Rising cooking star Ben Watkins, best known for his appearance on “MasterChef: Junior,” is dead after an 18-month battle with an extremely rare form of cancer, according to The Chicago Tribune. He was 14 years old.
Family members of the season-six contestant shared the news on social media via attorney Trent McCain. Watkins died on Monday, Nov. 16, after a fight against angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, an extremely rare soft tissue tumor that occurs in only a small number of children and young adults, at the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. He was surrounded by his family and an enormous Marvel Comic Collection.
“After losing both of his parents in September 2017, we have marveled at Ben’s strength, courage and love for life,” Watkins’ uncle Anthony Edwards and grandmother Donna Edwards said in a statement posted on the GoFundMe page for the young boy. “He never, ever complained. Ben was and will always be the strongest person we know. When Ben’s rare illness was shared with the world, he was so heartened by the outpouring of love he received from every corner of the globe –especially here in his hometown of Gary, Indiana.”
The statement concluded, “Ben suffered more than his share in his fourteen years on this Earth but we take solace in that his suffering is finally over, and in that, in the end, Ben knew he was loved by so many.”
The young star learned of his diagnosis shortly before his 13th birthday. He was one of only six people in the world to have the rare form of cancer.
Watkins’ death comes nearly three years after the young chief lost his parents in a murder-suicide. In 2017, The Chicago Tribune reported that the boy’s parents were found dead after a domestic violence incident. Watkins’ father, Michael Watkins, 46, shot and killed his wife, Leila Edwards, 43, and then himself in their home in Gary, Indiana.
During that time, the then 11 year old was filming the sixth season of the cooking reality show, hosted by award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay. Although Watkins didn’t finish the full season, he placed in the top 18 and quickly became a fan favorite.
Chef Ramsay paid his respects via Twitter following the tragic news, writing, “We lost a Master of the @MasterChefJrFOX kitchen today. Ben you were an incredibly talented home cook and even stronger young man.” He added, “Your young life had so many tough turns but you always persevered. Sending all the love to Ben Watkins’ family with this terrible loss Gx.”