One should never take someone's apparent joy or status as an indication of their wellbeing. As a young man, Anthony Bourdain possessed the life of my dreams. Bourdain apparently felt trapped in that very life. The cosmopolitan chef's harrowing final texts, preceding his 2018 death, are revealed in a new biography.
A new unauthorized biography of Anthony Bourdain, which includes for the first time the celebrity chef's text messages from the days leading up to his death by suicide in 2018, reveals Bourdain's anguish over his career, his estranged marriage and his troubled romantic relationship with actor Asia Argento.
Selections from the book Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain, written by journalist Charles Leerhsen, were published in today's The New York Times. The Simon & Schuster book will be released on Oct. 11.
"I hate my fans, too. I hate being famous. I hate my job," Bourdain wrote to his estranged wife Ottavia Busia-Bourdain, with whom he remained a close confidant even after their separation in 2016. "I am lonely and living in constant uncertainty."
Watching society remove taboos around discussion of mental health is inspiring. Despite the progress we've made, however, the conversation is far from over. The discussion will never end, and that's a good thing. Remember to check on your people.
If you are in crisis, call 800-273-8255 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org. You can also text via crisistextline.org or by texting START to 741741 from anywhere in the United States.
