Annie Wersching has passed away, most notable for their role as voice acting Tess from Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us game.

The critically-acclaimed actress Annie Wersching sadly passed away this weekend (Sunday, January 28, 2023) after battling with cancer since 2020. She was 45. She was most recently recognized for her phenomenal role as Tess from Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us game but found her stride from playing Renee Walker on 24—with Kiefer Sutherland. Many of her peers have commented on her passing and shared their condolences.

The co-creator of The Last of Us, Neil Druckmann, posted on Twitter, “Just found out my dear friend, Annie Wersching, passed away. We just lost a beautiful artist and human being. My heart is shattered. Thoughts are with her loved ones.” He also shared a link to a GoFundMe page that was set up for her family.

Wersching’s co-star who played Joel in The Last of Us, Troy Baker, also expressed his words of the sad passing, “Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you are grateful for the simple gift of knowing them. Annie, so much of Tess is what you imbued into the character. Your strength is her strength, and in some way, you live on in not only her but the many roles you brought to life.”

Another co-star from The Last of Us game, Merle Dandrige, known for her role as Marlene, wrote on Twitter, “Good night, Dear Annie Wersching. You are loved. Thank you for all of it.” Dandrige also shared the GoFundMe link.

Wersching was also highly recognized for other major TV projects she was a part of, such as NCIS, Blue Bloods, Major Crimes, Cold Case, Rizzoli & Isles, The Vampire Diaries, Extant, the Dallas reboot and the Hawaii Five-0 reboot. Then, another two major projects which she found outstanding reception were Amazon Prime’s Bosch and Marvel’s Runaways.

Wersching is survived by her husband, actor Stephen Full, and her three children: Freddie, Ozzie and Archie. Full also made a statement on her unfortunate passing: “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.’”

He continued, “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…'”