ben watkins of masterchef junior dies of rare cancer

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watkins’ family said the 14-year-old passed away after a long struggle with angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma (afh).

by dave yasvinski

published nov 20, 2020

last updated feb 19, 2025

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ben watkins, masterchef junior star, dies of rare form of cancer

ben watkins appeared on masterchef junior in 2018. gordon ramsay/twitter

a promising young chef had his life tragically cut short this week by a rare form of cancer that affects children and young adults.

in a statement on his gofundme page, ben watkins’ family said the 14-year-old passed away on monday after a long struggle with angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma (afh), a slow-growing, soft-tissue cancer that can be difficult to diagnose. watkins, from gary, indiana, rose to fame in 2018 when he finished in the top 18 of masterchef junior, a reality show hosted by gordon ramsay that showcases the cooking chops of talented eight to 13-year-olds.

no stranger to adversity, watkins was pushing ahead with his dreams of becoming a chef like his father even after losing both parents to a murder-suicide in 2017. according to the chicago tribune, michael watkins, 46, shot and killed leila edwards, 43, in the family home without warning three years ago.

“our ben went home to be with his mother this afternoon after a year-and-a-half-long battle with cancer,” said donna edwards and anthony edwards, watkins’ maternal grandmother and uncle, on a gofundme page that was originally established to provide for his future after the death of his parents. it will now be used to pay for medical and funeral expenses.

“after losing both of his parents in september 2017, we have marvelled at ben’s strength, courage and love for life. he never, ever complained,” they said. “ben was and will always be the strongest person we know. when ben’s rare illness was shared with the world, he was so heartened by the outpouring of love he received from every corner of the globe — especially here in his hometown of gary, indiana.”

we lost a master of the @masterchefjrfox kitchen today. ben you were an incredibly talented home cook and even stronger young man. your young life had so many tough turns but you always persevered. sending all the love to ben watkins’ family with this terrible loss gx pic.twitter.com/rx81hp7lbw
— gordon ramsay (@gordonramsay) november 17, 2020

angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, first identified 1979, presents “as a painless, slowly growing subcutaneous soft tissue mass that is usually located in the extremities and less commonly in the trunk, head, and neck,” according to the atlas of genetics and cytogenetics in oncology and haematology. while there are only a handful of known cases worldwide, 80 per cent of patients are 30 years of age or younger.

symptoms, which are only experienced by a minority of patients, include anemia, weight loss and fever. the soft-tissue mass does not typically produce local pain or tenderness — a factor that makes it difficult to diagnose — and the disease is often mistaken for hematoma due to the presence of internal bleeding. doctors initially thought the growth on watkins’ neck was malformed lymph nodes, but the tumour kept bleeding after treatment and he soon required chemotherapy for similar growths that appeared in his lungs, spine and shoulder, making it painful for him to move around.

“it is often a challenging diagnosis as there are not specific imaging or pathologic findings that clearly differentiate it from other types of sarcomas,” trevan fischer, a surgical oncology specialist with the center for cancer prevention and treatment at st. joseph hospital in orange county, california, told health.

the prognosis after diagnosis is usually good, fischer said, and the disease does not commonly spread to the lymph nodes. if afh develops in deeper structures of the body — which it rarely does — it can have higher rates of local recurrence. according to research published in the journal of radiology case reports, the majority of patients affected by the disease (73 per cent) did not experience a recurrence after having their tumour removed. roughly 23 per cent did, however, and the tumour metastasized (or spread) to other parts of the body in nine per cent of cases.

and while the specifics in watkins’ ordeal aren’t fully known, it is clear he will not soon be forgotten by his family or the larger community he touched in his short life.

“ben suffered more than his share in his fourteen years on this earth, but we take solace in that his suffering is finally over and in that, in the end, ben knew he was loved by so many,” his family said.

if you or someone you care about is living with cancer, connecting with a support network can help to not only learn ways to better manage their health, but also share experiences with others. some canadian resources include the wellspring, and cancer connect at the canadian cancer society.

dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca