MasterChef’s Jock Zonfrillo dead: Melissa Leong pulls out of live event

Melissa Leong has pulled out of a scheduled event at the Sydney Opera House following the death of her MasterChef Australia co-host Jock Zonfrillo at the age of 46.

Leong was scheduled to host a live Q&A with American cookbook author Alison Roman next Tuesday, but announced on Thursday that she would no longer be attending.

“Following the sad news of the passing of her colleague and friend Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong will no longer be able to speak with Alison Roman on Tuesday, May 9,” reads an email sent to ticket holders from the Sydney Opera House.

Leong will be replaced by MasterChef Australia season two winner Adam Liaw.

Zonfrillo was found dead by police at about 2am on Monday in a hotel in Melbourne’s inner north, the same day Channel 10 was set to premiere the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia.

In the wake of the horrifying news, Leong and fellow MasterChef judge Andy Allen withdrew from all media appearances to promote the cooking show’s new season.

The premiere has also been moved from Monday night to Sunday, May 7, Channel 10 has confirmed.

Leong was scheduled to host a live Q&A with American cookbook author Alison Roman (pictured) next Tuesday, but announced on Thursday that she would no longer be attending.

“Following the sad news of the passing of her colleague and friend Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong is no longer able to speak with Alison Roman on Tuesday, May 9,” read an email from the Sydney Opera House to ticket holders

On Tuesday afternoon, Leong shared a heartbreaking tribute to Zonfrillo, expressing her disbelief and grief at the tragic loss.

In her message Leong shared how much Zonfrillo had changed her life after the two, along with Andy Allen, replaced previous judges on the popular cooking show in 2019.

“Four years ago, the three of us stood on a precipice and jumped,” Leong wrote.

Zonfrillo, with Melissa Leong, (left) and Andy Allen (right), was found dead by police at a hotel in inner north Melbourne at about 2am Monday, the same day Channel 10 was set to premiere the fifteenth season. go from MasterChef Australia

On Tuesday afternoon, Leong shared a heartbreaking tribute to Zonfrillo, expressing her disbelief and grief over the tragic loss

“I never imagined how much of an impact your arrival would have in my life, or that we would say goodbye to you so soon. You were always supposed to be the bulletproof one that outlived us all,” she wrote.

She then paid tribute to her co-host who urged her to strive for excellence “both in the kitchen and beyond.”

“Thank you for challenging me daily, for making me better, my work buddy and friend, purveyor of excellent morning coffee, hater of pears, okra and nasturtiums,” she continued.

‘This all feels too raw to process, I suspect it will take a while. That is the impact of a life lived so grandly, with so much frivolity and completely on your own terms.

Leong, Zonfrillo and Andy Allen had taken over as judges on the show in 2019 after former hosts, Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan left

“My heart goes out to your family, who were and are your life. A little glass for you today and always.’

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.

If you or someone you know needs immediate support, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or at lifeline.org.au. In case of emergency, call 000.

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 is believed to have died of natural causes and nothing unusual or suspicious was discovered in the hotel room where he was found dead, Daily Mail Australia understands.

The MasterChef star was found dead by police at about 2 a.m. Monday at Melbourne’s Zagame’s House hotel, just yards from his former inner-city home in Carlton.

The Glasgow-born chef had left his family in Italy, where they had recently emigrated, to return to Australia for the launch of the new season of the popular cooking show.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal that when police entered the hotel room to conduct a welfare check, officers believed Zonfrillo had died of natural causes and found nothing to suggest otherwise.

No drug paraphernalia were also found in the hotel room, sources said.

It is now up to the coroner to determine the specific cause of the celebrity chef’s death.