Padma Lakshmi Pays Tribute to Fatima Ali: "Goodbye Lil' Sis"

The Bravo's Top Chef host remembers the Season 15 contestant after she lost her battle with cancer.

By Jocelyn Vena Jan 27, 2019, 8:04 AM ET

Celebrating the Life of Bravo's Top Chef Alum Fatima Ali

Padma Lakshmi remembered Fatima Ali, the Season 15 Fan Favorite winner of Bravo's Top Chef, passed away after a battle with cancer on Friday, January 25, in a loving tribute to the chef on Instagram. The Top Chef host and judge had been a huge supporter of Fatima throughout her cancer battle. Fatima was also remembered by fellow members of the Top Chef family.

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"Goodbye lil’ sis," Padma shared on Instagram. "One of our brightest stars has fallen from the sky.... I have no words, but here are some of hers: 'I dream of being better. I dream of being myself again, but I know I’ll never quite be the same, and that’s okay. I know I’ll be different, and, despite the worry that settles into me every time I wake up, I look forward to meeting that woman one day.' #teamfati."

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Goodbye lilâ sis. One of our brightest stars has fallen from the sky.... I have no words, but here are some of hers: âI dream of being better. I dream of being myself again, but I know Iâll never quite be the same, and thatâs okay. I know Iâll be different, and, despite the worry that settles into me every time I wake up, I look forward to meeting that woman one day.â #teamfati
A post shared by Padma Lakshmi (@padmalakshmi) on Jan 25, 2019 at 4:46pm PST

Padma's beautiful tribute mirrored the one Fatima's family shared in which they remembered the late chef as "a star—a beacon in the darkness, a light that guides us, on which to make wishes, from which to weave dreams."