Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar nominee renowned for his critical examination of American food and diets, has died at 53. Spurlock, best known for eating only McDonald's for a month to highlight the dangers of a fast-food diet, passed away on Thursday in New York from complications of cancer, according to a statement issued by his family on Friday.
"It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan," Craig Spurlock, who collaborated 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 gained widespread attention in 2004 with his groundbreaking film "Super Size Me," which earned an Academy Award nomination. The film documented the harmful physical and psychological effects of Spurlock consuming only McDonald's food for 30 days. He gained about 25 pounds, experienced a spike in his cholesterol, and lost his sex drive.
"Everything’s bigger in America," he said in the film. "We’ve got the biggest cars, the biggest houses, the biggest companies, the biggest food, and finally: the biggest people."
In one scene, Spurlock showed kids a photo of George Washington and none recognized the Founding Father. But they all instantly knew the mascots for Wendy’s and McDonald’s.
The film grossed over $22 million on a $65,000 budget and preceded the release of Eric Schlosser’s influential “Fast Food Nation,” which criticized the fast food industry for environmental harm and labor issues.
Spurlock returned in 2017 with “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!”—a critical examination of an industry that processes 9 billion animals annually in America. The documentary focused on two main issues: chicken farmers trapped in a complex financial system and fast-food chains misleading customers into believing they are eating healthier.
“We’re at an amazing moment in history from a consumer standpoint where consumers are starting to have more and more power,” Spurlock told The Associated Press in 2019. “It’s not about return for the shareholders. It’s about return for the consumers.”
Spurlock was known for his gonzo-style filmmaking, embracing the bizarre and ridiculous. His distinctive approach included zippy graphics and amusing music, blending a Michael Moore-esque, confrontational style with his own sense of humor and pathos.
“I wanted to be able to lean into the serious moments. I wanted to be able to breathe in the moments of levity. We want to give you permission to laugh in the places where it’s really hard to laugh,” he told the AP.
Following his exposés of the fast-food and chicken industries, there was a surge in restaurants emphasizing freshness, artisanal methods, farm-to-table quality, and ethically sourced ingredients. However, he noted that nutritionally, not much had changed. “There has been this massive shift and people say to me, ‘So has the food gotten healthier?’ And I say, ‘Well, the marketing sure has,’” he remarked.
Spurlock’s work extended beyond food. He made documentaries about the boy band One Direction and the fans at Comic-Con. One of his films explored life behind bars at the Henrico County Jail in Virginia.
In 2008's “Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?” Spurlock embarked on a global quest to find the al-Qaida leader, who was eventually killed in 2011. In “POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” he delved into issues of product placement, marketing, and advertising.
“Being aware is half the battle, I think. Literally knowing all the time when you’re being marketed to is a great thing,” Spurlock told the AP at the time. “A lot of people don’t realize it. They can’t see the forest for the trees."
“Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” was set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017 but was shelved during the height of the #MeToo movement when Spurlock publicly disclosed his own history of sexual misconduct. He confessed to being accused of rape in college and settling a sexual harassment case with a female assistant, and admitted to cheating on numerous partners. “I am part of the problem,” he wrote.
“For me, there was a moment of realization—as somebody who is a truth-teller and somebody who has made it a point of trying to do what’s right—of recognizing that I could do better in my own life. We should be able to admit we were wrong,” he told the AP.
Spurlock grew up in a small town in West Virginia. His mother, an English teacher, would correct his work with a red pen.
He is survived by his two sons, Laken and Kallen; his mother, Phyllis Spurlock; his father, Ben; his brothers, Craig and Barry; and his former spouses, Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein, the mothers of his children.
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