Chef Joel Robuchon—Whose Restaurants Hold 32 Michelin Stars—Has Passed Away

French chef Joël Robuchon died in Switzerland on Monday after a battle with cancer, reports Le Figaro. His restaurants across the globe currently have 32 Michelin Stars, the most to be held by a restaurateur in the world.

Awards and recognition were part of Robuchon's stellar career, from being awarded France’s Best Craftsman in cuisine in 1976 to being dubbed the “Chef of the Century” in 1989 by restaurant guide Gault Millau to winning Michelin stars throughout the years. His restaurants L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Restaurant de Joël Robuchon, and Le Chateau de Joël Robuchon are found in the world's key cities, including Paris, London, Hong Kong, New York, and Tokyo, among others.

A perfectionist and a creative mind who was a visionary in the culinary world, Robuchon was highly respected by his colleagues, and they've been paying their tributes to the celebrity chef. "We've lost the God Father of the Michelin the most decorated chef in the world," said fellow chef Gordon Ramsay in an Instagram post.

We’ve Lost The God Father of Michelin the most decorated Chef in the World, he kept all of us on our toes ! Even when we were sleeping ! Merci Chef, God Bless

A post shared by Gordon Ramsay (@gordongram) on Aug 6, 2018 at 4:00am PDT

Meanwhile, Chef Andrew Zimmern shared on Twitter: "A very sad day for any of us in our industry..." 

Joël Robuchon 1947-2018
A very sad day for any of us in our industry and for the millions of other who were touched by this amazing man. When I was 23 I almost crapped myself being part of a team cooking him a birthday dinner in NYC. Over the years he was beyond kind to me. #sad

— Andrew Zimmern (@andrewzimmern) August 6, 2018