Anne Burrell’s Cause of Death Ruled a Suicide

Who?

R1 is Giada De Laurentis.

dot dot dot. newlywed lesbian. newlywed to a man????

I didn't know it was possible to intentionally OD on prescription drugs anymore

Not a method I'd choose, that's for sure

[quote] "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of diphenhydramine, ethanol, cetirizine, and amphetamine,"

Damn.

Booze, pills, and meth.

How do they know it was intentional and not an accident? Maybe after her husband saw her at 1 a.m., she took the Benadryl, Zyrtec and booze to get to sleep, realized she took too much, and tried to reverse it with Adderall. Too embarrassed to call someone. Maybe she was trying to revive herself in the shower. No one ever said if the water was left on.

She was "discovered in the shower unconscious and unresponsive surrounded by approximately (100) assorted pills.” Not an accident.

Is it a painless way to go? Antihistamines aren't great tranquilizers

R4 I didn’t think so, either. In a way she may have been fortunate that she didn’t end up in a vegetative state , or “locked in” unable to speak or move from damage to her nervous system. It’s a very sad ending for anyone.

Don't these people know how to buy a handgun?

Razors pain you.

Rivers are damp.

Acids stain you.

And drugs cause cramp.

Guns aren't lawful.

Nooses give.

Gas smells awful

You might as well live.

How could she die from benedryl, antihistamine, alcohol, and Adderall? They cancel each other out and three of them are over the counter.

Quel surprise. She seemed bat shit.

Adderall isn't over the counter

I still think the husband did it.

Anne was in good spirits, just the night before.

She had even recently performed at a comedy club.

Everyone who saw her prior to death, said she was fine.

None of this makes sense.

She was getting ready to go to work that day, jumped in the shower, and then tried to kill herself?

I don't buy it.

This wasn't a suicide.

We'll probably never know, but I wonder if her suicide had to do with her never fully accepting her sexuality and not being able to come to terms with being a lesbian. Her story is an odd one: Everyone knew or assumed she was a lesbian, but when Ted Allen outed her, she freaked out, before finally acknowledging she was in a relationship with another female chef. Then, a couple years later, she announces that she has found her Prince Charming and is planning a big fairy-tale wedding, talking about it as if the whole lesbian thing had never happened.

That's true R16, but usually when someone is contemplating suicide, there are signs.

And all of those people close to Anne, said there were no signs.

It really doesn't make sense.

Accidental overdose? Maybe.

Suicide? No way.

I think this was a very irresponsible determination by the NYC Medical Examiner's office.

R17 = I initially thought the same thing but what if she was one of those chicks who wrote endless letters and journals about ending it all? Maybe the family is waiting for a check for the exclusive details. It's all sad.

R14 , he said that.

Everyone always says after someone dies, there we no signs, we had no idea.

The idea that you tell if someone is suicidal is a comforting fiction.

People who've planned suicide often seem to be energized or have a mood spike before it happens, because they know relief is coming.

Yep, I say accident. I just went through this with someone I used to work for about 8 months ago. Older lady, lots of depression and other mental issues. Lots of money but never happy.

Unlike Anne Burrell, there were lots of signs. Years of depression, counseling, estranged from husband and kids, no friends. Always talking about her depression, always listening to sad music, with only occasional manic moments of happiness. I realize everyone's story is different, but I just do see Anne with any similar signs at all. Usually people start doing things like stop caring about life, or getting out, or trying new things. Lots of depression, hopelessness etc.

Looking at the drug list I could totally see her at the comedy club the night before, doing something to perk her up, plus some alcohol, so that she's up and bubbly during her first ever performance. Then maybe too wired when she got home, which would explain the (Benadryl). That's 3 of the 4 drugs. The last drug Zyrtec is harmless, non-drowsy antihistamine. Being in the shower suggest she felt like she was over heating.

Usually people (mostly women) who choose pills do so because it's not as painful as other methods. Most of the time it meas they are found laying down in their own bed for comfort, not a shower.

One of her friends made a comment shortly after she died that made it pretty clear this was the expected finding.

This is almost a sad allegory about reality television “fame”. For many of us, maybe it’s better to grow and earn incrementally than to “spike” in a project or public venture, and then struggle to stay in the limelight and to build your presence and career in public.

She actually had a longer and more successful run than a great many others, so it’s very sad. I suspect there are many others with one or two successful reality projects who try to re-adapt to working lives outside of the public’s view. I’ve known a few people who appeared on strange reality concepts on MTV and FoodTV and even HBO programming like OZ. Most of these people describe the experience sort of wistfully. In reality, the casting agents have more longevity and security than a great many aspiring performers. Nonfiction media can be very grubby and a shitty way to make a buck.

Yes, but we don't know if that expectation was based on the report of pill being around or if they had some inkling of depression beforehand.

My theory is she was over heating from the Amphetamine and alcohol. That's why she went into the shower.

The pills they found all over the floor actually suggest this was not intentional. She was probably desperate to find something to make it stop. It would also explain why she took an antihistamine, like she was thinking it might bring her temp down.

Its very unusual for people to OD in the shower intentionally. Usually a bed or a sofa.

Nonfiction media can be very grubby and a shitty way to make a buck.

Case in point, crazy ass Kelley Wolf.

She has it all. Famous and very nice husband, great kids, beautiful home(s), cars, etc. The perfect life.

And instead of appreciating it, she's constantly chasing fame, after her 15 minutes from "The Real World: New Orleans."

Clearly, she felt that her perfect life wasn't good enough. And her constant fame chasing destroyed her marriage AND her mental health.

[quote]Yes, but we don't know if that expectation was based on the report of pill being around or if they had some inkling of depression beforehand.

It's pretty obvious she suffered from depression. Even if it wasn't clear enough from Andrew Zimmern's early comments, others referenced or hinted at her struggles, including Duff Goldman and Elizabeth Falkner. I appreciate that fans want to think the front she presented to them was the real Anne Burrell, but that's now how fame (or depression) works.

If anyone around her would come out and say she's been depress, suicidal, or just acting strange, then I would go with suicide. But they haven't. Most people who are suicidal even if quite about it dont go out to a comedy club and try to push their comfort zone if they are planning to check out the the next day.

Ooops, you beat me to it about friends. I guess I stand corrected.

This thread is infested with our ever lurking daddy issue fraus desperate for a “case” and, of course, to blame the husband.

I have to laugh at the person who thinks the husband involved or the others who are so convinced she accidentally overdosed. It takes a hell of a lot of these medications to overdose. A person doesn't accidentally take a handful of medication

R27 I think Bethenny Frankel’s content looks amateurish and desperate when she crows about a handbag or type of face cream. She is probably legitimately wealthy, yet maybe not as envisioned. And her brands look only unevenly successful. But the broader idea is that reality fame, even that of household names like Omarosa, isn’t so easy to build into longer term security and recognition.

I’d be curious to see how things unfold for reality television notables. A few lucky ones retreat to “real” work running restaurants or selling real estate, but many others don’t have the skills or talent to pull that off. You can become recognizable but not wealthy enough to disappear entirely or stay isolated in prosperous social circles.

Incredible!

Rest In Peace, Chef Burrell.

She controlled her way out.

She was undeniably angry and not very charming or attractive although she had a solid knowledge base as a chef.. She was sued for sexually harassing and bullying her workers. Her commercial ventures did not go well. I think the marriage was a strategic move to make her more palatable to FN's audience. It wasn't enough.

R16 Or she was, you know, bisexual (and suicidal).

It'll be weird watching the new season of Worst Cooks (starts Sunday I think). It won't be as light hearted and silly as it usually is.

This all seems sus to me.. and no mention of a note.

100 pills on the floor likely just means some spilled open bottles. it’s only the levels of what was found in her system, that matter.

Thanks you, Doogie Howser. Here I was thinking she dropped dead after seeing the mess of pills she’d spilled everywhere.

Well as someone who discoverd someone who attempted to OD that way, pills were all over but that's only after she took what she thought would be enough and accidentally knocked over the tray with the open bottles. Trust me what I saw was a lot more than 100 pills. Assuming each bottle has a 30 day supple, it only takes 3 little containers to make up 90 pills. So I agree with r40. It's about how many were in her system.

I said three of them R14.

R42, I found a post-suicide site from a family member, and it was exactly as you’ve described for me too. Hundreds and hundreds of pills on the ground, along with tons of Zofran.

The anti-nausea drugs like Zofran seem to be the new thing. That's what the women I work for did to thinking it would keep her from throwing up after she swallowed all the pills. Well, it her case that worked but when they found her a day later she was still berthing lightly, but totally unresponsive. Because of those pills, part of what they did in the ER was to put charcoal in her stomach to absorb all the meds.

Do you have a link to that site where her family members commented?

I know this sounds really shallow, but no one said how good or bad she was the night before doing her first comedy stand-up. Maybe she bombed and was so down on herself when she got home, that was the last straw.

I don’t think reality tv caused the mental problems for Anne of Kelley Wolf. Millions and millions of people suffer from chronic depression and substance abuse. Most likely their troubles are what cause them to seek fame in the first place.

No antidepressants on that list - was Anne rawdogging it?

While Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is available OTC, it is the most dangerous antihistamine in overdose. It is cardiotoxic in overdose causing cardiac conduction delays (specifically, widening of the QRS interval). It also causes seizures. Not the best way to go. It's not something she could have done "accidentally". The minimum amount to be life threatening is 10mg/kg of body weight. That would be 20 tablets of 25mg each in a 110 pound person. Cetirizine (Zyrtec) is benign (even mixed with the other meds). Ethanol is alcohol (like whiskey, beer wine). Unless she drank massive amounts, it probably contributed little unless she died from vomit-aspiration. Amphetamines are also mentioned. One of the more common prescription forms is a mixed-salt amphetamine used in ADHD commonly marketed as Adderall. Longer acting formulations are available in higher doses that can be more dangerous if crushed. It can be life-threatening in overdose by increasing blood pressure and heart rate. It can also potentiate seizures. An amount to be life-threatening would be several times the maximum recommended dose. It isn't realistic at all that this was accidental.

So did she kill herself because she couldn't eat box publicly on the cover of People magazine?

Or because she saw no future for herself after Food Network?

I doubt it was the latter, because there are so many outlets now, and so many women who are cooking/influencing into their 70s and 80s.

But internalized homophobia can be a lingering bitch.

It was work related in my opinion. I think she never originally planned to be on TV unlike most "influencers" today. She used to teach at a culinary school and also was a chef at several restaurants and spent several years in Italy learning that craft. The TV gig was kind of an accident and her first show Secrets of a Restaurant Chef was very popular, probably her best work. It ran for 9 seasons for a total of about 4 years. When it ended, the only thing they gave her was "Worst Cooks in America" which was more like a reality game show than actually teaching people how to cook.

If I were her, I probably would have hated it but the pay was probably too good to pass up at that point. Certainly more than a line cook, most chefs make crap money if they are not famous. Except for Giada, most Chefs were treated like pawns at that network. There was some nasty corporate stuff going on. One of her Chef friends posted recently that for her birthday he baked her a cake with the words "Don't let the ba$tards win" So definitely some kind of drama with regards to The Food Network suits. Maybe she felt her career was over, or there were no other options.

Chefs seem to be more prone to suicide too

R50 She was Tweeting about being engaged to her ex girlfriend. Would a person with internalized homophobia do that?

R49 just stopped by to say that your explanation was great.

I wonder if she had a will and if her husband was in it?

[quote]Everyone always says after someone dies, there we no signs, we had no idea. The idea that you tell if someone is suicidal is a comforting fiction.

The flip side to this is 'everyone always says after someone dies, there were signs, we had some ideas - but we didn't get involved'.

So maybe the fiction lies in the answer - 'there were no signs'.

With depression, maintaining any kind of career or public life must be so exhausting. When I'm depressed, I feel like brushing my teeth is equal to a ten-mile hike. I can't imagine having to go on TV or worry about a complex career like that. Suicidal thoughts are often driven by the dread I feel associated with various obligations.

There are two types of people, those who talk about it all the time, and those who never say a word. The ones that talk about it all the time have suicidal ideation, depression and go on and on about it to the point it's like the boy who cried wolf until one day they actually do it. The other type is totally private and just dose it with almost no hint of anything wrong until something triggers them.

In both cases, it's really hard to predict when and if and what signs there were. The first one I think is more frustrating because they almost dangle it in front of you then pull back. You build up a boundary to deal with that behavior and then they go ahead and do it and you feel guilty for not taking them seriously. It feels kind of manipulative is some ways. "you're going to miss me when I am gone" types.

The other type who keeps it quiet, you can also feel guilty because they didn't feel comfortable enough to talk to you about it. But at least you can say you really didn't have any idea. They dont want to bring others into their misery. It's clean quick, and fast.

I have witness both circumstance with 3 different people I have known personally who have done it. Just my theory, not actual medical advice.

I assume medical examiners (in theory) take some care to distinguish accidental death from suicide. Not that they are never wrong, but it remains an important distinction.

And if that carries no weight with the "oh but she seemed so happy" camp, there's the detail (NYT article) stating that [bold]more than 100 spilled pills were found around her body.[/bold]

Again, how many pills on the floor have nothing to do with it. What counts is what she took. Was it a few too many or did she take the whole bottle. If there were so many pills found around her, sounds like she didn't take that much, they all ended on the floor. Most people dont have more than 30 pills of a script at a time. A lot of pharmacies wont give you more than 30 days.

You’re full of shit R58

So the Neely O'Hara quantity of spilled.pills is perfectly ordinary "I want to live" behavior.

Of course it's only the pills she consumed that killed her, but evidently she shoved enough down her mouth to have had the confidence not to have been down on the ground sucking the spillage up like a Roomba.

[Quote] I still think the husband did it.

I agree! I think DH tied her to a chair, put one of those funnel things in her mouth, poured several bottles of pills into her, then washed it down with a bottle of pino greesh!

Then put her in the shower and spread pills all over to make it look like “suicide!” 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

Case closed!

There’s this zany third type of people who don’t contemplate suicide at all, r58.

It was the Soft Butch Sous Chef, in the Kitchen, with the Rolling Pin.

There are a lot of older gays and lesbians who never got treatment for dealing with the trauma of being gay at a time when it was not accepted.

The fear of disapproval, alienation - even from your own family - plus all of the negative messages we receive can EASILY create negative thought patterns in young adults that get ingrained in developing brains.

Once those are there, it's very hard to remove it. Your brain becomes hard-wired for depression and negativity. Also, anxiety is very closely related to depression.

There have been tons of studies of depressed teens who have depressed brains as adults.

Obviously I don't know her - but so many gays and lesbians over the age of 40-45 are dealing with, not to be dramatic, but PTSD from the decades of negative perceptions and assaults to your existence.

That's my take - and getting married to a fucking MAN quickly was an odd move to all eyes. Not saying she couldn't be bisexual - but c'mon. She fits the sporty, softball-playing, jokey lesbian stereotype.

[quote] Obviously I don't know her - but so many gays and lesbians over the age of 40-45 are dealing with, not to be dramatic, but PTSD from the decades of negative perceptions and assaults to your existence.

I totally agree with this.

I'm not sure about her family, but they seem to be very close-knit, conservative religious people from Upstate New York. Likely, Italian Catholic.

There is nothing more that they would hate, than for her to be a lesbian. I'm sure that when she "came out," they weren't happy.

So when she got married (to a man) in her 50s, I'm sure they were ecstatic, and I'm sure it was nothing more than her trying to gain her mother's approval.

I have no proof of it, but her mother and sister really embraced her wedding to a man.

Without a doubt, she was suppressing her true self, just to please her family, while making herself miserable.

You would think that once she was out, she would stay out - and happy. But some people never get over their intense need for their family's approval.

She was always so joyful when she was with her mother, sister, and nieces.

But then you have the other side of Anne....

The real Anne.

She looks truly happier with the other women.

The Food Networks has had other lesbians on there, but they always seem to pretend that's not a thing. No discussion about it. Yet the straight people on there talk about their wife and kids all the time. And then you have homophobe Guy Fierri who they pay the most money too for his shitty competition shows.

STFU R61. How many people do YOU know who committed suicide?

I wonder how many other Food Network stars have done this? Other than that self aggrandized drug addict Anthony Bourdain.

Why would you wanna overdose on pills in a shower?.... Why not the bed? Like someone said earlier.....Was the shower on? Was she trying to wake herself up

They could just have ruled it a suicide while they investigate suspicious circumstances, like murder. They've probably beem trailing the husband with undercover cops since she died. Of course, I watch a ton of true crime stories.