US TV actress Annie Wersching has died at the age of 45, her husband said. The 24, Bosch and The Rookie star was diagnosed with cancer in 2020.
Her husband Stephen Full confirmed news of her death on Sunday morning in a statement issued to Deadline. He said her death had left a "cavernous hole" in their family. The couple had three sons - Freddie, 12, Ozzie, nine and Archie, four.
He said: "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.’ And find it we shall.
"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…’ "
Her friend, actress Ever Carradine, has launched an online fundraiser to help support Annie's family. She said on Twitter: "We lost a ray of sunshine today."
On the GoFundMe page, "For Annie's Boys", she said: "Annie was diagnosed with cancer Summer of 2020. She's a private person by nature, and the diagnosis made her even more so. She wanted to protect her boys.
"She wanted to get better so she could continue working. And honestly, she just didn't really want to talk about it. She wanted to live her life, on her terms, and be with her family. Annie lived for her family. She loved her work and cherished her friends, but Steve and the boys were her absolute everything.
"Everyone loved Annie. Everyone. But however much we loved her, she loved her boys more. Let's help take care of them for her."
The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann said: "We just lost a beautiful artist and human being. My heart is shattered. Thoughts are with her loved ones."
Vampire Diaries showrunner Julie Plec said on Twitter: "I became a fan from ‘24’ and was lucky to be able to have Annie play mama to two of the hottest vamps in town… RIP Annie, you wonderful soul."
Among Wersching's numerous TV credits were roles in Frasier, Supernatural, General Hospital, Timeless, Runaways and Extant. More recently, she joined Star Trek: Picard to play the Borg Queen.
