The Obama family is mourning the passing of their official-turned-personal chef who died in a paddleboard incident near the home of the former first family in Massachusetts.

45-year-old Tafari Campbell, worked in the White House during Obama's eight years in Washington before accepting to continue in the employment of the Obamas after Obama left office in 2016.

Paaddleboard is a board that one lies, stands, knees on and uses a paddle to move across the water.

Police account as reported by BBC

On Sunday, he went missing in the waters of Edgartown Great Pond on Martha's Vineyard.

Mr Campbell had been visiting the Massachusetts island from his home in Virginia at the time of his death. Police say the Obama family was not home at the time of the accident.

The search was launched on Sunday night for "a male paddleboarder who had gone into the water, appeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface, and then submerged and did not resurface," according to a police report.

"Another paddleboarder was on the pond with him at the time and observed him go under the water," it added.

On Monday, his body was found "approximately 100 feet (30 meters) from shore at a depth of about eight feet".

The Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit is investigating his death, but it is believed to have been an accident, CBS News reported.

The Obamas mourn Tafari

"Tafari was a beloved part of our family. When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House - creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together," Obama and Michelle said on Monday, July 24.

"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."

When it was time for the first family to depart Washington, they asked Mr Campbell to join them and he "generously agreed" the Obamas' statement added.

"He's been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he's gone. Today we join everyone who knew and loved Tafari - especially his wife Sherise and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin - in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man."