Ben Watkins, 14, ‘MasterChef Junior’ alum, dies of cancer
Ben Watkins, the 14-year- old “MasterChef Junior” alum and fan favorite, died Monday following a year-and-a-half battle with cancer.
Watkins, who lost both parents in a 2017 tragedy, had been diagnosed with the rare illness angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma shortly after his 13th birthday.
“Our Ben went home to be with his mother Monday afternoon,” a statement from his grandmother Donna Edwards and uncle Anthony Edwards posted on the #Love4Ben GoFundMe fundraising page, stated. “We have marveled at Ben’s strength, courage and love for life. He never ever complained.
Ben was and always will be the strongest person we know.”
Before his parents died in what investigators called a murdersuicide, Watkins helped out at his family’s restaurant that had been named after him — Big Ben’s Bodacious Barbecue, Bakery & Deli.
He was 11 when he appeared on the sixth season of the hit culinary competition, becoming a fan favorite and making it to the final 18. He listed his signature dish as fried chicken with mashed potatoes.
The family thanked the “outpouring of love from every corner of the globe” for Ben that followed the announcement of his diagnosis, especially in his hometown of Gary, Indiana. Ben was treated at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
“Ben suffered more than his share in his fourteen years on Earth,” the statement said. “But we take solace in that his suffering is finally over and that, in the end, Ben knew he was loved by so many.”
“MasterChef Junior” host Gordon Ramsay posted an Instagram tribute Tuesday saying he was “heartbroken” over “this terrible loss.”