Anthony Bourdain, one of the world’s best known celebrity chefs, travellers, TV personalities and authors, apparently committed suicide on early on Friday. He was 61.

CNN reported that Bourdain was found dead in his hotel room. His body was discovered by his close friend Eric Ripert in the room of the French hotel where the TV personality was staying put.

Bourdain was in Strasbourg, France, to film an upcoming episode of his award-winning CNN 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 on Friday.

CNN President Jeff Zucker wrote an email to employees in which he praised Anthony as an “exceptional talent”.

“Tony [Bourdain] will be greatly missed not only for his work but also for the passion with which he did it,” he wrote.

In its statement, the CNN said that Bourdain’s love for the 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,” it read.

On the network, anchors struggled to hold back tears as they recalled their late colleague in heartfelt recollections and urged people faced with despair or who know people who are struggling with depression to call a suicide hotline.

Born on 25 June 1956 in New York City, Bourdain graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978. He worked for various restaurants across the world before gaining fame as a writer of the book ‘Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly’ in 2000.

Thereafter, Bourdain began hosting TV shows which seamlessly and beautifully connected travel and cooking. He became a worldwide name with ‘Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations’, a show which aired from 2005 to 2012 for Travel Channel.

In 2013, he joined CNN as the host of ‘Parts Unknown’.

A prolific writer and vocal advocate of migrants, Bourdain championed Spanish-speaking immigrants working in various restaurants and hotels across the United States highlighting how they were grossly underpaid in spite of their remarkable talent in the kitchen.