The Tragedy Behind Jessica Vogel's 2018 Death

Celebrity chef Jessica Vogel's story is the classic tale of tragedy that can come from the dangers of fame. Vogel's stints on the hit show "Hell's Kitchen" and the Food Network's "Cutthroat Kitchen" may have raised her national profile, but the New Jersey native's life off-screen was also noteworthy (via Deadline).

According to northjersey.com, she began her culinary training in Denver at Johnson & Wales culinary school. Then true to her Jersey roots, Vogel returned home and worked at Kevin's Thyme. Always a hard worker, she also was a pastry chef under the tutelage of Christine Nunn. Later in life, she earned the executive chef position at Black Rebel Burger until it closed down.

In 2014, Vogel got the chance to be a chef on Gordon Ramsey's show "Hell's Kitchen," where she placed 12th out of 20 contestants. She later did a one-off episode of "Cutthroat Kitchen," another competition show hosted by Alton Brown, in 2016. Sadly, on July 30, 2018, Vogel passed away, and the story behind her death is a tragic one.

With so much success, Jessica Vogel's star was rising and shining brighter and brighter, but unfortunately, the chef was struggling behind the scenes with substance use issues that eventually led to her death.

According to northjersey.com, Vogel worried fans in October 2017 when she posted about her issues with drinking. "I'm weeks away from 34 years old and got told I drink too much and have cirrhosis," she wrote. "Did it stop me from pouring shots of alcohol? Nope. Did my lifestyle of sex, drugs, and foie gras come to a born-again Christian revelation? F*** that noise."

The years of heavy drinking took a costly toll on Vogel's body. In addition to the aforementioned cirrhosis (a liver disease), she was also diagnosed with colitis, an "chronic inflammatory bowel disease" which impacts the colon. While she was purported to be in rehab, it was sadly too late. Her fiance, John Keyser, announced that his love passed away on July 30, 2018. While she was being treated for her colitis issue, unfortunately, "her heart gave out," according to Keyser. While the end of her life is heartbreaking, the 34 years she spent on earth were inspiring to chefs worldwide. Rest in peace, Jessica Vogel.