BREAKING. Caustic chef and presenter, Anthony Bourdain (61) of Parts Unknown on CNN International, dead after suicide in French hotel.

The casustic chef and presenter, Anthony Bourdain (61) is dead after he committed suicide on Friday morning in a French hotel.

The presenter of Parts Unknown on CNN International (DStv 401) was in Strasbourg, France where he was busy filming an upcoming episode for the series.

According to CNN Anthony Bourdain hanged himself.

CNN in a statement saying he died from suicide, said "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."

Anthony Bourdain's friend, the French chef Eric Ripert, found him unresponsive in his hotel room Friday morning.

Before doing Parts Unknown for CNN, Anthony Bourdain was the presenter of A Cook’s Tour on the Food Network (DStv 175) and No Reservations on the Travel Channel (DStv 179).

Anthony Bourdain became famous after he wrote the insider tell-all book Kitchen Confidential, exposing the secret seedy side of New York's restaurant business.

Anthony Bourdain on CNN International calls South African freedom fighters 'ugly Dutch guys with guns; calls putu pap 'futu'.

Viewers will see the ignorant Anthony Bourdain refer to South African freedom fighters at the famous statue of Paul Kruger on Church Square in Tshwane on Friday on CNN International (DStv 401) at 17:00 as "ugly Dutch guys" and "assholes".

Anthony Bourdain who appears to brim with disdain for legitimate parts of South African heritage from the outset of the episode, also makes mistakes like referring to putu pap as "futu" as he comes to shoot eland, see how people in Hillbrow lives now and takes a taxi ride to Soweto. Later Cape Town's restaurants get dissed.

Anthony Bourdain visits parts of Gauteng in South Africa in Friday's episode of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown on CNN International which is sure to grate some viewers and already elicited strong reaction from viewers elsewhere in the world who've seen it.

At Paul Kruger's statue in Tshwane surrounded by anonymous soldiers who fought British imperialism and colonial oppression in South Africa, Anthony Bourdain says: "Who are those ugly white men?" and then: "Who are those assholes anyway?" taking no time to actually find out, while people from all races continue to pose for pictures at the statue.

"Ugly Dutch guys with guns. Who I guess was particularly friendly to the current power. They look like they're either coming from, or on their way to oppress the black man," says Anthony Bourdain.

"The first order of business when I take my country back is take that shit down. Tear that down."

Later in the travel show the travelling chef Anthony Bourdain mistakenly calls putu pap, "futu" .

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown also gives opportunity for Cape Town's restaurants to be dissed in the episode.

"After this show airs I'm going to get a huge amount of mail saying why didn't you go to Cape Town - great modern restaurants, cutting-edge chefs. Is it alright that I missed all that?" says Anthony Bourdain in Friday's episode, talking to Johannesburg chef Andrea Burgener.

"I feel like those particular restaurants in Cape Town are not really representative of  what most people in this country are eating," says Andrea Burgener.

"You know, I'm almost used to it, foreigners coming to South Africa and basically being ignorant about our country, like those guys from The Amazing Race that were so surprised that Johannesburg was a city, or journalists coming here to do documentaries about violent crime and end up trying to rationalise it by invoking apartheid," says an overseas viewer who saw the episode, and calling Anthony Bourdain "completely sanctimonious".

"He mistakenly claims the ANC was formed in 1923 when it was actually formed in 1912 - their centennial was last year."

"Didn't they do any research or did they just not care? What if the other episodes had problems only the locals could spot, how can we trust them now?"

I asked CNN International for a response or comment on why Anthony Bourdain calls South Africans "assholes" and made reference to "ugly Dutch guys with guns".

"We leave it to our viewers to watch Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown: South Africa in full to get the complete picture," says CNN International.

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown renewed for a 3rd season of 8 episodes on CNN International for 2014.

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, the travelogue cooking series on CNN International (DStv 401) with Anthony Bourdain has been renewed for a third season for 2014.

The travel documentary series giving viewers a glimpse to sides within countries across the world rarely seen, is currently in its second season worldwide.

Eight new episodes will start on CNN International in 2014 and willinclude tours of Brazil, Las Vegas, as well as an African safari.

"We had high expectations for this series when it launched back in April," says Jeff Zucker, the president of CNN Worldwide in a statement.

He notes that Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown keeps raising the bar "first with the spectacular series premiere in Myanmar, later in the season with the groundbreaking Libya episode, and then at the start of season two with a sensitive and incredibly informative tour of Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank. Parts Unknown is a consistent ratings and critical success."

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown is produced by Zero Point Zero Production with executive producers and founders Chris Collins and Lydia Tenaglia, along with executive producer Sandra Zweig.

Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown renewed for a second season on CNN International; will start on 16 September at 17:00.

Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown has been renewed for a second season on CNN International (DStv 401) which will include an episode in the new upcoming season filmed in South Africa.

The second season of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown will start on 16 September on CNN International on Fridays at 17:00 (repeated on Saturdays at 21:00 and Mondays at 03:00).

The second season premiere episode entitled "Jerusalem" will visit Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

Anthony Bourdain will also visit Spain (22 September), New Mexico (29 September), Copenhagen, Sicily, Detroit, Tokyo and South Africa.

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown on CNN International renewed for a second season set to start in September.

Anthony Bourdain's Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown which just started on CNN International (DStv 401) on Saturdays at 21:00 (repeats Fridays at 17:00) will be back for a second season in September.

In the ongoing first season of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown which South African viewers will still see, the travelogue visits the cultures of Quebec, Tangier, Libya, Peru and the Congo.

The second season of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown will have 8 episodes and Anthony Bourdain will visit countries and cities including Spain, New Mexico, Israel, Copenhagen, Sicily, Detroit, Tokyo and India.

"Zero Point Zero Production has created a spectacularly beautiful, informative and entertaining series for CNN that has resonated with viewers in a profound way," says Jeff Zucker, CNN Worldwide president in a press statement.

"In addition to its runaway ratings success, it is also quite the conversation starter, as anyone who follows social media can attest. We are so happy to announce season two, and I can assure you that audiences will love what is coming up on the show."

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown starting on CNN International on Saturday 20 April at 21:00.

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, the new travelogue show on CNN International (DStv 401) featuring Anthony Bourdain, will start on Saturday 20 April at 21:00 (South African time).

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown will follow basically a week later on CNN International with the show starting on 14 April on CNN in America.

The celebrity chef left the Travel Channel last year and moved to CNN International for his new travel and food lifestyle show.

The premiere episode of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown on CNN International will offer an inside look at Myanmar - the same first episode which will be shown on CNN in America this coming Sunday.

"In his maiden voyage to the country formerly known as Burma, Anthony Bourdain and his crew discover the fabled beauty of local cuisines of a country that had been, until recently, off-limits to outsiders".

"With CNN I get to go to all all the places that I never would have been able to go really with any other network," Anthony Bourdain told CNN, appearing on the channel in America, talking about his new show. "Places like Congo, Libya, Myanmar, would have been very, very tricky to do elsewhere. I'm able to go places I never would have been able to go and look at these cultures in either a bigger picture or a more narrow focus as I choose."

About the first episode Anthony Bourdain says "for me, it's an enormous and beautiful country that very, very few Westerners have seen or visited."

"It's been closed off from the rest of the world – a pariah state – for as long as I've been alive. Until just a little over a year ago, a Western film crew, if discovered, would have been kicked out of the country. We're really one of the first crews to have gone in and really shown a big slice, not all, but a big slice of a country that a lot of people haven't seen. It is incredibly gorgeous."

Future episodes of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown visit Libya, Colombia, the Quebecois side of Canada, Koreatown in Los Angeles, Tangier, Peru and the Congo.

The show is produced by Zero Point Production with executive producers Chris Collins, Lydia Tenaglia and Sandra Zweig.

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown will have repeats on CNN International on Fridays at 17:00 and Sundays at 03:00.

BREAKING. Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown to start on CNN on Sunday 14 April.

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown will start on CNN in America on Sunday 14 April and most likely on that same Sunday on CNN International (DStv 401)

Last month CNN International started to advertise Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown as "coming in April".

The PR company in South African working for CNN International declined to provide a starting date when I asked last week, telling me that they will "share information with you as and when we receive it".

The celebrity chef left the Travel Channel last year and moved to CNN International for his new travel and food lifestyle show.

CNN just announced that the hour long lifestyle travelogue following Anthony Bourdain will start on 14 April on CNN (no mention yet for CNN International specifically, although it leaves 14 April, 21 April and 28 April as starting dates in April).

The premiere episode of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown on CNN will offer an inside look at Myanmar. "In his maiden voyage to the country formerly known as Burma, Anthony Bourdain and his crew discover the fabled beauty of local cuisines of a country that had been, until recently, off-limits to outsiders".

Future episodes of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown visit Libya, Colombia, the Quebecois side of Canada, Koreatown in Los Angeles, Tangier, Peru and the Congo. The show is produced by Zero Point Production with executive producers Chris Collins, Lydia Tenaglia and Sandra Zweig.

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown set to start in April on CNN International on DStv over weekends.

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown will start on CNN International (DStv 410) on DStv in April.

There's no word yet from CNN International (DStv 410) on a starting date on the new travelogue magazine show from Anthony Bourdain - Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, although the on-air promo for his upcoming new show has now switched from "coming soon" to "coming in April".

Anthony Bourdain who's been a fixture on the Travel Channel dropped that channel in May last year and jumped to CNN.

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown will be a weekend food and travel programme produced by Zero Point Productions. Anthony Bourdain travels to exotic locations to examine the cultures around the globe through their food, dining and travel rituals.