A personal chef to former US president Barack Obama has died during an accident on a paddle boarding trip near the Obamas\u2019 Massachusetts home. Tafari Campbell, 45, worked in the White House before staying on with the Obama family after Mr Obama left office in 2016.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, he went missing in the waters of Edgartown Great Pond on Martha\u2019s Vineyard.<\/p>\n
The Obamas released a statement hailing his talent inside the kitchen and out.<\/p>\n
\u201cTafari was a beloved part of our family. When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House \u2013 creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together,\u201d Mr Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama said on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Campbell had been visiting the Massachusetts island from his home in Virginia at the time of his death. Police say the Obama family was not home at the time of the accident.<\/p>\n
The search was launched on Sunday night for \u201ca male paddleboarder who had gone into the water, appeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface, and then submerged and did not resurface,\u201d according to a police report.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother paddleboarder was on the pond with him at the time and observed him go under the water,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
On Monday, his body was found \u201capproximately 100 feet (30 meters) from shore at a depth of about eight feet\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit is investigating his death, but it is believed to have been an accident, CBS News reported.<\/p>\n
His wife, Sherise Campbell, posted a tribute to her husband on Instagram.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy heart is broken,\u201d Ms Campbell said. \u201cMy life and our family\u2019s life is forever changed. Please pray for me and our families as I deal with the loss of my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Campbell had worked in the White House during Mr Obama\u2019s eight years in Washington. During that time he helped create some of the most famous presidential recipes, included a beer brewed from ingredients grown at the White House.<\/p>\n
When it was time for the first family to depart Washington, they asked Mr Campbell to join them and he \u201cgenerously agreed\u201d the Obamas\u2019 statement added.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he\u2019s gone. Today we join everyone who knew and loved Tafari \u2013 especially his wife Sherise and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin \u2013 in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A personal chef to former US president Barack Obama has died during an accident on a paddle boarding trip near the Obamas\u2019 Massachusetts home. Tafari Campbell, 45,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n