NEWS
Former US President, Barack Obama’s personal chef drowns near his estate
The personal chef of Former United States president, Barack Obama has passed on in a tragic incident that happed in Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard estate.
According to reports, the 45-year-old chef, identified as Tafari Campbell was said to have drowned while paddleboarding on a pond.
Campbell previously served as the sous chef in the White House kitchen while Barack Obama was president. After his tenure, he was hired to be his personal staff.
It was confirmed that on Monday afternoon the deceased’s corpse was found in 8-feet below water of about 100 feet from the banks of the Obamas’ property on Edgartown Great Pond.
The Obamas were not home at the time of the incident, police confirmed.
After reports of a “possible drowning” in the water nearby, emergency personnel were sent to the 30-acre estate at 79 Turkeyland Cove Road on Sunday evening.
Overnight, divers, Coast Guard helicopters, and resources from several agencies were launched from the site.
Campbell’s corpse was located about 10 a.m. Monday, thanks to sonar scanners launched from a boat.
“Tafari was a beloved part of our family,” the Obamas said in a statement Monday.
“When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House — creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together. In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter.
“That’s why, when we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed. He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone.”
“Today we join everyone who knew and loved Tafari — especially his wife Sherise and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin — in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man.”
He was dressed all in black at the time, and he was not wearing a lifejacket.
Shortly after search personnel arrived, his board and cap were located.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Campbell was renowned at the White House for producing a beer with honey from bees Michelle Obama managed on the South Lawn.
