As widely reported celebrity chef and host of CNN’s Parts Unknown Anthony Bourdain has died, and is being reported as having taken his own life.
Bourdain inspired countless people with his love of food and adventure, and over the last few years even indulged a teen-aged love of comics to get into the medium, first with Get Jiro, a graphic novel from Vertigo and the sequel, Get Jiro : Blood and Sushi.
He returned to comics this year with Hungry Ghosts, an anthology of food-themed horror stories from Dark Horse/Berger Books. The collected edition is due in October.
Bourdain’s collaborator on all of these writer Joel Rose, but with Hungry Ghost a vairety of guest artists stepped in including Sebastian Cabrol, Vanesa Del Rey, Francesco Francavilla, Irene Koh, Leo Manco, Alberto Ponticelli, Paul Pope, and Mateus Santolouco.
While the tributes to Bourdain are heartbreaking to read, the comics world has also spoken out.
We are deeply saddened by the news of Anthony Bourdain’s passing. He was a kind man, fantastic chef, and enthralling storyteller. Our condolences and thoughts go out to his family and friends. We are honored to have worked with him.
— Dark Horse Comics (@DarkHorseComics) June 8, 2018
I am shocked and devastated to hear about Anthony Bourdain. This is so unbelievably sad. He was brilliant,bold and so incredibly talented. My heart goes out to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.
— Karen Berger (@karenpberger) June 8, 2018
This one hit close. @Bourdain was not only a legend in the culinary world, he was one of us: a comic creator. I was really looking forward to tell him in person, maybe at @DarkHorseComics booth at a convention, how much I enjoyed illustrating his HUNGRY GHOSTS…
So long, A ❤️ pic.twitter.com/EhVEq7RpPl— Francesco Francavilla (@f_francavilla) June 8, 2018
Bourdain’s zest for life, as evidenced in everything he did, makes his deciding to end it all thmore tragic and shocking, especially coming so soon after the suicide of designer Kate Spade. These two people had everything to give and endlessly enriched the world around them – they were shining lights in a world that needed them but it wasn’t enough…why?
Just this week troubling statistics revealed that suicide is up 25% since 1999 in the US.
Suicide rates increased by 25% across the United States over nearly two decades ending in 2016, according to research published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Twenty-five states experienced a rise in suicides by more than 30%, the government report finds. More than half of those who died by suicide had not been diagnosed with a mental health condition, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC. “These findings are disturbing. Suicide is one of the top 10 causes of death in the US right now, and it’s one of three causes that is actually increasing recently, so we do consider it a public health problem — and something that is all around us,” Schuchat said. The other two top 10 causes of death that are on the rise are Alzheimer’s disease and drug overdoses, she noted.
30% in 25 states???? What is happening in this world?
Depression is the black dog that never leaves your side, never lets you out of its sight. Like everyone, I get the blues, but many of my loved ones struggle with clinical depression on a daily basis and it’s heartbreaking. And in the US, our health care system isn’t set up to help people get the psychiatric and medical help that they may need. UNIVERSAL. HEALTH. CARE.
While we should all have the suicide prevention hotline nearby, both for ourselves and others – that’s 1-800-273-8255 – don’t be afraid to reach out. Depression breeds in darkness and isolation and if the worst thing that can happen when you reach out is you get turned away, the worst thing that can happen when you don’t reach out may be terrible.
We’re all in this together.
Not terribly familiar with Bourdain other than catching perhaps one or two of his travel/cuisine shows when flicking through channels. Nice sentiment in the latter part of this article here. As a phenomenon, I think it is systemically linked to schooling and opportunity/needs not being met. Torn between seeing suicide perhaps as a mature and adult choice and a social or inimic ill, myself. Probably a balance there but, yes, sad
Thanks for keeping it real, Heidi. I appreciate your work and advocacy.
I̟ j̟u̟s̟t̟ b̟e̟g̟a̟n̟ a̟ m̟o̟n̟t̟h̟ a̟n̟d̟ a̟ h̟a̟l̟f̟ b̟a̟c̟k̟ a̟n̟d̟ I̟’v̟e̟ g̟o̟t̟t̟e̟n̟ 2 c̟h̟e̟c̟k̟ f̟o̟r̟ a̟n̟ a̟g̟g̟r̟e̟g̟a̟t̟e̟ o̟f̟ $3,200…t̟h̟i̟s̟ i̟s̟ t̟h̟e̟ b̟e̟s̟t̟ c̟h̟o̟i̟c̟e̟ I̟ s̟e̟t̟ a̟s̟i̟d̟e̟ a̟ f̟e̟w̟ m̟i̟n̟u̟t̟e̟s̟! “M̟u̟c̟h̟ t̟h̟a̟n̟k̟s̟ t̟o̟ y̟o̟u̟ f̟o̟r̟ g̟i̟v̟i̟n̟g̟ m̟e̟ t̟h̟i̟s̟ r̟e̟m̟a̟r̟k̟a̟b̟l̟e̟ c̟h̟a̟n̟c̟e̟ t̟o̟ p̟r̟o̟f̟i̟t̟ f̟r̟o̟m̟ h̟o̟m̟e̟. T̟h̟i̟s̟ a̟d̟d̟i̟t̟i̟o̟n̟a̟l̟ m̟o̟n̟e̟y̟ h̟a̟s̟ c̟h̟a̟n̟g̟e̟d̟ m̟y̟ l̟i̟f̟e̟ i̟n̟ s̟u̟c̟h̟ a̟ v̟a̟r̟i̟e̟t̟y̟ o̟f̟ w̟a̟y̟s̟, e̟x̟p̟r̟e̟s̟s̟ g̟r̟a̟t̟i̟t̟u̟d̟e̟ t̟o̟w̟a̟r̟d̟ y̟o̟u̟!”
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