Documentarian Morgan Spurlock, best known for his 2004 fast food film “Super Size Me,” died on Thursday due to complications from cancer. He was 53.
“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” Craig Spurlock said in a statement announcing his brother’s passing. “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.”
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Morgan Spurlock, who began his career in the entertainment industry as an award-winning playwright in the late 1990s, rose to prominence with his Academy Award-nominated documentary “Super Size Me.” In the groundbreaking documentary, Spurlock consumed nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days, chronicling the negative physical and psychological effects the fast food had on him.
By the end of the experiment, the filmmaker had gained 25 pounds, saw a spike in his cholesterol levels, and lost his sex drive. It took him 14 months to shed the weight he gained while filming.
In 2019, Spurlock followed up the project with “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” which focused on the animal processing industry and fast-food chains’ efforts to oversell the health benefits of their food. The project had been slated to release in 2017 but was temporarily shelved during the #MeToo movement after Spurlock admitted past incidents of sexual misconduct.
His other notable projects include 2008’s “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden,” in which he visited the Middle East in search of the infamous terrorist and interviewed locals about the War on Terror, as well as 2010’s “Freakonomics” and 2011’s “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” which tackled marketing and product placement in the film industry.
During his visit to the Middle East, Spurlock had a viral and controversial run-in with Jewish residents in Israel who reacted to his questioning with hostility.
Spurlock also created multiple TV series, including CNN’s “Morgan Spurlock: Inside Man” (2013-2016), and the FX series “30 Days” (2005-2008).
Spurlock is survived by sons Laken and Kallen, parents Ben and Phyllis Spurlock, brothers Craig and Barry, and former spouses Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein, the mothers of his children.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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