The tragic death of a 28-year-old newscaster in Arizona has left colleagues devastated.

Ana Orsini, a co-anchor at CBS affiliate KOLD-TV in Tucson, died last week of a brain aneurysm. Orsini’s death was announced by her fellow newscasters in an emotional live broadcast on Dec. 16.

“Sad news to share with you, our beloved friend and co-anchor Ana Orsini passed away unexpectedly last week,” co-anchor Tyler Butler told viewers.

Co-anchor Carsyn Currier, struggling to hold back tears, added, “Ana has been here at 13 News since June of 2023, and we are devastated by this loss.”

Orsini’s colleagues described her as “someone with bottomless empathy who always stood up for ‘the little guy.'”Ana Orsini / @anaorsinitv via Facebook

Butler then took Currier’s hand as she began sobbing.

“We had the opportunity to work with her every day,” Butler told viewers. “And we do want you to know that what you saw with her on air, the funny, crazy person she was, she was just like that off-camera and more so.”

The co-anchors, who wore pink to honor Orsini, then played a reel filled with special moments featuring the late anchor.

While Orsini’s colleagues did not reveal the cause of her death on the air, a follow-up news report on the station’s website revealed she died of a brain aneurysm. A brain aneurysm is a bulge that can develop in the wall of a blood vessel, according to the Mayo Clinic. If the aneurysm ruptures, it can cause a hemorrhagic stroke.

Orsini’s colleagues described her in the report as “someone with bottomless empathy who always stood up for ‘the little guy.'”

“Rescue animals were her passion, and if she wasn’t celebrating Fur Baby Friday, she’d be trying to find a new home for a cutie in need,” the report said.

Orsini was born in Denver, Colorado, and graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station in 2018 with a degree in journalism and a double minor in communication and sports management, according to her bio at the station.

Prior to her arrival at KOLD-TV, Orsini spent three years as a morning and midday anchor at an unnamed station in Medford, Oregon, where she “did everything from covering major wildfires to helping shelter pets find their forever homes.”

She got her professional start in 2018 working as an anchor and reporter at an unnamed station in Lubbock, Texas, where she launched a “Pet of the Day” segment to help local shelter animals find forever homes.

Orsini had her own rescue dog named Harley.

“Ana was not only beautiful, talented and hilarious, but she was unlike anyone I’ve ever met,” Currier wrote alongside photos of her and Orsini on Instagram. “To know Ana was to LOVE her. She made everyone around her feel so special, heard and understood.”

She added that “family” meant everything to Orsini, whom she called one of her best friends.

“She was a proud daughter, sister, and the best dog mom to her baby boy, Harley,” wrote Currier, adding, “Rest in Peace, sister. I promise to keep living fully for YOU.”

Gina Vivinetto