The widow of former President Barack Obama’s chef sent out a social media tribute to her late husband on Tuesday, a day after his body was found in a pond behind the Obamas’ Martha’s Vineyard home.
Sherise Campbell, the widow of Obama chef Tafari Campbell, asked for prayers in her grief.
“My heart is broken. My life and our family’s life is forever changed. Please pray for me and our families as I deal with the loss of my husband.. @chefafari,” Sherise Campbell said.
“No words can express what I am feeling,” she added in a separate Instagram post.
MV Times, a weekly newspaper on Martha’s Vineyard, reported that the 45-year-old Campbell had drowned while paddle boarding Sunday on Edgartown Great Pond, near the Obamas’ Martha’s Vineyard property.
Do you find this incident strange?
Yes: 100% (6 Votes)
No: 0% (0 Votes)
Campbell’s body was found Monday approximately 100 feet from the shore in water about eight feet deep, according to MV Times.
Campbell “went into the water, appeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface, and then submerged and did not resurface,” a Massachusetts State Police news release stated.
Barack and Michelle Obama released a statement commenting on Campbell’s death, saying, that the former chef was a “beloved part of our family,” and a “talented sous chef at the White House,” which is why they invited him to continue working for them even after leaving the White House in 2017.
“He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone,” their statement read, according to CNN.
“Today we join everyone who knew and loved Tafari – especially his wife Sherise and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin – in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man,” the statement continued.
Campbell was not alone in the pond.
According to the state police statement, another paddle boarder witnessed Campbell go under water.
In a Tuesday news release, the state police said the investigation is being overseen by the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District and Edgartown Police.
MSP released a separate report on Tuesday, which confirmed Tafari Campbell as the deceased paddle boarder, and noted that the Obamas were not present at their home during the incident.
