Barack Obama, family mourn deceased chef & ‘friend’ Tafari Campbell; 'Miss him everyday..'

Former US President Barack Obama, on Friday, August 4, mourned the loss of his personal chef Tafari Campbell. On July 25, Campbell, the personal chef to the Obama family was found dead after, what the police said, he drowned during paddleboarding in Martha's Vineyard. Taking to his official Instagram handle, Obama commemorated his chef's memories.

The former US President shared a picture of himself with Campbell and Campbell’s wife Sherise on his official Instagram handle. 

“Tafari Campbell showed us what true character looks like,” the former president Obama wrote. “He believed that actions speak louder than words. And he used his immense gifts to bring people together, provide comfort, and spread joy. I’ll miss him every day.”

Body discovered in Edgartown Great Pond, near Obama home

Campbell, 45, hailed from the US state of Dumfries, Va. He went missing earlier last week. His dead body was uncovered after a two-day search in Edgartown Great Pond, in the vicinity of the home owned by the Obamas. According to the Massachusetts State Police, at the time Campbell's body was retrieved near the Obama home, the former leader and his wife were not present at home. Having served as White House sous chef during the presidency of Obama, Campbell left work at the White House in 2016. While the office of Barack and Michelle Obama did not initially respond to the mysterious death of their chef, they later released a joint statement to the Associated Press lamenting his untimely loss. The Obamas 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 Obamas wrote in the statement accessed by AP. "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," they added. The Obamas informed that when they were getting ready to leave the White House, they "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," Obamas maintained, grieved about the loss.