Tributes paid to food writer Julie Powell after her sudden death from cardiac arrest at 49 - after battling Covid-19
2 November 2022, 09:18 | Updated: 2 November 2022, 10:27
Tributes have been paid after food writer Julie Powell died suddenly aged 49 after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Powell died at her home in Olivebridge, upstate New York, on October 26 of a cardiac arrest, her husband, Eric Powell, told the New York Times.
She is survived by her husband, brother and parents.
She rose to fame in 2005 with her account of trying to recreate every single recipe from Julia Child’s classic cookbook “Mastering the Art of French cooking.”
Her book, Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen sold more than a million copies, and led to a 2009 film starring Meryl Streep.
So I woke up with something that's literally Black Hairy Tongue. People, including my doctor, seem to think it's no big deal, and will go away soon, but it certainly is gross.
— Julie Powell (@licjulie) October 25, 2022
The book came after she launched a successful blog, The Julie/Julia Project in 2002, writing about her attempts to cook recipes from Julia Child’s iconic cookbook.
Prior to her death, Julie had tweeted repeatedly about her battle with Covid in September. Then on October 25 she posted: “So I woke up with something that's literally Black Hairy Tongue. People, including my doctor, seem to think it's no big deal, and will go away soon, but it certainly is gross.”
Weirdly, my Covid is getting worse. Terrible headache, cough, probable fever, fatigue.
— Julie Powell (@licjulie) September 13, 2022
On September 13 she posted: “Weirdly, my Covid is getting worse. Terrible headache, cough, probable fever, fatigue.
Fellow food bloggers paid tribute to her online: “This is sad news. Julie Powell was an inspiration to my generation of food bloggers, and was hilarious and kind in our interactions, especially when discussing our home state of Texas. Sending my condolences to her family and friends,” wrote Lisa Fain.
Food writer Adam Roberts posted: “I just landed in NY and read this in shock. Hard to imagine my life without Julie Powell’s influence; she was so cool and funny and fearless.
Thai chef Pim Techamuanvivit wrote: "How very sad. She was so young. I was a huge fan of her blog, and I am definitely old enough to remember when social media was more about being snarky about oneself than putting down others. RIP Julie.”
