The Tragic Death Of Gordon Ramsay's Protégée David Dempsey
Gordon Ramsay is one of the most influential chefs in the world. He has seen many highs and lows throughout his journey in the culinary industry. One of his toughest moments was losing a talented colleague and his protégée, David Dempsey, in 2003 (via The Guardian). The chef was shocked when he heard about Dempsey's death and said, "He was a very talented chef, very young, passionate, dedicated, focused and energetic. His career meant everything to him."
According to the Independent, Dempsey was gifted and seemed like he was set to achieve great things. He was just 31 years old and was working as head chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea. He was also known to have been instrumental in working with Ramsay to help his Glasgow eatery, Amaryllis, get noticed by the public. It was even awarded a Michelin star during Dempsey's time at the restaurant. The chef was popular and most people who knew him were certain that he would achieve many more milestones. Sadly, none of this came to pass and Dempsey's body was discovered on May 3, 2003.
David Dempsey's death was a tragic incident
Per The Guardian, David Dempsey had consumed cocaine on the night he died. He was fatally injured after he fell from a window ledge. Shortly before he died, Dempsey did tell another chef about his drug consumption and said, "I did a bit of Charlie earlier." As per officials, he did break into strangers' homes that night, got violent, and injured himself in the process. A toxicologist noted that Dempsey had around "1.36mg of cocaine per liter of blood." He said, "A level of 0.9mg/liter can indicate severe toxicity which can be manifested in many ways including a coma and death."
However, those close to Dempsey claimed that he didn't do drugs. Gordon Ramsay himself said that it never crossed his mind that Dempsey took drugs. That said, he did mention that he met Dempsey before he died and he seemed stressed out. Ramsay said, "It wasn't the normal David ... it was a guy that was, for me, looking as though he was under pressure."
According to E! News, during an appearance on "The Jonathan Ross Show," he also expressed regret later and said that he wished he could've spotted the signs earlier. Ramsay said, "Cooking at a level where everyone is under that pressure but you don't need that substance to continue. It was a big loss."
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Dempsey's family was unhappy with Ramsay's response
According to Express Digest, Gordon Ramsay filmed a television documentary after Dempsey's death in 2017. While Ramsay expressed remorse and sadness for the loss and for his missing the signs of drug use, Dempsey's family felt that their son had been used for Ramsay to "cash in." Eileen Dempsey continues to believe that her son's death was not an accident and that the truth of what happened the night of his death has not been revealed. Apparently, she even studied forensic science at the college level in an attempt to gain the ability to examine the evidence for herself. However, it does not appear that she has been given that opportunity. Dempsey's mother also felt that Ramsay was "insensitive" and showed "no respect." She said it felt like Ramsay had "put a knife through [her] heart."
While the feelings Eileen Dempsey has toward Ramsay are far from accepting of his actions, Dempsey's son must have made peace with Ramsay. According to the Daily Record, Ramsay decided to teach Dempsey's son to become a chef. "For me now, dealing with David Dempsey's son and having him training under my tutelage and watching him grow, God if only his father was here to witness that. He's missing out on a lot," Ramsay said. Though the young Dempsey wasn't the Dempsey that anyone expected to see in the Ramsay kitchen, his son's interest in cooking is still a beautiful remembrance of his father's legacy.