Entertainment

Beloved TV Show Host’s Tragic Cause Of Death Is Revealed

Published

4 months ago

July 25, 2025

The cause of death surrounding a popular Food Network chef came out on Friday, leaving fans shocked and saddened about a life cut short.

Anne Burrell, the limitlessly talented cook and “Food Network” host who rose on fame training some of the most poorly performing chefs to compete on TV, died in May, according to family members who did not disclose a cause of death at the time. She was 55.

Five weeks after first responders found Burrell “unconscious and unresponsive” on the floor of her Brooklyn apartment, investigators believe they’ve pieced together a puzzle that has befuddled fans of both the Food Network and her formative show, “Worst Cooks.”

The City of New York Office of Chief Medical Examiner concluded that Burrell died by suicide, citing an “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of diphenhydramine, ethanol, cetirizine, and amphetamine,” according to a statement from the medical examiner to Good Morning America.

The National Library of Medicines lists Diphenhydramine and Cetirizine as antihistamines, which are used to block allergic reactions. She combined both drugs with ethanol, which “represents the most commonly used drug worldwide,” according to the National Institutes of Health.

Burrell also consumed alcohol at the time, which would have mixed with the ethanol and pushed her blood alcohol level into fatal levels.

Amphetamines are similarly toxic with alcohol and should not be consumed at the same time, according to the National Library of Medicine.

“Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal,” Burrell’s family stated in announcing her death.

“Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered,” they said. “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.”

Burrell was a fan favorite on “Worst Cooks in America” and easy to spot in an undulating sea of white chef uniforms crisscrossing the studio cooking set. Her trademark white, spiky hair only hardened her image as a chef willing to take risks and make hard choices.

Born on Sept. 21, 1969, in Cazenovia, New York, she graduated from Canisius College in Buffalo with a degree in English and Communications before transitioning back to her first passion. She landed a spot at the Culinary Institute of America where she received her degree in 1996.

She landed her first role on the Food Network after success as a contestant on “Iron Chef,” a mainstay of the network’s programming.

Her dexterity and comfort in front of the camera allowed Burrell to move horizontally across the network, slotting in to host or make guest appearances on “Chef Wanted,” “Chopped,” and “Food Network Star.” She had just begun participating in one of the network’s newest shows, “House of Knives,” which launched in March 2025.

She is survived by her husband Stuart Claxton, whom she married in October 2021.