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The former White House sous chef for Barack and Michelle Obama has been identified as the man found dead following a paddle boarding accident near the couple’s Martha’s Vineyard property.
Tafari Campbell’s body was recovered on Monday by divers after going missing in the pond that backs on to Barack Obama‘s sprawling $12million estate.
The 45-year-old vanished Sunday evening while he was out with another paddleboarder on Edgartown Great Pond, Massachusetts, and emergency crews were dispatched to Obama’s residence.
In a statement, Michelle and Barack Obama said Campbell – who was married with 19-year-old twins – was one of the top chefs in the White House kitchen: ‘Tafari was 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. 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.’
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