Anthony Bourdain dead: Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski pays tribute to ‘idol’ celebrity chef
Antoni Porowski. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Queer Eye‘s food expert Antoni Porowski has paid tribute to celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who died aged 61 on Friday.
Responding to Bourdain’s death, Porowski posted on Twitter: “I am shocked and deeply saddened. RIP to a father, partner, chef, writer, and incredibly talented man.
He added: “Prayers for his loved ones.”
Bourdain was found dead in his hotel room in the Le Chambard luxury hotel in Kaysersberg, a village in eastern France. He is reported to have died by suicide.
Christian de Rocquigny du Fayel, a prosecutor from nearby city Colmar, told The New York Times: “At this stage, we have no reason to suspect foul play.”
The celebrity chef was a vocal advocate for LGBT rights, including his backing of same-sex marriage in the US.
(antoni/Instagram)
He also backed gay couple David Mullins and Charlie Craig in the Colorado bakery discrimination case.
The US Supreme Court was heavily criticised by LGBT+ rights activists when it ruled that Colorado violated ‘religious freedom’ protections by ordering a bakery to cease discriminating against same-sex couples, when it refused to bake Mullins and Craig a wedding cake.
Porowski also posted a tribute to Bourdain on his Instagram account, including Bourdain’s quote: “There is no lying in the kitchen And no God.”
Porowski added: “A rebel. My idol. RIP.”
Bourdain rose to fame following the release of his memoir Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly in 2000, which detailed his escapades – including hard drug use – in upmarket New York restaurants.
The chef started out working 13-hour days as a line cook in New York restaurants, before becoming an executive chef during the 1990s at Brasserie Les Halles.
After the success of his memoir, Bourdain went on to host the globe-trotting TV show A Cook’s Tour from 2002 to 2003, before going on to present travel and food show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
He was in France filming for his culinary and travel show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown with CNN, which he has been hosting sine 2013.
Chef Anthony Bourdain attends the 2018 Women In The World Summit at Lincoln Center on April 12, 2018 in New York City. (Matthew Eisman/Getty)
CNN released a statement following Bourdain’s death.
“It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain.
“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.” .
Bourdain was also a high-profile supporter of the #MeToo campaign. His girlfriend Asia Argento, a film director, was one of the first people to make a public allegation of sexual abuse against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Other celebrities, including Nigella Lawson and Chrissy Teigen, have paid tribute to Bourdain.
