In 2004, a documentary called ‘Super Size Me’ changed the way we thought about fast food. Variety reports that Morgan Spurlock, the creator and star of the documentary, has died from complications due to cancer at the age of 53.
Morgan Spurlock, a documentary filmmaker who made the Oscar-nominated 2004 feature “Super Size Me,” died Thursday in upstate New York due to complications of cancer. He was 53. https://t.co/qTAHqBO7sO pic.twitter.com/bbTcTV3PDM
— Variety (@Variety) May 24, 2024
According to their obituary, ‘Spurlock rose to prominence for ‘Super Size Me,’ in which he conducted an experiment involving consuming only food from McDonald’s for a 30-day stretch. The rules also included the stipulation that Spurlock could not refuse the “super-size” option if prompted during the transaction. The filmmaker also exercised less to match the average American’s physical activity. By the end of the experiment, Spurlock claimed that he gained 25 pounds and suffered from depression and liver dysfunction.’
Spurlock was born on November 7th, 1970 and graduated with a BFA in film from New York University in 1993. He went on to produce and direct almost 70 other documentaries under his production company Warrior Poets. According to Variety:
Spurlock’s wide-ranging works were fueled by addressing controversial and topical subjects. His projects covered issues including the U.S. war in Afghanistan (‘Where In the the World Is Osama Bin Laden’), minimum wage and immigrant labor (’30 Days’); consumer susceptibility to marketing (‘The Greatest Movie Ever Sold’); trophy hunting and body modification (‘7 Deadly Sins’); elder care and gambling (‘Morgan Spurlock Inside Man’) and corporate pressure on family farms (‘Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!’).
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The responses to the news of his death have been quite wide-ranging.
I really enjoyed his documentary tv show “30 Days” back in the day. RIP. https://t.co/rQYew8xYvy
— Shaun Hundle (@shaunhundle) May 24, 2024
Damn. Way too young. In addition to “Super Size Me” his “30 Days” series on F/X was must-see TV for me. https://t.co/CQtbyQQWBt
— Kelli Lawrence (@KLBSt8ofSk8) May 24, 2024
Super Size Me is a fascinating product in that it is objectively one of the most successful docs of all time (both in terms of making money and achieving its goal) and is also one of the most wildly unfair docs of all time (an alcoholic ate McD’s all day and felt bad, wow). https://t.co/9P94Unhri8
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) May 24, 2024
A hardcore alcoholic conned the world into believing the results of his drinking were caused by a hamburger. https://t.co/U1RnTIkTVf
— EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) May 24, 2024
I remember watching his documentary Super Size Me. This news is quite ironic. RIP https://t.co/PNU6OUaWxj
— Adam (@adamSanwar) May 24, 2024
Spurlock was a talented filmmaker, but a fundamentally dishonest one who clearly suffered from personal demons which eventually caught up to him.
While an ethically questionable person, 53 is too young and his family didn’t deserve to lose him so soon. I wish them well. https://t.co/5ee6PrAFBN
— Oliver Jia (オリバー・ジア) (@OliverJia1014) May 24, 2024
Certainly had one of the largest cultural impacts in the documentary genre. https://t.co/5UAQgpIg2T
— Christopher Wensley 🇺🇦 (@mipolitico) May 24, 2024
Was I the only one who wanted to eat at @McDonalds MORE after watching “Super Size Me?” https://t.co/1kFtYsyMaj
— Craig MacCormack (@CraigMacCormack) May 24, 2024
You might just be! This writer remembers Spurlock vomiting out of a car window and it kinda nipped that craving in the bud.
This is a bummer https://t.co/vbUlrdOE8R
— Dewey PodMonster 🌭 (@deweypodmonster) May 24, 2024
Awful news. A phenomenal filmmaker https://t.co/FhsbtAXo8f
— Joe Campbell (@CultureCityJoe) May 24, 2024
One of the best documentaries. His TV show was good too
— Alan Chaulet ♿✈ (@AlanChaulet) May 24, 2024
a true pioneer who opened the door for countless questionably-researched alarmist pop documentaries
— VJ Maxwell 📡 (@vortmax79) May 24, 2024
This made me sad
— Isabelle Miller (@IsabelleMillr) May 24, 2024
In recent days, oddly enough, there has been an increasing conversation on X (formerly Twitter) about this exact documentary.
Man. And everybody had been dunking on his McDonald’s movie for the past few weeks.
— BowTiedCrabPicker (@Scavvvv) May 24, 2024
Why is no one talking about how there’s been super size me discourse all over twitter for the past week and then this happens… like did people know
— Amanda Torpps (@torppsbride) May 24, 2024
Weird History Food recently did a pretty solid deep-dive into all of the problems with the narrative Spurlock spun in Supersize Me. Worth watching, the movie was literally a propaganda hit-piecehttps://t.co/YZ9U8hzFCq
— Enguerrand VII de Coucy (@ingelramdecoucy) May 24, 2024
Back to the Variety obituary: ‘It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,’ says Craig Spurlock, who worked with his brother on several projects. ‘Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity. Today the world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.’
Spurlock is survived by his two children, Laken and Kallen; mother, Phyllis Spurlock; father Ben (Iris); brothers Craig (Carolyn) and Barry (Buffy); multiple nieces and nephews; and former spouses, Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein.
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