Fans Mourn Annie Wersching, Who Played Tess in 'The Last of Us'

Annie Wersching, the actress who originated the role of Tess in the video game The Last of Us, has died at the age of 45 after being diagnosed with cancer two years ago. Wersching's husband, actor Stephen Full, confirmed via an update on their family's GoFundMe page that she died on January 29.

While it has been 10 years since Wersching portrayed the character of Tess, her work on the hugely popular game has recently re-entered the cultural consciousness with the release of the TV adaptation, with many comparing her favorably to Anna Torv, who played the live-action version of the character.

"We just lost a beautiful artist and human being," wrote The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckman. "My heart is shattered. Thoughts are with her loved ones."

In addition to her memorable voice and motion-capture performance as Tess in The Last of Us, Wersching was a prolific TV actress perhaps best known for playing FBI agent Renee Walker in 24, and appearing in popular procedural dramas like Castle, The Rookie and Bosch. She was also active in the science fiction and fantasy genre: her first TV credit was in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, and she went on to have recurring roles in The Vampire Diaries, Extant, Marvel's Runaways, Timeless, and most recently as the Borg Queen in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard.

Paul Wesley, who worked with Wersching on multiple seasons of The Vampire Diaries, tweeted that he was "deeply saddened" by her passing, adding: "She was a wonderful and talented person I was lucky enough to know," and encouraging people to donate to the crowdfunding page that has been set up to support her family. TV producer Carina Mackenzie said: "Annie Wersching made me laugh whenever we crossed paths in our little Vampire Diaries universe. She had such range, so much sparkle & talked so much about her boys. I’m so heartbroken for her family."

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