The Chilling Story Of Food Critic A. A. Gill's 2016 Death
British food writer A.A. Gill was a formidable force in restaurant critiquing. The Scottish-born writer was a titan figure within the pages of the Sunday Times newspaper, writing restaurant reviews from 1993 until his death aged 62 in 2016, explains The New York Times.
Gill regularly caused offense with his brutally honest summaries, leading to him being referred to the U.K. press watchdog 62 times by 2010, reports The Guardian. He overcame dyslexia and a childhood stammer to claim that "food and pubs go together like frogs and lawnmowers," and criticize vegetarians as "people who get pleasure from not eating things."
The legendary writer had overcome severe illness before, living with alcoholism and the related issues of shaking, hallucinations, and constant tingling sensations until he checked into rehab in 1984, The Guardian explains. But he would later develop cancer that advanced through his system and wasn't the first tragic event endured by the Gill family.
A. A. Gill's brother Nick disappeared
A. A. Gill was far from shy about discussing his battle with cancer. He openly wrote about being diagnosed with the disease in his Sunday Times column, describing being inflicted with the "full English" of cancers, according to BBC News.
It was only three weeks after that public revelation that Gill died, chemotherapy having failed to stem advancing lung, pancreas, and neck cancers, reports The Guardian. However, Gill believed he was lucky to have lived so long given his past alcohol addiction and smoking.
Gill and his family had also lived with the unexplained disappearance of his brother Nick Gill, a Michelin-starred chef. Having earned acclaim by creating dishes at an English country manor, Daily Mail reports that later restaurant endeavors ended in financial failure. Nick relied increasingly on alcohol, and ended up in prison for assaulting his girlfriend in 1995. He was last seen by A. A. Gill in 1998, and, according to Independent.ie, said that he was leaving and would not return. What happened to Nick Gill afterwards remains a mystery.
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