Massachusetts State Police said on Monday that neither the former president nor former first lady Michelle were at the home at the time of the tragedy.

However, The Office of Barack and Michelle Obama later clarified that they were in Martha’s Vineyard at the time but were just not at the home when the tragedy unfolded.

The Independent has contacted the Obamas’ office for more details.

“Tafari was a beloved part of our family,” the Obamas said. “When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House — creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together.

“In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter.

“That’s why, when we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed. He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone.

“Today we join everyone who knew and loved Tafari — especially his wife Sherise and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin — in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man.

Barack Obama and his family have paid tribute to the former president’s longtime personal chef after he died while paddleboarding near their home in Martha’s Vineyard.

Police told local media that they were called to the Obama house on Sunday night by reports of a man paddleboarding who slipped under the water after a “brief struggle” to stay on the surface.

Mr Campbell had cooked for the Obamas during their eight years in the White House and then continued to work for them after Mr Obama left office in 2016.

The Obamas have paid tribute to their longtime personal chef, describing him as “a beloved part of our family”.

“When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House – creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together,” the family said.

“In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter.”

All too predictably, the conspiracy theories have already begun.

On Monday night an Instagram post by Tafari Campbell‘s wife Sherise had been inundated with comments groundlessly claiming that the chef had been murdered by Barack Obama.

“Sorry for your loss, but Obama did it,” said one. “Your partner worked for some very evil people,” said another. One used the hashtag #ObamaBodyCount, referring to long-running smears against the Obama and Clinton families.

There were numerous similar posts on Twitter, and in far right channels on the chat app Telegram.

Perhaps this should go without saying, but there is absolutely no reason at this time to think that Campbell was murdered. Police have not given any sign that they suspect foul play, instead citing witness testimony suggesting that Campbell drowned by accident.

Unfortunately, a lack of evidence has never prevented the USA’s first Black president from being a magnet for conspiracy theories, especially in the post-Trump era where such fantasies have become obligatory on many parts of the American right.

A video has emerged showing Tafari Campbell brewing beer for Barack Obama back in 2012, thought to be the first time any president has brewed alcohol on the actual White House grounds.

“You don’t want to go too fast, creating a lot of air, which will make the beer taste bad,” Campbell tells the camera as he siphons liquid into a container in a video posted to YouTube that year.

The part featuring Campbell himself starts around 1m54.

Here’s a roundup of everything we know so far, by Io Dodds and Andrea Blanco.

Emergency services were called to the Obama residence around 7.40pm on Sunday, with a witness telling officers that they had seen another paddleboarder sink underwater after struggling to stay on the surface.

Divers and boats with sonar were brought in to aid the search, leading to the recovery of the paddleboarder’s body on Monday morning.

That afternoon, police named the man as 45-year-old Tafari Campbell, who had worked as a personal chef to the Obama family during their time in the White House and continued to work for them after Barack Obama left office.

Read their full story here.

Some of Tafari Campbell’s Instagram posts suggested he may only have learned to swim, or to swim confidently, within the last five years or so.

In October 2017, he posted a photo showing him and his wife Sherise standing chest deep in crystal-blue waters in Aruba, with the hashtag “#stillcantswim”. One follower asked: “But can you swim though? Lol.”

Campbell responded with a “weary face” emoji, suggesting frustration or lamenting. The Independent has contacted that person for comment.