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Gordon Ramsay mourns a 'brilliant chef'

Gordon Ramsay is mourning the suicide death of New Jersey restaurateur Joe Cerniglia who once appeared on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
/ Source: Us Weekly

Gordon Ramsay is mourning the suicide death of New Jersey restaurateur Joe Cerniglia who once appeared on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

"I was fortunate to spend time with Joe during the first season of Kitchen Nightmares," he said in a statement. "Joe was a brilliant chef, and our thoughts go out to his family, friends and staff."

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The body of the 39-year-old Cerniglia was found floating in the river after jumping off the George Washington Bridge in NYC, it was reported Tuesday. Cerniglia, a married father of three, reportedly was deep in debt.

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He is the second chef to commit suicide after appearing on one of Ramsay's cooking shows.

Rachel Brown, 41, shot herself in her family's Dallas home a year after appearing on 2006's Hell's Kitchen.

Chef was reportedly deep in debt