'Hell's Kitchen' Alum Jessica Vogel Dies at 34

Jessica Vogel, a former contestant on the cooking competition Hell's Kitchen with chef Gordon [...]

Jessica Vogel, a former contestant on the cooking competition Hell's Kitchen with chef Gordon Ramsay, has died, reports NorthJersey.com. She was 34.

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(Photo: Fox)

Vogel, who died on Monday, appeared on season 12 of the series in 2014. Her fiancé, John Michael Keyser, told NorthJersey.com that Vogel was being treated for the inflammatory bowel disease colitis at a New Jersey hospital when "her heart gave out."

Keyser said that he and Vogel "were planning to open a restaurant together."

"My heart is breaking," he said.

Vogel attended culinary school in Denver and auditioned for the Fox show while working at a creperie and bakery in California. She began her career working at Kevin's Thyme in the Ho-Ho-Kus neighborhood of New Jersey and went on to work for chef Christine Nunn as a pastry chef at Grange in New Jersey. She also worked as an executive chef at Black Rebel Burger.

She temporarily moved to the Jersey shore three months ago to be with family, Keyser said.

An obituary for Vogel described her as a "local legend for foodies in Bergen County," adding that she had struggled with alcohol and drug use, and "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 added, "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."

In October, Vogel seemingly admitted to having a drinking problem on medium.com.

She wrote, "...when my sister says start a blog, the narcissistic alcoholic in me thinks me and I. Perfect. I'm f–ed up. Truly. Sure. I was on Hells kitchen with Chef Ramsay and Cutthroat Kitchen on Food Network. I went to culinary school in Denver, grew up at the Jersey shore was raised by Mormon nannies in a mansion, dated a coastie and had a stint of living near strippers in St. Pete, [Florida]."

She continued, "I'm weeks away from 34 years old and got told I drink too much and have cirrhosis. Did it stop me from pouring shots of alcohol? Nope. Did my lifestyle of sex, drugs and foie gras come to a born again Christian revelation? F— that noise... I don't know if you want an adventure tale, but I'm here and ready to tell. My name is Jess and I've lived to tell about it. To be continued…"

The post has been deleted, reports NorthJersey.com.

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