Ana Orsini has tragically died at just 28 years old.
The news anchor began her career in journalism in 2018 when she joined a news station in Lubbock, Texas, after earning her degree from Texas A&M University.
She later spent three years at NewsWatch 12 before joining CBS affiliate KOLD News13 in Tuscon, Arizona.
News of Orsini’s passing was announced during a December 16 broadcast.
Tyler Butler, a fellow anchor at KOLD-TV, said: “Sad news to share with you, our beloved friend and co-anchor Ana Orsini passed away unexpectedly last week.”
Visibly emotional, co-anchor Carsyn Currier added: “Ana has been here at 13 News since June of 2023, and we are devastated by this loss.”
Butler also shared the devastating news in a Facebook post on December 16: “We have some truly sad news to share this morning. Our beloved Ana Orsini TV passed away suddenly late last week.”
He described her as ‘truly one of a kind’ and noted how those who knew her would ‘remember her always.’
KOLD-TV honored Orsini with a heartfelt tribute, describing the 28-year-old as someone ‘with bottomless empathy who always stood up for the little guy.’
In an emotional Instagram tribute, Currier shared how Orsini made early-morning shifts easier with her vibrant personality.
She wrote: “Ana was not only beautiful, talented, and hilarious, but she was unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”
Anchor Dan Marries also admired Orsini, calling her ‘one in a trillion,’ remembering her as compassionate, quick-witted, and deeply insightful.
He said: “We are all so heartbroken over this sudden and unexpected loss.”
Those who knew Orsini remembered her commitment to animal rescue work, and how she championed this cause in her work and personal life.
Her love for true crime podcasts, her fondness for peanut butter M&Ms, and her penchant for wearing platform Uggs were also noted.
In a Facebook post on December 17, Butler wrote that Orsini died of a brain aneurysm.
The news anchor said: “It’s so horrible, so sudden.”
He continued: “Ana was a force of nature. I keep thinking about how at times, I’d make a self-deprecating joke and she’d snap, ‘Hey! Don’t talk about my friend like that!’ Her genuine care for everyone around her will be missed.”
A brain aneurysm is a bulge or ballooning in a blood vessel in the brain and most don’t rupture, however, a ruptured aneurysm can quickly become life-threatening and will require medical treatment immediately, according to the Mayo Clinic.
