would benefit from his continued presence more than anyone could have imagined. I think the single thing I admire most about Anthony Bourdain is that as he got older (and wiser, and wealthier) he became *more* curious, more insatiable for new experiences, more intolerant of prejudice and blinkered ignorance, more willing to do dirty work of writing & editing so he could present concise, compelling stories — and these were stories that spoke for those who had no voice or access, and stories that enlarged the world by connecting cultures, illuminating dark spaces that warranted discovery, stories that make us richer for hearing them, because any opportunity we have to see evidence why we’re all more alike than not, and how, with respect and yes, curiosity, we can enhance our own capacities. It was, clearly, beloved and rewarding work (it made him an internationally recognized icon) but it also exhausted him, it wore him down the way anyone who genuinely feels compelled to bear witness will get worn down by the ceaseless vigilance and integrity involved. It would have been so easy for him to ride the wave, eating drinking & being merry, getting fat and obscene and burning hundred dollar bills, but he was a real one, he couldn’t turn away and the deeper he got, the further he went and eventually, inevitably, it became too much. He left us the gift of his life’s work, but he also gave us the treasure we can never repay: the opportunity to know ourselves better. RIP, Legend.
Some additional thoughts, here.
