Juliet Lee, Competitive Eater From Germantown, Dies At 54

GERMANTOWN, MD — Juliet Lee, a record-setting competitive eater from Germantown, has died. She passed away on Monday, Sept. 9 at the age of 54, the Major League Eating confirmed. She is survived by her two daughters, Lily and Leah.

Lee first started competing professionally in December 2006. Weighing in at 100 pounds, she was one of the first females to compete in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest.

She was ranked No. 17 in the world.

Before moving to the United States in the early 1990s, Juliet was a chemistry professor at Nanjing University in China. She later moved to Germantown, where she owned several hair salons.

"Juliet was a beloved member of the competitive eating community, and an enormously positive force in our lives," said Major League Eating CEO George Shea. "It is no coincidence that she was known as 'The Lovely Juliet Lee' because she was gracious, elegant and caring. We will miss her deeply."

In lieu of flowers, Lee's family asks that donations be made to The Hunger Project, a non-profit that aims to end world hunger by empowering women and establishing partnerships with local governments.