Loved Ones Reportedly Gather to Say Goodbye to Food Network Star Anne Burrell at Private Funeral

Family and friends gathered to say goodbye to Anne Burrell on Friday, June 20, for a private wake in New York City, according to a report by Page Six.

More than 100 of Burrell’s loved ones arrived at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home on Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side to pay their respects to the Worst Cooks in America host.

Among those in attendance were Burrell’s husband, Stuart Claxton, Real Housewives of New York City alum Kelly Bensimon and former Queer Eye for the Straight Guy star Carson Kressley. Celebrity chefs Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag and Marc Murphy also paid their respects.

In photos obtained by the outlet, mourners were seen hugging outside the visitation.

The beloved Food Network star died unexpectedly on Tuesday, June 17, at 55 years old. Her cause of death has yet to be determined, however a rep for the New York City Fire Department told Page Six that the person who called 911 said Burrell went into “cardiac arrest” and was “DOA [dead on arrival].”

On June 19, it was reported by the New York Post that Burrell was “found next to dozens of pills.” According to the outlet, Burrell’s husband discovered her “unresponsive” in the shower of her Brooklyn, New York home. (Claxton and a rep for Burrell did return Star’s request for comment.)

Burrell’s friend and fellow Food Network personality Melba Wilson spoke to TMZ one day prior, and provided insight into Burell’s life prior to her death. “She was healthy, she was vibrant, she was beautiful,” Melba told the outlet.

The Harlem-based restaurateur went on to explain that when she talked to Burrell last week, she seemed totally “fine,” and they’d even discussed doing karaoke, so “to hear… that she’s no longer with us is devastating.”

“It’s shocking. It’s unbelievable to know someone so vibrant and so full of life is no longer with us,” Wilson added.

In a social media tribute posted by Duff Goldman, the Ace of Cakes alum, 50, recalled becoming friends with Burrell, and hinted that she’d been struggling at the time.

“Anne and I became friends in probably 2006,” Goldman wrote in a June 19 Instagram post. “She was going through some stuff and I had heard that she was feeling it, so on a trip to NYC from Baltimore I had made her a cake that said ‘Don’t let the bastards win.’ She never did.”

Goldman revealed that the two eventually lost touch, but reunited about two years ago. “It truly seemed to me that Anne really had found a measure of happiness and love,” he shared. “Life is tough, and we have to be tough to get through it.”

“Anne was as tough as they come,” Goldman added, “but when you got past the armor there was a depth of compassion and kindness that was absolutely beautiful. My heart sings when I think of the love and tranquility that it seems Anne had found recently.”