Mariusz Komenda, best known for appearing on “MasterChef Poland,” has died. He was 44.
The chef, who reached the semifinals of the show’s eighth season in 2019, died Wednesday, months after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Polish news outlet roland-gazeta.pl, based in Komenda’s hometown of Środa Śląska, was first to report the news.
TVN, the network that airs “MasterChef Poland,” confirmed Komenda’s death in a social media statement, according to People, which cited Polish media outlets.
“It is with great sadness that we received the news of Mariusz Komenda’s death,” the statement read. “Mariusz was part of the ‘MasterChef’ family. We will remember him as a man full of passion, energy, and a love for cooking.”
The creators of “MasterChef” also paid tribute to Komenda in a similar statement, echoing TVN’s remarks that he was “part of the ‘MasterChef’ family” and would be remembered as a man full of “passion, energy, and a love for cooking,” according to People.
“It’s difficult to find words to express our grief,” the statement continued. “We share in his grief with his family, loved ones and everyone who had the opportunity to know him. Mariusz, we will miss you very much.”
Komenda shared details of his diagnosis in March on a fundraising page linked to his Instagram account, revealing that he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in early January after being hospitalized with a “suspected stroke.”
“I thought it was just a temporary crisis. Unfortunately, the reality turned out to be far grimmer,” he wrote in a statement translated from Polish. “From that moment on, the hardest fight of my life began.”
Toward the end of January, Komenda was admitted to a hospital in Warsaw, where he underwent multiple “urgent, life-saving” surgeries, including one to remove the tumor in his right thalamus and another to remove a section of his skill to “relieve pressure and give [him] a chance to keep fighting.”
Subsequent tests revealed additional cancerous lesions in his body, and Komenda said he was “undergoing neurorehabilitation” in hopes of regaining his “physical function.”
He explained that he created the fundraising page to help cover the costs of his treatment and recovery, which he said were “enormous and, unfortunately, beyond my means.”
Before his death, Komenda opened the Father & Son restaurant with his son in April 2025 in his hometown of Środa Śląska, according to People.
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