Last month the world was stunned when news broke that bjj megafan and celebrated chef and tv personality Anthony Bourdain had committed suicide.
Bourdain, a blue belt in bjj, picked up a sport several years ago at the urging of his now ex wife Ottavia Busia.
Recently Renzo Gracie went on Ariel Helwani’s new show and talked a little bit about how he handled the news and what it was like to train Bourdain:
“A great soul, unbelievable guy. I was surprised,” Gracie said. “We were with him the whole week. He came three or four times that week right before he traveled to Paris. He was training. He seemed just a little down — he was quiet. He was a quiet guy.”
Gracie went on to say Bourdain’s passion for the sport set him apart:
“During one vacation, one year, the whole summer in the Hamptons, he would fly by helicopter — there’s a helipad just down the street — land there, walk to the academy, train and then take the helicopter back home. He did that two or three times a week, during the whole summer.
“He was a great jiu-jitsu guy, loved jiu-jitsu. He studied and trained. It was a shocking surprise. I heard a lot of different versions. It’s sad. We’re going to miss him a lot.”
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