Saskia Beer, daughter of Maggie Beer, dies unexpectedly in her sleep

Artisan food producer and cook Saskia Beer, daughter of Australian cook and TV personality Maggie Beer, has died unexpectedly in her sleep. She was 48.

Maggie shared the sad news on Instagram on Sunday, February 16, asking for privacy and time as her, her husband Colin Beer, daughter Elli Beer, and Saskia's own family grieve their loss.

"It is with broken hearts we need to let you all know that our beautiful, extraordinary daughter Saskia died unexpectedly yet peacefully in her sleep on Friday night," Beer, 75, wrote. "We ask for time/space as we grapple to come to terms with our loss and appreciate all the support we have been given. Maggie, Colin and family."

A similar statement was also shared on Saskia's own Instagram page by her husband, Petar Jercic, whom she married on April 21, 2019.

"Our beautiful, extraordinary daughter, sister, wife and mother died unexpectedly yet peacefully in her sleep on Friday night," it read. "The business Saskia grew and loved will continue on with me, her loving husband. We ask for time/space as we grapple to come to terms with our loss and appreciate all the support we have been given."

Following in her mother's footsteps, she launched Saskia Beer Farm Produce at Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley in 1997.

"Saskia inherited my instinct for food, which I inherited from my father. Her knowledge of farming to cooking is amazing," Maggie told the Australian Women's Weekly in 2018.

Saskia is survived by Petar, her three children, sister Elli Beer and parents Maggie and Colin Beer.