Anthony Bourdain's Longtime Pal & Producer Never Thought In 'A Million Years' The Beloved TV Chef Would Kill Himself
Remembering a legend!
Anthony Bourdain’s longtime pal and producer Tom Vitale is reflecting the time he spent with the celebrity chef before his tragic suicide over three years ago.
The TV host hanged himself on June 8, 2018. He was found unresponsive in his hotel room while filming Parts Unknown in France.
“It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain,” CNN said in a statement at the time. “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.”
Vitale, who started working with Bourdain at 26, is detailing his adventures with the complicated travel documentarian in the book, In The Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain, due out October 5.
The producer, now 44, wrote he never thought “in a million years” Bourdain would kill himself, reported Page Six.
Vitale explained that he and the author, who traveled on more than seventy trips together, had a peculiar relationship, dubbing Bourdain’s affection as “cutthroat.”
Although it has been years since the beloved father-of-one’s untimely death, Vitale expressed he’s still never fully recovered from the tragedy. “I’m not sure that’s the sort of thing that you ever really get over,” he said.
Before his passing, Bourdain had been dating actress Asia Argento. The pair met on the set of Parts Unknown during an episode filming in her native Rome in 2016.
While dating the filmmaker he was estranged from his wife Ottavia Busia. The former flames had split but never finalized their divorce. Busia gave birth to daughter, Ariane Bourdain, 14, in 2007.
