The Last of Us viewers had their hearts broken when they watched Tess (Anna Torv) die trying to save Joel and Ellie, but longtime fans of the franchise didn’t expect the news that would start out the week concerning original Tess actress Annie Wersching.
As per Variety, Wersching, who played Tess in The Last of Us game and had roles in 24, The Vampire Diaries, and Star Trek: Picard, had passed away at the age of 45 after a battle with cancer. Wersching was said to have been diagnosed back in 2020 and continued to work for two more years before passing.
Neil Druckmann, co-director of The Last of Us, has also shared a link to Wersching’s family GoFundMe campaign. Here’s his post:
Wersching’s family wrote:
“Annie lived for her family. She loved her work and cherished her friends, but Steve and the boys were her absolute everything. It’s so Steve can have time to grieve without the pressure of needing to work. So he can be daddy to Freddie (12), Ozzie (9) and Archie (4) as they navigate the future without their mom, without sweet Annie.”
The third episode of The Last of Us series on HBO Max was also said to have been dedicated to Wersching, and showrunner Craig Mazin said, “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.”
We may not have gotten a live-action appearance from Wersching in the show, but she still left behind one important character in one of the most celebrated game franchises of all time.
Catch The Last of Us now streaming on HBO Max.
