The Obama family is devastated as their personal chef, Tafari Campbell, was discovered dead after a paddleboarding outing near their vacation home.
Campbell, a former White House chef, had been paddleboarding on a Martha’s Vineyard lake when he vanished beneath the water.
Massachusetts State Police responded to the incident, reporting, “A call for a male paddleboarder who had gone into the water, appeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface, and then submerged and did not resurface.” After an overnight search, Campbell’s body was found the following morning.
Campbell had previously served as a sous chef in the White House before becoming the Obamas’ personal cook. Fortunately, the former president and Michelle Obama were not present at the time of the accident.
In a statement, the Obamas expressed their grief, calling Campbell “a beloved part of our family” and expressing how their “hearts are broken that he’s gone.”