Last week, we reported that the Food Network star Anne Burrell died suddenly on Tuesday, June 17 at the age of 55. She was found dead on the floor of her shower in her Brooklyn, New York penthouse that morning.
Now, tragic new details are emerging about Burrell’s final days.
Burrell’s Final Improv Show
The night before her death, Burrell showed off her comedic skills when she closed out her Second City “Improv for Actors” course with one last performance in Brooklyn.
“She was having the best night,” actress Jane Margolis, a member of Burrell’s improv troupe, told People Magazine. “She’d come up with these one-liners out of the blue that were just hysterical. She really was so into it.”
This made Burrell’s death all the more shocking for those close to her. Indeed, those who attended her improv show said that Burrell seemed happy and healthy when she left at the end of the evening.
“We’re all shocked and confused,” one of Burrell’s friends admitted.
During an interview back in March, Burrell opened up about why she decided to take this improv course.
“I can cook, yes, I can do TV, but also, what else? I’ve got more to do in my life, I feel like,” she said at the time.
“I wonder if these delightful and super talented kids look at me and they’re like, ‘What’s this old lady doing here?’” Burrell joked. “I feel very excited about it. Hopefully, exciting things [are] coming.”
Related: Anne Burrell’s Secret Heartbreak Is Revealed After Food Network Star Is Found Dead Suddenly At 55
Burrell Found Dead
Burrell was found dead at around 7:50am the morning after her last improv show. She was discovered on the floor of her shower by her husband Stuart Claxton, who she married in October of 2021.
Sadly, it has since been revealed that Burrell’s body was found “in the shower unconscious and unresponsive surrounded by approximately (100) assorted pills.” Her death is now being investigated as a possible drug overdose. An autopsy has been performed on Burrell’s body, but her exact cause of death has yet to be revealed.
Burrell got her start as a teacher at the Institute of Culinary Education in the early 2000s. She would go on to become a Food Network star. Indeed, she appeared on shows like Iron Chef America, Chef Wanted, Chopped and Worst Cooks in America. Most recently, Burrell was featured on the competition series House of Knives in March of 2025.
Burrell’s Fellow Chefs Honor Her
Burrell’s final season of Worst Cooks in America is set to begin airing on the Food Network on July 28. Gabe Bertaccini, Burrell’s co-host for this season, admitted after her death that he was initially nervous to work with her.
“Anne was a powerhouse and had been on the network for two decades,” he said. “I’m fairly new to the network, so I was equally excited and intimidated by her presence because she’s such an icon.”
Once he got to know Burrell, however, Bertaccini’s nerves evaporated.
“She was so gracious,” he gushed.
Burrell’s fellow chefs have been left devastated by her death, as they feel that she had so much more life in her.
“She always used the word lucky,” recalled her friend and fellow chef Tyler Florence. “She had a collage of star tattoos on her left arm. I asked her what her what they meant, and she said she really loved the night sky and how lucky she felt to be a star.”
Burrell is survived by her husband and a stepson. She is also survived by her mother, two siblings, two nieces, and a nephew. Please join us in saying a prayer for them during this tragic time.
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