Former President Barack Obama’s personal chef was found dead at the family’s mansion on Martha’s Vineyard on Monday.
The body of Tafari Campbell, 45, was recovered after a reported paddleboarding accident at Edgartown Great Pond, Massachusetts State Police confirmed.
The search for the missing paddleboarder started Sunday after reports from a fellow paddleboarder that he had struggled on the surface, went under, and didn’t resurface.
The search was paused late Sunday but on Monday state police said sonar from a boat located the body about 100 feet from shore at a depth of about 8 feet. Campbell was not wearing a life jacket, police said.
“Shortly before 10 AM the body of the missing paddle boarder was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond by Massachusetts State Police divers,” the Massachusetts State Police said in a statement Monday. “MSP Underwater Recovery Unit divers made the recovery after the victim’s body was located by a Massachusetts Environmental Police Officers deploying side-scan sonar from a boat.”
“The US Coast Guard, Edgartown Fire, Air Wing, detectives and Dukes County Sheriff’s Department were all part of the rescue mission.”
Campbell, a Virginia native, was employed by the Obamas and was visiting their $12 million estate on Martha’s Vineyard.
The Obamas were not present at the home at the time of the accident.
In a statement, the former president and his wife, Michelle Obama, called Campbell a “beloved part of our family.”
“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,” the couple said. “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.”
Campbell is survived by his wife and their twin boys.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article