Very sad. Because of Bourdain I became addicted to a tiny hole in the wall Chinese place on the Lower East Side in NY. Amazing Middle Eastern-infused food from the Silk Road. He was such a force.

OMG. I'm among those who can't believe it. What a shock. I hope his daughter and AA can find peace someday.

My brother was addicted to his show.  He can't believe it. 

1 hour ago, Cat said:

I feel like we are failing people suffering from this and other mental illnesses. Depression needs more than just a doctor's prescription to fix it. It needs constant support, friendship, counselling, a community of understanding. And some luck.

 

Unfortunately, the prevailing attitude toward depression has always been "it's a phase" and "they'll get over it."  Unless you've dealt personally with depression or other mental illness, I say, you'll never understand that it ISN'T a phase and that is isn't that you can just "get over."  (Trust me, it would be a relief to know, if that were really the case, lol.)

 

If anything positive comes from these high-profile suicides, dear God, let it be a higher awareness of clinical depression, and that "everyday folks" out there realize that anyone, from any walk of life, can be afflicted by this disease.

 

 

Asia Argento’s statement:

 

 

 

That's a powerful tribute from AA. Poor Asia.

I feel really bad for his daughter too. I read his first book and part of the second.  I remember how he said (paraphrasing) how she would get to see the world from and early age and he would be sure that she had too much self esteem to take $hit from some jerk.  He must have been in so much pain to leave her.

 

I understand the severe depression where getting out of bed is impossible. I've been there a couple of times.  I wish I understood what AB and KS were going through better.  They were functioning and it seems even fooling people, but couldn't make themselves get help I guess.

Had to break the news to one of my relatives who used to enjoy Bourdain's show, although she sometimes cringed at the foods that he consumed and the curse words that often got uttered but that was not enough to get her to stop watching.  This news of his suicide is quite sad.

 

What I appreciated about Bourdain's sensibility was that, unlike the Mario Battali-types who tried to find various ways to seemingly elevate themselves above others, Bourdain liked to show how all types of foods and the cultures that nurtured them, could be consumed and enjoyed by all. And if not fully enjoyed, at least respected. 

He didn't elevated one culture as being inherently above another and I appreciated that.  He was aware of his privileged place and seemed to recognize that he needed to amplify other cultures, especially marginalized ones in a way that didn't exoticize or fetishize.

 

The fact that he took his own life is tragic.  It's also disheartening to hear people on social media mutter about people focusing on celebrities and not the average person.  The fact is, both are terrible and we can focus and feel incredibly sorry at both of these.

 

The suicide rate in the U.S. is rising and very little is actually being done to mitigate this. 

The fact remains that guns are the number one means by which people take their own lives. Add to that the increasing availability of opioids with the lack of easily available mental health care.

I will be willing to accept the critique that we all focus on celebrity demises too much, if this means that there could be sensible gun laws that would insure less access to them for people who are on the edge.

 

Edited June 8, 20187 yr by DramatistDreamer

I knew who he was, never watched his show, but my heart breaks for his family. My heart goes out to all that suffer in silence like he did. I wish mental illness/depression and all those things didn't have such stigma's attached to them.

Eric Braeden has been tweeting about this throughout the day:

 

 

 

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/06/heres-anthony-bourdain-supported-lgbtq-rights-alive/

Something of a video obit by The New York Times.

 

Rebel in the Kitchen: Remembering Anthony Bourdain

 

 

Love Erika Alexander (on a side-note, Living Single is one of those shows that could do a reunion season and make it work).

 

 

NPR did an appreciation on Anthony Bourdain.