Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who made American food and diet his life’s work, eating only at McDonald’s for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died at age 53 years old.
Morgan Spurlock died Thursday in New York from complications of cancer, according to a statement released Friday by his family.
The documentary maker caused a sensation in 2004 with his revolutionary film Super Size Me: American junk foodand he did it again in 2019 with Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!about an industry that processes 9 billion chickens per year in America.
Morgan Spurlock was a “gonzo” filmmaker who leaned into the bizarre and ridiculous. His stylistic touches included vivid graphics and fun music, blending a Michael Moore-esque camera style with his own sense of humor and pathos.
Since he exposed the fast food and chicken industries, there has been an explosion in restaurants emphasizing “freshness”, “artisan methods”, “farm to table quality » and “ethically sourced ingredients”.
But nutritionally, little has changed.
“There’s been this massive change and people are saying to me, ‘So, has food gotten healthier?’ And I answer: ‘Well, the marketing makes you believe so,’” he told the Associated Press in 2019.
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