Anderson Cooper is remembering Anthony Bourdain with

[malaise]

several interesting people

[sharp_stick]

1. I'm going to miss Bourdain

I started on the same path but it split a long time ago. He was a genius and an inspiration.

[malaise]

2. The planet will miss him

I just remembered that Anderson's brother also committed suicide - it' so hard for family and close friends. Our good friend's brother committed suicide over 40 years ago and whenever she hears about another suicide she wonders why her brother did it - she still wants an answer.

[smirkymonkey]

8. All deaths are tragic, but suicides are particularly haunting. Even people I don't know well

who have killed themselves still haunt me. I feel so powerless about how they must have felt at the end and if a kind word or a shoulder to lean on might have helped them. I know there is usually nothing you can do, but I always wonder, "what if..."

It's just such a sad thing for everyone.

[malaise]

3. He said it - it never goes away

He still wants to know why his own brother took his life

[Blue_true]

6. I am floored by his death. I spent several moments today trying to figure it out.

If you can share, how did you turn away from what I have seen described as darkness, emptiness and desperation. In one week, we have witnessed two famous, wealthy, well respected people kill themselves, I dread the effect that may have on some school kid who is barely hanging on, and even adults that suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts.

[sharp_stick]

10. I missed your reply sorry

I was part of the restaurant scene at around the same time as Bourdain. If you've ever read Kitchen Confidential it's pretty much bang on. Lots and lots of booze and drugs and parties.
I was extremely lucky, I never really developed an addiction and I left the business after a relatively short time.
I've also never suffered from depression and I'm really glad for that. Depression and addiction together are an incredibly dangerous combination.

[Blue_true]

11. Thanks for your recollections. Take care of yourself, you seem to understand what you are fighting

for.

[Blue_true]

4. Honestly, when I woke up this morning and read that Bourdain had killed himself, I was floored.

Based upon the little that I knew about him, he would have been the last person that I would have predicted would kill himself. He just seemed to have so many things together. Shows that none of us can see into the depths of a person's internal suffering.

[malaise]

5. I heard when we returned from our morning walk

I let out a genuine WTF. Like you I could not have predicted that. But that's the thing - we never know the pain others are feeling and some hide it very well for a long time.

[Blue_true]

7. Yes. You hit the problem on it's it's head.

I am a natural optimist and from when I glean from insights you allow into your life, look like you are too.

I am not sure that people like me, who always see light during the darkest times, can understand why a person chose to kill himself or herself. I just can't fathom being in such emotional pain that I would kill myself, because killing myself would not allow me to make things better.

I really feel for his young daughter, about to enter the roughest years of her life (teen years), and then her dad kills himself.

[malaise]

9. Agree

I guess we are also both lucky that we don't suffer from depression.