Former President Barack Obama’s personal chief Tafari Campbell died in a boating accident near the Obama family home in Massachusetts.
Tafari Campbell, 45, worked in the White House and lived with the Obama family after Obama left office in 2016. Disappeared in the waters of Edgartown Great Pond on Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday.
The Obama family has been widely praised for his skills in and out of the kitchen.
“Tafari Campbell is a very valuable part of our family. At the White House, he was a talented chef with a great idea, a passion for food, and a talent for bringing people together,” Mr. Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama said Monday.
“There was another paddleboarder with him on the lake at the time and he saw it underwater,” he added.
The body was found on Monday “about 100 feet (30 m) offshore, at a depth of about 8 feet.”
Massachusetts State Police coroner is investigating his death, but it is believed to have been an accident, CBS News reported.
Tafari Campbell worked in the White House during Mr. Obama’s eight years in Washington. During this time, he helped create some of the most famous leadership books, including Beer made with White House ingredients. When the first family left Washington, Mr. Campbell joined them, “agreed to accept,” added the Obamas’ statement.
“He has been a part of our lives ever since, and his loss is heartbreaking. Today we join all those who know and love Rastafari, especially his wife Sheris and twin sons Xavier and Savin, to mourn a truly wonderful man.”
Although Tafari Campbell is known for his mouth-watering creations in the kitchen, he is also a proud husband. He and his wife Sherise have been married for 23 years. In October 2020, she celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary on her personal Instagram account. “Happy 21st birthday!
! ! ! @foodforthinkt1 #spendmylifewithyou #Coupleoffforevers,” she captioned her love moments on a photo carousel.