Burgey, in all seriousness, Anthony Bourdain was a role model to my sister and I. We grew up on his TV shows, she read his books, we followed his life and his accomplishments and advice a lot. The fact that he took up BJJ in his fifties and got to his blue belt through sheer passion and drive was a special point of inspiration to myself, personally, as someone training in that sport.
He was a big part of our lives and his Hong Kong episodes were very special to us. We had a goal to visit every restaurant he ever reviewed here and to eat at it. We're very, very sad at this news. It hasnt fully sunk in yet. This is close to how I felt with regards to Phil Hughes's passing.
So yea, to bring up his passing as a joke in this thread just doesn't feel right. Request you refrain from doing so now on please.
We know his death had nothing to do with HK or any of the destinations he ever covered. He's always been a troubled man with a lot of internal demons. That's what made him great, weirdly enough. This comes completely out of the blue, and I don't think we'll ever be able to fully understand or comprehend what led to this decision. But it's a sad day and I hope his soul rest in peace. The man was an idol and an inspiration.