The New York City Police Department said that Anne Burrell was found “unconscious and unresponsive” at her death site.

At 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, June 17, cops from the 76th Precinct responded to “an unconscious and unresponsive 55-year-old female,” according to PEOPLE. EMS “responded and pronounced her deceased on the scene,” police stated.

The cause of death is pending an autopsy by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

Police did not identify Burrell as the deceased because they are attempting to contact his relatives. However, an online check indicates that the Food Network star lives in Brooklyn, New York, as stated by cops.

Burrell’s representatives confirmed his death in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

“Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend—her smile lit up every room she entered,” her family wrote in a statement. “Anne’s brightness reached far beyond those she knew, impacting millions throughout the world. Although she is no longer with us, her warmth, energy, and infinite love will remain forever.

Burrell got her start in television after teaching at the Institute of Culinary Education in the early 2000s.

She got famous after participating in Iron Chef America, Chef Wanted, Chopped, and Worst Cooks in America. In March 2025, the Cazenovia, New York, native appeared on the competition show House of Knives.

In addition to her on-screen work, Burrell published two cookbooks: Cook Like a Rock Star (2011), a New York Times bestseller, and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower.

The presenter of Worst Cooks in America is survived by her husband, Stuart Claxton, and his son, Javier, as well as her mother, Marlene; sister, Jane; children Isabella, Amelia, and Nicolas; and brother, Ben.

She and Claxton met on Bumble in 2018 and married in October 2021.

“I have to say, I love being married,” she said exclusively to PEOPLE at City Harvest’s 40th Anniversary Gala in April 2023. “Stuart works from home, so we’re always together. It’s not just being together all the time, but also going on adventures together.