Morgan Spurlock Dies: ‘Super Size Me’ Filmmaker Was 53

Documentarian Morgan Spurlock has died. The award-winning filmmaker known for his 2004 documentary Super Size Me was 53 years old.

Spurlock died at home surrounded by family and friends on May 23, 2024, in New York, from complications of cancer.

“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” Craig Spurlock shared in a public statement. “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.”

Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (©Weinstein Company/courtesy Everett Collection)

Spurlock received critical acclaim for his 2004 documentary Super Size Me, for which he was nominated for an Oscar. The film changed the way America looked at fast food and is still used in middle and high school health classes as a teaching tool. In Super Size Me, Spurlock changed his own diet, consuming certain menu items over a period of time to exhibit firsthand the negative side effects a fast food diet can have.

Using humor and wit to shed light on societal issues, Spurlock’s work inspired critical thinking. Through his production company Warrior Poets, Spurlock also produced and directed nearly 70 documentary films and television series over the course of 13 years. Among some of the titles he had a hand in were Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?, FX’s 30 Days, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Showtime’s 7 Deadly Sins, CNN’s Morgan Spurlock Inside Man, and Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!.

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Outside of his filmmaking, Spurlock helped foster the careers of freelance production professionals, was a lover of modern artists, and was known to have a large art collection at his home and offices. Spurlock leaves behind two sons, Laken and Kallen, parents, siblings, and more.