Inside Food Network Star Anne Burrell’s Final Days Before Her Death

Anne Burrell showed no signs of slowing down in her final days.

On Tuesday, June 17, the beloved Food Network star passed away in her Brooklyn home at 55 years old. While Burrell’s cause of death has yet to be confirmed, a rep for the New York City Fire Department told Page Six that the person who called 911 said Burrell went into “cardiac arrest” and was “DOA [dead on arrival].”

According to reports, the Worst Cooks in America host appeared to be her normal upbeat self the night before her death, even taking the stage at her improv class around 9:00 P.M..

“Everyone said she was so great last night and so happy,” a source told People.

A second source who was with her at the performance told the outlet she “was in great spirits… during and after the improv show. Typical fun, outgoing Anne, having a blast.”

The source added people are “shocked and confused” by the news.

Burrell had been taking classes at The Second City New York in Williamsburg, Brooklyn — the same comedy club where many famous actors and comedians, including Tina Fey, Joan Rivers, and Bill Murray, have trained, according to their website.

Earlier in the month, she posted about her new hobby on Instagram writing in the caption, “Sooooooo… as I have mentioned I have been taking Improv classes @thesecondcitytc and having an ABSOLUTE blast!!! My class and I are coming to the end of this term and we get to do an actual show!!! If anyone is interested in stopping by on Monday June 16 at 9 pm @thesecondcity in Brooklyn please feel free!! We are a small but SUPER fun bunch!!”

Burrell was also out-and-about the week before her death.

On Thursday, June 12, the celebrity chef took to Instagram to share a selfie with the Green Lady of Brooklyn (real name Elizabeth Eaton Rosenthal). She was also at Soho House on Wednesday, June 11, for fellow Food Network star Elizabeth Falkner’s “One Night Only” dinner, per Instagram.

Known for her signature spiky blond hair, Burrell first appeared on TV screens as a sous chef on Iron Chef America in 2005. She then got her own cooking show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, which ran for nine seasons from 2008 to 2012 on Food Network. Burrell also made numerous appearances in other Food Network shows like Chef Wanted, Chopped, Food Network Star and House of Knives.

Burrell is survived by her husband Stuart Claxton — who she wed in October 2021 in her hometown of Cazenovia, New York — as well as his son, Javier, her mother, Marlene, and sister, Jane.