In a tragic incident that happened outside of his Martha’s Vineyard estate, former US president Barack Obama lost his personal chef.
According to reports, the chef, 45-year-old Tafari Campbell, drowned while paddleboarding on a pond.
The body was discovered in 8 feet of water about 100 feet from the Obamas’ property on Edgartown Great Pond, the authorities confirmed Monday afternoon.
Barack Obama hired Campbell to be his personal staff after his term in office because he had previously worked as the White House’s sous chef.
In response to reports of a “possible drowning” in the area’s water on Sunday evening, emergency personnel were sent to the 30-acre estate at 79 Turkeyland Cove Road.
Divers, helicopters from the Coast Guard, and personnel from numerous agencies participated in the rescue operations that were started from the property overnight.
Campbell’s body was finally discovered around 10 a.m. Monday using sonar scanners deployed from a boat.
The Obamas were not home at the time of the incident, police confirmed.
“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.”