Morgan Spurlock, a documentary filmmaker who captured his personal psychological and bodily signs from consuming McDonald’s on daily basis for a month within the Oscar-nominated 2004 characteristic “Tremendous Measurement Me,” died Thursday in upstate New York attributable to issues of most cancers. He was 53.
Spurlock’s household confirmed his loss of life.
“It was a tragic day, as we stated goodbye to my brother Morgan,” says Craig Spurlock, who labored along with his brother on a number of initiatives. “Morgan gave a lot by his artwork, concepts and generosity. At the moment the world has misplaced a real artistic genius and a particular man. I’m so proud to have labored along with him.”
Spurlock rose to prominence for “Tremendous Measurement Me,” during which he performed an experiment involving consuming solely meals from McDonald’s for a 30-day stretch. The principles additionally included the stipulation that Spurlock couldn’t refuse the “super-size” choice if prompted through the transaction. The filmmaker additionally exercised much less to match the typical American’s bodily exercise. By the tip of the experiment, Spurlock claimed that he gained 25 kilos and suffered from despair and liver dysfunction.
“Tremendous Measurement Me” captured the zeitgeist when it launched in 2004, grossing $22 million on the world field workplace and sparking a dialog about how the quick meals trade encourage poor vitamin among the many normal public. McDonald’s discontinued its “super-size” choice within the time following its launch. Although the doc remains to be utilized as an academic aide in some faculty well being lessons, it has additionally sparked debate over its accuracy within the years since, with some criticism citing Spurlock refusing to publicly share his food plan log from filming. Spurlock later disclosed that he struggled with alcohol abuse — an element that some contemplate would’ve been a probable affect on the doc’s conclusions relating to liver dysfunction.
Born Nov. 7, 1970, in Parkersburg, W. Va., Spurlock was raised beneath the Methodist religion, although he recognized as agnostic later in life. He graduated with a BFA in movie from New York College in 1993.
Within the 13 years following “Tremendous Measurement Me,” Spurlock gained further success beneath his manufacturing firm Warrior Poets, producing and directing almost 70 documentary movies and tv collection. Spurlock’s wide-ranging works have been fueled by addressing controversial and topical topics. His initiatives lined points together with the U.S. warfare in Afghanistan (“The place Within the the World Is Osama Bin Laden”), minimal wage and immigrant labor (“30 Days”); client susceptibility to advertising (The Best Film Ever Offered”); trophy searching and physique modification (“7 Lethal Sins”); elder care and playing (“Morgan Spurlock Inside Man”) and company strain on household farms (“Tremendous Measurement Me 2: Holy Hen!”).
In December 2017, because the #MeToo motion continued to realize traction, Spurlock wrote a prolonged social media submit saying he was “a part of the issue.” Within the submit, he admitted to serial infidelities and stated he had settled an allegation of sexual harassment from a former assistant. He additionally stated he had been accused of rape in faculty. The submit successfully ended Spurlock’s documentary profession, as Spurlock stepped down from Warrior Poets shortly after.
Spurlock is survived by his two youngsters, Laken and Kallen; mom, Phyllis Spurlock; father Ben (Iris); brothers Craig (Carolyn) and Barry (Buffy); a number of nieces and nephews; and former spouses, Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein.