Tafari Campbell, Barack and Michelle Obama's personal chef, was found dead Monday (July 24) after drowning near the couple's Martha's Vineyard estate. He was 45 years old.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Massachusetts State Police were alerted to a missing paddle board Sunday night after someone saw a man "struggling to stay afloat" before going under the water.
The next morning, officials reportedly found Campbell's body "approximately 100 meters off shore at a depth of over two metres".
While the chef was employed by the former presidential couple, they were not at their Martha's Vineyard residence at the time of the tragedy, writes PageSix .
A few hours later, the Obama family released a statement about the horrific case, calling Campbell " a beloved part of their family ."
" When we first met him, he was a talented chef at the White House — creative and passionate about food and his ability to bring people together ," the statement said.
"In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, funny, extremely 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 has been a part of our lives ever since and our hearts are broken that he has passed away. Today we join all those who knew and loved Tafar - especially his wife Sherise and their twin sons, Xavier and Savin - in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man," the statement continued.
Campbell's wife also took to social media to mourn the loss of her husband of 23 years.
" Heartbroken ," she captioned a photo of the chef on her InstaStory on Monday. She also shared a photo of her husband standing alongside their teenage sons.
Campbell served as chef de cuisine in the White House kitchen during Barack's eight-year presidential term. After the former president left office, they hired Campbell to work with them full time.