
Anthony Bourdain has died - chewymouse
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44414747
======
piker
A powerful quote that may resonate with many of us and sum up his humility and
fight with depression, from an interview with Biography.com (via reddit):

"I should’ve died in my 20s. I became successful in my 40s. I became a dad in
my 50s. I feel like I’ve stolen a car — a really nice car — and I keep looking
in the rearview mirror for flashing lights."

Rest in peace.

~~~
lurquer
Is a victim of suicide suffering from depression by definition?

If not, why would one immediately assume Bourdain was depressed?

~~~
WalterSear
Because he says so in the parent's quote.

~~~
lurquer
Thanks. I'd missed that.

------
ada1981
I struggled with mental health issues my entire adult life.

Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Biploar, Anxiety, Suicidal Depression, Panic
Attacks.

It wasn’t until I changed my relationship to all emotions and then sought out
a variety of support to safely go deeply into my experience that I was able to
find relief.

1 session of MDMA therapy lifted a decade of suicidal thoughts; session 2 a
year later largely freed me of anxiety and paranoia; combined with a NARM
therapist to help me heal developmental and shock trauma, yoga, holotropic
Breathwork and a loving stable romantic relationship. And a lot of grace.

No meds, no longer a prisoner, and my life is vibrant and alive and the past
feels like nothing more than a straight jacket I wriggled out of.

The often unspoken truth is that Trauma (developmental, shock, generational)
underpins most all mental health issues (save issues of malnutrition,
poisoning,tumors and TBI).

This is on the radar of few practioners who instead offer very limited tools
to suppress symptoms.

And because mental health is actually a context, folks typically are
surrounded by others who don’t have a very deep capacity to honor our
expeirences and would rather try to “cheer us up” or change what we feel. The
actual need is to have people who help us feel more of what we feel (that
leads to deeper relief).

The Suicidal Impulse is a an impulse for the pain of our default mode network
to stop. When we have unprocessed traumas, we are in a state of fight or
flight and this activation is painful. It also leads to addiction.

Ego (default mode network) death and rebirth is possible without killing the
body. It requires a safe context to release the old trauma and form new
pathways in the incresed plasticity.

Know that there are actual solutions, it’s not your fault, and there are
people here to help — but you will need to take responsibility for healing
this as our current society is doing a terrible job thus far.

~~~
monkeynotes
I wish I knew where to seek the treatment you found. I suffer from anxiety,
depression, and trauma and it limits my potential every day. I have
counselling but I find it extremely difficult to connect with the source of
all of it and flush it out. I know it's in there, hiding. The ego death you
speak of is what I invite every day but the negativity and shame that my ego
has insulated itself with is extremely resilient.

~~~
foobaw
I wish you the best. One thing that really helped a lot of my peers is
Ketamine and there are treatment centers available in big cities.

~~~
braveheart1723
I know this is anecdotal but I've also spoken to a nurse treating depressive
patients for 20 years and she swore by recent treatments of Ketamine here in
the UK.

------
warent
I involuntarily gasped for air. This isn't someone I expected would die for a
long time. Depression is a silent beast, and the stigma around talking about
these problems is fatal as ever.

Anthony was inspirational to me in part because, among many reasons, though he
lived his life in a very unusual way he was still successful and always
adventurous.

The world has suffered a great loss today.

~~~
arwhatever
If this is indeed a depression-based suicide (I haven't read all of the
details yet; they probably aren't even fully available), then it makes a
rather profound statement about depression, because who didn't like this guy?
Everyone really liked him, and he has produced years of excellent programming.

~~~
oldsklgdfth
I really try to downplay the depression-based suicide angle - at least for my
own sanity. I like to think that large part of depression is based on
circumstances, I leave out the clinical cases that have underlying
physiological causes. If you are unhappy enough to end your life, then there
are probably things that you can change to stop feeling that way, i.e. job,
relationships, friends, habits.

In a lot of ways this make sense to me, he was probably under a lot of
pressure to be the guy that everyone really liked. Created this unrealistic
expectation that was stressful to meet. Add in poor habits, maybe strained
relationship and friends to lean on. It's not hard for people to feel like
there is not point in going on with life.

EDIT: I am open to being wrong and invite a discussion of others opinions.

~~~
Miltnoid
You might like to think that, but its not an honest representation of the
majority of suicides. Most people who kill themselves do it, not for
circumstantial reasons, but physiological ones like clinical depression.

~~~
hackermailman
Many people who try and kill themselves, according to friends who are staff at
peer run suicide prevention clinics, do so because of a temporary insanity.
They aren't depressed, they just sort of lose their mind for a few hours and
if they survive the attempt have no idea how they ended up almost killing
themselves. Everybody assumes these people are routinely depressed all the
time but they tell you otherwise, that it was a delerious state they were in,
unable to reason rationally about what they were doing.

~~~
qume
This is a very important point to understand to help people who are in that
mode. Dont let them be alone and keep them talking. It will pass in an hour or
less.

------
sbenitoj
My mother committed suicide 8 years ago, and this is something I’ve spent an
inordinate amount of time thinking about and trying to understand (in part to
ensure I never suffer the same fate).

For anyone who has struggled with depression or severe anxiety, if you haven’t
read the book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, I encourage you
to read it as soon as possible — it’s one of the best, most approachable,
resources out there to understand not only many of the roots of depression,
but many strategies to actually overcome it (it’s very different from
traditional talk therapy, which is mostly focused on getting people to cope
with their past trauma rather than resolve it).

[https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-
Trauma/dp/01...](https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-
Trauma/dp/0143127748/ref=nodl_)

~~~
dgzl
As someone who's currently going through a wave serious depression, I'm
curious about this book. Thanks for sharing.

~~~
occam65
Hey, I don't know you and you don't know me, but I'm here if you'd like to
chat. Hit me up.

------
bevinahally
This is a very sad day for me. I have never expressed this to anyone before.
Anthony Bourdain was one of my heroes.

Anthony changed the way that I view the world and inspired me to explore the
world's rich tapestry of life. We have lost someone who truly was a world
citizen who built the culture that "different" could be good.

The man's struggles through addiction and journey to peak physical fitness in
his late 50s is nothing short of inspiring. I hope that he is immortalized
through his work.

~~~
donatj
Yes. The way this man LIVED made me forever envious. He was and is still a
personal hero of mine as well.

------
curveship
I really wanted Bourdain to become a salty, profligate old man, throwing barbs
from behind a stiff drink and an ever-craggier face.

Sad news.

~~~
organicmultiloc
He was an addict and got sober, but otherwise yeah the image is fitting.

~~~
hellofunk
> He was an addict and got sober

Commenter was talking about alcohol. He drinks a lot of alcohol in most of the
episodes I’ve seen.

~~~
jadell
Addicted to drugs, not alcohol.

~~~
smolder
It may be worth pointing out here that with substance abuse, people often end
up substituting one dangerous thing for another. Just because someone's a
recovered heroin or cocaine user and not an alcoholic doesn't mean alcohol's
not riskier for them than for other people. Whether or not that'd be true of
Anthony Bourdain or not I can't weigh in on.

------
acjohnson55
This is a real gut punch for me. Talk about a rock and roll icon who never
released an album. I feel so bad for the pain he must have been in.

If you're in a dark place, please, please consider reaching out for help.

I love this community. We gotta look out for each other y'all.

------
skellera
So many assumptions going around but as someone who has turned their life
around, if I relapsed at this point then I would seriously consider suicide.
It’s such a hopeless feeling to be addicted. I’ve come too far to roll back
down that hill.

But that’s just me. I didn’t climb anywhere near the same heights as he did
which it why it made me think that. I hope it’s something more positive (as it
could be for something like this).

Edit: Just to add, this death affected me so much more than any other
celebrity. I look up to him so much for turning his life around and turning it
into what it is. I forget which episode of his newer show it was but he goes
out hunting with the guy and shoots a... deer/elk/something. He tells the guy
it’s the healthiest he’s ever been. You could tell how much it meant to him to
be healthy and be able to do the hike they did.

Don’t know why it stood out so much but I was so happy for him. It encouraged
me to keep going.

------
bernardino
I love Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain — I’ve always wanted to become
a chef because of that book.

Otherwise, somehow, and I may be wrong, I think suicide might be deep rooted
to our toxic: media, culture, attachments, conditioning, etc. It does sound a
bit wrong to say. It might because I’m in my early twenties and still live
with my parents and have lots of time to think but I’m becoming more aware of
how, maybe, be of the world not in the world is so important. It seems like
escapism but again, these days: I’m not reading the news as much or partaking
in entertainment especially the internet, I’m spending more time alone in
solitude, watching the evening sky, I’m going on walks, I’m deciding what has
meaning and what does not, I’m just living but with no fuss, noise, or ego.
Some may think it’s a boring way to live but it may be a true way to live, I
think. It’s almost as I live in my own bubble and I’m not sure if that’s a
right thing to do or not.

To the point, suicide and depression are terrible and I think, in modern day,
we have to have a strong inner self to conquer it or else we get sucked in. It
also reminds me of Thoreau’s Walden or Wallace’s understanding of American
culture.

~~~
FireBeyond
I found the best summation in one of the most unlikely places, the show
Nip/Tuck: "I think that if a person is in a great deal of pain, physical or
spiritual, and they've exhausted all their options, I wouldn't judge them for
it. I'd say a silent prayer and hope death brought them the peace of mind life
never could give them."

------
fiblye
The CNN article about his death had this:

>Suicide is a growing problem in the United States. The US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention published a survey Thursday showing suicide rates
increased by 25% across the United States over nearly two decades ending in
2016.

I remember a while back that the general public's tone on suicide was a lot
less sober. More of a "man up" sort of attitude. With a growing list of
famous, financially successful people committing suicide, I can only hope that
people as a whole start seeing it as a complex issue and the stigma of mental
issues and stress can lessen so that people can get help. Or at least be able
to talk to their friends/family when they first notice problems instead of
hiding it until it's too late.

When people first start having these sorts of thoughts and even hint at it to
other people, the whole "What are you depressed about? Your life is good"
response so many people give only makes it worse, and hopefully it's beginning
to go away. Depression has nothing to do with how "good" your life is on
paper.

~~~
georgewsinger
> Suicide is a growing problem in the United States. The US Centers for
> Disease Control and Prevention published a survey Thursday showing suicide
> rates increased by 25% across the United States over nearly two decades
> ending in 2016.

> I remember a while back that the general public's tone on suicide was a lot
> less sober. More of a "man up" sort of attitude.

Not trolling: wouldn't this provide (weak, but nevertheless some) evidence
that a "man up" sort of attitude was more effective at combating suicide than
our attitude towards it now?

~~~
Toast_25
It may be that the effects we're having now were caused by that "man up"
attitude that was going on back then.

~~~
apearson
Playing devil's advocate but wouldn't the effects have been causing problems
in the past as well. The "man up" attitude has been going on for much longer
than a single generation. Also do you know of any stats or papers looking at
possible connections? Genuinely curious.

------
beat
The obituary I wrote on Facebook when I found out...

"'Fuck you,' he says. 'You don't even cook. You're not one of us anymore.' Far
from being offended (although I am hurt), I want to give him a big hug.
Another drink or two and I just might.

I don't cook. I'm not a chef. The chefs and cooks who are better than I used
to be - better than I ever was - know this and don't need to say it. They
certainly don't need to say it to my face, like this kid, pressing me up
against the bar now with the force of his rage and hurt. He will channel those
feelings, appropriately, into a demand that I do a shot of tequila with him.
Or two.

Which is a relatively friendly and diplomatic solution to an awkward
situation."

\- Anthony Bourdain, "Medium Raw" (I opened to a random page)

Another great artist lost to suicide. Anthony Bourdain reinvented food writing
with his book "Kitchen Confidential", injecting a brutal honesty and punk rock
ethos into the stuffy world of restaurant reviews and travelogues. He
continued writing with more terrific work like "Medium Raw" and "Nasty Bits".
It's not just that his writing was full of practical advice for diners (never
eat fish on mondays, never eat mussels, bread is recycled, etc)... it's that
he was brutally honest about himself, about his struggles with depression and
drug addiction. If you read his books, his suicide should come as no surprise.

He went on to reinvent food television with "No Reservations", a travelogue
show that celebrated highbrow and lowbrow in equal measure, that put third
world street food vendors in the same breath with Michelin-starred chefs, that
ate the weird stuff not because it was weird, but because it was a new
experience. From there, he went to "Parts Unknown" on CNN, elevating his
work's already broad international beat to a more explicitly political level,
visiting little-known and often dangerous places such as Libya and Myanmar,
celebrating the joy and creativity people took in their food, even in the
poorest, most oppressed places on Earth. He was a cultural ambassador for all
of humanity, the likes of which had never been seen before.

And then there was that time that !Kung bushmen in Namibia punked him into
eating a warthog's asshole by convincing him that it was their finest and most
exclusive culinary delicacy. And then laughed their asses off at him. And he
ran that on tv.

I'm going to miss him so much.

------
abalone
Rob Delaney (of Deadpool 2 and "funniest person on Twitter" fame) has written
great stuff on overcoming suicidal depression with support and
medication.[1][2][3] It affects the best people.

[1]
[https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/7bw89a/comedy-545-v17n10](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/7bw89a/comedy-545-v17n10)

[2] [https://robdelaney.tumblr.com/post/414007899/on-
depression-g...](https://robdelaney.tumblr.com/post/414007899/on-depression-
getting-help)

[3] [https://www.amazon.com/Rob-Delaney-Warrior-Yardstick-
Cabbage...](https://www.amazon.com/Rob-Delaney-Warrior-Yardstick-
Cabbage/dp/0812983181)

------
the6threplicant
I was reading about the Hong Kong episode for Parts Unknown just yesterday
where his girlfriend directed it and they used a famous cinematographer too
that Anthony always wanted to work with.

I read Kitchen Confidential when it came out. A hge fan and followed him ever
since.

Sympathy goes out to his young daughter and his friends and family.

------
jderick
Something I just learned: suicide is 120 times more prevalent among alcoholics
and alcohol is involved in a quarter of all suicides.

[http://www.mces.org/pages/suicide_fact_alcohol.php](http://www.mces.org/pages/suicide_fact_alcohol.php)

~~~
geezerjay
Coreelation doesn't imply causality. I'm sure some people dealing with
depression seek refuge at the bottom of a bottle.

~~~
staticautomatic
Correlation _does_ imply causation. It just doesn't prove it.

~~~
cookingrobot
Even when there is causation, you still don't which is the cause and effect,
or if both are effects of hidden common cause.

~~~
staticautomatic
That doesn't make any sense.

~~~
alehul
There could be a causation link between alcohol and suicide, but whether
suicidal thoughts lead to alcohol or alcohol leads to suicidal thoughts is
unknown.

Alternatively, both alcohol and suicidal thoughts could be the result of a
'hidden common cause', such as drugs or unemployment.

------
dewey
I’m usually not that affected by celebrity deaths but this one really hit me
hard :(

~~~
rickyspanish
I'm the same way. I usually think "why is this even news, it's not like these
people were friends of this person." Then at times like these, I'm reminded
what an impact his work had on my life.

------
emptyfile
Wow, suicide...

Most people would tell me his life is their dream.

Rest in peace.

~~~
JshWright
Depression doesn't care how awesome your life is.

~~~
volkl48
Sometimes an awesome life can actually make it harder.

It's easy to justify being depressed when you have a crappy life. (even though
your depression probably doesn't have some cause like that)

"I am depressed because I am living in a bad apartment in a bad part of town,
working a bad job. If I get a better job and can afford a better apartment,
I'll be happy."

Assuming you have some hope for that happening, that can keep you going. At
the very least, you have something you think is a cause and things are easier
to deal with when we at least _think_ we know why they're happening.

"I have everything I could ever want, and I'm still depressed." Pretty easy to
let that spiral you into thinking you're never going to get better and that
there isn't any hope.

~~~
mieseratte
> "I have everything I could ever want, and I'm still depressed."

Not only that, but it becomes very easy to tell yourself that you don't
deserve success. It's easy to look at your life and say "I haven't really
worked that much harder, lived that much more virtuously. I don't deserve
this, this should be someone else..."

~~~
piker
"I should’ve died in my 20s. I became successful in my 40s. I became a dad in
my 50s. I feel like I’ve stolen a car — a really nice car — and I keep looking
in the rearview mirror for flashing lights."

From the man himself.

------
101km
I can't decide if celebrity suicides are just more frequently reported these
days or suicides overall have actually increased because we live in, what we
collectively perceive as, darker times.

I suspect it is the latter, but I don't have the heart to google it.

Every Robin Williams, Chris Cornell, Anthony Bourdain no doubt causes a bit of
a ripple of none famous suicides and thus this news is doubly sad.

~~~
spooneybarger
The sucide rate in the United States has increased over the last 20 years
according to the Centers for Disease Control:

[https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/suicide-rates-
are...](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/suicide-rates-
are-30-percent-1999-cdc-says-n880926)

~~~
overcast
What I find interesting is that Nevada actually decreased, a place where you
can literally lose it all. All of those Midwest states, where quality of life
is generally considered the highest and happiest, have the highest increases.

~~~
jetti
I would imagine that most people losing it all in Nevada don't actually live
there though.

------
hi41
This makes me very sad. When I saw him on the show he came across as a person
who had achieved great success. Doesn't so much travel and meeting people make
one more enlightened? How did this tragedy occur. I for one sometimes feel I
should never have been born. My failings are too much to bear. I have hurt a
lot of people with my actions, inactions and words.

------
cubano
I've always shared a fairly deep connection with Mr. Bourdain for two
reason...number one, I actually look enough like him that when I travel I am
constantly being asked if I _am_ him, or do I know that I look like him etc...

The second is that we were both functional heroin addicts for some part of our
professional lives.

His tell-all book "Kitchen Confidential" hit home to me like a 20-oz T-bone
and a good bottle of red. His unafraid discussions of his addictions were a
breath of fresh air in the otherwise stultified environment of talking-about-
work.

There is little doubt in my mind that his struggles with addiction are related
to the suicide, at some perhaps never to be known level.

He entertained the shit outta me, so he will be missed...cheers to you Anthony
we hardly knew you.

------
DamnInteresting
I have a hypothesis about this based on personal experience.

For creative people with an audience, there's this expectation from the
audience that every thing you release to the world will be as good or better
than what you did before, and that you will produce this brilliance on a
reasonably consistent schedule. Any slip in quality (say, from experimenting
with something new) or any delay in delivery, and the toxic parts of your
audience will hurl their bile. You're labeled a burnout, or you're losing your
edge. The people who didn't like your work in the first place openly relish
your stumble.

Some creatives like to pretend that these critiques don't sting, and maybe
some fortunate souls truly are immune. But it's human nature to build our
self-image based on feedback from others, and a good self image can be
essential for survival.

I feel like some creatives such as Bourdain try to meet the demands of the
public, and keep upping their game and pushing, but that can't go on forever.
Exhaustion, harsh self-criticism, and a sense of responsibility to one's
audience combine into a caustic soup, and it shrivels the soul. One is
expected to be increasingly brilliant even as one's energy diminishes to the
effects of burnout. Quitting will just invite more cries of "failure!" It's
unsustainable, and sometimes the part that breaks is the willingness to
continue to bear it.

To any creative people suffering from this cycle, I think the best remedy is
to make a "temporary" lateral move if you can. Move out of the spotlight and
lend your skill to up-and-comers for a while. It's hard to get mad at that.
And there's an odd comfort in knowing that you never _have_ to go back, but
the option is there when/if you're ready.

------
readhn
God damn it Anthony.... The only guy for me worth watching on entire TV.

This. Sucks.

------
frankwiles
If your friends or coworkers seem off, check in on them.

Everyone needs to know it’s ok to not be ok.

~~~
obelix_
I'll qualify that with - only if you know what you are doing.

If someone is struggling in the deep sea, dive in to help only if you have
experience swimming in the deep sea. This stuff is not simple and can have
lifelong negative effects on both parties if done wrong.

~~~
_mitch
I don't think OP was implying you should attempt to counsel the person. You
don't need experience to check in on friends and coworkers if they seem off.
Ask them if they're having thoughts of hurting themselves. Listen to their
answer. If they are, encourage them to seek professional help; whether that is
giving them the information to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
(1-800-273-8255) or assisting in getting them in to see a mental health
professional.

~~~
jrs95
Has anyone done this and had success? As someone who has dealt with suicidal
thoughts for years and continues to struggle with it, it wouldn’t do me any
good. I’d lie and act like it’s a ridiculous question, and then I’d probably
be binge drinking for the next week from the stress and paranoia from being
“found out”.

~~~
cuckcuckspruce
I had success in that I'm still alive.

I have called a suicide hotline. They determined that I was a danger to
myself. The police came to my house and took me to a crisis center where I was
held against my will for seventy-two hours where other unsupervised,
unmedicated residents of a facility for observation before being released.

If I am ever suicidal again I'll just skip the suicide hotline. They were no
help, and those seventy-two hours were the worst of my life.

~~~
jrs95
Yeah, that’s pretty much been my experience with our “mental health care”
system as well. Well, that and pills that don’t work (for me). Maybe it’s just
the world that’s sick.

------
nefasti
Anthony was ad close to an idol to me, since his cooking book was the first
one I Read, I will surely miss him and his work. I haven’t felt this sad for
some public figure since Steve jobs death.

------
pjmorris
We went to see him speak once, together with Jacques Pepin and Eric Ripert. It
was clear that he felt things deeply, and had a great deal of integrity in his
own way. He will be missed.

------
southphillyman
I wonder what impact, if any, the Kate Spade suicide had on his decision.
Sometimes I wonder if people suffering from depression observe the attention
people who have committed suicide recently receive and if it's influences
their decision in any way. I imagine someone feeling really down right now
see's all the love and empathy Bourdain is receiving post posthumously, and it
could perhaps incentivize them to make the same decision. Am I reaching here?

~~~
mmiliauskas
I read somewhere that suicide headlines increase the probability of plain
crashes.

~~~
jquinby
Robert Cialdini talks about this in his book "Influence: The Psychology of
Persuasion."

------
ninjamayo
I've been binge watching Bourdain on Netflix over the last few days. Really
really strange to watch one more tonight knowing he is now dead. Very sad news
indeed!

------
meko
I'm at a week-long point of one of the harder depression episodes I've ever
had. It came from running out and thus taking a break from my adhd meds. A
week ago, I was worried about my health, because I loved life and wanted to
live it to the fullest. The last 3-4 days has been 14 hour sleep sessions,
lack of will to get up and out, and a profound sadness about my place in life.
I had to keep talking myself out of saying I didn't want to be alive anymore
last night; it was uncontrollable despair accompanied by insomnia. Went to my
shrink today who gave me a welbutrin script so I'm hoping that works out for
me. My saving grace in all this is how I've come to externalize the prolonged
feeling of down-ness. I talked to a good friend about it, who proceeded to
tell me how it was just my state of mind and that "Its literally the way you
look at a situation". Not only is that patronizing, it tries to erase the
agony of my experiences. I've experimented with mdma, psychs (lsd, dmt,
shrooms), weed, ket, none of it has sustained any sort of cure. The problems
just come right back.

~~~
drukenemo
Please try to keep seeing professional help. My personal path with depression
has been talking to a shrink who was also a psychologist. Se then indicated me
to a cognitive behavioral therapist who has helped me immensely.

------
xvf22
I really enjoyed his work, it genuinely inspired me to up my cooking game.
Eric must be so overwhelmed right now :(

I've had friends take the same way out so this is bringing up some awful
memories. The demons within are a powerful force no matter how good things
seem to be going.

------
johncolton
Bourdain was such a friend to so many cities and countries as he introduced
their food and culture. I am not sure who can take his place.

It's so sad that he could not find another solution to defeat his demons.

------
ryan606
Very sad. Bourdain seemed like one of the few on TV who didn't take himself
too seriously. I can't think of too many people who didn't like him or enjoy
his show.

------
AIX2ESXI
"F" for respect.

Take care of yourselves my fellow techies. The brightest of us sometimes are
consumed by the blackest abyss. Condolences to all who were impacted by his
life.

------
nautilus12
Anyone have any idea why? Not to encourage speculation but was there something
hes been publicly struggling with?

~~~
readhn
Have you ever watched his shows?

There is a sad dark thread going through all of them.. dark humor, his
comments on life, interactions with other people etc. She time He made it
interesting and very real. The world is not all roses and I think that's what
he tried to show.

~~~
nscalf
I will never forget the episode where he goes diving for octopus in Sicily.
The comments on how disgusted he was by his guide throwing dead octopus into
the water for them to "catch"... it was Bourdain at his best.

------
jolesf
The New Yorker profile is how i rememember him
[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/13/anthony-
bourda...](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/13/anthony-bourdains-
moveable-feast)

------
camdenreslink
Very sad news. I watched No Reservations throughout my teenage years, and
loved it.

------
petecox
Thanks for the memories, Tony.

No Reservations was great TV - travelling to exotic destinations, hanging out
with chefs and sampling all kinds of street food good and bad. He made the
cooking/travel genre fun.

------
WheelsAtLarge
Very sad, sometimes the inner demons win. I didn't know him but I loved his
exploration of different cultures thru food. I will miss him and his work. I
hope he's finally at peace.

------
aloukissas
One of my favorite quotes from Tony: "Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like
splinter-faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a
damn."

------
Lotus123
Just yesterday I watched a interview clip on new Yorker from 2017 and it was
so lively. 16 hours and this news. Very much saddened. Rip.

------
gringoDan
Anthony Bourdain was a global ambassador and a gifted writer who helped
instill in me a love of travel. He will be missed.

He had a life envied by many and this goes to show that you never know what is
going on in someone else's head. Today are more interconnected than ever, but
the skin-deep interactions we have through our phones & the digital highlight
reels we project can mask both mental health issues and a lack of true
meaningful relationships.

The article mentions that he committed suicide while shooting _Parts Unknown_
in France. This will affect many lives, not the least of which are all of the
people working on the show. I hope CNN takes care of them financially.

A relevant but tangential point - Slate Star Codex just published an analysis
that after controlling for guns, the US has one of the lowest suicide rates of
the developed world[0]. That's not to say that mental health isn't the main
issue, but rather that there are also practical policy steps that should be
taken to limit the number of preventable suicides.

[0] [http://slatestarcodex.com/2018/05/31/in-search-of-missing-
us...](http://slatestarcodex.com/2018/05/31/in-search-of-missing-us-suicides/)

------
ianai
I will sorely miss his show. He had a unique way of communicating what a place
and culture were like.

------
linsomniac
One phrase I've found a lot of wisdom in is: Depression is a life-threatening
illness.

------
Ntrails
>, I can only hope that people as a whole start seeing it as a complex issue
and the stigma of mental issues and stress can lessen so that people can get
help

Possibly inappropriate - but why do people immediately link suicide and mental
illness? Why do we stand in judgement declaring it _wrong_ to decide ones own
fate? Am I not the master of my own existence and do I not have the right to
make a decision on it without a bunch of hand wringing from other people
refusing to countenance the possibility that I am still of sound mind?

Living is a choice, just as death is. (apologies if this is distasteful, I'm
mostly interested to hear responses)

~~~
chatmasta
Suicide is inherently a selfish act, and I think that’s where the perception
of it being “wrong” comes from.

Sure you have the right to decide your own fate, but you should consider that
you affect other people. In taking your own life you’re also fucking up the
life of everyone who cares about you, forcing them into a state of grief and
possibly causing them to blame themselves for what was ultimately a selfish
act on your part.

~~~
choko
Isn't it also a little selfish to expect someone to live out their life in
misery simply because you would feel bad if that person ended their own life?

I have people in my life who have been struggling with mental illness for many
years. If any of them decide that they no longer have the will to fight, I
would not think less of them (or call them selfish) if they decide to end
their own life. If I did, I would be selfish.

~~~
dghughes
It would be upsetting because it's more than likely not their choice but
people assume it is.

Depression is like a broken bone it's a physical problem with a person's body
beyond their control they need help to fix it.

People who have open-heart surgery have a 40% chance of developing depression
it's not that all their life they were dealing with depression this is a
sudden change. That's terrifying to see depression develop so quickly like a
virus suddenly changing a person almost overnight.

If a person impulsively and mortally harms themselves because they couldn't
control their actions due to chemical imbalance in their brain (depression)
that would certainly be upsetting.

Knowing a person's actions were out of their control and they could have been
helped or healed that's quite sad. We need to help people not accept it or
mock it since it is just as much a medical problem as a broken bone, and it
can be treated.

~~~
CuriouslyC
In most cases, depression isn't an illness, it's a result of life
circumstances and the way you think. Think of it like obesity - it's a
mismatch between ancient genes and the modern environment. The genes are fine,
the environment we've created is what's fucked.

There are cases of depression that result from health issues, but these
definitely aren't the majority. This is just a hypothesis society has put
forth to avoid taking a long hard look at itself.

------
ransom1538
I remember watching Robin Williams perform ~2009. He was hilarious and
positive on stage at Cobb. After the show he hung out with us and Bing Gordon
(his friend). His entire demeanor changed. Unable to smile, look people in the
eyes, and holding back tears. People thought he would be funny off stage but
he just was extremely anxious and wanted to leave asap. Anyhow, I feel like
people (esp. famous people) hide the their internal deadly struggle.

I always try to remember - more than half [1] of gun related deaths in the US
are people taking their own gun and pointing it at their head then pulling the
trigger. Who cares what side of the gun debate you are on.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_Sta...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States)

~~~
lifeisstillgood
The above link shows more than just half - 2/3 gun deaths in US are suicide -
approx 20,000 out of 30,000 Fairly horrifying but does impact the whole gun
control debate IMO.

~~~
devmunchies
I myself would rather focus the discussion on why people want to kill
themselves in the first place and not divulge into a convo about whether not
mommy government should or should not allow us to have guns.

~~~
Eyght
Putting an important decision such as ending ones life behind a single point-
and-click action is really bad UX. There should at least be a number of "Are
you sure?" prompts and two factor authentication as a bare minimum.

~~~
devmunchies
But now you are optimizing for and donating resources to the "bad UX" instead
of focusing energy where it matters.

Focus on why users want to delete their account and not on how easy it is to
do so!

~~~
gameswithgo
Better mental health care will likely require what you call "mommy government"
as well.

So I guess we will just have to deal with school shootings and suicides
because certain americans have to stand by political ideals while the nation
burns down around them, empiricism be damned.

------
anoncoward111
Really, really horrible news. The anecdotal data is really starting to pile up
in my mind- Chester Bennington, Chris Cornell, Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain...

... suicide is all too common in our world, and some professions (especially
doctors) are affected more than others.

All of the money and fame in the world cannot protect you from the depths of
your mind.

I hope that anyone struggling with this affliction can know its ok to step
away from everything they're doing, get a breath of fresh air, and know that
it's ok for everything to go wrong in life.

Your life is always still valuable and fixable.

~~~
trentnix
All the money and fame in the world doesn't do much protecting at all: it can
lock you in the depths of your mind. Imagine a situation where every
interaction you have with other people is fawning or fraudulent. Where all
day, every day, someone is either kissing your ass or wiping your ass. Nothing
is genuine. Nothing can be trusted. Everyone wants to use you to their own
ends.

Fame and the life it brings seems desirable, but there's ample evidence that
would indicate otherwise.

If you think about it, it's no wonder so many famous people are depressed,
dysfunctional, or disgusting - their self worth and ability to self-evaluate
are completely distorted. And the pressure of maintaining that fame, that
score that many believe determines how important you are to society, is
crushing.

If you're not happy, not content, not satisfied with yourself when you're a
"nobody", becoming a "somebody" won't change that. Whatever issues you brought
to the table before you got fame and power won't be improved once fame and/or
power is acquired. The Good Book says something along those lines a few
thousand years ago:

 _" Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and
whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. - Luke
16:10_

~~~
alter_eco123
> _" Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,
> and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
> - Luke 16:10_

Water that is wet is also dry, and water that is dry is also wet!

~~~
zerocrates
This particular translation is a bit confusing in its wording, but the meaning
of the passage is the opposite of what you're implying.

------
digianarchist
[http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-
hotlines.html](http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html)

~~~
throwaway435388
Has anyone called these before? What's it like? Thanks.

~~~
616c
I used to volunteer at one. Its part of a national network. Ask away.

~~~
nerdy
What's the best way to encourage someone to call when they're showing outward
signs of depression but you don't know them?

I saw someone who was very clearly depressed streaming the other day. They
weren't responding to chat. Crying. Fetal position on the floor for 7+ hours.
Very depressing social media posts, etc.

But I did not know this person. I did encourage them to call, however it was a
difficult message to compose. You don't want to make them feel like they're a
burden or weak ("call if you need someone") and some people may need
encouragement to actually pick up the phone.

So in a situation with a stranger online, who may not see or respond to your
message, what would you say?

~~~
calvinbhai
I think this is where social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Snapchat) should allow friends to suggest anonymously to contact such a
helpline (probably show it as an ad/post). Any other way would be considered
judgmental/confrontational by the one who is already suffering. An inanimate /
non-human thing like facebook suggesting to contact the local helpline may be
very very effective in such cases.

------
smn1234
this really hurt me, I'm usually not as affected by "high-profile suicides."

There's some terrible correlations beginning to surface, in my mind, with the
psychiatric drugs taken by Robin Williams, Kate Spade, Chester Bennington, and
Tim Bergling for example that seem to be the final push-over-the-edge for
these folks - whose lives are full of options and [appear] far from hopeless.
Surely we can't judge how things really are, but can they truly be SO
desperate? I've seen people in terrible shape- unable to work, loss of body
part(s), loss of wealth, loss of friends, loss of family, etc. and still carry
on.

It seems, to me, mental illness is created as a result of these Big Pharma
medicines. I don't believe sadness or unhappiness day to day are unhealthy,
most people deal with not being 100% successful in life. There's always
another day to work at it and try again to win.

When things become inexplicable is when there's some strange substance playing
with the mind - in my opinion. School shootings being in this category as
well.

I'd love to see a study investigate the prescription medications used in all
of these "high profile suicide" cases, results protected by First Amendment.

~~~
sleazy_b
This comment betrays a remarkable ignorance of mental illness. There is, in
fact, a link between the commencement of a course of antidepressants and
suicide, but to claim that "...mental illness is created as a result of these
Big Pharma medicines" is to ignore a tremendous body of research.

Out of curiosity, how do you feel about vaccines?

~~~
smn1234
it's a statement of opinion- "It seems, to me"

Happy to explore this with you further. What exactly is the mental illness?
How is it being identified, how is it being measured?

I'm against vaccines, as you presumed, as I've personally seen resulting
correlations to increased occurrence of Autism, and [lesser] conditions of
peanut allergies and gluten intolerance. There may be elements in vaccines
become unintentional casualty to the body being trained to reject what we are
intending for it so classify as foreign, to fight. There's observable overall
increases in these conditions from those who've been vaccinated. We haven't
been able to isolate for these yet. I believe we haven't investigated enough.
Or perhaps they're not related... but it's my hypothesis.

We don't have ENOUGH information to draw conclusions for MANY things, these
observations are merely mine and are thus my opinions.

I recommend everyone does their own research and make their own decisions.

------
spraak
> "That was a shock when I woke up this morning: Anthony Bourdain is dead! I
> enjoyed his show, he was quite a character."

It seems like Trump is incapable of saying anything with heartfelt sincerity.

------
partycoder
I enjoyed his show, he was a good narrator and storyteller, and he had an
interesting perspective of the world.

However, it is important to remember that traveling around the world in planes
is not a very ecological activity. So traveling as a way of living is better
left to a few people.

~~~
seattle_spring
Have you considered not using a tragedy as your little political soapbox?

~~~
partycoder
Don't get me wrong. I think he did a great job, his show was very enjoyable
and highly entertaining and his fame is well deserved.

He could make a successful show anywhere, from a very modest restaurant like
Waffle House to a very fancy one.

Quoting another chef: "He brought the world into our homes and inspired so
many people to explore cultures and cities through their food."

I am just saying, that long distance transportation technology doesn't scale
in terms of carbon footprint right now, and that we should be mindful of that
when traveling.

------
ButterflyWar
Got a TensorFlow up if anyone has the data because I'm curious: Heroin addicts
who commit suicide by violent means vs. intentionally O.D.ing.

I ask because Anthony's wife is one of Harvey Weinstein's accusers.

[https://archive.li/rxIHn](https://archive.li/rxIHn)

------
oblong
Nooooooooooo...

------
nyae
This is very sad. I wish his friends and family ease and comfort during their
grieving process.

This news is not relevant to the content discussed hacker news and doesn't
belong here. This is not Reddit.

