Annie Wersching: ‘The Last of Us,’ ‘Picard,’ ’24’ actor dead at 45 – National

Actor Annie Wersching, best known for playing FBI agent Renee Walker in the series 24 and providing the voice for Tess in the popular video game The Last of Us, has died. She was 45.

Wersching died Sunday morning in Los Angeles following a battle with cancer, according to her publicist. The type of cancer was not specified.

Wersching was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, Deadline reports, but that didn’t stop her from taking on new projects. One of her final roles was as the mesmerizing Borg Queen in Star Trek: Picard, exactly two decades after making her screen acting debut in Star Trek: Enterprise in 2002.

Wersching is survived by her husband, actor Stephen Full, and their three sons: Freddie, 12, Archie, 4, and Ozzie.

Following his wife’s death, Full said: “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…’”

Many of Wersching’s colleagues paid tribute to the late actor online.

Neil Druckmann, who created The Last of Us video game, wrote on Twitter: “We just lost a beautiful artist and human being. My heart is shattered.”

“Annie, you left us way too soon.”

Wersching provided the voice and motion capture performance for Tess for the popular video game, which has since been adapted into a TV series for HBO.

Kiefer Sutherland, who starred alongside the late actor in 24, wrote on Twitter that “Wersching was one of the greatest actors I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, and my friend.”

“My heart breaks for her young family. May she be remembered for the beautiful person that she was.”

Born and raised in St. Louis, Mo., Wersching appeared on dozens of television shows over the course of her two-decade career, including recurring roles in Bosch, The Vampire Diaries, Marvel’s Runaways, and The Rookie. 

A GoFundMe has been launched to support the family.

— With files from The Associated Press

&copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.