The Lovely Way The Rookie Paid Tribute To Annie Wersching After Her Death At 45

 annie wersching as rosalind dyer on the rookie.
annie wersching as rosalind dyer on the rookie.

Following the death of actress Annie Wersching, tributes have been pouring in from everywhere as stars and creators praised Wersching for her beautiful talents and more. The ABC procedural The Rookie is the latest to join in, with a lovely tribute at the end of the newest episode.

Beginning in the second season, Annie Wersching portrayed criminal Rosalind Dyer in The Rookie, always proving herself to be a formidable foe for Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan and the LAPD. Her arc came to a close toward the start of Season 5 of The Rookie, but the series made sure her memory will live on by paying tribute to her at the end of the latest episode:

annie wersching rookie tribute screenshot
annie wersching rookie tribute screenshot

It was a short but sweet tribute, and it’s a great way to honor her. Wersching’s role as Rosalind was definitely memorable. Following the news of her death, The Rookie announced on Twitter that the February 14 episode would be dedicated to her memory, and they delivered.

Annie Wersching was initially announced to portray Rosalind in 2019, bringing yet another Castle reunion to The Rookie since she played Kelly Nieman in three episodes of the Nathan Fillion-led crime drama. Her convicted serial killer role on The Rookie was a roller coaster, to say the least, but seeing her trying to get into John’s mind was entertaining, nonetheless. She really did bring the character to life, and played her in a completely unique way.

Even though Rosalind died earlier in the season, and she wasn’t particularly loved by the LAPD, I do wonder if she will still be brought up from time to time in future episodes since she did leave quite a mark on the department, as did Annie Wersching. But at the very least, it’s nice that they paid tribute to the actress, and dedicated the newest episode to her.

The Rookie marked Wersching’s final role before her death; however, she did portray Borg Queen in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard in 2022 as well.

The actress was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, and she passed away in January 2023 at the age of 45. While Hollywood is in mourning, there are plenty of ways to remember her, and it won’t be surprising if the tributes continue to pour in.

Aside from The Rookie and Star Trek: Picard, Wersching also starred in Hulu’s Marvel’s Runaways, Bosch, and had recurring roles on The Vampire Diaries and Timeless, among many other shows. It’s clear that she impacted many, and she will live on forever, be it in tributes or with her many roles.

You can watch Annie Wersching create chaos as Rosalind Dyer on The Rookie now with a Hulu subscription, and create your own memories and tributes to the beloved actress.