Tafari Campbell: Police say nothing suspicious with chef’s drowning as Obama daughters leave island
The Obamas referred to Tafari Campbell as ‘a beloved part of our family’ after his body was recovered from Martha’s Vineyard’s Great Pond on Monday
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Massachusetts Police have said that there is “no evidence” of anything “suspicious” with the drowning death of the Barack Obama’s personal chef Tafari Campbell.
Campbell, 45, tragically died in a paddleboarding accident in the water close to the former president’s home in Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday night.
Police in Edgartown, Massachusetts, confirmed on Monday morning that his body had been recovered from the town’s Great Pond.
Campbell had worked for the Obamas at the White House and then joined the family as their personal chef afterwards. Police said Barack and Michelle Obama were not at home when Campbell died but were on the island.
Their daughters Sasha and Malia were spotted leaving Martha’s Vineyard after the tragedy.
“Tafari was a beloved part of our family,” the Obamas said in a statement on Monday.
“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.”
In an update on Tuesday, Massachusetts Police said that “he was not wearing a personal flotation device and was not leashed to the paddle board” when he fell into the water.
He was with a fellow paddle boarder – who has not been named – who tried to help but could not reach him in time, police said.
“The other paddleboarder then swam to shore and notified a person on shore of what had happened,” police said.
“That person placed a 911 call to the Dukes County Regional Emergency Communications Center, which initiated an immediate emergency search and rescue response by numerous public safety agencies.”
Old White House video shows Campbell brewing beer
A video has emerged showing Tafari Campbell brewing beer for Barack Obama back in 2012, thought to be the first time any president has brewed alcohol on the actual White House grounds.
"You don't want to go too fast, creating a lot of air, which will make the beer taste bad," Campbell tells the camera as he siphons liquid into a container in a video posted to YouTube that year.
The part featuring Campbell himself starts around 1m54.
Conspiracy theorists flock to widow's Instagram page
All too predictably, the conspiracy theories have already begun.
On Monday night an Instagram post by Tafari Campbell's wife Sherise had been inundated with comments groundlessly claiming that the chef had been murdered by Barack Obama.
"Sorry for your loss, but Obama did it," said one. "Your partner worked for some very evil people," said another. One used the hashtag #ObamaBodyCount, referring to long-running smears against the Obama and Clinton families.
There were numerous similar posts on Twitter, and in far right channels on the chat app Telegram.
Perhaps this should go without saying, but there is absolutely no reason at this time to think that Campbell was murdered. Police have not given any sign that they suspect foul play, instead citing witness testimony suggesting that Campbell drowned by accident.
Unfortunately, a lack of evidence has never prevented the USA's first Black president from being a magnet for conspiracy theories, especially in the post-Trump era where such fantasies have become obligatory on many parts of the American right.
Obamas mourn ‘truly wonderful man’
The Obamas have paid tribute to their longtime personal chef, describing him as "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 family said.
"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."
Obamas pay tribute to personal chef who died while paddleboarding near family mansion
Father-of-two Tafari Campbell was 45
ICYMI: Everything we know so far
In case you missed it earlier, here's a roundup of everything we know so far, by Io Dodds and Andrea Blanco.
Emergency services were called to the Obama residence around 7.40pm on Sunday, with a witness telling officers that they had seen another paddleboarder sink underwater after struggling to stay on the surface.
Divers and boats with sonar were brought in to aid the search, leading to the recovery of the paddleboarder's body on Monday morning.
That afternoon, police named the man as 45-year-old Tafari Campbell, who had worked as a personal chef to the Obama family during their time in the White House and continued to work for them after Barack Obama left office.
Read their full story here.
Tafari Campbell’s wife posts heartbreaking tribute
Tafari Campbell’s wife posted a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram after his body was found off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard on Monday.
Sherise Campbell shared an image of her husband smiling with the caption: “Heartbroken.”
Who was Tafari Campbell?
Campbell’s name was already familiar to aides, journalists and other people who had worked in and around the Obama White House between 2008 and 2016.
As a longtime chef to America’s 44th president, he had appeared in photos taken by the Associated Press and in a YouTube video posted by Mr Obama’s staff.
“Tafari was a beloved part of our family,” the Obamas said in a statement on Monday.
“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, pictured on the South Lawn of the White House in November 2008
A video posted by the then president’s office in 2012 showed Campbell brewing beer using honey from the beehive Michelle Obama had set up on the building’s South Lawn, thought to be the first time anyone has brewed or distilled alcohol on the actual White House premises.
“You don’t want to go too fast, creating a lot of air, which will make the beer taste bad,” Campbell said on camera as he siphoned liquid into a container in a video posted to YouTube that year.
Tafari Campbell’s Instagram posts suggest he may only have recently learned to swim confidently
Some of Tafari Campbell’s Instagram posts suggested he may only have learned to swim, or to swim confidently, within the last five years or so.
In October 2017, he posted a photo showing him and his wife Sherise standing chest deep in crystal-blue waters in Aruba, with the hashtag “#stillcantswim”. One follower asked: “But can you swim though? Lol.”
Campbell responded with a “weary face” emoji, suggesting frustration or lamenting. The Independent has contacted that person for comment.
WATCH: Obama family’s chef Tafari Campbell found dead in Martha’s Vineyard
Everything we know so far
Here’s a roundup of everything we know so far, by Io Dodds and Andrea Blanco.
Emergency services were called to the Obama residence around 7.40pm on Sunday, with a witness telling officers that they had seen another paddleboarder sink underwater after struggling to stay on the surface.
Divers and boats with sonar were brought in to aid the search, leading to the recovery of the paddleboarder’s body on Monday morning.
That afternoon, police named the man as 45-year-old Tafari Campbell, who had worked as a personal chef to the Obama family during their time in the White House and continued to work for them after Barack Obama left office.
Read their full story here.
Old White House video shows Campbell brewing beer
A video has emerged showing Tafari Campbell brewing beer for Barack Obama back in 2012, thought to be the first time any president has brewed alcohol on the actual White House grounds.
“You don’t want to go too fast, creating a lot of air, which will make the beer taste bad,” Campbell tells the camera as he siphons liquid into a container in a video posted to YouTube that year.
The part featuring Campbell himself starts around 1m54.
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