'Super Size Me' Director Morgan Spurlock Has Died at Just 53 Years Old

News broke on May 24, 2024, that Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker best known for his 2004 documentary Super Size Me, had died at the age of 53. Following the news of his death, many naturally wanted to learn more both about Morgan's life and about the circumstances around his death.

Morgan was best known for chronicling the way his body and psyche changed after eating McDonald's for 30 straight days, but he was a documentary filmmaker who worked for years on various topics. Here's what we know.

Morgan died on May 23 in Upstate New York, and the announcement of his death said that it was a result of complications related to cancer.

“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” Craig Spurlock, who worked with his brother frequently, said. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. Today the world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”

It isn't clear what kind of cancer Morgan had been diagnosed with or how long he had been battling it.

Super Size Me became an instant phenomenon following its release, in part because it seemed to be highly condemnatory of McDonald's and the unhealthy nature of their food. Some of the results of the documentary came into question, though, after Morgan admitted that he was also drinking heavily while filming the movie.

In 2017, Morgan's reputation took a major hit after he admitted that he was part of the problem that the #MeToo movement worked to address. Morgan said that he had sexually harassed a former assistant and that he had been unfaithful to every partner he had ever had in a lengthy thread on Twitter. He also said that he had been accused of rape in college. Morgan's confession essentially ended his career as a documentarian.