Morgan Spurlock, 'Super Size Me' director and documentarian, dead at 53: Reports
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.
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"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
