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Super Size Me documentary star Morgan Spurlock dies at 53
Super Size Me star Morgan Spurlock has died at the age of 53 from cancer, 20 years after shooting to global fame with his explosive documentary about fast-food.
Spurlock produced the 2004 documentary to shame McDonald's, which at the time was offering to 'super-size' all meals for a discount.
His 30-day experiment saw him gorge on burgers, chicken nuggets and fries - and suffer a litany of health problems as a result.
In the years after the film's release, McDonald's ditched the super-size option and put more of a focus on health when designing its menus.
While lauded for the film's impact, Spurlock faced questions over how honest he'd been in the process after admitting he was an alcoholic. He also stunned fans in 2017 by admitting to serially harassing women after being men outed in the #MeToo movement.
Spurlock, who continued filmmaking though not to anywhere near the success of Super Size Me, died on Thursday in upstate New York, his family said in a statement.
It remains unclear what kind of cancer he was suffering or how long his battle was. He is survived by his two children, former wives and parents.
'Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity,' his brother, Craig Spurlock, said in a statement to ABC News
'It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,' said his brother Craig Spurlock, who worked with him on several projects.
'Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him,' the family said in a statement on Friday.
Tributes to the groundbreaking filmmaker have since flooded the internet, along with questions over his health.
Spurlock made a splash in 2004 with his groundbreaking film, after a more modest career as a playwright.
The filmmaker also created the early 2000s MTV show I Bet You Will, which became as a popular Internet webcast and saw people doing stunts in exchange of money. The stunts included feats like eating a full jar of mayonnaise for $235 and eating a 'worm burrito' for $265.
And in 2013 he hosted Inside Man for CNN for four seasons, until 2016. CNN described the show as providing 'an intimate look into diverse sectors of American life and offers a deep-dive into pressing issues facing the US.'
Spurlock was born in West Virginia to Methodist parents, both of whom outlive him.
In recent years, he appears to have lived quietly in New York City and Upstate New York, doting on his two sons from two marriages.
The filmmaker is survived by two sons, his parents and former spouses Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein (pictured)
Spurlock ate at the fast-food chain three times a day for 30 days - and did not allow himself to refuse the 'super-size' option if prompted
His last project, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, accused the fast-food industry of only pretending to be more health conscious through its marketing.
CANCER BATTLE
The Oscar-nominated filmmaker passed in upstate New York on Thursday and had privately been undergoing chemotherapy.
It's unclear what kind of cancer Spurlock was suffering or how long he had been battling it.
His most famous project, which was nominated for an Academy Award, chronicled the detrimental physical and psychological effects of Spurlock eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days.
He did not allow himself to refuse the 'super-size' option if prompted.
WHAT HAPPENED TO SPURLOCK'S BODY IN THE 2004 EXPERIMENT
Once the experiment was over, Spurlock had gained about 25 pounds, saw a spike in his cholesterol, a decline in his mental health, liver damage, and lost his sex drive.
The film was critically acclaimed and grossed $22million at the global box office, as reported by Variety.
His physical and mental health rapidly declined, and he gained 24.5 pounds by the end of the experiment
The film was critically acclaimed and grossed $22million at the global box office
Following the film's release, McDonald's discontinued its 'super-size' option.
However, the documentary's credibility was questioned when Spurlock admitted he had been drinking heavily throughout the filming, putting his symptoms, particularly the liver damage, under new light.
SUPER SIZE ME CONTROVERSY
Spurlock admitted that he had been drinking since the age of 13 and that at the time of the film's production, he had not been sober 'for more than a week in 30 years.'
In the film, a doctor told Spurlock the fast food was 'pickling his liver' which looked like an 'alcoholic’s after a binge.'
He also refused to share his meal logs.
In 2008, he released his second documentary feature, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?, a movie about the war on terrorism.
His other notable credits include The Greatest Movie Ever Sold and 30 Days.
Spurlock also directed the 2013 One Direction documentary/concert film One Direction: This Is Us.
The West Virginia native produced nearly 70 documentaries through his production company Warrior Poet.
The follow-up film to Super Size Me, 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' was removed from the 2017 Sundance Film Festival after Spurlock admitted to sexual misconduct.
Spurlock said in a long Twitter confession that he was accused of rape while in college, settled a sexual harassment case with a female assistant at his office, and was unfaithful to all of his wives and girlfriends.
#METOO CONFESSION
He wrote: 'What caused me to act this way? Is it all ego? Or was it the sexual abuse I suffered as a boy and as a young man in my teens? Abuse that I only ever told to my first wife, for fear of being seen as weak or less than a man?'
Following the film's release, McDonald's discontinued its 'super-size' option
Spurlock is seen on the last photo of himself he uploaded to Instagram - on April 21, 2022
In his las Instagram post, on December 9, 2022, Spurlock wished his son Laken a happy 16th birthday, sharing the above image
The shock statement from the popular filmmaker was made in the midst of a spate of sex crimes allegations against a number of high profile figures in the entertainment world and politics, most famous among them Harvey Weinstein.
‘As I sit around watching hero after hero, man after man, fall at the realization of their past indiscretions, I don’t sit by and wonder “who will be next?” I wonder, “when will they come for me?”’ Spurlock wrote in 2017.
Referring to himself as ‘part of the problem,’ Spurlock recalled an instance in college when he had ‘hooked up’ with a woman during a one-night stand.
‘[We’d] been drinking all night and went back to my room,’ Spurlock wrote.
‘We began fooling around, she pushed me off, then we laid in the bed and talked and laughed some more, and then began fooling around again.
‘We took off our clothes. She said she didn’t want to have sex, so we laid together, and talked, and kissed, and laughed, and then we started having sex.’
Spurlock admitted that he had been drinking since the age of 13 and that at the time of the film's production, he had not been sober 'for more than a week in 30 years'
His other notable credits include The Greatest Movie Ever Sold and 30 Days
Moments later, Spurlock recalled, the woman started to cry.
‘I didn’t know what to do,’ he wrote. ‘We stopped having sex and I rolled beside her. I tried to comfort her. To make her feel better.
‘I thought I was doing ok, I believed she was feeling better. She believed she was raped.’
Spurlock also wrote that years before he paid money to a woman that he subjected to ‘verbal’ harassment.
‘I would call my female assistant “hot pants” or “sex pants” when I was yelling to her from the other side of the office,’ Spurlock writes.
In 2008, he released his second documentary feature, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?, a movie about the war on terrorism
His last project, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, accused the fast-food industry of only pretending to be more health conscious through its marketing
‘Something I thought was funny at the time, but then realized I had completely demeaned and belittled her to a place of non-existence. ‘So, when she decided to quit, she came to me and said if I didn’t pay her a settlement, she would tell everyone.
‘Being who I was, it was the last thing I wanted, so of course, I paid,' he said. ‘I paid for peace of mind. I paid for her silence and cooperation. Most of all, I paid so I could remain who I was.’
Spurlock immediately stepped down from Warrior Poets, the production company he co-founded.
'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' was released two years later.
Spurlock was a gonzo-like filmmaker who leaned into the bizarre and ridiculous. His stylistic touches included zippy graphics and amusing music, blending a Michael Moore-ish camera-in-your-face style with his own sense of humor and pathos.
The filmmaker ( right) also created the MTV show I Bet You Will, which became as a popular Internet webcast and saw people doing stunts in exchange of money
Spurlock directed the 2013 One Direction documentary/concert film One Direction: This Is Us
Spurlock was a gonzo-like filmmaker who leaned into the bizarre and ridiculous
Morgan Spurlock and his first wife Alex Jamieson are seen together in 2005
Since he exposed the fast-food and chicken industries, there was an explosion in restaurants stressing freshness, artisanal methods, farm-to-table goodness and ethically sourced ingredients. But nutritionally not much has changed.
'There has been this massive shift and people say to me, "So has the food gotten healthier?" And I say, "Well, the marketing sure has,"' he told the AP in 2019.
Spurlock's first wife Jamieson shared a tribute on her Instagram story on Friday from one of Spurlock's friends.
The tribute from David Magdael read: 'It is with a full heart and deep sadness and lots of love that we all say goodbye to a great friend and artist my BFF - MORGAN SPURLOCK. May you rest in peace and paradise my brother!
'Thank you for changing the world and making us think and smile at the same time. You are so missed!! Hugs and prayers out to the SPURLOCK FAMILY. And especially to his sons Laken and Kallen.'
Jamieson shared a tribute on her Instagram story on Friday from one of Spurlock's friends
In his last Instagram post, on December 9, 2022 Spurlock wrote: 'Happy birthday Laken! My handsome giant is 16 today! I can’t believe it. I love the creative, inspiring, and passionate person you have become (not to mention being such an epic big brother). We’re so lucky to have you in our lives - now get your license so you can drive me around!'
Filmmakers have reacted to Spurlock's death online, sending thoughts to his family.
Brett Morgan, who directed Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, wrote on X: : 'Morgan Spurlock achieved what most artists only dream: he actually changed the world with his art. He was an amazing father, brother, friend and one of the most important and influential filmmakers of my time. My heart breaks for his family and friends.'
The Simpson's writer and executive producer AJ Jean said: 'V v v sad to learn of the passing of Morgan Spurlock. A very talented, funny and brilliant man and a true friend to The Simpsons. A great loss.'