Eren Kaşıkçı, winner of the 2021 season of “MasterChef Türkiye,” was found dead at his home in İstanbul on Wednesday, prompting prosecutors to launch an investigation, CNN Türk reported. Relatives who had been unable to reach the 37-year-old chef asked his business partner, Mikail Malkoçoğlu, to check on him. Malkoçoğlu found Kaşıkçı unresponsive at his home in the Kilyos neighborhood of İstanbul’s Sarıyer district at around 5 p.m. and alerted emergency services. Kaşıkçı rose to national prominence after winning the 2021 season of “MasterChef Türkiye,” the Turkish edition of the international television cooking competition. After his victory Kaşıkçı opened a restaurant in İstanbul called Kızıl Sakal Sandviç, using the nickname “Kızıl Sakal,” or “Red Beard,” by which he was widely known.