Jock Zonfrillo death: Masterchef Australia judge dies age 46 - is cause of death known, who is his wife?

MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo has died aged 46, according to a statement from his family. The Glasgow-born chef had presented MasterChef Australia since 2019 and the new series was due to air on Australian television on Monday (1 May) night with guest Jamie Oliver.

This is everything you need to know. 

Who is Jock Zonfrillo?

Zonfrillo was a Scottish TV presenter and chef based in Melbourne, Australia. He is best known as the founder of The Orana Foundation and one of the Masterchef Australia judges alongside Andy Allen and Melissa Leong.

He was born in Glasgow on 4 August 1976 and began his career working in kitchens as a part time dishwasher at the age of 13, whilst he was still in school.

Speaking to Adelaide Now in 2014, Zonfrillo said: “I really didn’t give a f**k about school. I didn’t care about any of it because I had decided I was going to be a chef and so I had made up my mind that anything that I was doing at school was irrelevant.” 

At 15, Zonfrillo left school to become an apprentice chef at Turnberry Hotel in Ayrshire, a golf course known for regularly hosting the British Open. From there, he went on to work at the Michelin starred Arkle Restaurant in Chester, then for famous chef Marco Pierre White before travelling to Australia to work at Restaurant 41 in Sydney for a year.  

Upon his return to the UK, he was appointed the head chef of Cornwall's Hotel Tresanton at just 22. 

Zonfrillo made his way back to Australia in January 2000 and returned to Restaurant 41 to take on the head chef role. In 2013, he opened Restaurant Orana and Street ADL in Adelaide, later replacing Street ADL with Bistro Blackwood in 2017. Restaurant Orana was named Australia’s 2018 Restaurant of the Year by the Gourmet Traveller magazine, with Zonfrillo himself named Australia’s Hottest Chef in The Australian. 

In October 2019, Zonfrillo was announced as one of the new judges for MasterChef Australia that would be replacing George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston for the show's 12th season. In 2020, Zonfrillo was also confirmed as one of the judges for Junior MasterChef Australia. 

He struggled with addiction from his early years after first trying heroin as a teenager and was fired from his job aged 17 following a heated argument. In his 2021 memoir Last Shot, Zonfrillo charted his journey from “reckless drug addict” to one of Australia’s best-known chefs.

Was he married?

Zonfrillo was married three times throughout the course of his life. He married his third wife, Lauren Fried on 1 January 2017 after originally meeting on Twitter in 2014. Fried, a marketing strategist and entrepreneur, introduced herself to the chef after a friend said that Zonfrillo could be a great match for her. 

They met in a Sydney bar in person a few days later and, according to an interview with Mamamia’s No Filter podcast, Zonfrillo said he knew she was “it”.  

With two marriages behind both Zonfrillo and Fried, the couple began their relationship with searing honesty.

Zonfrillo said: “We both immediately went to a place, which was, “here’s what I don’t want in a relationship, and here’s what I don’t want for the future”. So we spent the next couple of weeks pouring our hearts out and just going, “it’s all on the table. So this is it. We can make a choice to move on with us or not”.” 

Then, six months later, the pair bought a house together and began their IVF journey to start their family. 

In February 2018, Fried gave birth to their son, Alfie, who was born two months premature, weighing in at only 1.2kgs. 

Zonfrillo said: “We couldn't touch him straightaway, and we [couldn't] hold him and his weight plummeted. I was just - I was petrified that we were going to lose him. It was horrible.”

He added: “[Fried and I] just held each other nonstop, physically and mentally. We were — we are — stronger together. There is no question about it. I can't imagine a life without Loz. The strength that she's got as a businesswoman, as a person and as a mother is phenomenal.”

Fried then gave birth to their daughter, Isla, in 2000. 

Zonfrillo also has two daughters from his previous marriages, Ava and Sofia. 

When did he die?

Zonfrillo died aged 46, on Sunday (30 April) in Melbourne, Australia. Victoria Police said they had attended an address on Lygon Street in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton for a welfare check where they found a body at around 2am on Monday (May 1). The death is not being treated as suspicious.

A statement from his family, posted on his Facebook page, said: “With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday.

“So many words can describe him, so many stories can be told, but at this time we’re too overwhelmed to put them into words. For those who crossed his path, became his mate, or were lucky enough to be his family, keep this proud Scot in your hearts when you have your next whisky.

“We implore you to please let us grieve privately as we find a way to navigate through this and find space on the other side to celebrate our irreplaceable husband, father, brother, son and friend.”

No details regarding Zonfrillo’s cause of death have been shared. 

In a joint statement issued by Network 10 and the programme’s producers Endemol Shine Australia, it was confirmed the presenter died in Melbourne on Sunday. The statement added the show will now not be broadcast this week.

It said: “Network 10 and Endemol Shine Australia are deeply shocked and saddened at the sudden loss of Jock Zonfrillo, a beloved member of the MasterChef Australia family. Jock passed away in Melbourne yesterday.

“Jock was known to Australians as a chef, best-selling author, philanthropist and MasterChef judge but he will be best remembered as a loving father, husband, brother and son.

“Determined and talented and with plenty of grit, Jock was born in Glasgow to an Italian father and a Scottish mother, which meant his formative years were heavily influenced by two strong cultures and it was his obsession with food and desire for a new pushbike that at just 12 years old fuelled Jock to knock on kitchen doors looking for a job.

“Jock’s love and passion for food saw him become one of the youngest culinary students to do an apprenticeship at The Turnberry Hotel at just 15 years of age. From that point onwards there was no holding him back and by 17 he was working alongside Marco Pierre White at his eponymous Restaurant Marco Pierre White.

“Throughout his career he worked with world famous chefs and in restaurants all over the world. His talent saw him shine in the world’s most formidable kitchens and he opened Bistro Blackwood and Restaurant Orana in Adelaide after moving to Australia.

“Jock’s Restaurant Orana was recognised with the coveted distinction of three hats in both 2019 and 2020 and he also received global accolades, accepting the prestigious Basque Culinary World Prize in 2018.

“In 2019, Jock was named as a judge on MasterChef Australia in which he took great pride in challenging and coaching the contestants and of course inspiring a nation of home cooks.

“Jock’s charisma, wicked sense of humour, generosity, passion and love for food and his family cannot be measured. He will be greatly missed.”

Tributes for Jock Zonfrillo

Following the news of Zonfrillo’s death, friends, family and fans have taken to social media to share their tributes for the Masterchef host.