Ben Watkins, a charismatic teenager who shot to fame on “MasterChef Junior,” has died at the age of 14 due to cancer, according to several reports.
The Indiana teenager was undergoing chemotherapy at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago for angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, which had left tumors in his spine, shoulder and lung, before he passed away Monday, according to a report from the Times of Northwest Indiana. His doctors told family that he was only one of about six people who lived with the rare condition.
“Our Ben went home to be with his mother Monday afternoon after a year-and-a-half battle with cancer,” maternal grandmother Donna Edwards and uncle Anthony Edwards said in a statement. “After losing both of his parents in September 2017, we have marveled about Ben’s strength, courage and love for life. He never, ever complained. Ben was and will always be the strongest person we’ve known.”
The 14-year-old had spent the last several months trying to minimize the size of his tumors through chemotherapy. His family had previously released a statement about his condition and how fans doled out messages of love as he endured cancer.
“When Ben’s rare illness was shared with the world, he was so heartened by the outpouring of love he received from every corner of the world — especially here in his hometown of Gary, Indiana,” the Edwards family said in a statement.
Ben had been living with his uncle and grandmother since his father, Mike Watkins, killed his mother, Leila Edwards, in an act of domestic violence.
In 2018, Ben had appeared on Season 6 of the culinary contest on Fox, hosted by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
Ramsay released a statement about Ben’s death and the impact he had in his short, tumultuous life.
“We lost a Master of the @MasterChefJrFOX kitchen today. Ben you were an incredibly talented home cook and even stronger young man. Your young life had so many tough turns but you always persevered.”
He had hoped to pursue a career as an engineer or a chef, a passion that he honed on the television show and beyond. To keep his skills sharpened, Ben would cook at the local barbecue joint Ben’s Bodacious BBQ in Miller, Indiana. It was the restaurant of his late parents, and the residents there often looked forward to interacting with the gregarious chef at the front counter, family friend Rudy Lomberger told the Times.
“I know a lot of Miller residents are hurting today because of this news,” he said. “I will remember him for his infectious energy, that obviously everyone noticed, including MasterChef.”
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