Tragic Details About Ree Drummond

Food Network's Ree Drummond, better known as "The Pioneer Woman," has brought her ranch-style home cooking to the TVs of millions for over a decade, capturing numerous hearts as shares her life with her four kids and her husband Ladd Drummond, while she gives a glimpse into living on the Drummond Ranch in Oklahoma.

What started as a blog to chronicle her family's life on the ranch back in 2006, with a few recipes sprinkled in here and there, turned into an entire lifestyle brand over time. By 2009, The Pioneer Woman blog would go on to win Weblog of the Year at the Bloggie Awards three years in a row. Though her brand has extended to cookbooks, network TV shows, and beyond, Ree continues to chronicle her life for her viewers to see via her blog. She celebrates her triumphs, but she isn't afraid to speak on the troughs as well and open up about the tragic details of her life.

Charlie was Ree Drummond and her family's Bassett Hound, frequently making appearances on her Food Network show and her social media account. As Drummond made her way to the top, she made sure Charlie got to share some of the glory.

The celebrity chef dipped a different toe in the writing pool with a string of children's books inspired by her very own pup. The "Charlie the Ranch Dog" series is written entirely from his perspective, its first book being published in 2011, with four subsequent books following.

Charlie was a beloved friend and companion to many beyond the Drummond Ranch, so when he passed away from lymphoma in 2017, Drummond broke the heartbreaking news on her blog the day Charlie went to a better place: "I've sobbed off and on ever since, mostly because of all the good memories of the best dog a family could ever, ever have. He lived a full life out here with the cows and the rabbits, and I'm so grateful he was ours." She then went on the include a segment addressed to parents of youngsters that know Charlie about what they should disclose following his passing, and made one message abundantly clear: he was oh so loved.

Tragedy struck in the Drummond family one fateful night in March 2021. When a fire broke out on their property, Ree Drummond's husband Ladd Drummond took a fire rig to address the situation and put out the fire. His nephew, Caleb Drummond, was in a separate fire vehicle when they were in a "head-on" collision (per People).

Ree detailed the accident on her website, assuring viewers that both Ladd and Caleb were going to be okay, but in due time. She reported that, "Caleb broke some ribs, had a pretty bad concussion, and a few other injuries that [would] heal," while Ladd fractured two different places in his neck.

The crash came a few weeks before Ladd and Ree's daughter Alex's wedding, for which Ree reported Ladd had to sport a neck brace, but Ree shared her thankfulness that Ladd and Caleb's injuries weren't worse. "For both Caleb and Ladd to be okay — injured, yes, but fixable — after seeing the condition of their trucks makes me not want to spend one second complaining." She continued in the aforementioned statement, "So rather than wish the accident didn't happen, I'm gonna live in a state of gratitude — not just for the guys being okay, but also for the love, kindness, and prayers of so many of you."

2021 reared its ugly head again for Ree Drummond when she faced an unimaginable loss. Drummond's older brother, Michael "Mikey" Smith, died in October 2021. Not many details regarding his cause of death have been revealed. A decade before his death, Drummond shared that he was living with "developmental disabilities" in her book "The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" (per People). Michael was 54 when he passed away.

Family members, including Michael and Drummond's sister Betsy Smith, and friends took to social media to share the kind of person he was. "It isn't possible to sum up the life of someone as perfectly wonderful as my brother Michael, so right now I won't try. He was seventeen months older than me, my first friend and buddy, and I'm so grateful for over 50 years of photos and memories," wrote Drummond in a Facebook post made shortly after her brother's death. "Please pray for my parents, whose devotion to Mike was boundless, and who will feel this loss most acutely. Michael Smith, you were everything." The message was accompanied by a series of touching throwback photos from their childhood.

Ree Drummond has not only had to mourn the loss of family members that she'd grown up with but also grappled with the loss of her in-laws, who passed only four years apart.

Back in 2018, Ladd Drummond's mother, Nan Drummond, passed away from cancer. Ree shared the news with a heartfelt Instagram post, and in part of her tribute in the caption said, "We lost her last night, and I'm not sure any of us know quite what we're going to do without her. She was magnificent." Ree detailed in her blog the struggles her family faced when it came to filming around the time of her mother-in-law's passing. "It seemed strange just to take a pause in filming, then resume after the funeral as if our family hadn't experienced this major loss." She continued, "So we decided to devote an episode to one of the days just after Grammie died. We were all working at the cemetery, and we have a family lunch together. It's sad, but it's real."

Then, in 2022, Ladd's father, Chuck Drummond, passed away "peacefully in his sleep." Ree commemorated the loss on her website but highlighted her husband for all of the unimaginable loss he has endured throughout his life. "We will all miss Pa-Pa, but Ladd and his brother Tim will feel this loss most acutely. They lost their older brother, Todd, in high school, and their mom five years ago." She described Chuck as a man who was passionate about his work, a devoted family man, and a true cowboy.

Ree Drummond has been on a weight-loss journey since 2021, and fans were quick to assume that she had some help in the process. She first detailed her progress in a blog post from 2021, sharing ten tips and tricks she used to lose over 50 pounds. She included ideas that worked for her body such as getting more movement in throughout the day and lowering alcohol and sugar intake. She also emphasized what she did not do while journeying towards a healthier lifestyle, such as working with a trainer or trying certain diets like Keto. 

Drummond later updated the post in 2024, squashing the rumors that came to light. She disclosed that she never took or sold any weight loss supplements, despite false Facebook advertisements claiming she did. Drummond also added, "I did not take Ozempic, Wegovy, or similar medications. ... For me, the simple, boring truth is that when I set out to lose weight in January of 2021, I had never heard of that class of drugs." She closed the update with an expression that she is in support of those who take these medications and experience the benefits, and that she very well could have done the same if she had known the choice was there.