Award-winning chef, writer and television personality Anthony Bourdain has died in an apparent suicide. He was 61.

Bourdain was found dead on Friday morning in his room at a luxury hotel in the tiny village of Kaysersberg in the Alsace region of northeast France. He appeared to have hanged himself, according to Christian de Rocquigny du Fayel, the prosecutor of Colmar in Alsace region, southeast of Kaysersberg.

The exact cause of death is under investigation.

The hotel where Bourdain was staying declined to comment Friday.

Bourdain was the host of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown," which has aired on CNN since its premiere in 2013. The travel and food series, which features cuisines and stories from around the world, has won several Emmy Awards as well as a 2013 Peabody Award, according to CNN.

He leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter, Ariane Bourdain.

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PHOTO: Anthony Bourdain on Pier 57 in New York, Sept. 20, 2015. (Alex Welsh/The New York Times via Redux,FILE) More

'One of the great storytellers of our time'

CNN confirmed Bourdain's death in a statement Friday.

"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," the network said. "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."

CNN reported that Bourdain was in France working on an upcoming episode for his hit series when close friend and French chef Eric Ripert found him unresponsive in his hotel room Friday morning.

"Anthony was a dear friend," Ripert told ABC News in a statement Friday. "He was an exceptional human being, so inspiring and generous. One of the great storytellers of our time who connected with so many. I wish him peace. My love and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones."

PHOTO: Anthony Bourdain is seen with a film crew at Wistub de la Petite Venise, a restaurant in Colmar, France, June 4, 2018. (Etienne Butterlin via AP) More

An employee of the Wistub de la Petite Venise restaurant in Colmar told ABC News that Bourdain was there having lunch with Ripert on Monday.

"He seemed happy, cheerful, he was joking and enjoying himself," the employee, who declined to give her name, said of Bourdain. "He had a choucroute for lunch."

Bourdain posted a photo of the Alsatian dish on his official Instagram account -- his final post before his death.

PHOTO: Chef Anthony Bourdain from New York in Sydney in this March 17, 2005 file photo. (Fairfax Media via Getty Images, FILE) More

From running restaurants to hosting a hit series

Born in New York City and raised in Leonia, New Jersey, Bourdain went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978 and pursue a career in cooking.

In an interview with ABC News' Rebecca Jarvis last year, Bourdain said when he was younger he had a kind of "live hard, die young" attitude.

"It came as sort of a rude surprise to me when I turned 30 and I was still alive," he said. "I didn’t really have a plan after that."

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PHOTO: Anthony Bourdain speaks on stage during the Close to the Bone Tour at Auditorium Theatre in this July 30, 2015 file photo in Chicago. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images, FILE) More

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