Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay are among those who have paid their respects to fellow TV chef Gary Rhodes, following the news of his death at the age of 59.
Gary’s family confirmed that he had died on Wednesday morning, with tributes quickly flooding in on social media.Fellow chef Gordon was among the first to pay his respects, writing: “We lost a fantastic chef today in Gary Rhodes. He was a chef who put
British Cuisine on the map.
“Sending all the love and prayers to your wife and kids. You’ll be missed.”
Jamie also sent his condolences in an
Instagram post, writing: “Sadly Chef Gary Rhodes OBE passed away. My heartfelt sympathies to his wife , kids, friends and family, sending love and thoughts.
“Gary was a fantastic chef and incredible ambassador for British cooking, he was a massive inspiration to me as a young chef. He reimagined modern British cuisine with elegance and fun. Rest in peace chef.”We lost a fantastic chef today in Gary Rhodes. He was a chef who put British Cuisine on the map. Sending all the love and prayers to your wife and kids. You’ll be missed Gx pic.twitter.com/RRWlWhjup8— Gordon Ramsay (@GordonRamsay) November 27, 2019 View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jamie Oliver (@jamieoliver) on Nov 27, 2019 at 1:22am PSTOther figures from the world of both food and television also remembered the celebrity chef and TV personality, with the official Great British Chefs account writing: “We are deeply saddened to hear the news of Gary Rhodes passing. He was a hugely influential chef, who will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with his family.”So sad to hear the news about Gary Rhodes. A true culinary icon and a lovely man. Sending my love and thoughts to his wife Jennie and their boys. RIP, my friend. xx— Ainsley Harriott (@AinsleyFoods) November 27, 2019We are deeply saddened to hear the news of Gary Rhodes passing. He was a hugely influential chef, who will be greatly missed.Our thoughts are with his family. https://t.co/6oTIluybou— Great British Chefs (@gbchefs) November 27, 2019Hugely influential in my life and the life of the British food scene. Gent and genius...RIP Gary, I can’t believe you’re gone https://t.co/8g8M93uJrBpic.twitter.com/tAcLWONYjH— James Martin (@jamesmartinchef) November 27, 2019oh my goodness! just heard the tragic news that Gary Rhodes has died. Always a lovely man who gave me great advice when I first started out. Love and thoughts to Jennie and the boys— simonrimmer (@simonrim) November 27, 2019Very sad to get a message this morning from Dubai informing me of the brilliant Chef and mentor Gary Rhodes passing last night. What a shining star for British gastronomy. Rest well Chef— Simon Hulstone (@Hulstone) November 27, 2019😥 https://t.co/5M5kg3OmZL— Naga Munchetty (@BBCNaga) November 27, 2019So so sad to hear about Gary Rhodes. His banana and syrup loaf was the first thing I baked all on my own. The pages are stuck together with syrup 💔 So much love to his family #garyrhodes— Candice Brown (@CandiceBrown) November 27, 2019Gutted to hear of the passing of Gary Rhodes today. Great memories of working with him on Take on the takeaway all those years ago. Rest in peace. #garyrhodes— Dean Edwards (@Deanedwardschef) November 27, 2019Family statement on the terribly sad news about Gary Rhodes: The Rhodes family are deeply saddened to announce the passing of beloved husband, father and brother, Gary Rhodes OBE. Gary passed away last evening, Tuesday 26th November 2019, at the age of 59...— Richard Vines (@Richardvines) November 27, 2019I’ve just heard the news about #GaryRhodes. Utterly shocked and heartbroken! We spent years of fun with Gary and Jenny before they left for Dubai. He was a proper ‘mate’ and the news hasn’t sunk in yet. Sending all our love to Jen and the boys at this incredibly sad time 😭— Cheryl Baker (@Cherylbaker) November 27, 2019In addition to his career as a chef and restaurateur – which included serving as the head chef at Mayfair’s Greenhouse Restaurant, before opening his own restaurants around the world – Gary was well-known for his appearances on TV.
As well as fronting his own cooking shows like Rhodes Around
Britain and Gary’s Perfect
Christmas, Gary hosted the first two series of the US version of MasterChef.
He also succeed Gordon Ramsay as the face of Hell’s Kitchen in the
UK, where he was one of two chefs who led teams on the second series alongside Jean-Christophe Novelli.
Gary also competed on the sixth series of
Strictly Come Dancing in 2008, where he was partnered with professional ballroom star Karen Hardy.
He was made an OBE in 2006 for his services to the British hospitality industry.