On Sunday afternoon, the authorities of Martha’s Vineyard, an exclusive enclave off the coast of Massachusetts where many celebrities own mansions, were alerted that a man who rode there on a paddle surf board seemed to be in trouble, so much so that he had disappeared under the waters. After raising the alarm and starting a search device, it was Monday when he finally appeared, already lifeless. Then his identity has been revealed. The deceased was Tafari Campbell, 45, a personal cook for the Obamas who had worked for the ex-presidential spouse since their days in the White House.
Campbell has drowned in the waters surrounding the area where the Obamas own a large residence they bought in 2019. The former president and the lawyer were not in the house at the time, as has been reported. release the Massachusetts police, who explained that Campbell “was spending a few days” on the island. But neither the police nor the family nor Obama themselves have clarified whether at that time the cook was staying at the home of the former president, with whom he had a close relationship for more than a decade. In a joint statement, Barack and Michelle Obama have mourned the sad loss of their collaborator and have assured that they join the mourning of his family “for the loss of a truly wonderful man.” Born in Dumfries, Virginia, Campbell had a wife, Sherise, whom he had been married to for more than 23 years, and twin sons, Savin and Zavier.
It was around a quarter to eight in the afternoon on Sunday when the emergency services received the notice that there was a man in the water who sank and floated again, according to eyewitnesses. Apparently, he was not wearing a life jacket and, as far as it has been reported, there was someone else with him. Then, the agents approached the Obama house (although it was not on the island these days) and began the search, which lasted for about 15 hours. The sea conditions were good and the temperature was around 21 degrees. The table appeared the same Sunday.
On Monday, shortly after 10 in the morning, the body was found more than 30 meters away from the shore and about two and a half meters deep thanks to a sonar search, as explained by the Massachusetts police department, which has used trackers, divers, firefighters and air forces for the rescue. Finally, the body of Campbell appeared in Edgartown Great Pond, a lagoon with access to the sea in the south of the island, very close to where the Obamas have their house, located in an area called Turkeyland Cove Road. The Edgartown Police Department has opened an investigation into the death.
“Tafari was a very dear part of our family,” Barack and Michelle Obama have recounted in the statement in which they mourn Campbell’s death. “When we met him he was a talented sous chef [subjefe de cocina] in the White House, creative and passionate about food, and a great team player. In later years, we came to know him as an extraordinarily warm, funny, and kind person who made our lives a little bit brighter. That is why, as we were preparing to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed. She has been a part of our lives ever since, and the loss of her makes our hearts break.” During his days at the presidential residence in Washington, Campbell was one of those in charge of producing honey on the south lawn of the mansion, and collecting it together with the then first lady; a honey with which he himself made beer in the White House itself.
The Obamas spent seven summers of Barack’s presidency on Martha’s Vineyard. Their taste for the place led them to end up buying a house of almost 700 square meters on the luxurious island. They bought it shortly before the pandemic, from the owner of the Boston Celtics, Wycliffe Grousbeck, and it is valued at more than 13 million euros. It has a swimming pool, outdoor barbecues, fireplace, a residence in the garden for guests and private access to the beach.
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