PARIS: The family of a Japanese chef who was a rising star in France said he has killed himself after he was the target of false sexual assault allegations.

Taku Sekine’s tiny Paris restaurant, Dersou, was named the best in France by the Fooding guide in 2016, and his new Asian fusion restaurant, the Cheval d’Or, had garnered equally rave reviews.

But his family said that Sekine, 39 — a protege of French superchef Alain Ducasse — “got caught in a violent spiral of depression” after he became the target of “false and malicious gossip” on social media two months ago.