Luis Troyano From ‘The Great British Baking Show’ Has Died at 48

Fans of The Great British Bake Off (or The Great British Baking Show, as it’s called in the U.S.) know that the incredible cakes, biscuits, and breads are only a small part of what everyone loves about the show. The bakes are impressive, to be sure, but it’s the bakers themselves who really steal the show. Somehow, GBBO finds the most delightful people in existence to feature in their show, and that is what truly sets it apart. 

Luis Troyano was one such very delightful and incredibly wholesome baker. Sadly, he has died at the age of 48. Here’s what we know about what happened.

You may recognize Luis from Series 5 of the show (or Collection 1 if you’re watching it on Netflix). He worked as a graphic designer and kept bees in his garden. He also was a member of his local ukulele club. Luis credited his work as a graphic designer as being very helpful when it came to designing his bakes, and his talent definitely showed through the entire Series — he made it all the way to the finals along with fellow runner-up Richard Burr and winner Nancy Birtwhistle.

Luis even managed to snag one of the ultimate GBBO honors: He won Star Baker during Bread Week (a true accomplishment, as anyone familiar with how seriously judge Paul Hollywood takes all things bread). Following his appearance on GBBO, Luis went on to appear on both BBC Good Food and BBC Breakfast. In 2015, he released his very own cookbook entitled Bake It Great. He also opened his own bakery called The Hive (presumably in reference to his beloved backyard bees).

Recently, Luis’ wife Louise shared the sad news of his passing on a JustGiving page, where she is currently fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of her husband. “Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure, you are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure x,” Louise wrote. She also shared one of Luis’ final messages: 

“A special thankyou to Macmillan Cancer Support, East Cheshire Hospice and the NHS including Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust for trying to save my life and their tireless work to try and eliminate cancer. But more importantly a massive thank you to all the amazing professionals who really did try their absolute best for me, showed me absolute compassion and gave me more time than what was seemingly possible. I thank you sincerely.”

According to several reports, Luis’ cause of death was esophageal cancer, which he had been battling for some time.

Several of Luis’ fellow Bake Off bakers have expressed their sadness at the news on social media. Fellow finalist Richard Burr said, “I am so sad to have lost Luis. He was a man who took a double helping of everything life had to offer. Fearless, friendly, and cheerfully grumpy. I will miss him.”

Our thoughts are with Luis’ family, friends, and fans during this very difficult time.