Studying Time: 4 minutes
Rachael Ray is deep in mourning.
On Wednesday, the movie star chef took to Instagram with a view to concern an announcement in response to the stunning loss of life of Anne Burrell.
The beloved Meals Community star and tv host was discovered lifeless a day earlier within her Brooklyn residence.
“The news about Anne has truly shaken us. John and I are heartbroken,” Ray wrote on June 18, referring to her husband John Cusimano.
“I can’t quite believe it — such a strong, vibrant, fearless woman, so full of life and love, could be gone so soon. Anne was a rockstar! I came to know her well through multiple seasons of Worst Cooks on Food Network, and she became so much more than a colleague.”
She continued as follows:
“Anne honored me by asking me to be her bridesmaid, one thing I’d solely performed as soon as earlier than for my sister. Regardless of being surrounded by unbelievable cooks, she by no means as soon as made me really feel self-conscious about not being one — she at all times handled me as one of many gang.
“When we hosted Worst Cooks together, we had the most incredible laughs. She even cooked for me and my guests at my wedding anniversary in Italy.”
Based mostly on a 911 name positioned on Tuesday morning, it appears doubtless Burrell died of cardiac arrest. This has not been confirmed by authorities, nonetheless.
A fan-favorite on the Meals Community, Burrell was principally generally known as the longtime host of Worst Cooks in America, a program that featured newbie cooks trying to be remodeled into kitchen specialists.
The 55-year outdated kicked off her small display screen profession as a sous chef on Iron Chef America. She went on to host her personal present, Secrets and techniques of a Restaurant Chef, for 9 seasons.
Ray remembered Burrell “blasting the song of the moment” in her dressing room whereas they have been filming at Meals Community collectively.
“Anne had great taste in music and in life — she was a force in the kitchen, in any room, in every life she touched,” she concluded.
“I’ll miss her friendship deeply. Everyone whose life she touched will miss her. Sending love to Stuart and everyone who knew and loved Anne. We’ve lost someone truly special.”
Different reveals that additionally featured Burrell in outstanding roles included Chef Needed, Chopped and Meals Community Star. Her most up-to-date stint on the community occurred on Home of Knives, which premiered simply this previous March.
Within the wake of Burrell’s sudden passing, cooks and culinary figures, fellow Meals Community stars and plenty of celebrities took to social media to pay tribute to the Worst Cooks In America host — who’s being honored as a “fierce chef,” a “legend,” and “larger than life,” amongst different compliments.
For instance:
Robert Irvine — who appeared alongside Burrell on Worst Cooks in America — shared a prolonged, shifting tribute on Instagram.
It reads:
I’m surprised and deeply saddened by the information of the passing of Anne Burrell.
Anne wasn’t only a fiery chef. She was a radiant spirit who lit up each room she entered. From the very starting on Worst Cooks in America, our pleasant rivalry was fueled by mutual respect: I’d danger bleaching my hair; she’d danger shedding hers. An epic wager that epitomized her unbeatable spirit. It was a wager I finally misplaced, however I couldn’t think about shedding to a extra fierce competitor.
Exterior of Worst Cooks I got here to know her as a beneficiant and supportive colleague and an excellent higher good friend. I’ll at all times keep in mind her unwavering dedication, not simply to meals, however to lifting others up. She believed in nurturing culinary potential and celebrating small victories, whether or not in an newbie cook dinner or on a charity fundraiser. That was Anne. Uncompromising in her requirements, but tender in her mentorship…
Relaxation in peace, Chef. Your legacy as a champion of meals, kindness, and empowerment will proceed to encourage. Thanks for each lesson, each problem, and each superb second. You may be deeply missed and by no means forgotten.
Burrell is survived by her husband, Stuart Claxton, to whom acquired married in October 2021… alongside along with his son, Javier, in addition to her mom, Marlene, and sister, Jane, her kids Isabella, Amelia and Nicolas, and her brother Ben.
