Actor Annie Wersching has sadly passed away at the age of 45 following a cancer diagnosis on Sunday, January 29th.
You’ll always be Mama Salvatore to the TVD fandom. Any fan easily can remember how interactive she was with us during her time on the show. How excited she was to be in this role and her genuine good heart. Annie Wersching rest peacefully now. pic.twitter.com/jutDk9zTnl
— Damon Salvatore (@MercilessKiIler) January 29, 2023
She was well known for her voice acting as Tess in The Last of Us video game, her role as FBI agent Renee Walker in the TV drama 24, as well as appearances in Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Picard, and The Vampire Diaries.
Annie Wersching who played Tess in The Last of Us video games has passed away from Cancer at the age of 45 RIP 🙏💔 pic.twitter.com/h6sYRhJnXT
— DomTheBomb (@DomTheBombYT) January 29, 2023
Her husband Stephen Full paid tribute to her in a statement to CNN:
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…As I drove our boys, the true loves of her life, down the 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 of Wersching took to social media to express their condolences, with one saying: “my heart is aching. rest in peace to Annie Wersching, the first person to bring Tess to life, taken from us way too soon.”
Another wrote: “So sad to hear that Annie @Wersching has died. Too young. Cancer is a heartless, murderous thief.”
In honor of Wersching, the developers of The Last of Us, Naughty Dog Central, announced that the next episode will be dedicated to her, with the episode’s writer Craig Mazin stating, “We are dedicating it [Episode 3] to Annie’s memory. It may be too late to get that on screen for tonight, but we will work to get it done as soon as we can.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Full and Wersching’s three sons, Freddie, Ozzie, and Archie, to help pay for expenses related to her medical bills and funeral, as well as support their future.
According to the page, Wersching lived for her family and wanted to continue living life on her terms until she passed. The page states, “It’s so Steve can have time to grieve without the pressure of needing to work…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.”
So sad, RIP.
