Tafari Campbell, the personal chef of Barack Obama, has tragically died.
The talented chef served as the sous chef in the White House kitchen while Barack Obama was in office, and was hired to be his personal staff when his term ended.
“Tafari was a beloved part of our family,” the Obamas said in a statement.
“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.”
The news of his passing has left fans shocked with many leaving tributes online…
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Over the past few years, we have lost a lot of memorable celebrities.
Whether that’s musicians, actors, or artists, there have been many notable losses of people that have touched our lives in some way or another. And we’d like to take some time to remember them for their talents…
Who better to start the tributes of our most loved celebrities than James Caan.
Caan most notably played the role of Santino “Sonny” Corleone in the hit movie The Godfather, which earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He also appeared in Misery and Elf which just proves what great range he had. He passed away on July 6, aged eighty-two.
Tony Sirico…
Sharing Caan’s love of gangsta roles, Sirico, who started out on the big screen in 1974, appeared in Goodfellas as Tony Stacks. He also famously played the character Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos. He died on July 8 aged seventy-nine.
Ray Liotta…
We have sadly lost another star from Goodfellas this year, Liotta played the mobster Henry Hill and most recently appeared in Shades of Blue, with Jennifer Lopez. He died on May 26, aged sixty-seven.
Mary Mara…
Mara was a TV and theatre actor. Police believe she drowned while swimming in the St. Lawrence River. She was sixty-one.
Margaret Keane…
Keane was a famous painter, who only received acclaim for her work twenty years after her husband rose to fame for passing her work off as his own. He was eventually found out. She continued to paint until her death at the age of ninety-four.
Naomi Judd…
Judd was a well-known country singer who performed with her daughter in the band Judds, together the pair won 5 Grammy Awards and even made it into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She died on April 30, aged seventy-six.
Robert Morse…
Morse started out on Broadway way back in 1955, which catapulted his career in showbiz, later on in his career he took to acting on TV and won many accolades for his performances. His most notable TV performance was as Bertram Cooper in Mad Men. He died on April 20, aged ninety.
Gilbert Gottfried…
We all know Gottfried as the incredible comedian with the iconic shrill voice. He notably appeared on Saturday Night Live, and also played the parrot Iago in Disney’s Aladdin. Sadly, he died on April 12, aged sixty-seven.
Estelle Harris…
Harris was most well known for her role as Estelle Costanza on the sitcom Seinfeld. She also took on voice work for Mrs. Potato Head in the animated movie Toy Story. She died on April 3, aged ninety-three.
Tom Parker…
Parker was a singer from the popular British boyband The Wanted. Sadly, in 2020, he was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. He died on March 30, aged just thirty-three.
Taylor Hawkins…
Hawkins was famously known for being the drummer for Foo Fighters, he played with the band for twenty-five years, and gained a lot of fans in the process. He died on March 25, aged fifty.
Scott Hall…
Hall, known as Razor Ramon, was a pro wrestler who founded the New World Order, with Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash. He died on March 14 shortly after getting a hip replacement, suffering multiple heart attacks before he passed. He was sixty-three.
William Hurt…
Hurt worked in TV, Theater, and Film during his illustrious career in Hollywood. He was nominated for 4 Academy Awards and won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1985. He died on March 13, aged seventy-one.
Emilio Delgado…
The Mexican-American actor worked on the children’s TV show Sesame Street for over forty years and was a huge part of our lives growing up. He also appeared in other TV shows, such as Law & Order. He died on March 10, aged eighty-one.
Sally Kellerman…
Kellerman was in the spotlight for over 5 decades, starring in TV shows before going on to play notable parts such as Margaret Houlihan in MASH, and recently the mother of Mark Maron in Maron. She died on February 24, aged eighty-four.
Ivan Reitman…
Reitman was an incredible director, working on such movies as Ghostbusters, and Twins. He died at home in California on February 12, aged seventy-five.
Betty Davis…
Davis needs very little introduction, the funk singer was well known for her incredible vocals. After less than a decade in the industry, she decided to leave. But she’s still famous for her iconic hits. She died on February 9, aged seventy-seven.
Manfred Thierry Mugler…
Mugler was a well-known French fashion designer who worked with some of the greats during his career. He was most notably responsible for creating Kim Kardashian’s wet-look dress for the Met Gala in 2019. He died on January 23, aged seventy-three.
Marvin Lee Aday (Meat Loaf)…
Meat Loaf sold over 100 million albums worldwide. The rock music icon not only had incredible skill with words, but his theatrical performances were next level. He died on January 20, aged seventy-four.
Louie Anderson…
Anderson had a long career as a stand-up comedian and also worked in television for a short time, gaining an Emmy for his role on Baskets. He sadly died from cancer on January 21, aged sixty-eight.
Gaspard Ulliel…
The French actor was best known for playing young Hannibal in Hannibal Rising and was scheduled to make an appearance in the Marvel series, Moon Knight. However, he sadly died in a freak skiing accident on January 19, aged thirty-seven.
Bob Saget…
Saget was best known for his role as Danny Tanner in the hit TV show Full House, and appeared in a range of TV shows and movies over the years. Although fans know him best as a stand-up comedian. He died on January 9 aged sixty-five.
Michael Lang…
Lang was the co-creator of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival which began in 1969. It was a hugely historic event for the music industry. He died on January 8, aged seventy-seven.
Sidney Poitier…
Poitier was the first black actor to win an Academy Award for his role in Lillies of the Field, in which he won best actor. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Poitier died on January 6, aged ninety-four.
Lenny Von Dohlen…
The actor played the character Harold Smith on the original Twin Peaks, he also appeared in the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. He died on July 5 at the age of sixty-three.
Joe Turkel…
Turkel was best known for his roles in The Shining and Blade Runner, and over the course of his career appeared in over 100 films and TV shows! He died on June 27, aged ninety-four.
Lil Keed…
Keed was a rapper and only starting out in his career when he suffered sudden liver and kidney failure leading to his tragic death. He died on March 13, aged just twenty-four.
Bruce MacVittie…
The veteran stage actor also dabbled in TV and is famously known for his appearances in The Sopranos and Law & Order. He died on May 7 at the age of sixty-five.
Mike Hagerty…
Hagerty was best known for playing the janitor Mr. Treeger on Friends, but more recently appeared on the sitcoms; The George Carlin Show and Lucky Louie. He died on May 5, aged sixty-seven.
Joanna Barnes…
Barnes was an actress and writer best known for her roles in hit movies The Parent Trap and Auntie Mame. She died on April 29, aged eighty-seven.
Jossara Jinaro…
Jinaro appeared on a range of TV shows such as ER, The Young and the Restless, and Judging Amy. She died after a battle with cancer on April 27, aged forty-eight.
Liz Sheridan…
Sheridan was a veteran actress, who played Jerry’s overbearing mom on the show Seinfeld. She also appeared in several theatre and TV productions over her career. She died on April 15 of natural causes. Sheridan was ninety-three.
Rae Allen…
Allen was best known for her roles in The Sopranos and A League of Their Own. She died on April 6, aged ninety-five.
Cheslie Kryst…
Kryst was Miss USA back in 2019 and worked with Extra. She died on January 30, aged thirty, after allegedly jumping from a building in New York.
Moses J. Moseley…
Moseley worked on the hit TV show The Walking Dead as one of Michonne’s guard zombies. He died on January 26, aged thirty-one.
Olivia Newton-John…
Grease star Newton-John tragically passed away after a long battle with cancer aged seventy-three.
Ronnie Turner
Tina Turner’s son passed away aged 62 after being pronounced dead on the street after struggling to breathe.
Jeff Beck
His family confirmed his cause of death, writing: “After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
Gina Lollobrigida
The Italian bombshell, who once starred alongside icons like Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra, died aged 95.
CJ Harris
The American Idol star, who made it to the top 6 back in 2014, died of a heart attack.
David Crosby
The legendary musician and member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, passed away at age 81.
Randy Gonzalez
The father of TikTok duo Enkyboys died aged just 35 after a battle with colon cancer.
Annie Wersching
The Star Trek and Vampire Diaries actress passed away following a cancer diagnosis aged 45.
Burt Bacharach
The legendary composer responsible for such classics as “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” died aged 94.
Jansen Panettiere.
According to a report by TMZ, Jansen died in New York due to cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), coupled with aortic valve complications.
Robert Blake
The actor, best known for his work on Baretta, died on Thursday aged 89 from heart disease.
Mick Slattery
The Hawkwind guitarist passed away aged 77 after battling a short illness.
Paul Grant
The actor known for his roles in Star Wars and Harry Potter movies died after collapsing outside a London train station.
Gunter Nezhoda
The Storage Wars alum has lost his battle with cancer, his son Ricky has told TMZ.
Otis Redding III
The son and namesake of the 1960s soul singer has died from cancer at age 59.
Torie Bowie
Torie Bowie’s management confirmed the athlete passed away aged just 32.
Judy Fitzgerald
The reality TV star and former Miss Bikini from Co Limerick has passed away aged just 32, as confirmed by her family.
Sergio Calderón
The Mexican actor, best known for roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and Men In Black, passed away aged 77.
Barry Newman
The actor and star of 1971’s Vanishing Point died on May 11th aged 92, as confirmed by his wife.
Norma Hunt
The “first lady of football,” and the wife of Kansas City Chiefs founder and former owner Lamar Hunt, has died at the age of 85.
Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri
The WWE legend, better known as “The Iron Sheik,” has passed away aged 81, his family has confirmed.
Marvel legend John Romita Sr.
The comic book legend, who helped to create Marvel’s Wolverine, died peacefully in his sleep aged 93.
Musician Blackie Onassis.
The Urge Overkill drummer, whose real name was Johnny Rowan, died aged 57 in Los Angeles.
Paxton Whitehead
The legendary theater actor, best known to the public for playing Rachel’s Bloomingdales boss in Friends, has died aged 85.
Ryan Mallett
The former NFL quarterback who was a third-round draft pick of the Patriots in 2011, tragically died in a drowning accident.
Elise Fitch
Finch passed away at hospital, according to her employer WCBS, which made the announcement.
Tafari Campbell
The personal chef to the Obamas tragically drowned while paddleboarding on a pond outside the Obamas’ Martha’s Vineyard estate.
Our thoughts go out to her family and friends during this difficult time.
Rest in peace.