Anthony Bourdain – famed chef, food writer and television personality – has died at the age of 61, CNN reported on Friday 8 June. The chef, who has been noted as one of the most influential in the world, first became known for his New York Times bestselling book, Kitchen Confidential, a behind-the-scenes look at the dark underbelly of the culinary world.

CNN confirms that the cause of death was suicide. Bourdain was reportedly working in France on an episode for the show Parts Unknown.

A post shared by anthonybourdain (@anthonybourdain) on Oct 21, 2016 at 7:00am PDT

“It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain,” CNN said in a statement on Friday morning. “His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink, and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time,” the network continued.

Woolworths TASTE Magazine editor Kate Wilson had the privilege of meeting and interviewing the chef: “Meeting Anthony Bourdain was one of the great moments of my career. He was exactly as I had pictured him – in Kitchen Confidential – just taller. I interviewed him in his restaurant Les Halles on Park Avenue South, and afterwards he offered me a beer and we sat at the bar and drank Peroni and talked about our favourite gangster movies. They’d just banned smoking in restaurants in New York, and he said he felt like a pariah now and he was treated better when he was a heroin addict. When I left, I watched him light up as he slunk off and I remember thinking ‘I’m never going to forget this moment.’ He was that kind of guy: he was a maverick, he was extreme, he was totally honest, he was just himself.”