Rachael Ray Breaks Her Silence After Anne Burrell's Tragic Death

A "truly shaken" Rachael Ray is opening up about the death of her friend and Food Network colleague Anne Burrell, whose sudden death on Tuesday shocked everyone. 

Ray took to social media to share a carousel post of their close friendship. The launch image showed Ray at Burrell's wedding. Other photos showed them together on the set of Burrell's Food Network show and hanging out at a party.

"The news about Anne has truly shaken us. John and I are heartbroken. I can’t quite believe it — such a strong, vibrant, fearless woman, so full of life and love, could be gone so soon. Anne was a rockstar! I came to know her well through multiple seasons of Worst Cooks on Food Network, and she became so much more than a colleague," Ray began her lengthy post. "Anne honored me by asking me to be her bridesmaid, something I’d only done once before for my sister."

Ray shared that Burrell never made her feel "self-conscious" about the fact that she was never a chef.

"[S]he always treated me as one of the gang. When we hosted Worst Cooks together, we had the most incredible laughs. She even cooked for me and my guests at my wedding anniversary in Italy."

Related: Food Network Star Anne Burrell Was Enjoying Beloved Hobby Hours Before Her Death

Ray ended her post by saying "we’ve lost someone truly special."

Burrell was tragically found dead at her home on Tuesday in Brooklyn. She was 55. Just hours before her death, Burrell had just finished enjoying one of her new hobbies: improv comedy.

According to People, the late host of Worst Cooks in America had just performed an improv show at Second City New York in Brooklyn. That performance marked the last of her final courses of improv.

She's survived by her husband, Stuart Claxton, whom she married in 2021 in upstate New York, his son and her stepson, Javier, and her children, Isabella, Amelia, and Nicolas. She is also survived by her mother, Marlene, sister, Jane, and brother, Ben.