Barack Obama’s chef Tafari Campbell drowns in paddle boarding accident near $12m Martha’s Vineyard home of ‘heartbroken’ ex-president

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.’    

Tafari Campbell, 45, (pictured with wife Sherise) was found dead on Monday by divers after going missing while paddle boarding on the pond that backs on to Barack Obama ‘s sprawling $12million estate.

 Campbell worked while the Obama’s were in the White House from 2009-2017

Campbell (seen a video produced by the White House) became a ‘beloved member’ of the Obama household 

Campbell is seen in the background of an interview the Today Show’s Savannah Guthrie conducted with the former president at the White House

Campbell’s family told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in 2009 he had always shown an interest in cooking and would frequently whip something up when his large family came to visit.

He graduated from a culinary school in Virginia, and had briefly owned his own restaurant before applying for a job at the White House. 

The sous chef was eventually hired under the George W. Bush administration, and was one of just four White House cooks asked to stay on under Obama.

During the Obama presidency, Campbell became known for brewing White House honey ale beer, using honey from Michell Obama’s South Lawn garden.

‘I immediately thought of the African Americans who brewed beer for Washington and Jefferson, and was pleased to see the historical arc played out through the suds,’ historian Adrian Miller writes of Campbell in his book The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas.

Photos Campbell posted online of his life often featured his wife, Sherise, and his food concoctions.

In one post from 2017, Campbell and Sherise could be seen in the ocean in Aruba. He captioned that picture #stillcantswim.

Following the news of Campbell’s untimely death on Monday, Sherise shared a photo of her husband on Instagram, saying she was ‘heartbroken.’ 

Following the news of Campbell’s untimely passing, his wife Sherise shared this photo to Instagram noting she was ‘heartbroken’

In addition to Sherise, Campbell leaves behind 19-year-old twin sons

Campbell’s family had said he has always loved to cook, and would put together something whenever the large family got together

A photo Campbell shared in 2017 showed him and Sherise enjoying the water of Aruba with the hashtag #stillcantswim

Staffers at Edgartown Meat and Fish Market also paid tribute to the chef, whom they remembered as a ‘wonderful guy’.

‘We saw him last week, he was such a nice and happy guy,’ one staff member told DailyMail.com. ‘He didn’t seem to live here but would be here a lot in summer and fall, and bought various things.

‘He was nice and quiet, it’s awful to hear that’s happened to him.’

The employee added Campbell ‘had been coming here for a few years now.’

‘When he came in he would chat to us about what he was cooking up,’ the staffer said. ‘One of the things he would always special order is juice — orange juice and strawberry lemonade.’

Tafari and Sherise were married in 1999. They are pictured here on their wedding day

In Obama’s White House, he became known for brewing honey ale — using honey Michelle Obama procured in her South Lawn garden

The chef would frequent the Edgartown Meat and Fish Market in Martha’s Vineyard. He is pictured here with his family

Campbell visited Martha’s Vineyard several times, playing golf on several occasions at the nearby Farm Neck Golf Club. 

Witnesses first told cops Sunday night that a man – later identified as Campbell – went underwater and then briefly reappeared as he struggled to stay afloat, before submerging again around 7.46pm. 

The witness – who was not identified – was paddle boarding on Edgartown Great Pond with Campbell.  

A massive joint-agency search was launched when a 911 call was made from the Obamas’ Martha’s Vineyard home on Turkeyland Cove Road. The former president and first lady were not at the residence at the time.

The dispatch call said: ‘Edgartown Fire and Water rescue personnel, Turkeyland Cove Road. For a 40-year-old male, possible drowning.’ 

In the aftermath of the call, Chief Alex Schaeffer of the Edgartown Fire Department told the Vineyard Gazette, island police and firefighters conducted door-to-door searches.

Firefighters also searched the pond’s shoreline on foot. 

The search efforts resumed Monday morning for the venerated chef who was last seen wearing all black without a lifejacket.

His paddle board and hat were recovered Sunday – and his body was found around 10am Monday in the eight-foot-deep waters approximately 100 feet away from shore.

Campbell was last seen just before 8pm paddle boarding on the water in the pond behind Barack Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard property before falling under the water 

Search vehicles are seen on Turkeyland Cove Road on Sunday night. A joint-agency search started last night at Edgartown Great Pond

Emergency services rushed to the scene in Martha’s Vineyard last night. It’s understood that the 911 call and dispatch address for the incident came from Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard home

Pictured: Edgartown Great Pond.  The scene of the desperate search for Campbell was launched after a paddleboarder went missing in the water off Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday

The recovery mission was just yards away from former President Obama’s Massachusetts seven-bedroom home – a 6,892-square-foot mansion right near the water (pictured)

In a statement Monday, the Massachusetts State Police said: ‘Shortly before 10 AM the body of the missing paddle boarder was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond by Massachusetts State Police divers. 

‘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.’

A command post was later set up at Wilson’s Landing, which is across the narrow Cove from Obama’s mansion. 

Just after midday, Edgartown Police Department confirmed that Wilson’s Landing had been reopened. Edgartown Great Pond is an 890 acre body of water.

The investigation into the man’s death is being conducted by state police with the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office and Edgartown police. 

A view of Obama’s house from Turkeyland Cove where Campbell worked as the Obama’s personal chef 

The search for the missing paddleboarder is happening near Barack Obama’s estate. The former president bought the mansion, pictured here, in 2019

A helicopter, part of the search mission, is seen flying over the area on Monday morning 

The rescue mission was just yards away from former President Obama’s Massachusetts seven bedroom home – a 6,892-square-foot mansion right near the water. 

He bought the Martha’s Vineyard home in 2019 for $11.75million.

Previously, the huge estate was owned by Boston Celtics owner Wycliffe Grousbeck. 

The enormous property has a swimming pool, outdoor fire pit and vaulted ceilings. 

The are also two wings which run from the main house which is perfect to host guests. 

The former first family are no strangers to the island – having spent seven summers there while Barack was President

Their home is on the edge of Edgartown Great Pond, with views of the Atlantic Ocean

Outdoors, the land comes with its own private beach and a boathouse

Outdoors, the land comes with its own private beach and a boathouse.

Their home is on the edge of Edgartown Great Pond, with views of the Atlantic Ocean.

The former first family are no strangers to the island – having spent seven summers there while Barack was President. 

Obama is also a keen paddleboarder – and has been pictured engaging in the sport over the years on vacations in Hawaii. 

The Obama Foundation has been contacted by DailyMail.com for comment. 

The Secret Service did not comment.