Anne Burrell’s death ruled suicide by ‘acute intoxication’

The death of Food Network chef Anne Burrell on June 17 was ruled a suicide by the City of New York Office of Chief Medical Examiner on Thursday at the conclusion of its investigation; the report found that she died of “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of diphenhydramine, ethanol, cetirizine, and amphetamine.”

Burrell apparently mixed two antihistamines with alcohol and amphetamine; the combination can be deadly in the right amounts.

While the combination of medications she had in her system could have been taken mistakenly and caused an accidental death, the fact that she was found unresponsive in the shower with a large quantity of pills near her body led investigators to rule it a suicide.

In the weeks since Burrell died, many of her colleagues and others in the food industry have given heartfelt tributes to her impact on their careers.

Her career

Burrell started on Food Network as a sous chef on “Iron Chef America.”

She also appeared on “Chopped,” “Chef Wanted,” “Food Network Star,” and “House of Knives,” and hosted “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and “Worst Cooks in America.”

The final season of “Worst Cooks” featuring Burrell is still set to air beginning July 28, which will be surreal for her many fans.

She specialized in Italian cooking and trained in Italy for several years before working several stints at prominent Italian eateries in the U.S.

Her life

Burrell married Stuart Claxton in 2021; she had previously identified as lesbian and been engaged to a woman.

She was said to be worth $5 million before her death due to her Food Network shows and two bestselling books.

She lived with Claxton and two cats in a 2-bedroom, $1.5 million loft apartment in Brooklyn.

It was not clear what led the 55-year-old to take her own life.

Friends and others who knew her said that while she had struggled in the past, she seemed to have found joy and happiness in recent times.

Burrell’s death is a reminder that so often, we don’t know what someone is really going through on the inside, even when they look happy on the outside.