I wasn't directly a fan, but the minute I saw it on my Apple News feed, I knew it was going to be really big news. Suicide is always tragically catastrophic (and with an 11-y-o daughter no less) but Bourdain isn't just another person you might have heard of. His work has always been more about sociological in nature than the premise might suggest, even in the journalistic world of culinary outreach. He wasn't necessarily political, but he had strong, well thought out opinions on the environment, geopolitics, and gender - incorporating them into his show in ways that eschewed the typical familial conceit for a more probing exploration of the shared language of cuisine. In particular, he was a vocal supporter of the #metoo movement and was public about is support for girlfriend Asia Argento, one of Weinstein's victims. A lot of people looked up to him, and I guess that's often what makes people like him the loneliest.
Just horrible news.