Even though world-renowned TV chef Anthony Bourdain was openly dating the famous Italian actress, Asia Argento, 42, he was still technically married to his estranged wife, Ottavia Busia, 49, when his unexpected death shocked the planet last week.
For the time being, the culinary icon’s remains are still in France but will be brought to the United States for the funeral as soon as possible. Since Busia is still his legal spouse, she has to take care of the formalities regarding the transportation of the body with the French authorities.
The mayor of Kaysersberg-Vignoble, Pascal Lohr, the place where Bourdain committed his suicide, stated that for now they were waiting only for the wishes of the family of the deceased and the authorities would cooperate in the fastest possible manner.
Bourdain and Busia tied the knot back in 2007 and had a daughter together, 11-year-old Ariana. Following their separation in September 2016, the two of them talked openly about what went wrong in their relationship.
Back at the time, the celebrity chef explained that he and his wife had been living separately for a very long time before they decided to announce the end of their marriage officially. Even though their romantic relationship did not work out, Bourdain and Busia remained close friends and continued to treat each other as family.
Afterward, Bourdain found new love in the face of Argento, a prominent figure in the #MeToo movement, when the two met in 2017. When asked about his new partner, the host of Parts Unknown on CNN explained that although he was not considering going through another marriage ever again, he would not have minded if he and Argento moved in together.
Their relationship was described as loving, and some people even suggested that it was open. The European movie star was pictured on several occasions holding hands with male friends in recent weeks.