CHICAGO — Well-known food critic Josh Ozersky, who was found dead in a River North Hotel hours before the James Beard Awards, drowned in the shower after suffering a seizure, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
The 42-year-old Ozersky, of New York, was in town preparing for the annual award ceremony honoring culinary excellence. He was pronounced dead at Chicago Conrad Hotel, at 521 N. Rush St., at 11:40 a.m. May 4, according to the medical examiner.
Ozersky was Esquire's food correspondent and a long-time contributor to their Eat Like a Man blog, famous for his love of meat. His last piece for Esquire broke down myths about bacon. He was also the founder of Meatopia, "the Woodstock of Edible Animals," according to their website.
Ozersky's wife, Danit Lidor, said he suffered from epilepsy and was struck by random seizures. His most recent seizure was about two months ago before his death, and she assumed that was the cause of her husband's death, she said.
"I was always afraid this. I always thought this would happen if I wasn't there," Lidor, 42, said remembering the fear she had while holding her husband and protecting him from hurting himself when he seized about six weeks prior to the James Beard Awards.
When police called her the morning of May 4, she immediately knew something tragic had happened, she said.
"The [officer] was very nice and wouldn't tell me why he was calling, but I immediately knew. I just immediately knew," she told DNAinfo Chicago May 5.
Ozersky called Lidor the night before he died, relaying how tired and full he was from traveling and scouting the best restaurants around the U.S. for his show. He had recently traveled to Minnesota and Wisconsin and was scheduled to check out another restaurant in the city, she said.
He was also to meet up with his friends and colleagues at the James Beard Awards, she said.
"He was really excited to see everyone because he was so exuberant and extroverted," she said.
Ozersky and Lidor had moved from their home in New York City, where they met, to Portland in December. The two were looking forward to surprising each other for their fifth anniversary on May 23, she said.
"He was working on a surprise he wouldn't tell me about," said Lidor, adding they agreed on the traditional fifth anniversary theme of wood.
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