Mariusz Komenda, MasterChef Poland Contestant, Dies at 44 After Brain Tumor Diagnosis.
The food industry is grieving over one of its own. TVN, the show's transmission organization, revealed that Mariusz Komenda, who competed in the eighth season of MasterChef Poland, passed away after a brief fight with a brain tumor. He was forty-four.
“It is with great sadness that we received the news of Mariusz Komenda’s death,” TVN recently posted a statement on social media that was translated from Polish. “Mariusz was part of the MasterChef family. We will remember him as a man full of passion, energy, and a love for cooking.”
Komenda participated in the eighth season of MasterChef Poland in 2019, and she went on to make more appearances in succeeding seasons.
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“Over the years, he returned to us, sharing his knowledge, experience and passion for the kitchen,” the statement went on. “It is hard to find words that could express our sorrow. Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones and everyone who had the chance to know him. Mariusz, we will miss you very much.”
Komenda revealed in an Instagram post on March 25 that he was diagnosed with glioma, a malignant brain tumor, in January after being brought to the hospital with a "suspected stroke."
“At the beginning of January 2026, my life came to a halt in an instant,” he added a note to the post. “I thought it was a temporary crisis. Unfortunately, the reality turned out to be much more difficult.”
In a different piece, he mentioned how “that moment completely changed my life and the lives of my loved ones. Since then, I have been fighting every day for my health and a return to normalcy.”
Before his death, TV star Komenda had two major surgeries on his head, followed by radiotherapy and intensive rehab, Polish outlet Do Rzeczy reported. The outlet also said he opened a restaurant in Poland with his son in April 2025, months before his diagnosis.
The founders of MasterChef discussed Komenda's influence on the food sector after his passing, as did many who were familiar with him.
“Mariusz was part of the MasterChef family,” they told Do Rzeczy in a statement. “We will remember him as a man full of passion, energy, and a love for cooking.”
“It’s difficult to find words to express our grief. We share in his grief with his family, loved ones, and everyone who had the opportunity to know him,” the statement added. “Mariusz, we will miss you very much.”
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