Masterchef‘s Jock Zonfrillo has been sung to his rest by close friend Jimmy Barnes at an intimate funeral in Sydney.
Barnes, who considered Zonfrillo “like a brother”, performed Amazing Grace at Saturday’s service with daughter Mahalia Barnes.
The 46-year-old host was found dead in Melbourne on May 1, shocking family, the Australian TV industry and global celebrity chefs.
The late chef’s coffin was later carried out of the building by wife Lauren and Masterchef co-host Andy Allen.
“I know days like this are meant to be a celebration of someone’s life, so I will try really hard to do that through my immense sadness,” his wife said at the service, Ten News reported.
Lauren said: “We are two halves that found each other at the exact moment in life when we were ready.
“We were ready for that big love to live a life of adventure, to become parents together, to imagine extraordinary things and to actually make them happen.”
Zonfrillo’s daughter Ava said: “It goes without saying that at the heart of everything you did was family.
“And one of the hardest things to accept is that you won’t be here to see ours grow.”
The service was also attended by celebrity chefs George Calombaris, Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge, who was visually upset.
Zonfrillo passed away suddenly in a Melbourne hotel room on May 1. His death is not being treated as suspicious.
The father of four was born in Glasgow to an Italian father and Scottish mother and moved to Australia permanently more than two decades ago.
He opened Adelaide restaurants Bistro Blackwood and Orana after working in top kitchens around the world including Marco Pierre White’s acclaimed restaurant in London.
Zonfrillo won the prestigious Basque Culinary World Prize in 2018 and joined MasterChef Australia in 2019.
After his death, chefs Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay both fondly recalled working with Zonfrillo on the series.
“Jock was very generous to me with his time and spirit in the show and for that I was very grateful,” Oliver wrote in a tribute last week.
Allen also publicly mourned his co-host, who’d become an “inspirational and important part” of his life.
“I’ll miss you looking out for me every single day. Thanks for making me constantly laugh and being there when I needed to cry,” he said.
The latest series of MasterChef, filmed before Zonfrillo’s death, premiered six days after his passing.
– with AAP
