Mourners gathered on the Upper East Side on Friday to pay tribute to Anne Burrell. The 55-year-old Food Network star was found dead in her Brooklyn apartment days earlier. Burrell’s death shocked family, friends, and fans, many of whom recalled Burrell’s shining spirit, passion for food, and laughter. While the acclaimed chef is being laid to rest, her cause of death remains unknown, but sources claim police are looking at a potential drug overdose as the cause of her passing. Reportedly, a large number of pills were found in the bathroom with Burrell.

Police found pills near the late chef

The NYPD continues to investigate Anne Burrell’s death even as Food Network stars gathered to say their final goodbyes. While details on the chef’s tragic passing on June 17 remain sparse, an insider did connect with TMZ. The insider, allegedly linked to law enforcement, told the outlet that police are looking at the death as a possible drug overdose. The theory arose after investigators found “a large quantity” of pills near Burrell’s body.

While reports suggest pills were found near the chef, there is no indication that the 911 caller mentioned Burrell had taken anything. An autopsy was completed prior to the chef’s wake on June 20. The cause of death has not been released. It could take weeks for a toxicology report to reveal whether drugs played a role in Anne Burrell’s death. Police do not suspect foul play.

Anne Burrell was reportedly doing well in the hours before her death

Anne Burrell was reportedly in good spirits the evening before her death. She was out in New York performing with an improv group. It is unclear when she returned to the Brooklyn loft she purchased in 2019. The Daily Beast reports that her husband, Stuart Claxton, last saw Burrell alive around 1 AM. He discovered her body several hours later inside a shower in the home. Initial 911 reports suggested that Burrell was in “cardiac arrest.” More recent reports suggest she had died several hours before Claxton found her.

Claxton, a Vice President of Marketing and Communications at a nonprofit organization, and Burrell met on Bumble in 2018. The pair tied the knot in 2021 at a sprawling estate in Burrell’s hometown of Cazenovia, New York. Burrell often took to Instagram to praise her partner. Their short marriage seemed happy and rich, marked by laughter and travel.