EDGARTOWN, Mass. — Former President Barack Obama’s personal chef has drowned near the family’s home on Martha’s Vineyard.

       Massachusetts State Police confirmed that the paddleboarder whose body was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond on Monday was Tafari Campbell, 45, of Dumfries, Virginia.

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       Campbell was employed by the Obamas and was visiting Martha’s Vineyard. The Obamas were not present at the home at the time of the accident.

       In a statement, the former president and his wife, Michelle Obama, called Campbell a “beloved part of our family.”

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       “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 couple 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.”