Anthony Bourdain is the subject of a new, unauthorized biography and it’sgenerating headlines — and a crash response from his former girlfriend, AsiaArgento.
Four years after the Parts Unknown star died by suicide at age 61, the book,Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain , is set to bereleased Oct. 11 with new insight into the chef and storyteller’s final days.The author — journalist Charles Leerhsen, who’s served as a writer/editor atoutlets including Newsweek, Sports Illustrated , people and _Us Weekly —_had access to Bourdain’s laptop and phone, piecing together a timeline unlikewhat we’ve seen before.
Bourdain’s girlfriend at the time of his death, Italian actress Argento, wasnot interviewed for the project and is not a fan, as the couple’s fiery finaltext exchanges are part of the narrative.
Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain by Charles Leerhsencomes out Oct. 11.
Why is this a big deal?
Not much has been known about why the popular food world star — who never heldback about struggles, detailing drug use in his 2000 _Kitchen Confidential_tome — took his life. This book surfaces text exchanges Bourdain had withArgento in his final hours, in which he told her she had been “reckless withmy heart.” In the days before, the actress — a fixture in the #MeToo movementand a Harvey Weinstein accuser, who later made a deal with her own accuser —had been photographed holding hands with journalist Hugo Clément. Bourdain’scomputer data revealed he searched Argento’s name hundreds of times in thedays leading up to his death as those photos were splashed across celebritywebsites. The new information — also including many new interviews — speaks toBourdain’s mindset at the time.
Asia Argento and Anthony Bourdain at the 2017 Creative Arts Emmy Awards. TheItalian actress said after his death that they had a “free relationship,” one”without borders,” but Bourdain texts show he was upset by paparazzi photos ofher with another man published days before his death. (Photo: PhilMcCarten/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images)
Where did this new information come from?
the New York Times reports that Leerhsen conducted over 80 interviews forthe book as well as reviewed files, texts and emails pulled from Bourdain’sdevices, which are part of the late star’s estate. Ottavia Busia-Bourdain, hiswife of 11 years from whom he was separated at the time (they remainedconfidantes, sharing his only child), oversees the estate. Leerhsen said heobtained the materials from a confidential source, but “the estate has notobjected, and I don’t anticipate any objections.” Busia-Bourdain is quoted inthe book, suggesting some cooperation. She declined comment to the outlet.
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Anthony Bourdain and wife Ottavia Busia-Bourdain at 2011 Can-Do Awards Dinner.The pair, who had a daughter, separated in 2016, but remained confidantes. Hewould frequently text her and those texts were used in the book as well.(Photo: Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic)
What do we learn?
Argento said after Bourdain’s death that they had an open relationship.However, a book excerpt in people detailed how upset he became when, fivedays before his death, Argento was snapped by paparazzi with Clément in Rome,including at the Hotel de Russie, where Argento and Bourdain had a history ofspending time together.
The couple, who started dating in 2016 after they met filming a Season 8episode of Parts Unknown in her hometown of Rome, on the phone for severaldays ahead of his death, the excerpt said. People on the production talkedabout how he’d halt filming to take calls from her and they had screamingexchanges. He was described as “incredibly distracted” at the time.
Bourdain’s friend Eric Ripert was with him in Kaysersberg-Vignoble, France forthe shoot, and they enjoyed a fun night out one day before Bourdain died.According to the book, Ripert, who was staying in the hotel room next door,put his ear against the wall that night and was relieved to hear Bourdainsnoring because he was that concerned about him. The next day — Bourdain’slast — the fighting with Argento reportedly resumed. That night, Bourdaindeclined a group dinner and ate solo, eating and drinking a lot. Ripert puthis ear to the wall again that night, but heard nothing.
Anthony Bourdain died at Le Chambard Hotel in Kaysersberg-Vignoble, France onJune 8, 2018. He had been there filming Parts Unknown. (Photo:REUTERS/Vincent Kessler)
Additionally, the book claims that Bourdain was isolated at end of his lifeand had essentially vanished from his 11-year-old daughter’s life. The bookalso claims he was injecting steroids, human growth hormone and Viagra so thathis age gap with Argento, 19 years his junior, was less apparent. It is alsoalleged he would drink to the point of blackout and visit prostitutes.
The text messages
In the last three days of his life, Bourdain’s browsing history showed that heGoogled “Asia Argento” several hundred times. The night before he died, hereportedly texted her:
“I am not spiteful. I am not jealous that you have been with another man. I donot own you. You are free. As I said. As I promised. As I truly meant. But youwere careless. You were reckless with my heart. my life. [Hotel] de Russie …It’s only that that hurts’, my A. Perhaps it’s in both our characters. But youare always honest with me. I want to be honest with you. I don’t understandthis part of you. As I hope you will not understand me. But it’s that stings.I meant and mean everything I have ever said to you. But I hope you will havemercy on me for these feelings.”
According to the book, the Italian actress — whom Bourdain bailed out of her#MeToo bind, paying her accuser, Jimmy Bennett, $380,000 for rights to a photoof him in bed with Argento when he was 17 — wrote, “I can’t take this,”criticizing him for his “idiot possessiveness.”
He replied, “It would have been so easy to have helped me out here. I requiredso little. But ‘f*** you’ is your answer.”
When she continued to be unsympathetic (telling him to “call the f*ingdoctor” and saying she is “the victim here”), he replied, ** “My A. I can’tbelieve you have so little affection or respect for me that you would bewithout empathy for this.”
After filming the next day, Leerhsen reported, Bourdain texted with Argentoagain — and it was their last text exchange. He asked, “Is there anything Ican do?” to which she replied, “Stop busting my balls.” He replied, “OK.” Hehung himself that night.
Additionally, texts from Bourdain to Busia-Bourdain are included in thenarrative. One reflected his struggle with fame. It said, “I hate my fans,too. I hate being famous. I hate my job. I am lonely and living in constantuncertainty.”
He also confided about Argento, writing, “I find myself being hopelessly inlove with this woman.”
But he told his ex that Argento scrutinized his social media pages as well asBusia-Bourdain’s, confiding that Argento would get upset when she saw photosof him with Busia-Bourdain and their daughter online. Bourdain asked Busia-Bourdain not to post one on an upcoming Father’s Day.
“You didn’t want me to put a pic that had you in it because Asia would freakout and I have the feeling that won’t change anytime soon,” Busia-Bourdainreplied. “I’m tired of pretending I don’t know you. Or that we are never inthe same place.” Bourdain responded, “I feel you. But I was being honest. Thepap [arazzi] situation is horrendous. Since I left you guys, though, she’sfreaking out.”
Response to the book from Bourdain’s family and Argento
While Busia-Bourdain appears to be cooperating in some form, Bourdain’sbrother, Christopher Bourdain, sent publisher Simon & Schuster letters callingthe book hurtful as well as defamatory fiction and demanded that it not bereleased until many errors were corrected. Christopher told the NYT , “Everysingle thing he writes about relationships and interactions within our familyas kids and as adults he fabricated or got totally wrong.” A Simon & Schusterspokesperson responded to Bourdain’s brother, saying, “With all due respect,we disagree that the material in the Book contains defamatory information, andwe stand by our forthcoming publication.”
Ripert, who found Bourdain dead, told the NYT he did not provide informationfor the book, though he did read it. His assessment was that he found manyinaccuracies, but was surprised that it contained intimate details from thedays in France that he had only revealed to a few people.
Leerhsen exchanged some emails with Argento, who, he said, quoted Oscar Wildeto him: “It is always Judas who writes the biography.” Argento told the _NYT_she didn’t read the book and added, “I clearly wrote to this man that he couldnot publish anything I said to him.”
On Thursday, Argento made quite a statement on social media seeminglyresponding to the negative headlines. She posted a photo of herself in asweatshirt with former professional bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman along with thewords “Stop Busting My Balls.” Those words, according to the book, were herfinal words to Bourdain.