Morgan Spurlock has died at 53-years-old. He died in upstate New York following complications from his battle with cancer on Thursday, May 23. The director captivated viewers as he documented his experience living off a diet solely consisting of McDonald’s for 30 days in his 2004 documentary Super Size Me. While the fast food documentary is his most famous, he recorded many more projects, focusing on a variety of subjects. His family confirmed his death in a statement.
Morgan’s brother and frequent collaborator Craig Spurlock shared the news in a statement. “It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” he said, via Variety. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity. Today the world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”
Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia in November 1970, Morgan moved to New York City in 1993 to attend NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Prior to directing Super Size Me, he was a playwright, and he had created the MTV show I Bet You Will.
In 2004, Morgan released the documentary, which he is most well-known for Super Size Me. The film follows him only eating three meals from McDonald’s for 30 days. The film is named for the rule where each time he was asked if he’d like to “super size” the meal, he had to say yes. Over the course of the experiment, he gained 25 pounds and suffered liver dysfunction and depression. Following the film, McDonald’s did away with the “super size” option and began focusing on healthier options, though the company denied that the documentary had anything to do with it. In 2017, he made a sequel where he explored the ways that the fast food industry has rebranded as healthier since his original film.
Despite the documentary’s popularity, some people have called the film’s accuracy into question. Comedian Tom Naughton released a response documentary Fat Head, where he followed a similar experiment, but managed to lose weight while on a diet of only fast food. Science teacher John Cisna also lost 60 pounds while eating a diet of only McDonald’s for 30 days and has spoken out against showing the documentary in high school health and science classes. In 2017, Morgan also revealed that he had suffered from alcohol abuse for many years, which called some of the findings into question.
Besides Super Size Me, Morgan also released the documentary Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? where he examines the fight against terrorism. He also explored product placement in films in The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. He also created the TV series 30 Days, where he and other participants take part in 30 day-long experiments, similar to his Super Size Me documentary. He was also the star of Morgan Spurlock Inside Man on CNN, where he explored a variety of subjects.
In December 2017, Morgan released a blog post where he admitted to sexual misconduct and admitted to being accused of sexual assault while in college. He stepped away from his company Warrior Poets following the blog post and had been mostly unheard from until his death.
Morgan was married twice and divorced each time. He had two sons, one from each marriage. He is survived by his sons Laken James, 17, and Kallen Marcus, 8, as well as his parents and brothers.