Tafari Campbell, Barack Obama's personal chef, found dead in lake

A body recovered from a lake in the Massachusetts resort community of Martha's Vineyard was identified by officials as Tafari Campbell, the personal chef of former US President Barack Obama.

Authorities said that the missing person was 45-year-old Tafari Campbell who was also a paddle boarder.

Authorities had searched the area for two days after a paddle boarder was seen struggling and drowning in the water in Edgartown Great Pond Sunday night near a home owned by the Obamas.

According to a statement released by former president and former first lady Michelle Obama Monday, Campbell had been a sous chef at the White House and continued to work for the family after Obama completed his second term in 2016.

"Tafari was a beloved part of our family," the Obamas said in a joint statement.

"He was ... creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together. 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."

Divers began searching for Campbell Sunday, after receiving a call that a male paddle boarder had gone into the water and then appeared to struggle before going under, police said.

He did not resurface, authorities noted.

Campbell's body was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond Monday, the Massachusetts State Police said.

“The chef leaves behind his wife, Sherise, and twin sons,” the Obamas said.

"At the time of his death, Campbell, who lived in Dumfries, Virginia, was visiting Martha's Vineyard, but the Obamas were not present," the Massachusetts State Police said.

His death is being investigated by authorities, according to the police said.