Super Size Me documentary maker Morgan Spurlock dies aged 53
24 May 2024, 15:24 | Updated: 24 May 2024, 16:00
Morgan Spurlock, the documentary maker behind Super Size Me, has died aged 53.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Spurlock died on Thursday in New York from complications of cancer, according to a statement issued on Friday by his family.
His brother Craig Spurlock said: “It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan.
“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.”
Spurlock was most well-known for his 2004 documentary Super Size Me where he exclusively ate McDonald’s for 30 days to probe the rise of obesity in the US.
Read more: Kelly Rowland breaks silence on bust-up with security guard at Cannes Film Festival red carpet
During filming, he ate an average of 5,000 calories a day, always accepted a “super-size” meal if it was offered to him and reduced his exercise to match the average American’s physical activity at that time.
He claimed to have put on 11.3kg by the end of the experiment and said he he began to suffer from depression and liver dysfunction.
However, the findings of the documentary were called into question as Spurlock refused to share his meal logs.
In 2017, he also admitted to alcohol abuse, which other documentary makers said explained his liver issues and depression.
The documentary grossed $22 million in the global box office and in the same year McDonald’s also stopped offering its “super-size” me option.
