An autopsy report confirmed that the death of the personal chef of former President Barack Obama who drowned while paddleboarding was an accident.
Tafari Campbell, 45, had been paddleboarding at Edgartown Great Pond in Martha’s Vineyard on July 23 when he went under the water and struggled to stay on the surface before going under, Massachusetts State Police (MSP) reported at the time.
An autopsy report ruled Campbell’s death to be an accidental drowning from submerging in a body of water, Timothy McGuirk, a spokesman with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security confirmed to Fox News.
Cause of death of Barack Obama’s personal chef Tafari Campbell revealed https://t.co/eRTJiaBa5M pic.twitter.com/4igodTLUG6
— New York Post (@nypost) August 23, 2023
Another paddleboarder who had been on the water at the time witnessed Campbell go under the water, according to officials.
Officials from MSP recovered Campbell’s body on Monday, July 24 and he was later identified.
Barack and Michelle Obama were reportedly not home at the time of the incident, according to MSP officials.
“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,” the Obamas said in a statement regarding Campbell’s death.
Campbell’s wife, Sherise wrote in a post on Instagram that her heart was “broken.”
“My heart is broken. My life and our family’s life is forever changed,” Sherise Campbell wrote. Please pray for me and our families as I deal with the loss of my husband.”
