Super Size Me star Morgan Spurlock has died aged 53
Super Size Me star Morgan Spurlock has died at just 53-years-old.
The filmmaker passed away in New York on Thursday (23 May) after battling cancer.
Morgan is known for his groundbreaking documentary into fast-food chain, McDonald's, which aired nearly 20 years ago.
Confirming the news, Morgan's brother Craig told ABC News in a statement: “It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan.
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"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.”
In the Oscar-nominated documentary Super Size Me, Morgan gorged on three McDonald's meals a day, and in just a month, it had a huge impact on his body.
The filmmaker was a healthy 32-year-old when he embarked on the challenge on 1 February 2003, but over the course of the next 30 days he deteriorated rapidly, as he consumed 5,000 calories a day - twice as many as recommended as part of a balanced diet.
Within the first fortnight, he experienced a rapid decline in his health, with doctors advising him to cut his challenge short.
Morgan was determined to proceed though.
By the end, he had gained a whopping 24.5lbs (11.1kg), with his body mass increasing by 13 percent. His cholesterol also increased from 168 to 230 mg/dl, his risk of heart disease doubled, and he experienced near liver failure due to fat deposits.
On top of all of these alarming metrics picked up on by medics, Spurlock also reported chest pains, depression, exhaustion, mood swings, and a diminished sex drive.
In the years following the infamous documentary, Morgan went on to have further success under his production company, Warrior Poets.
He covered a number of different projects and topics, including a documentary on the war in Afghanistan - Where In the World is Osama Bin Laden? - as well as 30 Days, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold and Morgan Spurlock: Inside Man.
In 2017, Spurlock premiered sequel Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, in which he attempts to open his own fast food restaurant in a bid to explore how the industry has changed since he took on his month of Maccies challenge.
YouTube originally purchased the film's distribution rights for a reported 3.5 million US dollars (£2.6 million), but the platform pulled out after Spurlock confessed to being 'part of the problem' in a blog post detailing past sexual harassment and infidelity.
In a lengthy post, shared from his X account, Spurlock recounted a sexual encounter from his college days which he said he thought was consensual, but said that the woman believed it was rape.
He also said he paid a settlement to a woman who worked at his office whom he would call 'hot pants' or 'sex pants'.
In the post, Morgan repeatedly wrote that he is 'part of the problem' and added that 'we all are'.
He said: "But I am also part of the solution. By recognising and openly admitting what I’ve done to further this terrible situation, I hope to empower the change within myself. We should all find the courage to admit we’re at fault.
"More than anything, I'm hopeful that I can start to rebuild the trust and the respect of those I love most. I'm not sure I deserve it, but I will work every day to earn it back.
"I will do better. I will be better. I believe we all can."
Michael Slavin