Arizona news anchor Ana Orsini is dead at 28.
Her tearful colleagues at Tucson’s CBS affiliate KOLD News 13 announced her sudden death on air Monday.
“We are devastated by this loss,” wept newscaster Carsyn Currier.
Last week, we lost a beloved member of our KOLD news team. Ana Orsini was our anchor, a leader of the morning team, and most importantly a great friend to so many at the station. I had the pleasure of working with her during the morning, even though it was for too short of a… pic.twitter.com/oau04UsS9h
— Cory Kowitz (@cory_kowitz) December 16, 2024
The station said in a statement that Orsini died from a brain aneurysm last week. She was remembered as “a peanut-butter-M&M-loving, platform-Ugg-wearing, pink-or-purple-Stanley-toting ray of sunshine, even at 4:00 in the morning.”
Orsini had been with the CBS affiliate since June 2023. The Colorado native wrote in her station biography that she’d always wanted to wind up in Arizona, where she started college before graduating from Texas A&M.
Her resume included a news job in Texas and an anchor position in Oregon, where she was remembered fondly by her former colleagues at KDRV.
“She was courageous, and fearless, and knew how to lead a newsroom with a look alone,” recalled one former producer.
Co-workers described rescue animals as her passion, and she often volunteered with local animal shelters. Orsini is survived by her own rescue dog, Harley.
Her family has asked that anyone wishing to donate money in Orsini’s name make a donation to their local animal shelter.