AZ News Anchor Ana Orsini passed away due to a brain aneurysm, which her colleague described as “so terrible, so sudden.”

Ana Orsini, a 28-year-old Arizona newswoman who died last week, died from a brain aneurysm, according to her colleague, KOLD-TV anchor Tyler Butler, who posted on Facebook on Tuesday, December 17.

“It’s so horrible, so sudden,” Butler wrote, revealing Orsini’s cause of death.

“Ana was a force of nature.” I kept thinking about how when I made a self-deprecating joke, she’d say, “Hey!”  Do not talk about my pal like that! He continued, “We will miss her genuine concern for everyone around her.”

KOLD described Orsini as someone “with bottomless empathy who always stood up for ‘the little guy.'” The anchor was known for encouraging younger coworkers.

According to the network, Orsini was an avid listener of true crime podcasts and a dedicated animal rescuer. She was a “peanut-butter-M&M-loving” and “platform-Ugg-wearing” anchor who was always a “ray of sunshine, even at 4:00 in the morning.”

Her colleagues at the CBS affiliate in Tucson confirmed her death during a broadcast on Monday, December 16. “Sad news to share with you: our beloved friend and co-anchor Ana Orsini passed away unexpectedly last week,” according to Butler.

“Ana has been with 13 News since June of 2023, and we are devastated by her loss,” co-anchor Carsyn Currier said, choking back tears.

According to her resume, Orsini began her journalistic career in 2018 at a news station in Lubbock, Texas, following her graduation from Texas A&M University in College Station. She subsequently moved to Medford, Oregon, where she worked for three years as a morning/midday anchor, covering everything from “major wildfires to helping shelter pets find their forever homes.”

Orsini’s co-anchors, Butler and Currier, are among those grieving her demise.

Butler expressed her uniqueness in a Facebook post on Monday, December 16. “She was very enthusiastic about rescuing animals, had a terrific and caustic sense of humor, and was extremely committed to her family. She adored her family and spoke about them all the time. I’m delighted to have been a small part of her professional family.”

On Instagram, Currier described Orsini as a buddy who “made it that much easier” to get up in the middle of the night to work the early shift.

“Ana was not only beautiful, talented, and hilarious, but she was unlike anyone I’ve ever met,” Currier said with a carousel of photographs featuring the two anchors. “To know Ana was to love her.” She made everyone feel unique, heard, and understood.

“She was a proud daughter, sister, and the best dog mom to her baby boy, Harley,” wrote Currier in an email. “Rest in peace, Sister. “I promise to continue living fully for YOU.”

“There are special people who come into our lives and leave an indelible impression, and Ana Orsini was one of them,” anchor Dan Marries wrote in his homage to Orsini. “Ana, you were one in a trillion; wise beyond your years, full of practical insight, smart, compassionate, quick-witted, and possessed a contagious love for animals, especially dogs.”

Marries expressed, “This abrupt and unexpected death has left us all grieving. Ana, your memories will be a source of strength and inspiration for me as I try to go on without you in this physical world. We greatly miss you, Ana.