CNN Plans Weekend of Specials to Honor Anthony Bourdain

Following the tragic death of renowned chef Anthony Bourdain, CNN announced plans on Friday morning for three nights of special programming to honor his memory.

The network will air a CNN Special Tribute on Friday night, followed by “a night of Anthony’s favorite episodes” of his Parts Unknown show on Saturday night.

On Sunday night, CNN will air as scheduled the sixth episode of Bourdain’s show, which is in its 11th season. The episode, which is set in Berlin, Germany, will have a “special introduction” from anchor Anderson Cooper. Following the broadcast, the network will re-air Friday night’s special tribute.

The network has not yet announced whether it will air the final two episodes of this season’s Parts Unknown following his tragic death.

“It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain,” the network said in a statement Friday morning, reporting that the cause of death was suicide. Bourdain had been in France working on an upcoming episode for the award-winning CNN original series, which he had hosted for five years. The new season premiered last month. He was found unresponsive in his hotel room by chef Eric Ripert.

“His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time,” CNN continued in the statement.

Bourdain, who hosted the travel show No Reservations for the Travel Channel, was hired by CNN in 2012 to create a new show for the network that would broaden its programming beyond hard news. Parts Unknown has been a ratings success story for CNN, easily winning the key demo during its Sunday night time slot this season and has ranked second among food and travel non-fiction series in all of cable.

Related Stories

Related Story

Anthony Bourdain Dies at 61