Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker behind the award-winning 2004 documentary Super Size Me, died from cancer complications, his family announced on Friday.
“Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity,” his brother Craig Spurlock said in a statement. “The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”
Spurlock died Thursday, according to his family. He was 53 years old.
The filmmaker’s reps said in a statement, “Spurlock fearlessly challenged modern conventions utilizing humor and wit to shed light on societal issues. His films inspired critical thinking and encouraged viewers to question the status quo. Over thirteen years, through his production company Warrior Poets, Spurlock found additional success producing and directing nearly 70 documentary films and television series.”
After taking on McDonald’s with the Oscar-nominated Super Size Me, the documentarian also explored the challenges of minimum wage life in America with the FX series 30 Days, which ran from 2005 to 2008; the U.S. war in Afghanistan with 2008’s Where In the World is Osama bin Laden?; and corporate takeovers of poultry farming with 2019’s Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken, among other projects.
Spurlock’s family has asked supporters to make a “generous” donation in his honor to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in New York City.
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