Annie Wersching, the actress best known for her roles in The Last of Us, 24, Bosch, and more, has died at the age of 45 (via Deadline). Wersching’s publicist confirms that she passed away from cancer. She was diagnosed with the disease in 2020. While Wersching spent much of her career starring in live-action roles – including playing Renee Walker in 24, Leslie Dean in Marvel’s Runaways, and Lily Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries – gaming fans will recognize her as Joel’s partner, Tess, from The Last of Us. Though her role only featured in a few hours of the game, Tess will forever be one of the action survival series’s most important characters.
Wersching didn’t let the disease keep her out of the spotlight. She continued to perform in roles such as the Borg Queen in Star Trek: Picard and Rosalind Dyer in The Rookie despite her diagnosis. Her husband, Stephen Full, shared a statement:
There is a cavernous hole in the soul of this family today. But she left us the tools to fill it. She found wonder in the simplest moment. She didn’t require music to dance. She taught us not to wait for adventure to find you. ‘Go find it. It’s everywhere.’ And find it we shall. As I drove our boys, the true loves of her life, down the winding driveway and street, she would yell BYE! until we were out of earshot and into the world. I can still hear it ringing. Bye my Buddie. ‘I love you little family…’
Fans and colleagues have already taken to social media to share memories of Wersching. The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann wrote about her, saying, “We just lost a beautiful artist and human being. My heart is shattered.”
Just found out my dear friend, Annie Wersching, passed away. We just lost a beautiful artist and human being. My heart is shattered. Thoughts are with her loved ones.
There’s a go fund me set up for her family: https://t.co/dhvk6uOvZV
— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) January 29, 2023
A GoFundMe for Wersching’s three children and husband has been established since her passing. A description for the page explains that funds raised will allow the family to carry on in her absence.
“It’s so they can continue to go to baseball games (Go Cardinals!) take music lessons and play little league,” the GoFundMe page explains. “It’s to help pay for college. It’s so Steve can continue Annie’s tradition of filling the house with every life-sized balloon that’ll fit in the car for birthday mornings. It’s to give them time to navigate life as a family of four without the burden of paying medical bills or funeral expenses. It’s so they can continue to live life in a way that they know would make Annie proud.”
