Since his apparent suicide on June 8, tributes have come in from all around the world for celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who was found dead in a French hotel at the age of 61 years old. As the host of the CNN show Parts Unknown and as one of the frontrunners when it came to culinary expertise, Bourdain has been greatly missed, touching the hearts of so many people in different parts of the world and professions.
This latest tribute comes from Josh Homme, who is best known as the guitarist and lead singer of the alternative rock band Queens of the Stone Age. The musician and the chef were close friends, and Josh Homme paid tribute to the late Anthony Bourdain by sharing with the world an apology letter sent to Homme's daughter Camille.
It was all in relation to a promo clip for Bourdain's television show No Reservations (which ran for seven years between 2005 and 2012), where Josh Homme made an unexpected appearance. Playing a Spanish guitar to Bourdain's apparent chagrin, the chef decided to smash Homme's guitar against a tree. Camille was not happy.
In a tweet on the official Queens of the Stone Age account, Josh Homme talked about how mad Camille was, but in a characteristically sensitive, yet witty and charming response, Anthony Bourdain's apology letter was funny and empathetic - everything we've come to expect from this legendary celebrity chef. "Ariane, this was your father," Homme wrote, referring to Anthony Bourdain and his 11-year-old daughter with ex-wife Ottavia Busia.
“I hear you were very upset with me after seeing the promo for this show, which I filmed recently with your Daddy and his friends,” Bourdain wrote to Camille. “You saw me take Daddy’s guitar and smash it against a tree and I’m sure that was upsetting.”
But then, Bourdain went on to explain in his own way how Camille had nothing to worry about - since this "really Daddy’s guitar" and it was all a loving homage to a movie that was definitely before Camille's time.
"That this was in fact a not so subtle homage to the early works of John Landis and John Belushi is something you could have hardly been expected to know, ANIMAL HOUSE having been released long before you were born, and I apologize. 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."
But then, subtle movie references aside, Bourdain started to show his sensitive side to young Camille, and it'll just melt your heart. "I like your Daddy very much. We are friends," he explained to the young girl, before talking about how her father was "very nice to let me and my camera crew hang out with him all week".
"When you watch the show, I hope there is nothing else in there that upsets you. You will surely see how completely brilliant Daddy is at work. You will hear a lot of great music. If you are a foodie, you will probably be terribly disappointed at the change of ours in this week’s episode, but at your tender age, I doubt that such a terrible thing as that could have befallen you. Life, for you, is still filled with hope and promise."
Finally, Bourdain told Camille how her father "is a pretty good cook too", and talked about the things he cooked for his own daughter back home. Although his death occurred nearly a month ago, there are still so many tributes to Anthony Bourdain reverberating around the internet - a testament, I think, to the man's enduring kindness and human quality. He is, and will continue to be, greatly missed.