The New Jersey chef, who competed in season 12 of the FOX reality show, was being treated for a chronic inflammatory bowel disease when 'her heart gave out.'
- Aug 2, 2018
AceShowbiz - Former "Hell's Kitchen" contestant Jessica Vogel has tragically died at age 34. The New Jersey chef passed away Monday morning, July 31 at a hospital in southern New Jersey. Her fiance John Michael Keyser said Vogel was being treated for colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, when "her heart gave out."
According to her obituary published in the Star Ledger on Wednesday, Vogel had battled drugs and alcohol issues throughout her life, but she had recently sought treatment at an in-patient rehabilitation program.
"Unfortunately, the damage done over the years was too great, and she died, like she lived, a fighter," the tribute reads. It continues, "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."
She is survived by her mother Donna Bruchmann, her sister Caitlin Johnstone, and her father Mark Vogel.
Johnstone posted a tribute to her sister on Facebook. "What Jessica loved more than anything was to make people smile. Everywhere she went, people knew her name and commented on her vivacious personality and huge smile," she wrote. "Her energy was contagious. Just being around my sister made me the happiest person in the world. That world has been taken away from me and I have never felt so lost."
Johnstone also invited friends and fans to attend a funeral service on Thursday, August 2 from 2 P.M. to 4 P.M. at Boulevard Funeral Home in New Milford, NJ.
Vogel competed in season 12 of "Hell's Kitchen" which aired in 2014 and in a chocolate-themed season 11 episode of "Cutthroat Kitchen" in 2016. Her fiance Keyser, who told NorthJersey.com that he talked to Vogel a week ago, said they "were planning to open a restaurant together." He added, "My heart is breaking."
