Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock dies at 53

BBC ^ | 24 May | BBC

[RandFan]

Oscar-nominated documentary maker Morgan Spurlock, best known for his 2004 fast food film Super Size Me, has died at the age of 53.

Super Size Me saw Spurlock live on a diet of McDonald’s food for an entire month to test the health impact on his body.

It sparked a huge debate and earned him an Oscar nomination for best documentary.

He directed more than 20 films and documentaries in total, including 2008's Where in the World is Osama bin Laden, and the 2013 One Direction tour movie This Is Us.

He died of complications from cancer, his family said in a statement via his publicist and reported by AFP news agency.

In the statement, his brother and collaborator Craig said: “It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan.

“Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man."

As well as directing Super Size Me, Spurlock was the film’s star and guinea pig as he ate dozens of Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets and drank gallons of cola.

He put on 25lb (11kg) and was told by doctors his health was at risk if he did not end his 30-day experiment.

Spurlock was seen describing himself feeling ill and low in energy, while medical concerns were raised about his blood pressure and cholesterol.

[verum ago]

The only thing I'm familiar with of his is Super Size Me

He concealed his actual eating logs, and from what was visible he massively overdid things deliberately. Several people have done basically the same thing since, and none had anything like the health effects he did. Turns out prior to doing Super Size Me he was a vegan on a low-fat and low-carb diet, so of course abruptly transitioning to McDonald's was very hard on his GI tract and had nasty knock-on effects. He was vomiting quite a bit. Additionally, he didn't reveal until years after that he was at times drinking up to a fifth of whiskey every day during Super Size Me, which would certainly account for much of the health effects, the mental health effects, and is also an additional 1800 calories per day...

(I'm not endorsing fast food, but Super Size Me was anything but a documentary).

[DesertRhino]

Also, he got the largest possible drink option, the largest sandwich, the largest possible order of fries, ice cream etc. at every meal. I suspected there was a lot of fakery. The standard basic cheeseburger, small order of fries and a small Coke, a senior coffee and a sausage McMuffin… Ozark so bad really.

[kinsman redeemer]

I eat at Micky-Dees regularly - Pretty much since 1961...
Now, I’m old - and healthy.

That’s TWO data points.

We need more data.

[1st I.D Vet]

Was he a vaccine lab rat?

[Obadiah]

So a complete fraud then.

[IYAS9YAS]

Well, bye.

[pepsi_junkie]

He claimed that at the start of his month of McDonalds he was totally healthy and at the end his doc was shocked that he had developed liver isues from eating McDonalds.

But he lied. He was a chronic alcoholic for years, incdluding during shooting though he says in the movie he doesn't drink. Liver problems: years of alcohol abuse or a month of big macs? You decide.

[griffin]

Jesus is bigger than a Big Mac! ;)

He knows the number of our days! :)

[CtBigPat]

And yet Michael Moore lives on.

[stylecouncilor]

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