NEW YORK — Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker behind the award-winning documentary "Super Size Me," died from cancer complications, his family announced on Friday.

"Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity," his brother, Craig Spurlock, said in a statement. "The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man."

Spurlock died Thursday, according to his family. He was 53 years old.

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The documentarian and director from West Virginia famously ate fast food for 30 days to create his hit 2004 film, during which Spurlock claimed to only consume McDonald's menu items for all three meals, which highlighted the radical impact that diet had on his physical and psychological health.

The New York University alum later followed up with a 2017 sequel, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!," which was Spurlock's final documentary.

In the sequel, Spurlock explored how the fast food industry attempted to rebrand under a healthier guise since his first go around. This time, he opened his own fast-food fried chicken restaurant in order to expose the marketing tactics fast food companies had been using on consumers in the 12 years since his original documentary.

Spurlock also starred in and created the 2011 metacinema documentary “POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” which was paid for entirely by sponsors as he dove head first into the world of product placement, marketing and advertising.

He is survived by two sons, Laken and Kallen; mom Phyllis Spurlock; dad Ben; brothers Craig and Barry; and ex-wives Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein, the mothers of his two children.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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