Anthony Bourdain’s passing has made his fans, the culinary industry, and many more individuals grief. His iconic show, “Parts Unknown”, as well as countless other series and books by him has given him fame, money and respect. Bourdain’s life as a television personality has given him everything anyone could ask for. But his happiness was taken in exchange.

No one knows why Bourdain commited suicide, but all witnesses and reports know is that the act seemed impulsive. He was still in the middle of filming and was accompanied with his friend, Eric Ripert, on the trip when it happened. According to Page Six, Bourdain did not come down for dinner the night before his suicide, nor to breakfast the next morning. Ripert found it strange, as the pair always dined together at night and in the morning. When he went up to Bourdain’s room to see what was wrong, Ripert found him hanged in the bathroom with the belt of the hotel bathrobe.

The sudden act stunned and saddened Bourdain’s fans, family and friends. It made famous figures like Barack Obama, Andrew Zimmern, Gordon Ramsay and Chrissy Teigen speak up about how Bourdain influenced their life and how much he contributed to the world. His nonchalant but kind personality, support of important causes like the MeToo movement, exploring and informing the world of its beauty and gracing us with the power of food positively influenced the public.

I watched his shows, especially “Parts Unknown”, almost every night after dinner with my family. I loved how kind and accepting Bourdain was to people he met and his ability to bring people together with food. I remember breezing through his series and learning a little bit more about the world during his episodes. My mother notably loved Bourdain and would insist on watching his show every night.

To have lost such an iconic, influential person from the world is absolutely devastating. I hope that his passing brings more awareness to the serious issue of poor mental health and suicidal thoughts so maybe, just maybe, no more individuals will have to suffer through what Bourdain suffered.