Home Australia Jock Zonfrillo: Twist in the death of MasterChef star almost a year after his body was found in a hotel room

Jock Zonfrillo: Twist in the death of MasterChef star almost a year after his body was found in a hotel room

by Elijah
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Jock Zonfrillo (pictured) died in May last year, just before the premiere of season 15 of Masterchef.

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The sudden death of Jock Zonfrillo remains under investigation almost a year after his body was found in a hotel room.

The 46-year-old MasterChef star was found dead at Zagame’s house hotel in Carlton, near Melbourne CBD, around 2 a.m. on April 30 last year.

At the time, his wife Lauren was in Italy with their two young children and had called Victoria Police to request a welfare check because he stopped answering her calls.

Sources close to the family maintained that Zonfrillo, a former heroin addict, died of natural causes. No drug paraphernalia was found in the hotel room.

However, in a curious twist, Daily Mail Australia can now reveal that the coroner is still investigating his death almost 10 months after the tragedy.

Jock Zonfrillo (pictured) died in May last year, just before the premiere of season 15 of Masterchef.

Jock Zonfrillo (pictured) died in May last year, just before the premiere of season 15 of Masterchef.

Jock Zonfrillo is pictured with his wife, Lauren, and their two youngest children.

Jock Zonfrillo is pictured with his wife, Lauren, and their two youngest children.

Jock Zonfrillo is pictured with his wife, Lauren, and their two youngest children.

“The death of Jock Zonfrillo remains under investigation by the coroner,” a Victorian coroner’s court spokesperson said.

“This is an active investigation.”

Zonfrillo, who had recently moved to Rome with his family just before his death, left his wife and two young children, Alfie and Isla, in Italy to return for the launch of the fifteenth season of MasterChef.

He checked into the hotel hours before the tragedy and was facing a big week of media commitments, but died the day before the show was to air.

The chef was buried at a private funeral in Sydney surrounded by 200 family and friends. Pallbearers included his wife Lauren and MasterChef co-host Andy Allen.

Zonfrillo opened up about his battle with heroin addiction, his rise to the top of the culinary world, and his relationship struggles in his 2021 memoir, Last Shot.

In the book, he spoke candidly about how he began working for British celebrity chef Marco Pierre White at age 17, when he was homeless and addicted to heroin.

Jock Zonfrillo died at Zagame's House hotel in Carlton, outside Melbourne

Jock Zonfrillo died at Zagame's House hotel in Carlton, outside Melbourne

Jock Zonfrillo died at Zagame’s House hotel in Carlton, outside Melbourne

When his boss realized he was sleeping in the restaurant, he found him accommodation and lent him cash.

Zonfrillo moved to Australia aged 20 in 1996 and got a job at Forty One in Sydney’s central business district. He used cocaine, pills, LSD and cannabis, but he kept his heroin addiction hidden from everyone.

He returned to the UK when his visa ran out in 1997.

Two years later, he took his last syringe of heroin in the Heathrow airport toilets before returning to Australia, and used that experience as inspiration for the title of his book.

He quit smoking cold turkey and maintained that his love of food and cooking saved his life.

Do you know more? Charlotte.Karp@mailonline.com

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