Super Size Me filmmaker Morgan Spurlock dead at 53

He died Thursday in New York from complications of cancer, according to family

The Associated Press · Posted: May 24, 2024 11:24 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock has died at age 53. (Neil Hall/Reuters)

 Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar nominee who ate only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53. 

Spurlock died Thursday in New York from complications of cancer, according to a statement issued Friday by his family. 

"It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan," Craig Spurlock, who worked with him on several projects, said in the statement. 

"Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him."

Spurlock made a big sensation in 2004 with his revolutionary film Super Size Me, which was nominated for an Academy Award.

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The film documented Spurlock's negative physical and psychological repercussions after consuming exclusively McDonald's cuisine for 30 days. He gained roughly 25 pounds, had an increase in his cholesterol, and lost his sexual drive.

He returned in 2019 with Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, a sobering look at a business that produces nine billion animals in America each year.

"We're at an amazing moment in history from a consumer standpoint, where consumers are starting to have more and more power," he told The Associated Press in 2019. "It is not about shareholder returns. It is about consumer return."

Films had humor and sadness.

Spurlock was a gonzo filmmaker who embraced the odd and ludicrous. His stylistic additions included zippy visuals and funny music, which combined a Michael Moore-esque camera-in-your-face style with his own sense of humor and sadness.

"I wanted to be able to lean into difficult situations. I wanted to be able to take a deep breath during happy occasions. We want to give you permission to laugh in places when it's difficult to laugh," he told the Associated Press.

After he exposed the fast-food and poultry industries, there was a surge in restaurants that emphasized freshness, artisanal processes, farm-to-table quality, and ethically obtained products. However, nutritionally, little had changed.

Morgan Spurlock in a promotional photo for Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! (Submitted by Morgan Spurlock)

"There has been a big transformation, and people ask me, 'So, has the food gotten healthier?' And I answer, "Well, the marketing certainly has,"' he added.

Not all of his efforts involved food. Spurlock created documentaries about the boy band One Direction, as well as the geeks and fanboys at Comic-Con. One of his videos examined life behind prison at Virginia's Henrico County Jail.

Spurlock's POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold delves into product placement, marketing, and advertising. Spurlock's Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? was a global quest for the al-Qaeda leader.

Personal controversy
Supersize Me 2: Holy Chicken! It was intended to screen at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, but

He acknowledged that he had resolved a sexual harassment complaint with a female assistant and that he had been accused of rape while in college. He admitted cheating on many partners as well. "I am contributing to the issue," he wrote.

As an upright person who has made it a point to try to do the right thing, there came a turning point for me when I realized that I might be doing better in my own life. We ought to be free to acknowledge our errors," he told the AP.

Spurlock was raised in a West Virginian tiny community. He recalled that his mother, an English teacher, would use a red pen to mark up his work.

He is survived by two sons, his parents and former spouses Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein, the mothers of his children.