Rachael Ray Says She Is ‘Shaken’ While Paying Tribute to Anne Burrell After Her Death at 55

Rachael Ray is reflecting on her friendship with Anne Burrell, one day after her death at 55.

“The news about Anne has truly shaken us. John and I are heartbroken,” the Meals in Minutes host wrote of the “rockstar” TV host, who died on Tuesday, June 17 at her home in Brooklyn, New York, referring to her husband, John Cusimano. “I can’t quite believe it — such a strong, vibrant, fearless woman, so full of life and love, could be gone so soon.””

She wrote that they blossomed from colleagues on Burrell’s series Worst Cooks in America into friends. A major marker of the longtime friends’ relationship was Ray’s role in Burrell’s 2021 wedding to husband Stuart Claxton.

“Anne honored me by asking me to be her bridesmaid, something I’d only done once before for my sister. Despite being surrounded by incredible chefs, she never once made me feel self-conscious about not being one — she always treated me as one of the gang. When we hosted Worst Cooks together, we had the most incredible laughs,” Ray recalled, adding that Burrell also cooked for Ray’s loved ones during her wedding anniversary in Italy.

She continued, “I’ll never forget walking into our dressing rooms at Food Network studios early in the morning and hearing her blasting the song of the moment down the hall. Anne had great taste in music and in life — she was a force in the kitchen, in any room, in every life she touched.”

“I’ll miss her friendship deeply. Everyone whose life she touched will miss her. Sending love to Stuart and everyone who knew and loved Anne. We’ve lost someone truly special,” she concluded the post. She shared photos from Burrell’s nuptials and pictures of the friends on set with the sentimental caption.

Burrell appeared on an episode of Ray’s podcast, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, six months before her death. The upstate New York natives reminisced about Ray’s role as a bridesmaid during the episode.

“I have to say, Anne, my own sister has been married a few times, and I only got to be in one of her weddings,” Ray told Burrell in the Dec. 3 episode. “The only person who ever asked me to be in their wedding other than my family member was you. It made me burst into tears. I was so honored to be there.”

Plus, Ray’s home was part of the pre-wedding festivities. Burrell and Claxton had a “pre-moon/bachelorette situation” in Europe before the wedding with the bridesmaids and their spouses. They traveled through Spain and Italy, stopping in Rome for a few nights before the men went home and the women continued on to Ray’s home in Tuscany.

“I don’t know if I would say it was very bachelorette-y, but it was exactly what I wanted,” Burrell told PEOPLE in 2021. “I will give up a Vegas vacation to stuff my face full of carbonara in Rome any day of the week.”

Burrell is survived by Claxton 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.”