MasterChef Poland contestant Mariusz Komenda has died at 44, months after a malignant brain tumor diagnosis that forced urgent surgeries and a public fundraising appeal.
Page Six reported that the chef and restaurateur died Wednesday, months after doctors found the tumor. Polish outlet roland-gazeta.pl, based in his hometown of Środa Śląska, first carried the news.
Komenda reached the semifinals of MasterChef Poland’s eighth season in 2019. TVN, the network that airs the show, confirmed his death and called him part of the MasterChef family.
In a social media statement, TVN said:
“It is with great sadness that we received the news of Mariusz Komenda’s death. Mariusz was part of the ‘MasterChef’ family. We will remember him as a man full of passion, energy, and a love for cooking.”
Komenda shared his own account in March on a fundraising page tied to his Instagram. He wrote that early January hospitalization for a “suspected stroke” led to the discovery of a malignant brain tumor.
He described the moment plainly:
“I thought it was just a temporary crisis. Unfortunately, the reality turned out to be far grimmer. From that moment on, the hardest fight of my life began.”
Toward the end of January he was admitted to a hospital in Warsaw. There he underwent multiple urgent, life-saving surgeries. One removed the tumor from his right thalamus. Another removed a section of his skull to relieve pressure and give him a chance to keep fighting.
Later tests found additional cancerous lesions. He began neurorehabilitation in hopes of regaining physical function. Treatment costs, he said, were “enormous and, unfortunately, beyond my means,” which is why he launched the fundraising effort.
In April 2025, Komenda and his son opened Father & Son restaurant in Środa Śląska, his hometown. The project came after the diagnosis and surgeries, a sign he kept building even while fighting the disease.
The creators of MasterChef issued their own tribute. They said it was difficult to find words for their grief and that they shared it with his family and everyone who knew him.
Their statement closed:
“We share in his grief with his family, loved ones and everyone who had the opportunity to know him. Mariusz, we will miss you very much.”
No official cause of death beyond the prior tumor diagnosis and treatment history has been detailed in the available accounts. The place of death was not reported.
A working chef who reached a national stage, opened a family restaurant, and still faced bills that outran his means leaves a clear reminder: talent and grit do not cancel medical reality, and families carry the cost when the fight ends.
