Former President Barack Obama’s personal chef died Monday in a paddleboarding accident near the family’s Martha’s Vineyard estate, according to Massachusetts police.
Tafari Campbell, 45, of Dumfries, Virginia, was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond by Massachusetts State Police divers shortly before 10 a.m., according to a news release from Massachusetts State Police.
Police used a side-scan sonar from a boat to locate Campbell’s body approximately 100 feet from shore at a depth of about eight feet.
Campbell was reported missing around early Sunday evening, police said.
He went “into the water, appeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface, and then submerged and did not resurface,” a previous state police news release said.
The news release also stated that another paddleboarder was on the pond with him and watched him go under the water.
According to reports, the Obamas were not at Martha’s Vineyard at the time of the incident.
Campbell was a former White House sous chef during Obama’s eight-year term and later served as their personal chef.
In a shared statement, the Obamas referred to the 45-year-old as a “beloved part of the family.”
“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,” the couple said in a joint statement obtained by People. “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.”
The statement continued, “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,” they added.
On Tuesday, Cambell’s wife shared an emotional tribute to her husband on social media, Newsweek reported.
“My heart is broken. My life and our family’s life is forever changed. Please pray for me and our families as I deal with the loss of my husband.. @cheftafari,” Sherise wrote of her husband on her catering company’s Instagram account.
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