Director Morgan Spurlock passed away at the age of 53 in New York
24 may 2024 в 21:28
Morgan Spurlock passed away at the age of 53. He died in upstate New York on Thursday, May 23, due to complications from cancer. The director captivated audiences by documenting his experience living on a diet consisting solely of McDonald’s food for 30 days in his 2004 documentary film «Super Size Me». Although the fast-food documentary is his most well-known work, he has made many other projects focusing on various topics. His family confirmed his death in a statement.
Morgan’s brother and frequent collaborator, Craig Spurlock, shared the news in a statement. «It was a sad day as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan», - he said, according to Variety. «Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. Today the world lost a true creative genius and special person. I am so proud to have worked alongside him».
Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia in November 1970, Morgan moved to New York in 1993 to attend NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Before directing «Super Size Me», - he was a playwright and created the MTV show «I Bet You Will».
In 2004, Morgan released the documentary film for which he is most known, «Super Size Me». The film follows him as he eats only three meals from McDonald’s for 30 days. The film is named after the rule that every time he was offered to «super size» a meal, he had to say «yes». During the experiment, he gained 25 pounds and experienced liver dysfunction and depression. After the film’s release, McDonald’s discontinued the «super size» option and began focusing on healthier alternatives, although the company denied that the documentary had any influence on this decision. In 2017, he released a sequel exploring how the fast-food industry had rebranded itself in a healthier light since the release of his original film.
Despite the popularity of the documentary, some people questioned its accuracy. Comedian Tom Naughton released a response documentary called «Fat Head», - where he conducted a similar experiment but managed to lose weight by consuming only fast food. Science teacher John Cisna also lost 60 pounds by eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days and spoke out against showing the documentary in health and science classes. In 2017, Morgan also admitted to struggling with alcohol addiction for many years, casting doubt on some of the conclusions.
In addition to «Super Size Me», - Morgan also released the documentary film «Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?» where he explores the fight against terrorism. He also investigated product placement in movies in «The Greatest Movie Ever Sold». He created the TV series «30 Days», - where he and other participants take part in 30-day experiments similar to his documentary film «Super Size Me». He also starred in «Morgan Spurlock: Inside Man» on CNN, where he explored various topics.
In December 2017, Morgan published a blog where he confessed to sexual harassment and admitted that he had been accused of sexual assault during his college years. After this blog, he left his company «Warrior Poets» and was largely out of the public eye until his death.
Morgan was married twice and divorced twice. He had two sons, one from each marriage. He is survived by his sons Laken James, 17, and Callen Marcus, 8, as well as his parents and brothers
Morgan’s brother and frequent collaborator, Craig Spurlock, shared the news in a statement. «It was a sad day as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan», - he said, according to Variety. «Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. Today the world lost a true creative genius and special person. I am so proud to have worked alongside him».
Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia in November 1970, Morgan moved to New York in 1993 to attend NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Before directing «Super Size Me», - he was a playwright and created the MTV show «I Bet You Will».
In 2004, Morgan released the documentary film for which he is most known, «Super Size Me». The film follows him as he eats only three meals from McDonald’s for 30 days. The film is named after the rule that every time he was offered to «super size» a meal, he had to say «yes». During the experiment, he gained 25 pounds and experienced liver dysfunction and depression. After the film’s release, McDonald’s discontinued the «super size» option and began focusing on healthier alternatives, although the company denied that the documentary had any influence on this decision. In 2017, he released a sequel exploring how the fast-food industry had rebranded itself in a healthier light since the release of his original film.
Despite the popularity of the documentary, some people questioned its accuracy. Comedian Tom Naughton released a response documentary called «Fat Head», - where he conducted a similar experiment but managed to lose weight by consuming only fast food. Science teacher John Cisna also lost 60 pounds by eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days and spoke out against showing the documentary in health and science classes. In 2017, Morgan also admitted to struggling with alcohol addiction for many years, casting doubt on some of the conclusions.
In addition to «Super Size Me», - Morgan also released the documentary film «Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?» where he explores the fight against terrorism. He also investigated product placement in movies in «The Greatest Movie Ever Sold». He created the TV series «30 Days», - where he and other participants take part in 30-day experiments similar to his documentary film «Super Size Me». He also starred in «Morgan Spurlock: Inside Man» on CNN, where he explored various topics.
In December 2017, Morgan published a blog where he confessed to sexual harassment and admitted that he had been accused of sexual assault during his college years. After this blog, he left his company «Warrior Poets» and was largely out of the public eye until his death.
Morgan was married twice and divorced twice. He had two sons, one from each marriage. He is survived by his sons Laken James, 17, and Callen Marcus, 8, as well as his parents and brothers
© Kolganov Andrey
