The Last of Us actor Annie Wersching sadly passes at 45

The Last of Us has been enjoying some well-deserved time in the spotlight lately, with the runaway success of the HBO TV adaptation and the confirmation of a second season. But fans of the series will be in a more somber mood today with the news that one of the talented voice and motion-capture actors from the original game has sadly passed away at the age of 45.

Annie Wersching, known for her roles as Tess Servopoulos in The Last of Us, the Borg Queen in Star Trek: Picard, and much more, tragically passed away today, almost three years after a cancer diagnosis, according to Deadline. Wersching was a prolific actor in the realm of live-action television, portraying the likes of Renee Walker in 24 and Lily Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries, but will be well-known to the gaming community as Tess from The Last of Us Part I, a long-term smuggling partner of Joel’s who accompanies him and Ellie on their journey.

Wersching was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, but continued to work even in the following years. Her final role was as the Borg Queen in Star Trek: Picard, twenty years on from her debut in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. Many of her colleagues from her years in the industry, including The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann, shared kind words and reflections at her passing, along with links to a GoFundMe set up to help support Wersching’s family, particularly her sons Freddie, Ozzie, and Archie. Wersching’s husband, actor Stephen Full, issued a statement in the wake of the family’s loss, saying that “There is a cavernous hole in the soul of this family today. But she left us the tools to fill it…She taught us not to wait for adventure to find you. ‘Go find it. It’s everywhere.'”