"Tafari was a beloved part of our family. Our hearts are broken that he's gone," the former president and former first lady Michelle said in a statement sent to PEOPLE
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00:00 Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama
00:04 are mourning the loss of Tafari Campbell, the former White House sous chef
00:07 who later became the Obama's personal chef.
00:10 Campbell died Monday in a paddleboarding accident in Massachusetts
00:14 near the Obama's Martha's Vineyard home.
00:16 He was 45 years old.
00:18 The Obamas shared a touching tribute following his death,
00:21 calling Campbell a beloved part of their family and remembering him as a warm,
00:25 funny, extraordinarily kind person who, quote,
00:28 "made all of our lives a little brighter."
00:30 Local authorities responded to a 911 call Sunday evening
00:33 for a male paddleboarder who had gone into the water,
00:36 appeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface,
00:38 and then submerged and did not resurface.
00:41 State police later confirmed Campbell's death to People,
00:44 saying in a news release that Campbell's body was recovered by divers
00:47 from a pond shortly before 10 a.m. on Monday.
00:50 According to the Obama's statement,
00:52 Campbell is survived by his wife, Cherise, and their twin sons.