Chef Charlie Trotter Died of Stroke

Influential Chicago chef Charlie Trotter died from a stroke, the medical examiner's office said.

Trotter, 54, was discovered unresponsive Nov. 5 in his Lincoln Park home and transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina said in a statement Monday that tests showed the 54-year-old died from a stroke related to high blood pressure.

Cina says neither drugs nor alcohol contributed to Trotter's death, adding there was "no scientific evidence" that Trotter's recently travels contributed to his death.

Preliminary results of an autopsy performed earlier this month confirmed there was no evidence of foul play. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Trotter suffered a stroke in January and had been advised by his doctors not to fly.

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.

His wife, Rochelle Trotter expressed the family's shock at his death and appreciation for the many tributes that poured 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."

Trotter's funeral at Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue was 's-who of the culinary world.

"He raised the bar," Chef Rick Tramonto said. "If you could keep up with Charlie's bar, you knew you were fine. Or if you could at least get close to it, you knew you were doing OK."