Anne Burrell’s Final Instagram Post Featured Sweet Photo with Viral Brooklyn Star Days Before Her Death

Anne Burrell was spending time exploring the streets of New York City in the days leading up to her unexpected death.

The celebrity chef was found “unconscious and unresponsive” in her Brooklyn apartment at around 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, June 17. EMS “responded and pronounced her deceased on scene,” police told PEOPLE. She was 55.

On Thursday, June 12, days before her death, Burrell shared her final Instagram post.

The late chef added a photo with N.Y.C. fixture Elizabeth Eaton Rosenthal, also known as The Green Lady. Burrell posted a selfie alongside the 84-year-old Brooklyn resident. 

“I ran into @greenladyofbrooklyn in my neighborhood today!! I’m not going to lie- I have been keeping an eye out for her,” Burrell captioned her post. “I may or may not have followed her down the street for a minute. She is just lovely!!!”

Rosenthal commented on the Instagram post the day after Burrell posted.

“Hi Ann 💚 it was so much fun meeting you 💚,” she wrote. “see you again soon in the neighborhood 💚 the only thing I make is coffee and fig preserves from my fig tree 💚 love and hugs 💚 Elizabeth 💚😘💚.”

Rosenthal followed up with another comment, inviting the chef to her “garden and pick figs when they are ready 💚,” adding, “usually beginning to ripen beginning September, and come and visit the garden on a sunny day anyway 💚😘💚.”

Following the news of Burrell’s death, several people flocked to the comment section of her post to express their grief, including Rosenthal.

“Hi Anne 💚 you are such a lovely person just to meet and not knowing you 💚,” Rosenthal wrote. “I just love you and so sorry but come to my garden and visit with all your beauty and love and I will be waiting for you 💚💚💚😘💚💚💚.”

Reps for Burrell confirmed the beloved chef’s death to PEOPLE late Tuesday afternoon.

Burrell is survived by her husband Stuart Claxton, whom she wed on Oct. 16, 2021, and his son, Javier, as well as her mother, Marlene, and sister, Jane, her children Isabella, Amelia and Nicolas, and her brother Ben.

“Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered,” her family said in a statement. “Anne’s light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Burrell was best known for appearing on Iron Chef America, Chef Wanted, Chopped and Worst Cooks in America. In March 2025, the Cazenovia, N.Y., native was featured on the competition series House of Knives.

The TV personality also released two cookbooks throughout her career, New York Times bestseller Cook Like a Rock Star in 2011 and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower in 2013.