Food Network star and celebrity chef Anne Burrell has died at her home in Brooklyn, New York, at the age of 55.
Reps for the spiky haired star, best known for the zany FoodTV show, Worst Cooks in America, released a statement saying, “Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered. 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 have not revealed her cause of death.
Born in 1969, in Cazenovia, New York, like many chefs, Burrell discovered her passion for food at a young age, inspired by her mother’s cooking and television icon Julia Child. She earned an English and Communication degree from Canisius College in Buffalo before pursuing her culinary dreams. She then enrolled in the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, graduating in 1996. After graduation, she spent a year in Italy at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners, where she honed her skills and developed a deep appreciation for Italian cuisine and culture while working at La Taverna del Lupo in Umbria and La Bottega del’ 30 in Tuscany.
Once back in New York City, Burrell worked at acclaimed restaurants, including Felidia under Lidia Bastianich and Savoy in Soho, where she developed her signature style of rustic food with pure, intense flavors. She also shared her knowledge by teaching at the Institute of Culinary Education.
But Burrell became a household name thanks to the FoodTV network, where she first appeared as a sous chef on Iron Chef America alongside Mario Batali. Her charisma and culinary chops—along woth her eccentric appearance–led to her own Emmy-nominated show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, which premiered in 2008 and ran for nine seasons. However, she was perhaps best known as the longtime host of Worst Cooks in America, a show that followed the transformation of kitchen-challenged contestants into capable cooks with her guidance. Along the way, there were plenty of laughs. She also appeared on Chef Wanted, Chopped, Food Network Star, Beat Bobby Flay, and most recently, the competition series House of Knives, which premiered in March 2025.
In addition to her dynamic television career, Burrell was also a New York Times bestselling author, with two cookbooks to her name: Cook Like a Rock Star (2011) and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower (2013). Outside of her culinary endeavors, she was deeply committed to philanthropy, serving on the advisory board of the Garden of Dreams Foundation, acting as a celebrity ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and as a dedicated member of City Harvest’s Food Council.
Anne Burrell is survived by her husband Stuart Claxton whom she married in October 2021, his son Javier, her mother Marlene, her sister Jane, her children Isabella, Amelia, and Nicolas, and her brother Ben.
