Tafari Campbell, the Obama family’s “beloved” personal chef, died of accidental drowning while paddleboarding on a Martha’s Vineyard lake, an autopsy revealed Tuesday.
According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Massachusetts, Campbell’s official cause of death was “submersion in a body of water,” and his manner of death was an accident.
According to Timothy McGuirk, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the results of Campbell’s autopsy were not made public according to state regulations.
On July 23, Campbell, 45, a former White House kitchen staffer, was paddleboarding on Edgartown Great Pond near Martha’s Vineyard, where the Obamas keep a summer house, when he lost his footing, went underneath, and never resurfaced.
Campbell was not wearing a life vest and was not attached to his paddleboard, according to an eyewitness. Attempts to save him in time were futile.
Barack and Michelle Obama were not at home when he drowned.
According to the Boston Herald, the original investigation by the State Police found no evidence that Campbell’s death was suspicious, with no signs of trauma seen on his corpse.
Tafari Campbell was a beloved part of our family- Obama
Following Campbell’s passing, the former first couple issued a joint statement in his honor.
“Tafari was a beloved part of our family,” the Obamas wrote. “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,” the tribute went on. “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.”
In subsequent comments on their separate Instagram pages, Barack and Michelle praised Campbell as a “friend” endowed with “immense gifts.”
Campbell, from Dumfries, Virginia, formerly worked as a sous chef at the White House, beginning with President George W. Bush and continuing through President Barack Obama’s two terms. Later, he was employed as the Obama family’s chef.