Former Top Chef contestant Fatima Ali dies at age 29 after cancer battle

Variety

The popular New York City chef who was named Top Chef's Season 15's fan favorite died Friday less than four months after revealing that her rare form of bone cancer, Ewing's sarcoma, had returned "with a vengeance" and that she was given a year to live. Ali was originally diagnosed with the disease in 2017 while she was competing on Top Chef, but she was declared cancer-free early last year. "It’s funny, isn’t it?" she wrote in a Bon Appetit essay. "When we think we have all the time in the world to live, we forget to indulge in the experiences of living. When that choice is yanked away from us, that’s when we scramble to feel. I am desperate to overload my senses in the coming months, making reservations at the world’s best restaurants, reaching out to past lovers and friends, and smothering my family, giving them the time that I so selfishly guarded before." Ali discussed her battle with cancer with Ellen DeGeneres last November and reunited with her Top Chef co-stars less than two weeks ago. Fellow Top Chef competitor Bruce Kalman shared the news of her death on Instagram, writing: "It’s with a heavy heart we say goodbye to Fatima Ali today, as she has lost her battle with cancer. I will miss you Fati, and you will be in my heart forever. I’ll always remember the great times we had, especially our interview during the tailgating episode discussing football, stadiums, and Taylor Swift."