Gordon Ramsay has opened up about the death of 'Kitchen Nightmares' contestant Joseph Cerniglia.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Ramsay expressed remorse about Cerniglia's suicide in a statement. The chef took his own life this weekend by jumping from the George Washington Bridge in New York City.

"I was fortunate to spend time with Joe during the first season of 'Kitchen Nightmares,'" Ramsay said in a statement. "Joe was a brilliant chef, and our thoughts go out to his family, friends and staff."

Cerniglia isn't the first former Ramsay reality fixture to take his own life. In 2007, 'Hell's Kitchen' alumna Rachel Brown committed suicide by shooting herself.

In other TV news ...

• Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe and her assistant Brad Goreski will amicably part ways effective Oct. 1. Goreski was a fixture on Zoe's Bravo TV series 'The Rachel Zoe Project.' "I love Rachel and she's taught me everything I know," Goreski said. "But there's a point where either I do it now or I'll never know what it's like to spread my wings and soar." [People]

• TV puppeteer Van Snowden has died. Snowden worked on 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' and played H.R. Pufnstuf. Snowden lost his battle to cancer at the age of 71. [Hollywood Reporter]

• Nigel Lythgoe has revealed the new 'American Idol' seating arrangement. Click here to view the image. [Twitter]

• Sam Raimi has three TV projects in the works. 'Smokers,' a project at Fox with 'Y: The Last Man' and 'Lost' scribe Brian K. Vaughan focuses on a documentary crew that follows working class heroes who tackle alien threats in space. A project at CBS called 'Lancaster' follows a Scotland Yard detective who joins the LAPD. The third project, at ABC, is about a top female prosecutor in Los Angeles. [Deadline Hollywood]