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Food Network Chefs Pay Tribute to Anne Burrell

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Following news of the chef and TV personality’s death at age 55, remembrances poured in on social media.

Anne Burrell smiles on a stage in a demonstration kitchen.

June 18, 2025, 11:28 a.m. ET

After her family announced in a statement on Tuesday that the chef Anne Burrell had died at age 55, tributes began pouring in across social media from those who knew her as a longtime Food Network star, a capable and experienced chef and a fledgling comedian.

Ms. Burrell, who first found fame on television as a sous-chef for Mario Batali on “Iron Chef America,” went on to establish herself as a television personality in her own right, initially with “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef” and later co-hosting the show “Worst Cooks in America.” She was a frequent guest on “Chopped,” “House of Knives,” “Food Network Star” and other cooking programs.

Of late, Ms. Burrell had begun dipping her toe into the world of comedy. She performed on Monday in an improv show at Second City New York after attending months of classes. “Can I just say it is so much fun and I am learning so so much!!!” she wrote in an Instagram post in March. “It really helps me get out of my shell … as if I needed that!!”

Here’s what some of Ms. Burrell’s contemporaries have said online about her death and legacy.

Tyler Florence, who hosted “Worst Cooks in America” with Ms. Burrell, recalled her wit and “sincere kindness.”

“Anne had a collage of star tattoos on her left arm. I asked her what they meant and she said she loved the night sky. And, how lucky she felt to be a star,” he said. “She was one of the brightest.”