'Iron Chef' Kerry Simon Dead at 60 From Rare Neurological Disease

MStars News has learned that Iron Chef star, Kerry Simon, died at the age of 60 after suffering from a rare disease. According to US Magazine, Simon died from Multiple System Atrophy. He death was confirmed by a longtime friend, Robin Leach, who wrote about the news in an article for the Las Vegas Sun on Friday, Sept. 11.

Simon. who was known as the "Rock 'n' Roll chef," died early Friday morning after struggling for over two years with the brain disease.

Leach revealed that the chef died while staying in a local Las Vegas hospice surrounded by loved ones and two Tibetan monks, who said prayers during his finally moments. "We will always remember Kerry fondly," Leach wrote in the column. "He was a gentle man who will be missed greatly. He was still young and handsome at 60 years of age. He didn’t smoke or drink alcohol, preferring his favorite juices regimen."

Multiple System Atrophy has no known cure or treatment (other than to manage the symptoms), but it didn't stop the chef from moving on with his life. While chatting with his pal, Leach, Simon talked about the disease, and remained positive about his illness.

"It's a funny disease, and it's hard to really read." He said, "It's hard to walk because you don't have any balance. It challenges stretching too." Simon claimed that he wasn't letting the disease bother him and said, "I'm not letting it get to me at all."

"I just keep going. The bottom line is don't give up," he added.

Simon, a Chicago native, earned his rock n' roll nickname by Rolling Stone, when he won Iron Chef in 2005. Simon owned a number of restaurants in locations including Vegas, L.A. and Atlantic City, New Jersey. The celebrity chef even did international work.

From the beginning, Simon always wanted to cook and become a chef. He started off his career back when Donald Trump's first wife, Ivana, gave him instructions to run the Plaza Hotel's Edwardian Room back in the '80s. Eventually, he started working under world-renowned French chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

Please join the Mstars family is sending our condolences to the family and friends of Iron Chef Kerry Simon.