Anthony Bourdain had no narcotics in his system at the time of death, toxicology report reveals
Anthony Bourdain did not have any narcotics present in his body when he died, a toxicology report revealed. Bourdain was a New York chef, author, and a television correspondent whose death affected many people all over the world. He was found dead on June 8 in a hotel bathroom in Kayserberg, which is a small village in the Alsace region of France.
At the time, the police ruled his death as a suicide by hanging and, from the investigation view, the only remaining unanswered question was whether he had any sort of narcotics in his body. A toxicology report has now revealed that there were no narcotics present in his body. According to the New York Times, Christian de Rocquigny, who was the local prosecutor in charge of the investigation shared that there was no substance present.
The 61-year-old had been in the village while filming his CNN show called 'Parts Unknown' along with Eric Ripert who is the chef of Le Bernardin in New York. The evening before his death, Bourdain had skipped his dinner. When he did not show up for breakfast the next morning with Ripert, the hotel receptionist was sent up to his room and found his dead body.
Bourdain was a self-declared, reformed heroin and cocaine addict and, in the year 2013, he had admitted on Reddit, "I would have robbed your medicine cabinet had I been invited to your house." His book 'Medium Raw' also talks about his history with drugs and substance abuse which started all the way back when he was in his 20s. It was only during the 1980s that he was able to get himself sober with the help of methadone.
Bourdain was cremated in France and his belongings and remains were sent to his younger brother and only sibling, Christopher. Anthony's mother Gladys Bourdain said that the family would have a small and private ceremony of some kind. "He would want as little fuss as possible," she said. Gladys Bourdain who was a former editor at New York Times said that she had planned to get the name 'Tony' tattooed on the inside of her wrist as a tribute to her son.
She had revealed that she never really liked Bourdain's tattoos which had detailed out his culinary journeys. However, she plans to use his personal tattoo artist for her one and only tattoo.
In the year 2016, Bourdain was seen traveling to Argentina for psychotherapy and told Eater, "Well, things have been happening. I will find myself in an airport, for instance, and I’ll order an airport hamburger. It’s an insignificant thing, it’s a small thing, it’s a hamburger, but it’s not a good one. Suddenly, I look at the hamburger and I find myself in a spiral of depression that can last for days."
The end of his first marriage definitely hit him hard especially because he and his first wife, Nancy Putkowski, were high school sweethearts and had been married for around 20 years.
Their marriage was not able to survive his hectic schedule and the traveling. In an interview with Daily Life, he said, "I spent almost two years traveling and filming A Cook’s Tour and, as a result, my marriage fell apart."
"To cope, I went to the Caribbean where I behaved in a completely irresponsible and suicidal way. I didn’t value my own life and acted accordingly. I had put myself in a very dark place and behaved recklessly in the not-too-subconscious hope that something terrible would happen. I was doing everything possible — smoking pot, drink-driving — to invite that," he continued.
Bourdain did get married after that to Ottavia Bourdain with whom he also shares a daughter. However, they amicably decided to go their own separate ways in the year 2016. For the next two years and until his death, he was romantically linked to Italian actor and director Asia Argento who was one of the first women to come forward with the claims of sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein. Mr Bourdain emerged as a vocal supporter of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements in his final months, with Asia by his side.
After the news of Bourdain's suicide shook the world, Argento released a statement on her social media. “Anthony gave all of himself in everything that he did. His brilliant, fearless spirit touched and inspired so many, and his generosity knew no bounds. He was my love, my rock, my protector. I am beyond devastated. My thoughts are with his family. I would ask that you respect their privacy and mine," she wrote.
In an interview with IndieWire, Bourdain shared that his girlfriend really inspired him in the later stages of his life and Asia had even directed one of the episodes of Bourdain's show. Bourdain revealed, "Look, anytime I can get work out of Asia — even random suggestions, like when she calls me mid-show to make me aware of a Nigerian psychedelic rock scene of the mid-to-late-1970s — that’s a huge help to the show."
"I’d love to have her as a continuing director. I just don’t think we can afford her. But, my god, I’d love nothing more than to repeat the experience. She made it incredible," he continued.
Life, in Bourdain's own words, was summarized such: “As you move through this life and this world, you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks — on your body or on your heart — are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt.”