Mariusz Komenda, the chef who became known to viewers through “MasterChef Poland,” has died at age 44.
Komenda reached the semifinals during the eighth season of the Polish cooking competition in 2019. He died Wednesday, several months after receiving a diagnosis of a brain tumor.
Roland-gazeta.pl, a Polish news outlet based in Komenda’s hometown of Środa Śląska, was the first publication to report his death.
TVN, the broadcaster behind “MasterChef Poland,” later confirmed the news in a social media statement, according to People, which cited Polish media reports.
“It is with great sadness that we received the news of Mariusz Komenda’s death,” TVN said. “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” issued a separate tribute echoing TVN’s words, describing Komenda as a member of the show’s family who would be remembered for his “passion, energy, and a love for cooking,” according to People.
“It’s difficult to find words to express our grief,” the tribute 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 spoke publicly about his illness in March through a fundraising page linked to his Instagram account. He said doctors diagnosed him with a malignant brain tumor in early January after he was hospitalized with what physicians suspected was a 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.”
Late in January, Komenda was transferred to a hospital in Warsaw, where he underwent several “urgent, life-saving” procedures. One surgery removed the tumor from his right thalamus, while another removed part of his skull to “relieve pressure and give [him] a chance to keep fighting.”
Further testing found additional cancerous lesions in his body. Komenda said he was undergoing neurorehabilitation as he worked to regain his “physical function.”
He said the fundraising campaign was intended to help pay for his treatment and rehabilitation, expenses he described as “enormous and, unfortunately, beyond my means.”
Before his death, Komenda opened the Father & Son restaurant with his son in April 2025 in Środa Śląska, according to People.