Report: Charlie Trotter Died From Stroke The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that influential Chicago chef Charlie Trotter died of a stroke.
Trotter, 54, was discovered unresponsive around 10 a.m. Tuesday in his Lincoln Park home and transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The newspaper also reports that Trotter suffered a stroke in January and had been advised by his doctors not to fly.
Preliminary results of an autopsy performed Wednesday on Trotter showed there was no evidence of foul play, a medical examiner's office spokesman said.
Cook County Medical Examiner's Office spokesman Frank Shuftan said preliminary findings indicate there were no signs of trauma, but additional tests will be conducted.
"At the discretion of the Medical Examiner, additional tests, including a toxicology analysis, will be conducted before a final cause and manner of death is issued," Shuftan said. "Those tests are expected to take six-to-eight weeks to complete."
According to the Chicago Tribune, a memorial service will be held 10 a.m. Monday at Fourth Presbyterian Church, and that Trotter will be cremated.
Trotter passed away a year after closing his namesake Chicago restaurant that was credited with putting his city at the vanguard of the food world and training dozens of the nation's top chefs, including Grant Achatz and Graham Elliot.
A sommelier who worked for years with Trotter told the Chicago Tribune that Trotter had suffered from an inoperable brain aneurysm for several years.
His wife, Rochelle Trotter, on Tuesday expressed the family's shock at his death and appreciation for the many tributes pouring in from all quarters.
"He was much loved and words cannot describe how much he will be missed," she said in a statement. "... His impact upon American Cuisine and the culinary world at large will always be remembered."
For decades, Trotter's name was synonymous with cutting-edge cuisine. He earned 10 James Beard Awards, wrote 10 cookbooks and in 1999 hosted his own public television series, "The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter."
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