--- ---  # 'I Pray He Is at Peace.' Chef Eric Ripert Speaks Out After Finding 'Best Friend' Anthony Bourdain Dead by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Jun 8, 2018 8:24 PM UTC  Eric Ripert posted this photo with Anthony Bourdain and described him as "my friend friend" Eric Ripert posted this photo with Anthony Bourdain and described him as "my friend friend"Eric Ripert/ Twitter by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Jun 8, 2018 8:24 PM UTC Eric Ripert called Anthony Bourdin his “best friend” in a heartfelt post about his longtime TV companion Friday. Ripert, the co-owner and executive chef of Le Bernardin in New York City, [found Bourdain dead](http://time.com/5306367/asia-argento-statement-anthony-bourdain-suicide/) in his hotel room in France just hours earlier, [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/08/us/anthony-bourdain-obit/index.html) reported. Authorities said the beloved chef, author and TV presenter committed suicide. He was 61. Ripert was in France to film an episode of Bourdain’s CNN show _Parts Unknown._ “Anthony was my best friend. An exceptional human being, so inspiring & generous. One of the great storytellers who connected w so many. I pray he is at peace from the bottom of my heart. My love & prayers are also w his family, friends and loved ones.” Ripert wrote. > [](https://twitter.com/ericripert/status/1005144049223983104) Ripert met Bourdain more than 20 years ago while they were working in New York City restaurants. The two collaborated frequently on screen, with Ripert usually playing the “straight man” – whom Bourdain gleefully tormented with spicy food and wild adventures. Italian actress Asia Argento, who had been dating Bourdain since last year, [released a statement](http://time.com/5306367/asia-argento-statement-anthony-bourdain-suicide/) earlier Friday, calling Bourdain, “my love, my rock, my protector.” > [](https://twitter.com/AsiaArgento/status/1005116310366269440) Eric Ripert Speaks Out After Finding Anthony Bourdain Dead ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5306636/eric-ripert-statement-anthony-bourdain-death/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5306636/eric-ripert-statement-anthony-bourdain-death/"},"headline":"'I Pray He Is at Peace.' Chef Eric Ripert Speaks Out After Finding 'Best Friend' Anthony Bourdain Dead","datePublished":"2018-06-08T20:24:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T20:31:18.810Z","description":"The two collaborated frequently on screen, with Ripert usually playing the \"straight man\" – whom Bourdain gleefully tormented","url":"https://time.com/5306636/eric-ripert-statement-anthony-bourdain-death/","keywords":["anthony bourdain","obituary","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf7f3b744e7916cc/698932ab4ee26291713120c2/eric-ripert.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Gina Martinez","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf7f3b744e7916cc/698932ab4ee26291713120c2/eric-ripert.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain","caption":"Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain","creditText":"Eric Ripert/ Twitter","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/anthony-bourdain/","name":"anthony bourdain"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5306636/eric-ripert-statement-anthony-bourdain-death/","name":"'I Pray He Is at Peace.' Chef Eric Ripert Speaks Out After Finding 'Best Friend' Anthony Bourdain Dead"}}]}] ```