Anne Burrell's TV co-star reveals their heartbreaking final conversation
Anne Burrell's Food Network co-star Melba Wilson has spoken out about her death, legacy, and their last conversation which came just a week before her death.
Burrell, best known for hosting the Worst Cooks in America show and the Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, was found unconscious in her New York home's shower early on Tuesday morning by her husband Stuart Claxton, it is reported.
She was later pronounced dead when the emergency services arrived.
Her cause of death has not been confirmed, but according to the US outlet and the Daily Mail a rep from the NYC Fire Department said the incident was reported to them as a cardiac arrest.
While Burrell has been remembered as a 'beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend' in a heartbreaking statement from her family, her industry friends are also mourning.
'This is a tough time for so many of us that knew Anne and that loved her. It was totally unexpected. So to hear yesterday that she's no longer with us is devastating,' New York City restauranteur Melba told TMZ.
Opening up about her last conversation with Burrell, which came a week before her death, Melba explained: 'It was fine. We talked about karaoke. We loved karaoke. Anne loved games, she loved backgammon. We always went out to dinner, and did karaoke.'
She continued: 'It's just shocking. It's unbelievable to know that someone so vibrant and full of life is no longer with us.
'[Burrell] was at my birthday party a month and a half ago dancing; she loved to dance. Any type of music. Her and her husband Stuart were there and had an amazing time.'
Asked whether Burrell has mentioned being sick to Melba, the Food Network star explained that she 'never mentioned anything' about that, which is why her death was 'such a shock'.
Melba also described Burrell as being able to light up any room, and said her legacy was laughter.
'Her legacy is laughter. Anne always laughed. She always wanted to teach. She's a fierce competitor,' Melba shared.
'The food industry is full of men, and Anne would go toe-to-toe with the best of them. She always wanted to win. She was always very loving, very giving.'
Burrell's family shared a statement announcing her death.
'Anne's light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world,' they said.
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'Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal.'
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Anne Burrell's friend talks 'complex relationship' with Food Network chef: 'She was going through some stuff'
Food Network star Anne Burrell has been fondly remembered by her friend and fellow chef Duff Goldman after she was discovered dead in her New York apartment. The Worst Cooks In America co-host was found 'unconscious and unresponsive' when law enforcement responded to a call 7.50 am this Tuesday, June 17. The New York Fire Department confirmed to Daily Mail that they were responding to a report of a cardiac arrest, and at present her cause of death is still being investigated by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. Now Goldman, whose Baltimore bakery Charm City Cakes was featured on the Food Network, has shared a testimonial to his late pal. 'I've written and re-written this post so many times in the past 24 hours and I just don't know what to say,' he wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of him with her. 'Anne and I became friends in probably 2006. She was going through some stuff and I had heard that she was feeling it so on a trip to NYC from Baltimore I had made her a cake that said 'Don't let the b******s win.' She never did,' he said proudly. 'We had a complex relationship and I remember the last conversation we had before our paths drifted was a pretty feisty debate about the merits of catfish. I believe the words 'trash fish,' 'tastes like mud,' and 'cake boy' were used, haha,' he shared. 'Anne and I always had a spirited and somewhat acerbic back and forth. I really never knew why our paths drifted but I always hoped that wherever she was, Anne was doing well and was finding some happiness.' While he was attending a New York City gala 'a year or two ago' with his wife Johnna Colbry and their daughter Josephine, four, Goldman saw Burrell again. Goldman explained that he 'took Josephine out to the lobby to give her a break from sitting at a table listening to speeches. We were playing with the marble columns and as we rounded one we saw Anne.' He recalled: 'Now, at this point we hadn't spoken in years, and I won't go into what we talked about but I will say that that conversation left my heart lifted and full of light, for it truly seemed to me that Anne really had found a measure of happiness and love.' Goldman opined: 'Life is tough, and we have to be tough to get through it. Anne was as tough as they come, but when you got past the armor there was a depth of compassion and kindness that was absolutely beautiful.' He gushed: 'My heart sings when I think of the love and tranquility that it seems Anne had found recently, and her genuine smile for my daughter and me in that lobby are what makes this tragedy just a little more bearable. 'Anne, wherever you are I hope they have slow moving rivers because when I get there, we'll get a couple of rods, a pint of chicken livers, and a sixer and I'll teach you how to catch and cook the best catfish you ever had. Rest up, chef.' Goldman's tribute comes after another one of Burrell's friends, chef Elizabeth Falkner, claimed that the late Food Network star was in 'pretty decent shape' when she last saw her on June 9 at dinner in New York City. In an exclusive interview with Daily Mail, Falkner, 59, revealed, 'I think Anne looks like she's in pretty decent shape these days, so it's kind of surprising to me.' Not being able to comment specifically on any health issues, if any, she might've battled before her death, she did find her passing 'so sudden and shocking.' 'I know it is very personal to me what happened, and I can't believe somebody even younger than me has just passed away. It's close to home for all of us,' she said. 'The culinary family is like family, so this hurts a lot of us. We just all feel it.' The shock comes from seeing her a few days ago at an intimate dinner she hosted - which she of course was the chef for the 'fun night' - at Soho House on June 9. 'I've seen [her] over all these years, not just on television competitions and shows, but at different parties and events and stuff, and we've always been friendly. 'But just in the last month we've been texting. I said, "Come to my dinner at Soho House, it'll be great to see you." And she brought her husband and we just had such a good time,' she shared about how the famous chefs reconnected. Falkner paid tribute to Anne on her Instagram after hearing about the shocking news 'It was just so sweet. So this is just really so sudden and shocking.' Burrell even texted her the following day on June 10 to let her know that she and her husband, Stuart Claxton, had a great time. 'She's like, "Thanks so much for inviting us. It was a truly lovely time and very delicious. Please send me some pics so I can post." 'And I said, "It was so great to see you, Anne."' The pals even made a pact to 'talk more often.' 'We were like, "Let's just make a point of talking and texting more often,"' Falkner shared, while noting that she is 'very grateful' to have had a special night with the beloved chef and other guests last week. 'I'm just bummed. I feel like [our friendship] just got cut really short fast,' she added. The Worst Cooks in America alum spoke highly about being a mother. 'When she came to the dinner at Soho House, she said that she was very much enjoying being a stepmother,' Falkner said, referring to the star's stepson Javier, 20. 'And her husband's so sweet. She just seemed to be in such a good place. That's the best way for me to describe it. Because being a chef and being a television personality is two major full-time jobs, but enjoying your life outside of that can be challenging. And I think she was definitely enjoying her life outside of that whole world of the networks and all that stuff.' Burrell spoke exclusively with Daily Mail back in April about marital bliss. Her and Stuart got married in 2021 after meeting on a dating app in 2018. 'October will be four years,' she said at the City Harvest gala. 'It seems like it's been four minutes. I don't know if it's a honeymoon [phase], but I feel like it's settled into married life days which I really enjoy.' Falkner told Daily Mail, 'I'm just bummed. I feel like [our friendship] just got cut really short fast' (pictured is an exclusive photo of Falkner with her pal at Burrell's former Brooklyn restaurant, Phil And Anne's Good Time Lounge, shared with Daily Mail) Falkner, who appeared on cooking shows like Iron Chef and Top Chef, recalled meeting Burrell's husband before they got married in 2021. 'I randomly saw her in Rome outside of a restaurant, and I was like, "Oh my God, that's Anne Burrell walking by!" And we said hey and stuff,' Falkner revealed, noting that she and Stuart were on a 'pre-wedding trip.' Describing her passing 'really unfortunate,' 'so sad,' 'unexpected' and even 'tragic,' Falkner believes Burrell's death is a huge loss to the restaurant community since everyone involved is 'another kind of family.' Falkner, herself, said that being a chef is a 'highly stressful job,' but it was something that Burrell mastered throughout her career. 'The thing about Anne Burrell is she wasn't only a TV chef, she was a really good, really good cook, really good chef. She educated a lot of people,' the James Beard Foundation's board of trustees member told Daily Mail. 'I don't even know how she had the patience to do Worst Cooks in America, because I think that would be a challenging show to do patience wise. But she was the real deal. She could cook a lot. She had mad skills. It was always fun watching her cook. I told her I loved watching her on House of Knives.' She added, 'She's one of those people that's kind of intimidating and certainly hardcore as chefs can be. I mean, you kind of have to be that way. It's the only way to teach people how to deal with ingredients and not to mess it up all the time. But she was definitely very sweet... She had a certain kind of sparkle.'
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Anne Burrell death investigation takes dramatic twist as chilling new information emerges
Anne Burrell's shock death investigation has taken another twist as chilling new information emerged about the scene where the chef was found dead on Tuesday. The beloved Food Network star — who famously hosted Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and co-hosted Worst Cooks in America — died at age 55 at her Brooklyn, New York apartment. Law enforcement sources told TMZ a large quantity of 'unknown pills' were found around where Burrell died. Insiders had previously revealed Burrell was found unresponsive and lying on the shower floor by her husband Stuart Claxton early Tuesday morning. Claxton reportedly last saw his wife alive at approximately 1AM the night prior before discovering her unconscious between six to seven hours later in their bathroom. has contacted representatives for Food Network and Burrell for comment but did not immediately hear back. Claxton contacted 911 and was allegedly advised by the operator to perform CPR on Burrell. However, her body was said to be cold and it is not known if he performed CPR. A possible cause of death has now been indicated by the 911 call, with the New York Fire Department confirming to Daily Mail that they were responding to a report of a cardiac arrest at 7.50am on Tuesday. She was found unresponsive in her Brooklyn, New York, home by police. In a statement to Daily Mail, the New York City Police Department confirmed that they were called to an address in Brooklyn in response to a report about an 'unconscious and unresponsive' 55-year-old female. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death has not yet been reported by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, with an investigation ongoing. TMZ reports that EMS attempted CPR on Burrell but could not resuscitate her. 'Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered,' her family said in a statement obtained by Tuesday. 'Anne's light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal,' they shared. A Food Network spokesperson added, 'Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent – teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring. 'Our thoughts are with Anne's family, friends and fans during this time of tremendous loss.' The TV chef - who became synonymous with her trademark spiky platinum hair - is survived by husband Stuart Claxton, whom she wed in October 2021 in an autumn-themed ceremony and reception in her hometown of Cazenovia, New York. She is also survived by her mother Marlene and sister Jane and her children Isabella, Amelia and Nicolas, and her brother Ben. Anne developed a passion for cooking at a young age, inspired by her mother's home-cooked meals and by watching food icon Julia Child on television. After earning a degree in English and Communications from Canisius College in Buffalo in 1991, she followed her culinary dreams and enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, graduating in 1996. She worked at a whole host of New York City hotspots including Felidia and Savoy in Soho, where she honed her craft in Mediterranean cuisine. She was later thrust into the spotlight and became best known as the longtime host of Worst Cooks in America. The show, which ran for 28 seasons, saw celebrated chefs mentor amateur cooks in an attempt to transform them from rookies to kitchen experts. Elsewhere, she appeared on Chef Wanted, Chopped, Food Network Star, and most recently, competition series House of Knives - which premiered in March this year. She was later thrust into the spotlight and became best known as the longtime host of Worst Cooks in America, seen here with her friend Rachael Ray The famed chef also penned two of her own cookbooks - Cook Like a Rock Star and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire & Empower. Heartbroken fans have flooded to leave comments on her most recent Instagram post that was shared just four days ago. 'This can't be true. Chef Anne you were vivacious, hilarious, full of life and reminded me of my Mom. I'm so, so sorry. Rest with the Angels in Heaven and cook up a storm for us,' one wrote. 'Prayers for your family. This feels so unexpected! 'You were always one of our all time favorite chefs and seemed like a great person! I'm sure you'll be missed by many!' someone else shared. 'RIP ANNE! I can't believe this! We lost a good one!' one wrote. 'I was such a fan of you. I had been watching Worst Cooks for YEARS and just recently started watching newer seasons. 'I am so sad. May you rest in peace,' another penned. Gigi Hadid, who famously appeared on the cooking competition series Beat Bobby Flay with Burrell, led the celebrities expressing their heartbreak over Burrell's death. 'I am heartbroken to hear of the loss of the Great Anne Burrell,' the supermodel, 30, began. Hadid included a photo of herself and Burrell from their time filming Beat Bobby Flay back in 2023. 'As a longtime fan, getting to share this day with her was a dream come true. Beat Bobby. Hang. Eat,' she recalled. 'I wish we could have done it again. She was awesome. Rest in Peace Legend.' Chef Carla Hall, who previously appeared on Food Network's Top Chef, called Burrell an 'incredible cook and teacher.' Queer Eye for the Straight Guy star Carson Kressley, who was a close friend of Burrell's, revealed that he spoke to her just days before her death. He also shared a post to his own Instagram page which included a photo of him and Burrell. 'Rest easy, Chef Anne. I'm so blessed I was able to work with you, learn from you, laugh with you. So many memories - on screen and off - I cherish this photo of us living our best lives, as the kids say,' Kressley wrote. 'It's one of my favorite memories - just swimming in the ocean after a great lunch. Good food, good friends and lots of love and laughter all around. 'That's what I wish for you where you are now . I'll see you again someday, dear friend.' To conclude the tribute, Kressley revealed that 'Anne loved this photo of us so I know she'd be happy I chose this one.'
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