Anthony Bourdain's Daughter Honored Her Dad With A Gesture That Will Move You To Tears

On June 8, news broke that Anthony Bourdain had died at the age of 61. It was a sad day for many, but even more so for his loved ones. Recently, Bourdain's daughter honored him in the sweetest way that will seriously bring tears to your eyes. As Refinery29 reported, Bourdain's ex-wife Ottavia Busia-Bourdain posted a photo on Instagram early on June 11 of their 11-year-old Ariane Bourdain performing a concert at DROM, a music venue in New York City. Ariane made sure a part of her late father was with her during the performance.

"Our little girl had her concert today," Busia-Bourdain wrote in the Instagram caption. "She was amazing. So strong and brave. She wore the boots you bought her. I hope you are having a good trip, wherever you are."

In a statement on Friday, Bourdain's death by suicide was confirmed by CNN. "It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," the statement read. "His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time."

Busia-Bourdain, a mixed-martial arts fighter, is the former Food Network star's second wife and, according to People, the two split in 2016 after nine years together. Per Us Weekly, prior to Busia-Bourdain, he had been married to Nancy Putkoski, his high school sweetheart, for 20 years. Most recently, Bourdain had been dating Italian actor Asia Argento.

As for Ariane, Bourdain seemed to have a special bond with her and really wanted a bright future for his little girl. In 2012, the Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown host told Bust Magazine in the Dec./Jan. 2012 issue, "The best I can hope for is that I’m raising a young woman who has really high self esteem, doesn’t take any sh*t from boys, and will not take any sh*t from men."

And in May 2015, he told Mom.me, how important it was to him for Ariane to stand on her own two feet as an independent young woman. He said, "My sole duty as a parent and as a father, particularly raising a little girl who is going to grow up to be a young woman, is that she will never look to men for affirmation, or anyone else for affirmation or self-worth or be physically intimidated by anyone."

He raised Ariane to embrace her true self and taught her that being different is a good thing. "She's a weird kid with weird parents," he told Mom.me at the time. "She goes to school with a lot of kids with very differing backgrounds who come from different places. She understands that not everyone lives like her. She's traveled a lot and enjoyed it, and I like to think that has given her a restless and curious mind. I encourage that in every way I can."

According to a source who spoke with People on June 8, the late chef loved his daughter dearly and embraced fatherhood. The source said, "It was quite evident that Tony was a 'lighter' human being around his daughter. When he spoke about her, his eyes danced. He talked about her constantly."

Bourdain would probably be proud of Ariane and the courage it took to get on stage after losing her father and to also honor him by wearing a pair of boots he bought for his little girl.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 911, or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. For international resources, here is a good place to begin.