{"id":374279,"date":"2025-11-12T20:06:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T20:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/374279\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T20:06:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T20:06:12","slug":"what-to-know-about-bbq-influencer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/374279\/","title":{"rendered":"What To Know About BBQ Influencer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Food influencer<\/a> and BBQ enthusiast Michael Duarte died on Saturday while traveling with his family in Texas.<\/p>\n

Duarte was best known for his grilling and barbecue skills, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers on social media under the handle \u201cFood With Bear Hands.\u201d His death \u201coccurred just three short days\u201d after he and his wife, Jessica, celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary, according to a GoFundMe<\/a> launched to raise funds to cover Duarte\u2019s funeral expenses and take care of his wife and their 6-year-old daughter, Oakley. The GoFundMe doesn\u2019t give a cause of death, only listing it as a \u201chorrible incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis heartbreak came without warning, leaving Jessica to incur the expense of bringing him back home to California and covering funeral expenses,\u201d the online campaign stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring this time, and in the months\/years ahead, we want to make sure that Jessica and Oakley are taken care of as Michael would have wanted them to be. Your support would bring comfort, stability, and a reminder that they are not carrying this weight alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe funeral plans for Michael are undecided at this time, but we will update you all at a later date. The family deeply thanks you for your love and support as they grieve through this tragic loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funeral plans for Duarte have not yet been decided. As of Wednesday, the GoFundMe page has raised nearly $65,000 of the $100,000 goal. Duarte\u2019s cause of death remains unknown.<\/p>\n

Duarte\u2019s wife and talent agency shared statements on social media<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Jessica shared a loving tribute to her late husband on Instagram, describing how her life had changed in just \u201c24 hours\u201d after losing the love of her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been 24 hours since my world came crashing down. I\u2019m numb, angry, depressed. Words can\u2019t describe this kind of pain. I never thought I would be writing this,\u201d she wrote in the post\u2019s caption. \u201cTo the world you were foodwithbearhands but to us you were a loving husband and father. You didn\u2019t deserve this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will love you forever and I will be strong for our daughter and I know how much you loved us. If everyone can stop and please pray for our family. To my husband I will miss you\u2026until we meet again<\/p>\n

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That same day, Duarte\u2019s talent agency, Alooma Media Group, also shared a statement on the social media platform about the influencer\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our valued client and dear friend, Michael Duarte,\u201d the company began<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMichael was so much more than a client to us at Alooma. He was a true & loyal partner, a trusted collaborator, and above all, a remarkable person. His passion, professionalism, and creativity left a lasting mark not only on our team but on everyone who had the privilege of working with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who was Michael Duarte?<\/p>\n

Duarte was born and raised in Calipatria, Calif, a small city about\u00a040 miles northwest of the U.S.-Mexico border, according to an autobiographical Instagram post<\/a> he shared last month and the New York Daily News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He began working at his uncle\u2019s Mexican restaurant, Nana Dora\u2019s, at 14. His mother then sent him to live with his family in San Diego at 18, where he worked at various restaurants, moving up from dishwasher to manager.<\/p>\n

During the COVID-19 pandemic <\/a>lockdown, Duarte said that he reached a \u201cbreaking point\u201d and had a \u201cmental health crisis,\u201d which led him to rehab. After spending some time there, he said he began posting cooking videos on social media. It wasn\u2019t until he started featuring his daughter in some of them that what he was doing truly made him happy, and he turned it into a business.<\/p>\n

His fans and followers have also shared their prayers and condolences on his posts to his friends and family.<\/p>\n

The post Michael Duarte Dies In \u2018Horrible Incident\u2019 Days After Wedding Anniversary: What To Know About BBQ Influencer<\/a> appeared first on Blavity<\/a>.<\/p>\n