Ben Watkins: 'MasterChef Junior' star dies of cancer at 14 ~ was very optimistic despite tragic past of parents

Ben Watkins

 

Ben Watkins is a young American, recognized for his participation in season 6 of the children's version of ‘MasterChef’, in the United States.  He died on Monday, November 16 at the age of 14.

His death has generated many repercussions and several celebrities have remembered the teenager, who was characterized by his charisma despite the difficult moments that were presented to him.

Ben Watkins was one of the audience's favorite contestants thanks to his charisma on the set of "Fox."

Watkins, at age 11, managed to win the hearts of viewers during his time on ‘MasterChef Junior,’ a program in which he was at the beginning of 2018.

Ben Watkins came from just outside of Chicago and honed his fledgling culinary skills by working at his father Michael's barbecue restaurant.  Ben would operate the cash register and take orders, and also sold his own homemade cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls and banana bread.

He credited his baking skills to his mother, commenting: "My mom taught me everything she knew. Or I just picked it up by watching her."

But before his passage through the 'reality' he had to face a very tragic event: in September 2017, his father (Michael Watkins) murdered his mother (Leila Edwards) and then committed suicide, leaving him in the care of his grandmother and his uncle, Anthony Edwards.

The following year, aged 11, he was featured on the Fox show MasterChef Junior, where his eye for a dessert combined with his tragic back story made him a viewers' favourite.

Watkins' first appearance saw him compete as one of 40 contestants, aged between nine and 13, for 24 spots on the show and a chance to win the $100,000 prize.

He bagged the final white apron of the night, by impressing the judges with a peach cobbler with whipped cream and caramel sauce.  He ultimately placed in the top 18 on the show.

According to his uncle in an interview with the local 'Chicago Tribune,' Ben was always very optimistic despite facing such a difficult case of domestic violence as a child.

"I am one of the lucky ones because I have a grandmother and an uncle who love me," was one of the phrases of the young man that most moved Edwards.

In 2019, two years after being left without his parents, doctors found him with a very rare form of cancer called angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, a soft tissue tumor that occurs most often in children and young adults.

Between June and September 2020, he suffered a complication: a tumor on his neck went from being the size of a golf ball to that of a grapefruit. One of his lungs, his spine, and his shoulder also had similar tumors that required chemotherapy.

Ben battled this disease for 18 months, until his passing on Monday.

His uncle also told the media that the months before his death at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago were very hard for the young man, who used to feel "tortured" by the pain he suffered.

"Despite all the pain and illness he went through, he never complained, not once," said Edwards, who accompanied him to the end of his days.

For the uncle, the doctors' efforts were titanic, "but Ben's lungs could no longer give him the air he needed to breathe."

 

MasterChef Junior

Among many reactions, the chef and presenter of 'MasterChef Junior' Gordon Ramsay stood out, who dedicated a heartfelt message to the young man on his social networks.

"We have lost a master chef from 'MasterChef Junior'. Ben, you were an incredibly talented cook and an even stronger young man. Your young life had many difficult turns, but you always persevered. Sending all the love to Ben Watkins’ family with this terrible loss." Ramsay wrote on his Instagram account.

The FOX network, which broadcasts the program, has also expressed its condolences. “It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Ben Watkins, a beloved member of the MasterChef Junior family. Ben has overcome many things in his life with a remarkably positive attitude. He was a great role model for chefs of all ages and everyone at EndemolShine North America and FOX Entertainment will deeply miss him."

The family thanked in a statement on the networks the "outpouring of love from all corners of the world" by Watkins, and is that many people followed his evolution after the diagnosis, especially in his hometown of Gary, Indiana. "Ben suffered more than his fair share in his fourteen years on Earth," the statement said. "But we are comforted to know that his suffering is finally over and that, in the end, Ben knew he was loved by many."