The Cook County medical examiner has ruled that famed chef Charlie Trotter died of a stroke.

“Mr. Trotter died of a cerebrovascular accident (a stroke) as a consequence of hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure)," Cook County Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cina said in a statement. "Neither drugs nor alcohol contributed to his death. Additionally, there is no scientific evidence to indicate that recent travel contributed to his death, though there was evidence of a prior stroke.”

He died Nov. 5.

Mr. Trotter, 54, was chef and owner of his namesake restaurant on Armitage Avenue in Lincoln Park, which he closed last year.

His wife has said the chef had an aneurysm months before he died and that he'd been taking medicine to control seizures, his blood pressure and high cholesterol. Rochelle Trotter previously said the aneurysm was discovered in January and that doctors had prescribed the "proper medication." Mr. Trotter had traveled shortly before his death.

Mr. Trotter's obsession with perfection made him a villain and a visionary in the kitchen, but it also cemented his legendary status in the culinary industry.

He became famous for putting Chicago on the fine-dining map by crafting a degustation menu that featured wine pairings, a novel approach in the late 1980s, and later for his rants in and out of the kitchen.

The mix of stubbornness, arrogance and innovation created a legacy that reverberates throughout restaurants across the country.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)