Inside Jock Zonfrillo’s top-secret funeral in Sydney – as a close circle of hand-picked attendees are told to keep the details of the MasterChef jury’s farewell a close secret
Jock Zonfrillo’s funeral is being kept secret by his widow Lauren Fried.
The recent widow, who shares children, Alfie, six, and Isla, two, with her late husband, 46, sent out funeral invitations in Sydney earlier this week.
They were accompanied by strict instructions for family and famous friends not to disclose funeral details, it said The Sydney Morning Herald.
Fried also revealed to guests that there would be no wake after the funeral, an attendee told the publication on Saturday.
“The family just want it to happen without the attention his death has drawn, which was understandably overwhelming,” they said.
The funeral of Jock Zonfrillo, 46, (right) is watched closely by his widow Lauren Fried (left)
The undertaker added: “They try to keep it as personal as possible. It is crucial that they are given the space to do so.’
While Zonfrillo and his family lived in Melbourne during his role on MasterChef, Fried chose to hold his funeral in Sydney.
She reportedly chose the location because she’s originally from Sydney, where her extended family is based, and it’s where Zonfrillo first moved from Glasgow 23 years ago.
The recent widow, who shares children Alfie and Isla (both pictured) with her late husband, 46, sent out funeral invitations in Sydney earlier this week
Zonfrillo died on April 30 in his hotel room at Zagame’s House on Lygon Street in Melbourne’s Carlton and was found by police around 2am on Monday, May 1 – the same day Channel Ten was due to premiere the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia.
They were responding to a welfare check requested by his wife, who was in Italy at the time with their son and daughter.
The media personality was slated for several publicity assignments for season 15 of MasterChef when he passed away suddenly.
No cause of death has been released, but police have stated he died of natural causes and stressed that there were no suspicious circumstances or drug paraphernalia involved, with the coroner currently determining the exact cause.
They were accompanied by strict instructions for family and famous friends not to disclose details of the funeral, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
In the wake of the tragic news, Zonfrillo’s fellow Masterchef judges Melissa Leong and Andy Allen withdrew from all media appearances to promote the cooking show’s return.
The season premiere was moved to Sunday, May 7.
Zonfrillo is survived by his third wife, Lauren Fried, and his four children: adult daughters Ava and Sophia, from his first two marriages, and six-year-old Alfie and two-year-old Isla, with Fried.
Zonfrillo was found dead by police in a hotel in Melbourne’s inner north at about 2am Monday, the same day Channel 10 was set to premiere the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia.