Jock Zonfrillo was buried on Saturday morning in a private funeral attended by a small group of family and friends.
Zonfrillo’s widow, Lauren Fried, who shares children Alfie, six, and Isla, two, with her late husband, led a tight-knit group of mourners to a small chapel in Sydney to celebrate his life.
According to The Saturday Telegraph, Zonfrillo’s coffin was covered with the royal banner of Scotland and “decorated with white orchids”.
The Royal Banner is a nod to the chef’s Scottish heritage. He was born and raised in Glasgow.
The coffin was carried into the chapel by five men and Fried played the bagpipes as a Scottish marcher.
The funeral of Jock Zonfrillo, 46, (right) was kept top secret by his widow Lauren Fried (left).
A black and white photograph of Zonfrillo was also posted in the Sydney chapel as guests arrived for the morning service.
Those in attendance included fellow Masterchef judge Melissa Leong – who was visibly touched and was comforted by her friends as she walked in – Andy Allen and his pregnant wife Alex Davey, former Masterchef judge George Calombaris and celebrity chef Shannon Bennett.
Other TV stars who made their appearance included My Kitchen Rules stars Manu Feidel and Colin Fassnidge.
Irish-born Fassnidge “hugs and greets” Zonfrillo’s loved ones when they arrived, The Saturday Telegraph reported.
The young widow, who shares children Alfie, six, and Isla, two, with her late husband, 46, led a tight-knit group of mourners to a small chapel in Sydney on Saturday morning to celebrate his life. Everything pictured
Singer Jimmy Barnes attended the memorial alone while former Australian of the Year Grace Tame was present with her fiancé Max Heerey.
The service was kept top secret by Fried, who sent out invitations to the funeral in Sydney earlier this week.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, family and celebrity friends have been strictly ordered not to reveal any details about the funeral.
Fried also informed guests that there would be no wake after the funeral, a visitor to the publication told Saturday.
“The family just wants it to happen without his death drawing attention, which is understandably overwhelming,” they said.
The undertaker added, “They’re trying to keep it as personal as possible. It’s important that they’re given the space to do that.”
According to The Saturday Telegraph, Zonfrillo’s coffin is covered with the royal banner of Scotland and “decorated with white orchids”. The coffin was carried into the chapel by five men and Fried played the bagpipes as a Scottish marcher
A black and white photograph of Zonfrillo was also posted in the Sydney chapel as guests arrived for the morning service
While Zonfrillo and his family lived in Melbourne during his role at MasterChef, Fried chose to host his funeral in Sydney.
She reportedly chose the location as she is originally from Sydney, where her extended family lives, and Zonfrillo first moved there from Glasgow 23 years ago.
Zonfrillo died in his hotel room at Zagame’s House on Lygon Street in Carlton, Melbourne on April 30 and was found by police around 2am on Monday May 1 – the same day that Channel Ten celebrated its fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia.
“My Kitchen Rules” stars Manu Feidel (right) and Colin Fassnidge (left) attended the private memorial service. Pictured last week taking a break from filming MKR for a drink in honor of Zonfrillo
They were responding to a welfare request from his wife, who was in Italy with their son and daughter at the time.
The media personality was slated for several promotional appearances for Season 15 of MasterChef when he suddenly passed away.
Chron Australia can reveal that when police entered the hotel room to conduct a social check, officers assumed Zonfrillo had died of natural causes and found nothing to suggest otherwise.
The family sent out invitations to the funeral in Sydney earlier this week. The invitations came with strict instructions to family and prominent friends not to divulge any details about the funeral
According to sources, no drug paraphernalia were found in the hotel room either.
Following the tragic news, Zonfrillo’s Masterchef fellow judges Melissa Leong and Andy Allen withdrew from all media appearances to promote the cooking show’s return.
The season premiere has been moved to Sunday, May 7th.
Zonfrillo is survived by his third wife, Lauren Fried, and his four children: adult daughters Ava and Sophia from his first two marriages, and Alfie, six, and Isla, two, with Fried.
Zonfrillo was found dead by police at a hotel in north Melbourne around 2am on Monday, the same day that Channel 10 was scheduled to air the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia