When documentarian Morgan Spurlock released his first film, “Super Size Me” in 2004, he made an impression, winning an Oscar nomination. Now, two decades later, the filmmaker has died due to cancer complications at age 53.
“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” Craig Spurlock said, according to a statement cited by CNN. “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.”
Per CNN – where Spurlock was a former series host – he died Thursday surrounded by family and friends.
Spurlock is still perhaps best known for his first film, in which he chronicles his journey eating nothing but McDonald’s for a month.
“After the documentary became a word-of-mouth hit and Academy Award nominee, McDonald’s profits dropped in the following financial year, while sales of larger fast food meals and sweet treats noticeably dwindled,” according to Far Out Magazine. “Several chains even dropped the option to super-size completely, and the awareness raised by Spurlock’s film shone a new light on just how unhealthy fast food really was.”
Before “Super Size Me”, Spurlock graduated from New York University in 1993. He was raised in West Virginia.
As the president and founder of New York-based production studio Warrior Poets, Spurlock also helped produce other projects. Titles under the banner include “Freakonomics”, “The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3D on Ice!” as well as television shows and more, per Spurlock’s website. However, he did step down from the company in the wake of the #MeToo movement, said CNN.
“I’ve come to understand after months of these revelations, that I am not some innocent bystander, I am also a part of the problem,” he wrote on a social media post admitting to sexual misconduct.
According to Variety, Spurlock is survived by two children, Laken and Kallen, as well as his mother, Phyllis Spurlock; his father Ben (Iris); brothers Craig (Carolyn) and Barry (Buffy); multiple nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his former spouses, Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein.