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Celebrated French chef Paul Bocuse had died at the age of 91 after suffering from Parkinson’s disease for several years.
According to BBC, he passed away in his own restaurant near Lyon, L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges, in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or. Reportedly, it was also the place of his birth.
In addition to suffering from Parkinson’s disease for several years, Bocuse underwent a triple heart bypass in 2005
Bocuse was known as a proponent of “nouvelle cuisine”, a healthier form a cooking, especially gaining fame in the 1970’s. In popular culture, Bocuse was also known as the “Pope of French cuisine.”
Winning the Michelin star in 1958, a second in 1960 and a third in 1965, he was declared Cook of the Century by Gault & Millau in 1989 and the Culinary Institute of America named him Chef of the Century in 2011. According to Time, Bocuse’s extensive resume included working for Disney and even fast-food:
“As early as 1982, Bocuse opened a restaurant in the France Pavilion in Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida, headed by his son Jerome, also a chef. In recent years, Bocuse even dabbled in fast food with two outlets in his home base of Lyon.”
Reactions to Paul Bocuse’s passing on social media
French President Emmanuel Macron offered his condolences to Bocuse on social media:
“His name alone summed up French gastronomy in its generosity and respect for tradition but also its inventiveness.”
French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb wrote the following on social media:
“Paul Bocuse is dead. Gastronomy is in mourning.”
“Mr. Paul was France. Simplicity and generosity. Excellence and art of living. The pope of gastronomes leaves us. May our chefs, in Lyon, as in the four corners of the world, long cultivate the fruits of his passion.”
American celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain also paid homage to Bocuse online.
What was Paul Bocuse’s official cause of death?
At this time, an official cause of death has not been revealed.
More on this story will be updated as made available.
