Earlier this month, the world received the news that Anthony Bourdain had passed away, after taking his own life. Many were heartbroken at this news, as he had been an inspirational figure for many, a cultural icon that sought to bring people together when they so often push each other away.
In the following weeks, various people have come forward to pay tribute to Bourdain, including the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and even Barack Obama. In addition to this, there are those whose lives were changed by his work, such as the restaurant owner who revealed how the celebrity chef had turned his life around at a pivotal moment.
Now, three weeks later, one of his colleagues and friends has shared a letter of Bourdain's that captured the humour and kindness of the man. Musician Josh Homme, the frontman for Queens of the Stone Age, has worked with Bourdain in the past on his successful TV series 'Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations'. Homme created the theme song for the show, and even appeared in one introduction scene.
In this scene, they both played tribute to an iconic moment in the movie Animal House, in which a guitar is gloriously smashed to pieces. Replicating the scene, Bourdain steals Homme's acoustic guitar and destroys it, giving him the remains and saying, "sorry".
However, this scene had a significant effect on Homme's daughter Camille, who would have been only a few years old at the time. Camille had seen a promo for the show and had gotten upset at her father's friend, so Bourdain took the time to send over an apology letter to help her feel better. In the letter, he explains that they were "just playing around," but keeps his trademark wit even here.
"In real life, Daddy would have been very angry were I to do such a thing - and as he is a large man, I strongly suspect I would not still be here to write this letter," Bourdain wrote. "I like your Daddy very much. We are friends."
He then launches into a tangent about how an "obnoxious superfan" of his "got up in Daddy's face", and while Homme swiftly dealt with it, Bourdain he insisted that they both have each other's backs. You can read the full, endearing and funny message below:
Homme tweeted the letter out onto the Queens of the Stone Age's official account, along with a message that read:
"Tony, I miss you bad.
"Once, Camille was so mad at you. She was defending me. & So were you. Defending me. As we had done & would do many times over the years for each other. & you, with great care, such empathy, such sweetness... you apologized to a little girl who was defending her daddy.
"Ariane, this was your father. Humbly yours, Joshua"
The fact that, several weeks on, we are still reading heartfelt tributes to Anthony Bourdain just goes to show how important he was to so many people.