Anthony Bourdain, the chef and television host behind DC Comics’ Get Jiro and Dark Horse Comics' Hungry Ghosts, has been found dead in France at age 61.  The cause of death was suicide according to a statement from Bourdain’s current employer CNN.

After decades in the restaurant world, Bourdain rose to international prominence with the release of Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, an autobiographical account of his kitchen experiences and personal struggles with drug addiction.  Shortly after the release of the book, Bourdain began hosting food and travel shows, including A Cooks Tour (Food Network), Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and The Layover (Travel Channel), and Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN).  Bourdain’s shows functioned as travelogues, culinary explorations, and introductions to other cultures, and Bourdain won several awards for his shows, including Emmys and the Peabody Award.  He was also a noted advocate for traditional foods, immigrant restaurant workers, and the prevention of sexual harassment in the restaurant industry.

Over his career, Bourdain wrote several fiction and nonfiction books and cookbooks, and he ventured into comics with his storytelling.  Bourdain wrote the hit graphic novel Get Jiro for DC’s Vertigo imprint in 2013 (see “Valiant, Vertigo Get National Coverage”) and the sequel Get Jiro: Blood & Sushi in 2015 (see “'Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi'”).  Bourdain’s Hungry Ghosts, one of the first titles in the Berger Books line at Dark Horse Comics (see “Dark Horse Details First 'Berger Books' Releases”), is set for collection in September (see “Dark Horse Cooks Up 'Hungry Ghosts' Collection”).

Bourdain is survived by his daughter Ariane.