Anthony Bourdain, the iconic celebrity chef and television personality, was found dead by suicide, according to reports from CNN. The 61-year-old was in a hotel room in France, where he was on location for an upcoming episode of his CNN food and travel series 'Parts Unknown.'

"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," CNN 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."

Bourdain rose to attention with his best-selling 2000 book 'Kitchen Confidential.' The work took a look behind the scenes at his life as a professional chef and detailed Bourdain's misdeeds without restraint. In this era he was known as a heavy drinker and smoker and the book detailed his prolific drug use. In more recent years, Bourdain appears to have mellowed out somewhat, and he had a child with wife Ottavia Busia in 2007. Since their divorce in 2016, he has been linked to Italian actress and director Asia Argento, who recently spoke out against Harvey Weinstein at the Cannes Film Festival.

Bourdain had a vast impact on both the cooking and media industries. Traveling around the world to report on how food, culture, politics, and society blend together, Bourdain's keen eye and palate will surely be missed. 

More details about Bourdain's death have yet to be released.