Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who received an Academy award nomination for his 2004 documentary Super Size Me, has died.
According to a statement from his family, he died on Thursday from complications of cancer. He was 53.
His brother Craig, who collaborated with him on several film projects, described it as a ‘sad day’, saying that ‘Morgan gave so much through his ideas, art, and generosity.’
Super Size Me
Spurlock made himself known in 2004 with his groundbreaking documentary film Super Size Me, in which he looked at the psychological and physical effects of eating nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days. By the end of it, he gained nearly 25 pounds, lost his sex drive, and saw an increase in his cholesterol.
However, it wasn’t without criticism. After the backlash against the industry subsided, many began to point out that Spurlock had refused to release his daily logs on which he had tracked his calories and food intake. Scientists were also unable to replicate his results in a controlled environment.
In 2019, he returned with Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, a documentary film that delved into the shadowy chicken industry.
After he exposed the chicken and fast food industries, numerous restaurant chains began to emphasize freshness, turning to ethically sourced ingredients. Nutritionally, however, things remained the same.
Besides Super Size Me, he also made documentary films about the fanboys at Comic-Con and the boy band One Direction. He also made a film that documented what life was like in Virginia’s Henrico County Jail.
Some of his other works include Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden and POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, the former of which saw him embarking on a global search to locate the al-Qaeda leader.
History of Sexual Misconduct
His 2017 documentary film, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! was scheduled to premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. In the midst of the #MeToo movement, however, Spurlock came forward and talked about his own sexual misconduct history, which caused the film to be shelved.
He also confessed that he had cheated on several partners, writing that ‘[he] was part of the problem.’
In a subsequent interview, he said he experienced ‘a moment of realization’ where he realized that ‘[he] could do better in [his] life.’
Spurlock was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and raised in Beckley, as the only child of Phyllis and Ben Spurlock.
He is survived by his two children, his parents, and former partners Sara Bernstein and Alexandra Jamieson, with whom he shared his sons.
