Morgan Spurlock, a documentary filmmaker who depicted his psychological and physical symptoms of eating McDonald’s every day for a month in the Oscar-nominated 2004 feature film “Super Size Me,” died Thursday in upstate New York of complications from cancer. He was 53.
Spurlock’s family confirmed his death.
“It was a sad day as we said goodbye to our brother Morgan,” said 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 person. I am so proud to have worked closely with him.”
Spurlock became famous for “Super Size Me,” in which he conducted an experiment involving eating only food from McDonald’s for 30 days. The rules included the stipulation that Spurlock could not decline the “super-size” option if prompted during the transaction. The filmmaker also exercised less to match the physical activity of the average American. By the end of the experiment, Spurlock claimed he gained 25 pounds and suffered from depression and liver dysfunction.
“Super Size Me” captured public attention upon its release in 2004, grossing $22 million at the global box office and starting a discussion about how the fast food industry promotes poor nutrition among the general public. McDonald’s discontinued its “super-sized” option in the time following its release. Although the doc is still used as an educational aid in some school health classes, it has also sparked debate over its accuracy in the years since, with some criticisms including Spurlock’s refusal to publicly share his diet log from filming. Spurlock later revealed that he struggled with alcohol abuse – a factor that some believe may have had a possible influence on the doc’s findings about liver dysfunction.
Born on November 7, 1970, in Parkersburg, West Virginia, Spurlock was raised in the Methodist faith, although he later identified himself as an agnostic. He earned a BFA degree in film from New York University in 1993.
In the 13 years following “Super Size Me,” Spurlock achieved additional success under his production company Warrior Poets, producing and directing nearly 70 documentary films and television series. Spurlock’s wide-ranging work was driven by addressing controversial and timely subjects. His projects included issues such as the U.S. war in Afghanistan (“Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden”), minimum wage and immigrant labor (“30 Days”), consumer sensitivity to marketing (“The Greatest Movie Ever Sold”), trophy hunting and body modification (“7 Deadly Sins”), elderly care and gambling (“Morgan Spurlock’s Inside Man”) and corporate pressure on family farms (“Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!”).
In December 2017, as the #MeToo movement was gaining momentum, Spurlock wrote a lengthy post on social media in which he said he was “part of the problem.” In the post, he admitted to frequent infidelity and said he had settled a sexual assault allegation from a former assistant. He also said he had been accused of rape in college. This post effectively ended Spurlock’s documentary career, as Spurlock resigned from Warrior Poets shortly after.
Spurlock is survived by his two children, Laken and Callen; mother, Phyllis Spurlock; father Ben (Iris); brothers Craig (Carolyn) and Barry (Buffy); numerous nieces and nephews; and former spouses, Alexandra Jamieson and Sarah Bernstein.
