Photos: 'Top Chef' star Fatima Ali dead at 29

Pakistani-American Top Chef contestant Fatima Ali passed away on Friday after nearly a year-long battle with cancer.

She was 29.
Ali, who moved to New York at the age of 18, rose to fame on Bravo's Top Chef where she came in seventh on season 15 but won the Fan Favorite title when the season ended early last year.
She was known for her "fun personality and excellent cooking" of food. She was diagnosed with cancer at the end of 2017 with Ewing's sarcoma, a type of bone and soft tissue cancer. She had chemotherapy and surgery to remove a tumor and surrounding cells in her left shoulder in January 2018. Bravo confirmed her passing in a statement.
“We are deeply saddened to share the news that Fatima Ali has lost her courageous battle with cancer,” shared a representative for the network. “Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this time. People not only fell in love with her cooking, but fell in love with her personality and heart. We hope that the beautiful memories shared with her will provide comfort to everyone who knew and loved her.”

View this post on Instagram

It’s with a heavy heart we say goodbye to Fatima Ali today, as she has lost her battle with cancer. I will miss you Fati, and you will be in my heart forever. I’ll always remember the great times we had, especially our interview during the tailgating episode discussing football, stadiums, and Taylor Swift. Much love, Bruce 😘 #fuckcancer #cheffati #topchef #friends #family #itsnotfair

A post shared by Bruce Kalman (@chefbkalman) on Jan 25, 2019 at 10:27am PST