Morgan Spurlock, Star of “Super Size Me ”Documentary, Dead at 53 from Complications of Cancer

"The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man," his brother Craig said

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage Morgan Spurlock on Nov. 18, 2014
Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage Morgan Spurlock on Nov. 18, 2014

Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker-star of documentaries like 2004's Super Size Me, has died. He was 53.

Spurlock's family announced Friday, May 24, that he died Thursday, May 23, in New York from complications of cancer.

His brother Craig said in a statement, "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. I am so proud to have worked together with him."

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<p>Roadside/Goldwyn/Kobal/Shutterstock</p> Morgan Spurlock for 'Super Size Me' (2004)

Roadside/Goldwyn/Kobal/Shutterstock

Morgan Spurlock for 'Super Size Me' (2004)

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The star is survived by two sons, Laken and Kallen; mom Phyllis Spurlock; dad Ben (Iris); brothers Craig (Carolyn) and Barry (Buffy); multiple nieces and nephews; and ex-wives Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein, the mothers of his kids.

Spurlock's 2004 film Super Size Me earned an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature. In it, he challenges himself to only eat meals at McDonald's for an entire month while examining the fast food industry.

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage Morgan Spurlock on Nov. 18, 2014
Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage Morgan Spurlock on Nov. 18, 2014

His other documentaries include Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden (2008), The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011), plus the sequel Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!

Back in 2017, Spurlock said in an essay amid the #MeToo movement that he was "part of the problem" and admitted he had once settled a sexual harassment allegation made by his assistant. The star then said in a 2019 interview that he became sober while making amends for his behavior.

<p>Neilson Barnard/Getty Images</p> Morgan Spurlock on Dec. 11, 2017

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Morgan Spurlock on Dec. 11, 2017

"I’ve tried to make right with my family, and to make amends, to people over the years that I felt like I should’ve treated better along the way. That’s a big part of the journey, right now," he told Deadline.

"Part of the reason I wrote that essay in the first place," he added at the time, "was to be on the right side of it. I’m hopeful that in time, with the work that I do and the changes that I continue to go through, that I can be there on the right side."

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