Jessica Vogel From ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Has Died At Age 34

“Hell’s Kitchen” contestant Jessica Vogel has died at the age of 34. Known for her appearance on the 2014 season of the show, Vogel was being treated for colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, in New Jersey when her fiance says “her heart gave out.”

Vogel was best known for her appearance on Gordon Ramsay’s cooking competition, where she finished in 12th place, but she also worked at multiple restaurants in New Jersey, studied culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University in Denver and appeared on the Food Network show “Cutthroat Kitchen.”

According to her obituary, Vogel had more than just an appreciation for food; she was fascinated “with the genius required to pick quality ingredients and combine them in a unique and innovative way to create a true culinary experience.”As a result, her family writes, “she was very difficult to have dinner with because most meals fell far short.”

Her family says when she set her mind to something, there was no way to stop her and she was fearless when it came to work, never backing down from a challenge.

The obituary does not mention colitis as a factor in her death, but says that in the times in which we live, the pressure on young people to “stand out in a world where the intimate details of our lives are made public in blogs and on Facebook” took a toll on Vogel. Over the years, she turned to drugs and alcohol but had recently committed to living a better life and had graduated from an inpatient rehabilitation program with hopes of regaining control of her life.

“Unfortunately, the damage done over the years was too great and she died, like she lived, a fighter,” the obituary says. “She wants the message left behind not to be “sex, drugs and Foie Gras” but rather the importance of appreciating your talents, always working hard to improve, but to never forget that it is the loving heart that truly changes the world.”

Vogel leaves behind her mother Donna Bruchmann, sister Caitlin Johnstone, father Mark Vogel and her dog Morgan who she rescued as a puppy.

Hell’s Kitchen debuted in 2005 and will enter its 18th season in September. The TV show aired for a season in the U.K. with chef Gordon Ramsey at the helm of a group of celebrities he was charged with teaching to cook. The format shifted in the second U.K. season as well as in the American version to be the cooking competition it is today.