Charlie Trotter found to have died from a stroke

26 November 2013 by
Charlie Trotter found to have died from a stroke

Celebrated Chicago chef Charlie Trotter died from a stroke, according to medical examiners in the USA.

Trotter's death on 5 November at the age of 54 attracted tributes from chefs around the world, including Thomas Keller at the French Laundry in California, who hailed him as a "visionary".

At the time, a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner said that Trotter's death did not appear suspicious and indicated that he had a history of seizures and strokes.

The subsequent autopsy has established that the chef did indeed die from a stroke related to high blood pressure, according to reports.

Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina said that neither drugs nor alcohol were involved, and that there was "no scientific evidence" that Trotter's recent travels had contributed to his death.

Trotter's wife, Rochelle Trotter also claimed that the chef had suffered an aneurysm months before he died, and that he had been taking medicine to control seizures, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Trotter won 10 awards from the prestigious James Beard Foundation over the course of his career and his Chicago restaurant Charlie Trotter's was awarded two stars from the Michelin Guide when it debuted in the Illinois city.

However he closed the critically-acclaimed 120-cover restaurant in August 2012 after 25 years in business, revealing his plans to return to education in order to study philosophy.

Two years earlier Trotter, who was widely known for his passion for precision and details, was forced to close two of his restaurants in Las Vegas after they were hit by recession. At the time he was given the opportunity to downgrade his restaurants at the Palazzo Resort, Hotel & Casino, but Trotter declined.

Rochelle Trotter, the company's director of business development, said at the time that Trotter chose "not to compromise the integrity of what we were offering".

Following the closure of Charlie Trotter's in Chicago, Trotter was reported to have run into legal troubles. He was sued earlier this year by two New York wine collectors who insist that a bottle of wine sold to them for $46,000 (£28,665) was not what it said on the label.

Charlie Trotter: tributes flood in for Chicago chef described as ‘global inspiration' >>

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