MasterChef and Hell's Kitchen Star British Celebrity Chef Gary Rhodes Dies Aged 59

British celebrity chef Gary Rhodes has died aged 59. His family said in a statement, "The Rhodes family are deeply saddened to announce the passing of beloved husband, father and brother, Gary Rhodes OBE."

The family said that Rhodes died on Tuesday evening with his wife Jennie at his side. Rhodes gained his first Michelin star aged 26 while working at The Castle Hotel in England. Over the course of his career, he was head chef at five other Michelin-starred restaurants. In 2004, he set up his first overseas restaurant on the Caribbean island of Grenada, before opening several restaurants in the United Arab Emirates, reported CNN.

Well-known for his appearances on television shows MasterChef and Hell's Kitchen, he cooked for many celebrities, including Princess Diana, Tom Hanks and his favorite football team, Manchester United. He was also a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2008, in which he was partnered by professional dancer Karen Hardy.

In 2016, Rhodes was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to the industry. Celebrities from the culinary world paid tribute to Rhodes on Twitter. Chef Gordon Ramsay tweeted, "We lost a fantastic chef today in Gary Rhodes. He was a chef who put British Cuisine on the map." Ainsley Harriott, another TV chef, tweeted that Rhodes was "a culinary icon and a lovely man."

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