Anthony Bourdain Says There's "No Happy Ending" in First Documentary Trailer

Nearly three years after Anthony Bourdain's death, his friends and family are looking back at his life and the influence he had on the world in the new documentary Roadrunner.

By Cydney Contreras Jun 03, 2021 9:50 PMTags
Watch: Anthony Bourdain Liked Everyone on "Parts Unknown" Show

June 8 will mark three years since Anthony Bourdain took his life in a French hotel. 

Since then, family, friends and fans of the chef and travel journalist have struggled to make sense of his suicide at the age of 61. At the time, his mother, Gladys Bourdain, told The New York Times, "He is absolutely the last person in the world I would have ever dreamed would do something like this."

Now, in the upcoming documentary Roadrunner, his friends and colleagues are reflecting on who the Parts Unknown host really was and the demons he battled over the years.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? director Morgan Neville made the film using new interviews with Bourdain's friends and loved ones, as well as footage Bourdain recorded prior to his passing.

In the trailer, Bourdain tells viewers, "You're probably going to find out about it anyway. So, here's a little preemptive truth telling: There's no happy ending."

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Anthony Bourdain: A Life in Pictures

Though Bourdain was known as a chef first and foremost, restaurateur David Chang says, "It was almost never about food. It was about Tony learning how to be a better person." 

Another friend gives insight into Bourdain's mental health, revealing, "Reality was never going to live up to exactly how he pictured it." A separate person adds, "He was definitely searching for something."

As footage of Bourdain visiting foreign cities plays, artist David Choe says, "I know how hard it must have been for him to reach out to someone and be like, 'Hey man, I'm not doing well.'"

CNN

Bourdain previously struggled with addiction issues, a topic he discussed openly and frequently throughout his career. But an autopsy report revealed he had no narcotics in his body at the time of his death.

With no explanation, his friends are left savoring the memories they have of Bourdain, who shared a daughter with ex-wife Ottavia Busia.

On his 63rd birthday in June 2019, Gail Simmons told CNN, "I'm so grateful for not just the time that I had with Anthony, for all he taught me about appreciating the world through the lens of food, how it brought people together, how it allowed us all to understand cultures all over this extraordinary earth, but also how he made us all look a little deeper into ourselves and sometimes that's not easy, but it's important."

Roadrunner premieres in theaters on July 16.

If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.