Morgan Spurlock, director of 'Super Size Me', dies at 53 from cancer

Morgan Spurlock poses at the Los Angeles premiere of his film 'Super Size Me' in 2004. Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life’s work, famously eating only at McDonald’s for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53. — Photo: AP

Morgan Spurlock, the acclaimed filmmaker behind the hit 2004 documentary Super Size Me, has died aged 53 of complications from cancer, his family announced Friday.

Spurlock passed away in New York on Thursday "surrounded by family and friends," according to a statement released through his publicist.