Morgan Spurlock, the star of the 2004 Super Size Me documentary, has died at the age of 53 from cancer, according to his family.
‘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 Oscar-nominated filmmaker passed in upstate New York on Thursday after a private battle with cancer.
His death comes 20 after Spurlock ate only at McDonald’s for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet.
‘Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity,’ his brother, Craig Spurlock, said in a statement to ABC News
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 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, as reported by Variety.
Following the film’s release, McDonald’s discontinued its ‘super-size’ option.
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 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 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
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 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.
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
‘For me, there was a moment of kind of realization — as somebody who is a truth-teller and somebody who has made it a point of trying to do what’s right — of recognizing that I could do better in my own life. We should be able to admit we were wrong,’ he told the AP.
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 is survived by two sons, his parents and former spouses Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein (pictured)
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.
The filmmaker is survived by two sons, his parents and former spouses Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein.
