Anne Burrell's Death Is Under Investigation as a Possible Drug Overdose
The document said Ms. Burrell, who was 55, had been 'discovered in the shower unconscious and unresponsive surrounded by approximately (100) assorted pills.' Emergency medical workers who responded to a 911 call pronounced her dead at the scene.
A spokeswoman for the city medical examiner's office said Friday that an autopsy had been completed, but that any findings on the cause and manner of Ms. Burrell's death were still pending.
Ms. Burrell was an accomplished Italian chef who began her television career as a sous-chef to the celebrity chef Mario Batali on the Food Network show 'Iron Chef America.' She was best known for hosting 'Worst Cooks in America,' which has run for 28 seasons.
With her plume of platinum-blond hair, signature mismatched socks and a way of teaching that included a big helping of unvarnished truth, she became a mainstay for the network, appearing as a guest or judge on several other shows and even once riding on the network's float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In January, fans were surprised to see that Ms. Burrell was not hosting the new season of 'Worst Cooks.' Neither she or the network have explained the change. An indication of a possible conflict came in a Jan. 10 Instagram post when someone asked her why she wasn't on the show and Ms. Burrell answered, 'Honestly I don't know.'
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