American TV chef Anthony Bourdain has died at the age of 61.

Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain

The acclaimed cook - known for his shows 'Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown' and 'The Taste' - was found to be unresponsive by his close friend, French chef Eric Ripert, in his hotel room in France on Friday morning (08.06.18).

He had been in the country shooting on location for an upcoming episode of 'Parts Unknown'.

Cable news network CNN - which aired Bourdain's culinary travel guide 'Parts Unknown' - confirmed that he had died by taking his own life.

The network said in a statement: "It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain.

"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."

Bourdain was most recently in a relationship with Italian actress Asia Argento - the daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento - and is survived by his 11-year-old daughter Ariane, his child with his ex-wife Ottavia Busia.

Since news of his death broke, a number of his famous friends have taken to social media to pay tribute to him.

Chrissy Teigen recently took part in an episode of Chase Sapphire's 'Talking Travel' series where she gave Bourdain a tour of Thailand and logged on to her Twitter account to remember him.

She tweeted: "Anthony. One of my idols. Unapologetic, passionate and one of the best storytellers on the planet. Thank you for making food so exciting. And always standing up for everything right. Horrible. Why why why. Be at peace now :( [sic]"

Fellow TV chef Gordon Ramsay tweeted: "Stunned and saddened by the loss of Anthony Bourdain. He brought the world into our homes and inspired so many people to explore cultures and cities through their food."

Actress-and-comedian Leslie Jones tweeted: "Man I can't believe Anthony Bourdain killed himself. It's so sad cause he looked like guy who lived life. You never know what's going on with people yo. Be kind to folks. S**t be kind to yourself. It's easier said than done but ask for help!! Mental heath is real!! #pleasenomore [sic]"

And celebrity chef Jamie Oliver posted on Twitter: "I have to say I'm in total shock to hear that the amazing @Bourdain has just died he really broke the mould, pushed the culinary conversation, Rest in peace chef thoughts and love to all his family and close friends xxxxxxxxxxx [sic]"

Tagged in