Food writer Josh Ozersky found dead in River North hotel room

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Josh Ozersky, a James Beard Award-winning food writer, was found dead in his hotel room in Chicago's River North neighborhood. He was 47.

The New York City-based food author was found in a room on the seventh floor of the Conrad Chicago Hotel. The Cook County medical examiner's office said he was pronounced dead at 11:40 a.m. Monday.

Police have not yet released the circumstances of Ozersky's death. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.

Ozersky served on the awards committee for the 2015 James Beard Awards, known as the Oscars of the food industry. He was in town to attend the awards ceremony Monday night.

Investigators are trying to piece together his whereabouts before he died. According to friends who spoke to the New York Times, Ozersky was last spotted at a karaoke bar around 4 a.m. Monday.

Ozersky's Twitter account shows that his last tweet was on Sunday, asking where he should eat in Chicago. He also retweeted several items early Monday before his death.

Ozersky wrote for Esquire magazine. He authored "Colonel Sanders and the American Dream" (2012), "The Hamburger: A History" (2008) and "Meet Me In Manhattan: A Carnivore's Guide to New York City" (2003). Ozersky was passionate about food - especially about meat.

The former editor of New York Magazine's Grub Street food blog also kept a video blog called Ozersky TV.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.