Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who spent a month eating at McDonald's for a film about the dangers of fast food, has died.

Famous American documentary director Morgan Spurlock died at the age of 54. Variety reported this with reference to the filmmaker’s family.

“Morgan gave so much through his art and his ideas, he was very generous. Today the world has lost a true artistic genius and a special person. I’m so proud to have worked with him,” Morgan’s brother and colleague Craig told the publication.

The cause of the director's death was complications caused by cancer.

Spurlock has directed numerous films throughout his career, including “One Direction: This Is Us” and “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” but he is best known for his documentary “Double Help,” about the dangers of fast food. For this film, Spurlock ate McDonald's every day for a month as an experiment and tracked changes in his body.

Morgan deliberately reduced his physical activity and tried everything that was on the McDonald's menu, while he never refused if he was offered a double portion of the dish. About 5,000 calories came out per day. As a result of such a 30-day “diet,” the director gained more than 11 kilograms, cholesterol in the blood jumped to the upper limit of normal, the man also began to suffer from mood swings, his sex life deteriorated sharply, and he developed problems with his liver. It took Morgan 14 months to get back into shape.

The film, released in 2004, caused a stir in society and was nominated for an Oscar. Because of the uproar, McDonald's even removed “super-sized” portions from sale. However, Morgan Spurlock also subsequently came under criticism: he was accused of manipulating the results. In particular, the director did not share his diet diary. In addition, he later admitted that he suffered from alcohol addiction, and this may have caused his liver problems.