Morgan Spurlock: Super Size Me documentary maker, who ate only McDonald's for a month, dies aged 53
Morgan Spurlock, the producer of the well-known documentary Super Size Me, where he consumed meals exclusively from McDonald's for a month, has passed away.
According to a statement from his family, Spurlock passed away at the age of 53 in New York after suffering from cancer-related complications.
Craig Spurlock, the brother of the filmmaker, expressed that Morgan's contributions were immense in terms of his creativity, concepts, and kindness.
The earth has suffered a great loss with the passing of a highly gifted and exceptional individual. I feel honored to have collaborated with him.
Spurlock, who was birthed on 7 November 1970, commenced his profession as a dramatist before inventing I Bet You Will, a web-based show wherein ordinary individuals would perform daring acts in exchange for money.
MTV ended up purchasing the webcasts from 2002, where a few individuals were challenged to consume an entire jar of mayonnaise for $235 or ingest a shot of cod liver oil.
Spurlock became famous after creating his documentary Super Size Me in 2004. The documentary explored the increase of obesity in the United States by documenting his experience of only eating food from McDonald's for 30 days.
He consumed around 5,000 calories every day, and whenever there was an option to choose a bigger meal, he would always go for it. Additionally, he worked out less to match the average level of physical activity in America during that period.
At the conclusion of his test, he declared that he gained 25 pounds (equivalent to 11.3 kilograms) and began experiencing feelings of extreme sadness as well as malfunctioning liver.
Spurlock's film earned a total of $22 million in theaters around the world and received a nomination for an Academy Award.
This also led McDonald’s to discontinue its "super-size" alternative in the year 2004.
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Nonetheless, doubts were raised regarding the accuracy of the documentary's conclusions since Spurlock declined to reveal his records of what he ate.
In 2017, he confessed to having problems with alcohol, which other creators of documentaries claimed was the reason for his liver problems and negative mental state.
"Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!" is a documentary film that scrutinizes the fast-food industry. In the movie, Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker, takes a deep dive into the chicken industry and how it operates. He becomes a chicken farmer to investigate the chickens' living conditions, the food they eat, and the eventual processing of the meat. He also unveils the marketing strategies used by the fast-food industry to attract customers. The film raises many concerns about the fast-food industry's impact on people's health, the environment, and the chickens themselves. It aims to educate people about the consequences of our food choices and encourages them to make more informed decisions about what they eat.
During 2019, Spurlock revealed his second investigation about the fast-food business called Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!
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In the documentary, he establishes his own eatery and confronts allegations of nutritious dishes served at large franchise restaurants, ultimately turning into a problematic feature.
Spurlock has also made other movies like Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? from 2008, as well as One Direction: This Is Us, a concert film that came as a surprise addition to his collection in 2013.
Spurlock declared in 2017 that he had behaved inappropriately in the past and resigned from his role at Warrior Poets, a production company he established in 2004.
