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Food Network star Anne Burrell dead at 55
NEW YORK — Anne Burrell, the Food Network star best known for leading the channel's hit show 'Worst Cooks in America,' died on Tuesday. She was 55.
Burrell died at her home in Brooklyn, according to TMZ. Her cause of death was not immediately reported; sources told the outlet she was found unresponsive at the residence Tuesday morning.
'Anne's light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world,' Burrell's family told People in a statement. 'Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit and boundless love remain eternal.'
Burrell became a fan favorite at the Food Network for her energetic personality on 'Worst Cooks,' doing her best to shape floundering chefs into respectable recipe followers.
When Burrell wasn't tapped to join the show's 28th season in January — after playing a central role in the first 27 — viewers were appalled and even Burrell was baffled. When asked on social media why she wasn't on the show anymore, she replied, 'I don't know.'
Though she was only 55, Burrell was a Food Network veteran, competing in more than 200 culinary battles on the channel. She got her start as a sous chef on 'Iron Chef America' before taking on a larger role.
Some of her many appearances included 'Chef Wanted,' 'Chopped,' 'Food Network Star' and a new series, 'House of Knives,' which debuted in March.
Born on Sept. 21, 1969, in Cazenovia, N.Y., Burrell didn't begin her culinary journey until first obtaining an English and communications degree from Canisius University in Buffalo.
But from there, it was all food. She graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, then snagged a job at a Michelin star restaurant in Italy before eventually moving to New York City.
Her TV career began in 2005 as a sous chef to Mario Batali on 'Iron Chef,' but it took off a few years later when she got her own program, 'Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.'
'Burrell's on-air persona combines the physical heft of Batali, a permanent case of bed-head and the totally wacky comedic sensibility of a pre-rehab Robin Williams,' the Dallas Observer wrote in 2011.
In addition to her TV success, Burrell wrote two cookbooks: 'Cook Like a Rock Star' in 2011 and 'Own Your Kitchen' in 2013.
'I like to put happy and joy into my food, and it's not so serious,' Burrell told Tasting Table in an April interview. 'I teach the worst cooks in the world. I mean, you got to know how to do that.'
Burrell is survived by her husband, Stuart Claxton, whom she married in 2021; her stepson, Javier; her mother, Marlene; and her siblings, Ben and Jane.
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