Charlie Trotter, a famed Chicago chef, was found dead on Tuesday, it was reported.
Trotter was 54 years old. He owned an operated his namesake restaurant for 25 years before closing it last year.
A fire department source told NBC Chicago that Trotter was found unresponsive at a Chicago home and was hospitalized. He was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The cause of his death is not yet known.
Carrie Nahabedian, a friend, confirmed his death, citing his wife.
“My baby’s gone,” said Trotter’s wife, according to Nahabedian, reported the Chicago Tribune.
“I pinch myself every day that I get to do this for a living, but on the other hand, one must change their way,” he said earlier this week.
