‘Top Chef’ contestant Howard Kleinberg dies at 46 (PHOTOS)

• Top Chef contestant Howard Kleinberg has died.
• What killed the restaurateur at 46.
• May he rest in peace.

One more tragedy strikes the world of TV! After a TV star was found dead in a room surrounded by strange items, now the death of reality contestant Howard Kleinberg has been announced.

«The #TopChef family is saddened to learn of the unexpected passing of Season 3’s Howard Kleinberg,» the show said in a message posted on Twitter. The worst part was how the chef died at the young age of 46.

How did Top Chef contestant Howard Kleinberg die?

«Howie’s passion for cooking touched many and our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends,» the show added. According to the Miami Herald, the Top Chef alum’s mother revealed that her son died of a heart attack over the weekend.

«I’m finding out how many lives he touched,» his mother told the Miami Herald after receiving multiple condolence calls. “He was married to his passion in life, which was cooking,” she added. The 46-year-old owned the Bulldog Barbecue in North Miami.

Did he die because of a family disease?

Howard Kleinberg’s father also died of a heart attack, at an even younger age than the Top Chef alum. Kleinberg’s life was always centered around the kitchen, with his father running a hotdog business and his mother working in the world of catering.

One of his first jobs was at the Intercontinental Hotel restaurant in downtown Miami, notes the Miami Herald. “He came home the first day complaining: ‘Look how red my hands are!’ But after a couple of weeks, he said, ‘I think I kind of like this,'» his mother said.

“He was very hardworking, very dedicated”

The name of his restaurant comes from the nickname «Bulldog», which he earned for his assertive personality. “He was very hardworking, very dedicated and loved this industry,” said Lee Schrager, founder of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, who helped the young chef get his job at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Despite his strong personality, the Top Chef alum also showed his humanity on several occasions by collaborating with “Taste of the Nation”, a festival of culinary events that supports No Kid Hungry, an organization whose purpose is to end with childhood hunger in the United States.

The family asks for donations, but not for the young chef

Kleinberg also supported animal shelters, and had owned a rescue pet. A high school friend has adopted Skye, the Top Chef contestant’s pet, after his unexpected death was announced, according to the Miami Herald.

The young chef leaves behind his sister Amy, as well as his three children, Whitney, Lindsey and Phillip. In addition, the family requested that any donations in memory of Howard be made to Bullies-N-Beyond Rescue or Feeding South Florida.