by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News April 30, 2024
Joey Fecci, an accomplished chef in Nashville who was in top physical condition, died suddenly while running a marathon. He was 26.
Fecci was found unresponsive in the Shelby Park portion of the race and emergency responders performed CPR, according to the organizers of the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series. Fecci was then transported to a nearby hospital where he died on Saturday.
No cause of death has been reported.
The marathon organizers didn’t reveal what led up to or caused Fecci’s death. Nashville police said he was nearly four hours into the race when he was found in Shelby Park.
Fecci’s family released a statement:
“It is with unbearable grief and immense sorrow that we share our dear and beloved Joey transitioned to the other side on Saturday April 27th. He was a bright light of inspiration and positivity to everyone that was blessed to cross paths with him. He was a treasured son, brother, boyfriend, and friend to so many. He leaves behind a broken family that loves him so very much.”
Fecci worked as a chef at Yolan, an Italian restaurant inside the Joseph Hotel in Nashville, from August 2020 to January 2024. In April 2022, the hotel that houses the Yolan restaurant announced that Fecci had been promoted to Chef de Cuisine.
Fecci’s girlfriend wrote on social media:
‘Oh Joey. I am so so sorry,’ she wrote in the caption of the Instagram post. ‘We will never be able to fully understand. I will never fill this void in my soul. You are and were my protector. We understood every piece of each other and loved each other so deeply. I want to hug you again so bad.’
She ended it with: ‘Rest in peace my love. The most handsome, the best laugh, the best energy. I love you forever and ever.’