Medical Examiner Rules Chef Charlie Trotter Died From Stroke

(STMW) -- Celebrity chef Charlie Trotter died earlier this month from a stroke, the Cook County Medical Examiner's office announced Monday.

"Trotter died of a cerebrovascular accident (stroke) as a consequence of hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure)," Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cina said in a statement.

"Neither drugs nor alcohol contributed to his death," Cina said. "Additionally, there is no scientific evidence to indicate that recent travel contributed to his death, though there was evidence of a prior stroke."

Trotter was found unresponsive in his Lincoln Park home on Nov. 5. After being rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Trotter was pronounced dead. He was 54.

During his reign as Chicago's top chef and one of America's most celebrated restaurateurs, the self-taught Trotter offered multicourse menus and artfully plated cuisine that put his hometown on the international culinary map. He also inspired legions of chefs-in-training — including Alinea's Grant Achatz, Graham Elliot's Graham Elliot and moto's Homaro Cantu, among others.

In a statement, Mayor Rahm Emanuel praised Mr. Trotter's impact and food as well as his "generous philanthropy," which manifested itself most publicly in the youth-oriented Charlie Trotter Culinary Education Foundation.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)