Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain dead at 61

Celebrity chef and television host Anthony Bourdain has passed away at the age of 61, CNN reported on Friday (June 8^th).

"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," the network said in a statement. It said the cause of death was suicide, and that Bourdain hanged himself.

"His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time," CNN added.

Anthony Bourdain. (Photo: Facebook/Anthony Bourdain)

Bourdain, an author who made his name with his memoir "Kitchen Confidential", had been working in

France on an upcoming episode of his CNN series "Parts Unknown".

He was found unresponsive in his hotel room on Friday morning by fellow chef and good friend Eric Ripert.

The chef was known for being a big fan of Vietnam's food. Over 206 episodes and two shows, no country has enraptured the brazen itinerant more so than Vietnam, a country he calls “one of his favorite places on earth.”

"Vietnam. It grabs you and doesn’t let you go. Once you love it, you love it forever,"said Bourdain.

Early in his television career, Bourdain made his love of Vietnam known, taking viewers on an espionage-themed tour around the northern region of the country in an episode of No Reservations entitled “Vietnam: The Island of Mr. Sang". Channeling his inner James Bond, Bourdain discovered “squeasel” and also learned the potency of the local brew, ruou de, Vietnamese moonshine.

A few seasons later, he returned to Vietnam for a homecoming of sorts, as implied by the episode’s title “Vietnam: There’s No Place Like Home.” At the end of the episode, Bourdain is seen contemplating expatriatism. Later on, he visited the imperial capital of Hue in Parts Unknown, sampling dishes like cơm hến (minced baby clams on sesame rice crackers) and the legendary bun bo Hue, in its birthplace.

President Obama and Bourdain break bread over a VND 70,000 assembly of bún chả, a Hanoian speciality.

Bourdain's profile began to soar in 1999, when the New Yorker magazine published his article "Don't Eat Before Reading This" which he developed into the 2000 book, "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly".

He went on to host television programmes, first on the Food Network and the Travel Channel, before joining CNN in 2013./.

"STUNNED AND SADDENED"

Across social media, tributes poured in from celebrities and chefs reacting to news of Bourdain's death.

"Stunned and saddened by the loss of Anthony Bourdain. He brought the world into our homes and inspired so many people to explore cultures and cities through their food," fellow celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay wrote.

Food writer and TV personality Nigella Lawson posted that she was "heartbroken" to hear about Bourdain's death. "Unbearable for his family and girlfriend. Am going off twitter for a while."

VNF