Morgan Spurlock, 'Super Size Me' Filmmaker, Dies of Cancer at 53

Morgan Spurlock, the brash documentarian whose "Super Size Me" exposed the public health risk posed by fast-food marketing practices, died of cancer in upstate New York Thursday.

He was 53.

Variety reported his death, which was confirmed in a statement by his brother Craig Spurlock: “It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan. 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.”

In 2004, Spurlock's "Super Size Me" followed his 30-day experiment of eating nothing but McDonald's meals. His rule was that if an employee suggested he Super Size anything, he could not refuse.

When it was all over, Spurlock claimed he gained 25 lbs., had depression, and was suffering from liver dysfunction.

Though the film's veracity was later called into question, it became a pop cultural sensation, raking in $22M at the box office worldwide (approximately $36.5M in 2024 dollars). The film is still used in classrooms, and McDonald's dumped its Super Size options in its wake.

Spurlock was born November 7, 1970, in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and attended NYU to study film.

Along with "Super Size Me," he directed such diverse titles as "Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?" (2008), "Freakonomics" (2010), "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" (2011), "Mansome" (2012), and "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!" (2017).

In 2017, Spurlock outed himself as a serial cheater in his personal life, admitting to having settled a sexual harassment suit with an assistant and to having been accused of rape. He left his production company following the tweet, in which he'd repeatedly identified himself as "part of the problem."

Spurlock is survived by his two children, his parents, and two brothers, among many other family members.

His family urges donations to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge.