In the rarefied world of star chefs, Mr. Violier was firmly perched at the top, and fellow chefs and friends said there was little to suggest that anything was amiss.

Pierre-Marcel Favre, his editor, who spent six years working with him on his encyclopedia devoted to European game birds, told Libération that he remained perplexed by Mr. Violier’s death. “He was in control, relaxed, serious, had lots of ongoing projects,” he said.

There has been speculation that it could have been an accident, but Mr. Favre said this was unlikely, given that Mr. Violier was a seasoned hunter. The hypothesis that he may have been attacked was equally fanciful because Mr. Violier owned guns and could have defended himself, he said. The Swiss police, who are investigating the circumstances of his death, have suggested that he ended his own life.

In a hypercompetitive industry where chefs can be demoted overnight and where there are heavy demands to match culinary perfection with global branding, Mr. Violier’s death has renewed a debate over whether the system of ranking chefs, inherently subjective, needs updating.

In 2003, Bernard Loiseau, the chef and owner of the Côte d’Or, a Michelin three-star restaurant in the Burgundy region of France, committed suicide at age 52, after the Gault & Millau lowered his rating, fanning alarm that he could lose one of his Michelin stars.

This week, the Michelin Guide demoted his Relais Bernard Loiseau to two stars. His widow, Dominique, was quoted by Le Monde as saying she was “shocked and disappointed” by the demotion after more than 25 years, adding that the restaurant would do everything to try to regain the star.

The guide declined to comment. But Michael Ellis, managing director of Michelin Restaurant and Hotel Guides was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying that “it was a difficult decision but it is part of the job.”