Photo: Getty
He constantly boasted about her.
By Sarah Gangraw — Written on Jun 08, 2018
Who is Anthony Bourdain's daughter?
Anthony Bourdain died of an apparent suicide and left behind an 11-year-old daughter.
CNN reported early Friday morning that the famed chef and Parts Unknown host was found unresponsive in his hotel room.
"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," the network said in a statement. "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."
His only child, Ariane Bourdain, is sadly fatherless after Anthony’s tragic death. But who is she?
1. She was born to his second wife.
The now 11-year-old was born in 2007 to the TV personality’s second wife, MMA fighter Ottavia Busia. The two had their first and only child just a year into their marriage.
2. According to Anthony, Ariane grew up in an unconventional way.
Anthony was always traveling for work, especially while he hosted Parts Unknown, so it only made sense his daughter grew up different than most kds.
“She grew up on planes and in restaurants from the time she was 3 months old,” he told Mom.me. "She's a weird kid with weird parents.”
3. When he and Ottavia divorced, they vowed to give Ariane a good life.
Anthony and Ottavia spent their lives during and after their divorce making sure Ariane had the best life they could give her.
Anthony specifically wanted his daughter to be independent and confident.
"My sole duty as a parent and as a father, particularly raising a little girl who is going to grow up to be a young woman, is that she will never look to men for affirmation, or anyone else for affirmation or self-worth or be physically intimidated by anyone. My daughter spinning arm bars is a thing of envy — Ronda Rousey quality," Anthony told Mom.me.
4. He constantly boasted about her.
Ariane lives with her mother in New York City. Although Ottavia has done her best to keep her daughter out of the spotlight, Anthony often boasted about her.
Anthony spoke about what it is like being a father, how he and his daughter bond, and more.
“Ariane has me wrapped around her finger,” he told The Guardian. “All I can realistically hope for is that she feels loved. That she has high self-esteem.”
He even wrote the book Appetites for Ariane.
5. She was his harshest food critic.
The legendary chef was proud he passed down his love of food and keen eye for culinary detail.
“She’s a very harsh critic,” he told The Takeout in 2016. “You know, I put a tiny, tiny little bit of nutmeg in my macaroni and cheese and she did not enjoy that. She called me on it right away. She’s got a very acute palate and she catches me if I over-salt something. If there’s any variance between a dish that she liked last time and how it’s done today she’ll be like, ‘Nah, not eating it, there’s too much pepper in that.'”
6. Anthony never showed her face on social media.
Although Anthony rarely shies away from talking about his love for his daughter, he and Ottavia made it a point to hide Ariane’s face.
"I never show her face on social media,” he said. “She doesn’t need that shit in her life."
7. She's the reason he hadn't committed suicide before.
Anthony had previously contemplated suicide before he tragically took his life but said his daughter gave him reason to live.
He told People he “felt some responsibility” to “at least try to live” after the birth of his daughter.
Ariane is the second child of a celebrity to lose a parent this week.
News broke of Kate Spade’s apparent suicide three days ago. She left behind a 13-year-old daughter, Frances Beatrix Spade.
Sarah Gangraw is a travel-addicted cat lady who lives on black coffee and cheese. She went to college in Australia, graduated from the University of Central Florida, and writes about all things news and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter — she's occasionally funny.