Morgan Spurlock, the director and filmmaker best known for Super Size Me, has died due to complications from cancer.
In a press release announcing Spurlock’s death, his brother 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. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”
In Super Size Me, Spurlock aspired to prove that fast food companies like McDonald’s were at least in part to blame for the American obesity crisis. Over the course of 30 days, he ate nothing but McDonald’s food for every meal, documenting the effect it had on his overall health.
Super Size Me was a massive hit when it was released, and the shocking toll it took on his body was at the center of an increased discussion about the American health crisis. While the film did have ancillary effects on the fast food industry, Super Size Me and Spurlock’s unorthodox method have been scrutinized.
Following Super Size Me, Spurlock went on to become a noted documentary filmmaker. His films included Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?, which focused on the US war in Afghanistan; Freakonomics, which focused on the economy; and The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, a film about product placement and marketing susceptibility.
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On TV, he would produce and host a handful of series with his unique participatory journalist style. These included 30 Days, which followed individuals as they embraced a significant lifestyle change for a full month, and Inside Man, a CNN documentary series in which he spent a week deeply engrained in a topic.
Christopher Baggett was a TV & Movies Writer on Dexerto’s US team and a comics expert, across DC Comics and Marvel. He also has bylines at ComicsBeat, Comic Book Resources, and The HomeWorld.
