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Entertainment
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Entertainment
Photos
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Entertainment
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The sad news broke Monday that New Jersey chef Joe Cerniglia, who appeared on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, committed suicide after jumping from the George Washington Bridge. Now, Ramsay is speaking out on the death of the 39-year-old, who was chosen for the restaurant makeover show while Cerniglia was reportedly in $80,000 worth of debt.
"I was fortunate to spend time with Joe during the first season of Kitchen Nightmares," Ramsay said. "Joe was a brilliant chef, and our thoughts go out to his family, friends and staff."
Cerniglia -- who owned the restaurant Campania in Fair Lawn, NJ -- also left behind a wife and three children.
"We're doing as best we can be now, things are a bit crazy right now," an employee of Cerniglia's told E! News, adding that they were still open for business despite the tragedy.
Cerniglia was second of Ramsay's television show contestants to commit suicide, as Hell's Kitchen competitor Rachel Brown shot herself in her family's Dallas home in 2007.
Send your condolences to the Cerniglia family here.
