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Anthony Bourdain’s Daughter Is “Brave” After Her Father’s Death, Says His Ex Ottavia Busia
Following the sudden death of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain from suicide at age 61, upset fans are worried about his 11-year-old daughter, Ariane Bourdain, whom he has sadly left behind.
And on Sunday, June 10, his second wife, Ottavia Busia, assured us that she’s coping by sharing the first photo of their little girl since Anthony’s death. “Our little girl had her concert today. She was amazing. So strong and brave. She wore the boots you bought her. I hope you are having a good trip, wherever you are,” Ottavia captioned a pic of Ariane onstage at DROM, a music venue in NYC.
Anthony welcomed Ariane with Ottavia back in 2007, and since her birth, the duo has done a great job of keeping her out of the public eye. They divorced in 2016 after a nine-year marriage. He was previously married to Nancy Putkoski from 1985 until 2005, but the couple never had any children together.
A source previously told People that Anthony really treasured fatherhood. “It was quite evident that Tony was a ‘lighter’ human being around his daughter,” said the source. “When he spoke about her, his eyes danced. He talked about her constantly.”
The TV star didn’t become a dad until age 50, and in a previous interview with Takeout.com, he revealed what influenced his decision to have kids later in life. “I guess my whole life, as much as I might have wanted a child for the reason that everybody wants one, I always recognized that at no point until I was 50 was I old enough or up to the job,” he said in 2016. “I thought, you know what, I not only really want a child, but at this point, finally in my life, I think I’m up to the job and I’m the type of person who could do the job well and I’m financially prepared to look after a child.”
Anthony once admitted that his little girl was difficult to please when it came to his work in the kitchen. “She’s a very harsh critic. You know, I put a tiny tiny little bit of nutmeg in my macaroni and cheese and she did not enjoy that. She called me on it right away,” he confessed.
He continued, “My daughter, her best friend Jacques, and assorted others who are coming in and out of the house… look, when you have a child you’re no longer the star of the movie. I cook for my daughter when I’m home. I stick with family classics, the stuff I liked as a kid that I’m reasonably sure she’s going to like or proven favorites and then also for her school lunches we do a challenge.”
Anthony even joked once that Ariane doesn’t even like her famous father’s show! “She loves cooking shows—unfortunately not mine so much. She loves Alton Brown and Andrew Zimmern. They’re gods to her. She wants to be on, you know, Chopped Junior. I would try to send her to school with something interesting that those other kids definitely don’t have, so I’m sure she’s the first kid to show up in class with sushi or spam musubi. She takes pride in showing up with stuff that other kids envy or are freaked out by, so I send her to school with grilled octopus.”
Anthony’s passing was confirmed by CNN on Friday, June 8. “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,” the statement read. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time.” We’re keeping Ariane in our thoughts as well.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
