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It felt like the world stopped when Anthony Bourdain’s death was announced. The celebrity chef was tragically found in his hotel room in June 2018. He was only 61 years old. His absence is felt to this day, by his fans, friends, and admirers, but most deeply by his family. Although Bourdain was dating actress Asia Argento at the time of his death, he was also still legally married to his estranged wife Ottavia Busia, who is the mother of his daughter Ariane.Since his death, we haven’t heard much from Ottavia. She was interviewed in a few of the documentaries made about Bourdain after his passing, but she lives a quiet and subdued life compared to the life her late celebrity chef husband led.
A Look Into Bourdain and Busia’s Relationship
Bourdain was introduced to Busia by fellow celebrity chef Eric Ripet. He thought the two would hit it off, and boy, was he right. After dating for less than a year, the couple would be married in 2007 and soon after welcomed their daughter, Ariane. Busia and Bourdain even got matching tattoos to commemorate their love for one another.
They had a playful, loving banter. Busia understood how intense and competitive the culinary world was, being a general manager herself at the renowned NYC Japanese eatery Geisha. They both enjoyed eating good food, staying up late drinking and talking, and getting the most out of this crazy life. But after 9 years together, the couple had drifted apart. They decided to try seeing other people and in 2016 officially separated.
Bourdain always insisted that his relationship with Busia remained amicable after their separation, but the couple led relatively separate lives until the time of his death.
Despite living separately, the two often talked with each other, with Busia remaining one of Bourdain’s confidantes until his last days. Their divorce was in the final steps of processing when Bourdain took his life while shooting a film in France.
What Does Ottavia Busia’s Life Look Like Now?
Ottavia fostered a love of martial arts later in her life. She’s a trained MMA fighter and passionate about Brazilian jujitsu, joining an elite crew of fellow celebrity martial arts fanatics. She initially took to martial arts and Brazilian jujitsu as a way to help reset her mind and body after having a baby.
Soon enough, however, she realized how interested she was in the sports and began to compete competitively. She lives in New York with Ariane, who is also introduced to martial arts and helps train. Her Instagram is private, but she is still sometimes active on her public Twitter account.
How Much Could Busia Receive From Bourdain’s Will?
Due to their marriage still being intact at Bourdain’s time of death, Ottavia was responsible for filing her late husband’s will. She did so in the New York Surrogate court. Bourdain left the majority of his assets to his daughter. He had built the trust so she would receive disbursements of money from the trust at 25, 30, and the entirety of the trust at age 35.
But the exact amount Ariane gets may be smaller than the entirety of Bourdain’s will because Busia is entitled to a piece of his estate. Just how substantial that piece depends on how much money his estate holds.
While at one point Bourdain had a net worth of over $16 million, his estimated net worth at the time of his death had dwindled down to about $1.2 Million.
Ottavia Busia Doesn’t Plan On Talking About Bourdain Publicly Much More
After Bourdain passed in 2018, his close friends and family remained mute on the subject. It wasn’t until 2021’s Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain that the public heard from many of them. In the film, Ottavia spoke candidly about her life with Bourdain for the first time before or after his death. She shared how Bourdain had dreamed about having a family, a wife, and kids to come home to, but once he got it with her and Ariane, she felt like it wasn’t enough for him, that he needed more.
During her segments in Roadrunner, she seemed at peace with the way her relationship ended, but was still struggling to grasp the reality of a world without Tony. Despite the sadness that consumed life after Bourdain's death, she does seem genuinely happy in her new, quiet life, and prides herself on taking care of her now 15-year-old daughter.