Current:Home > FinanceMorgan Spurlock, 'Super Size Me' director and documentarian, dead at 53: Reports-InfoLens
Morgan Spurlock, 'Super Size Me' director and documentarian, dead at 53: Reports
View Date:2024-12-23 11:23:17
Morgan Spurlock, the director and documentarian behind "Super Size Me," has died at 53.
According to Variety and ABC News, Spurlock died from cancer complications. He rose to fame as the subject of "Super Size Me," the diet documentary that followed his physical and emotional reactions to eating fare from fast food chain McDonald's every single day for one month.
“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” Spurlock's brother and collaborator Craig Spurlock told Variety and The Wrap in a statement. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity. Today the world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”'
Morgan Spurlock's 'Super Size Me 2'pulled from Sundance, dropped by YouTube
USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Spurlock.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"Super Size Me" became a sensation among viewers for its social commentary about health, wellness and obesity as Spurlock strictly consumed McDonald's, including its Super Size option, to prove the harms of fast food in America and around the world.
The movie marked cultural shifts as McDonald's disbanded its Super Size option. In the film, Spurlock said he gained nearly 25 pounds and lost energy as the film depicted his issues with depression and sex drive.
"Super Size Me" also scored an Oscar nomination at the 77th Academy Awards in 2004. The nod catapulted him into a household name as he starred in a series of popular projects, from his 2008 documentary "Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?" to the three-season reality show "30 Days" on FX from 2005 to 2008 and a CNN show, "Morgan Spurlock Inside Man," from 2013 to 2016. He also directed One Direction's "One Direction: This is Us" concert movie.
Spurlock is survived by two sons, Laken and Kallen Spurlock.
Morgan Spurlock's career took downward turn after #MeToo self-outing
Spurlock's 2017 follow-up to "Super Size Me," aptly known as "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!" didn't garner the same critical or commercial acclaim internationally as the cult classic that made him an industry star.
That year, the sequel was pulled from the Sundance Film Festival in Utah and dropped by YouTube after Spurlock outed himself for bad behavior in a lengthy blog post.
In the post, he admitted he was accused of rape in college and called himself "part of the problem." He wrote, "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?'"
His self-admission came amid the #MeToo movement, a reckoning for Hollywood heavyweights who engaged in predatory behavior ranging from harassment to rape that resulted in firings, lawsuits, arrests and legal convictions.
Contributing: Andrea Mandell
veryGood! (185)
Related
- Bowl projections: SEC teams joins College Football Playoff field
- Counting On's Jeremiah Duggar and Wife Hannah Welcome Baby No. 2
- MLB's 'billion dollar answer': Building a horse geared to win in the modern game
- What time do Michigan polls open and close for the 2024 primary? Key voting hours to know
- NFL Week 11 picks straight up and against spread: Will Bills hand Chiefs first loss of season?
- Bill Bradley reflects on a life of wins and losses
- Man beat woman to death with ceramic toilet cover in Washington hotel, police say
- Montana Supreme Court rules in favor of major copper mine
- Francesca Farago Details Health Complications That Led to Emergency C-Section of Twins
- A fellow student is charged with killing a Christian college wrestler in Kentucky
Ranking
- UConn, Kansas State among five women's college basketball games to watch this weekend
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, Feb. 25, 2024
- This Toddler's Viral Golden Girls Hairstyle Is, Well, Pure Gold
- Why Lupita Nyong'o Detailed Her “Pain and Heartbreak” After Selema Masekela Split
- Rita Ora pays tribute to Liam Payne at MTV Europe Music Awards: 'He brought so much joy'
- NFL scouting combine 2024: How to watch workouts for NFL draft prospects
- 7-year-old boy crawling after ball crushed by truck in Louisiana parking lot, police say
- Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry says he has late-stage stomach cancer
Recommendation
-
Will Trump curb transgender rights? After election, community prepares for worst
-
Laneige’s 25% off Sitewide Sale Includes a Celeb-Loved Lip Mask & Sydney Sweeney Picks
-
Why Martha Stewart Says She Doesn't Wear Underwear
-
Texas man made $1.76 million from insider trading by eavesdropping on wife's business calls, Justice Department says
-
NASCAR Cup Series Championship race 2024: Start time, TV, live stream, odds, lineup
-
Eagles’ Don Henley quizzed at lyrics trial about time a naked 16-year-old girl overdosed at his home
-
Are robocalls ruining your day? Steps to block spam calls on your smartphone
-
Hungary’s parliament ratifies Sweden’s NATO bid, clearing the final obstacle to membership