Anthony Bourdain Was Still Married When He Died

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown

On Friday, it was revealed that Anthony Bourdain tragically took his own life. The author, chef and television personality left an undeniable mark on many people around the world, and the late 61-year-old celebrity's untimely death has inspired many people to come forward and be more open with their own struggles with mental illness. Bourdain is remembered by his girlfriend, Asia Argento, and by his 11-year-old daughter, Ariane Bourdain. He is also remembered by his wife, Ottavia Busia-Bourdain. The couple was still legally married when Anthony Bourdain tragically took his own life, although they amicably split in 2016, shortly after Anthony started dating his actress/director/activist girlfriend. Nevertheless, Ottavia Busia-Bourdain is the chef's legal next of kin, and therefore she is now in charge of decision-making for her late husband, which includes what will happen with his remains.

As reported by Page Six, Anthony Bourdain's marriage to Ottavia Busia-Bourdain was never officially finalized before his death. However, Anthony Bourdain wasn't planning to marry his girlfriend, Asia Argento. Anthony Bourdain and Ottavia Busia-Bourdain were married in 2007. Anthony was also previously married to Nancy Putkowski. Nancy and Anthony were married in 1985 before they were legally separated in 2005. They shared no children.

Anthony Bourdain admitted in a recent interview with People that he wasn't interested in getting married a third time. Nor was Asia Argento. But the celebrity couple wanted to make it work in their own way. Here's the quote from the late chef and travel documentarian.

Look, I like being around her as much as possible. She's like me, in a lot of ways. We've both been married twice. So that's not something that's ever, ever going to happen.

In a separate interview with People in 2016, Anthony Bourdain remained confessional about the broken state of his relationship with Ottavia Busia-Bourdain, admitting that they have not been close with each other for quite some time, but noting there was no drama between them.

My wife and I live, have lived, very separate lives for years. There's no drama here. We get along really, really well and it's not a big lifestyle change happening here ... As a family, I think we've done a really good job and we're doing a really good job and would like to keep it that way. As a marriage, clearly it's not ideal but there's no injured party here, nobody's angry, nobody feels like the injured party, nobody feels like a victim. So we'll proceed like that.

It's not yet known what will happen in regards to Anthony Bourdain's funeral arrangements. Pascal Lohr, the mayor of Kayserberg, France -- where Anthony Bourdain's body was found -- said the town is "awaiting the wishes of the family." He also said that when those wishes are received, everything will be done "as quickly as possible."

If you or someone you know have thoughts about suicide, reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK, which is available 24/7 across the United States.

Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.