What happened to Ben Watkins? Masterchef Junior star passes away at 14

The American reality show, Masterchef Junior has gained quite an audience in recent years. The Fox Entertainment network show first premiered in 2013 and followed the format of the British Junior Masterchef. The show has been judged by outstanding and credible chefs such as Gordon Ramsey,  Christina Tosi, and Aarón Sanchez. One of the most loved contestants in the show’s history was Ben Watkins, who appeared on the show in season six in 2018. However, in recent days disturbing reports have surfaced about the young prodigy on the internet. Read on to find out, “What happened to Ben Watkins?”

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What happened to Ben Watkins?

On November 16, reports surfaced on the internet claiming that MasterChef Junior's Ben Watkins had passed away at the age of 14. In a statement released on Ben Watkins’ GoFundMe page, his grandmother Donna Edwards and uncle Anthony Edwards, stated, “Our Ben home went home to be with his mother Monday afternoon. After losing both of his parents in September 2017, we have marvelled at Ben's strength, courage and love for life.”

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The heartfelt statement further revealed, “He never, ever complained. Ben was and will be the strongest person we know. When Ben's rare illness was shared with the world, he was so heartened by the outpouring of love he received from every quarter of the globe, especially in his hometown of Gary, Indiana.”

Source: GoFundMe Page

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How did Ben Watkins die?

In the statement, Ben Watkins’ family revealed that Ben Watkins was diagnosed with Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma in July 2019.  According to a report in the Healthline magazine, only five other people in the world had the rare ailment, which impacts soft tissue and usually occurs in children and young adults. Ben Watkins from Masterchef had lost both his parents in 2017, only a few weeks after shooting his Masterchef Junior season. Upon Ben's death, Gordon Ramsay and many others took to Twitter to offer condolences to his family and mourn the loss of the young star.

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What happened to Ben Watkins' parents?

The teenage cook and prodigy had lost both of his parents, Leila Edwards and Mike Watkins, in 2017 in a murder-suicide. A report in the Chicago Tribune revealed that in an incident of domestic violence, his father fatally shot his mother before taking his own life. The season aired in 2018 and fans donated $30,000 for a fundraising campaign called #Love4Ben toward a trust fund for the talented young cook. Ben Watkins from Masterchef Junior was only 11 at the time of his parents' death.

Source: GoFundMe Page