Mueller was born into a family of pitmasters on Feb. 20, 1972, in Taylor, Texas. She was the granddaughter of Louie Mueller, who opened Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor in 1949. Mueller’s late father, Bobby Mueller, took over the restaurant in 1974.
Mueller and her now-wife Ali Clem first opened La Barbecue in a South First Street food truck park in 2012. The restaurant operated out of several different food truck areas before relocating to Quickie Pickie’s kitchen in 2017. In 2021, the couple moved La Barbecue into a permanent location at 2401 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin. La Barbecue remains open.
Outside of La Barbecue, Mueller led a high-profile career as a photographer in New York and Los Angeles, shooting celebrities, including Jay Z, Willie Nelson and Leon Bridges. Her work landed on the covers of Rolling Stone magazine, Texas Monthly and other publications, according to the Instagram post.
“LeAnn was incredibly generous, undeniably fiery and deeply funny,” La Barbecue representatives said in the post. “Her tough exterior masked a sensitive and kindhearted person who would—quite literally—give you the shirt off her back, and that shirt would likely be a bold print, short-sleeved button down.”
