Wednesday 28 September 2022 02:50 PM Bourdain biography author says celebrity chef 'had worked himself into a state ... trends now
The author of a controversial new biography on late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain has claimed he 'had worked himself into a state of exquisite misery' in his final days as he spent them drinking and sleeping with prostitutes.
The biography, by author Charles Leerhsen, uses files, texts and emails from Bourdain's personal phone and laptop to paint a picture of the chef's life and highlights his turmoiled final days before taking his own life.
'I think in his last days he had worked himself into a state of exquisite misery,' said Leehrsen, who details Bourdain's struggles with addictions and heartbreak over Italian actress Asia Argento.
'If I’ve written an unauthorized biography, I’ve also written a sympathetic one and I’ve written one I think is true to the man,' said Leehrsen of his book, Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain.
Though Argento and Bourdain's brother are against releasing the 'unauthorized' biography, Leehrsen defended his book, which goes on sale October 11, as 'sympathetic' and 'true to the man.'
Author Charles Leehrsen is making waves with his new biography on celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, as Bourdain's ex-girlfriend and brother fight against the release of the book
Bourdain, just days before he killed himself in France in June 2018. He was filming for Parts Unknown, his popular CNN show
Leehrsen used files, texts, emails and search history from Bourdain's computer and phone to paint a picture of the chef, and highlighted his tumultuous final days in France
The book touches on Bourdain's rocky relationship with Italian actress Asia Argento, who he texted hours before he took his own life
'Every single thing he writes about relationships and interactions within our family as kids and as adults he fabricated or got totally wrong,' Christopher, Bourdain's brother, told the Times.
Neither Christopher Bourdain or Argento could be reached for further comment about the book's publication.
An executive at Simon & Schuster, the books publisher, wrote back to Bourdain's brother: 'With all due respect, we disagree that the material in the Book contains defamatory information, and we stand by our forthcoming publication.'
Leehrsen believes many of those in Bourdain's inner circle did not speak with him for the book because the chef's longtime agent, Kim Witherspoon, told them not to, according to the New York
