NCIS stars Mark Harmon, Brian Dietzen tributes David McCallum

Earlier today the tragic news was revealed that NCIS star David McCallum had passed away at the age of 90 years old. He was a living legend on the series for so many years, and he was also a part of what is a tight-knit show family.

Now, we are hearing more from some of the people who were a part of the series over the years, starting with Mark Harmon. Here is what the series and executive producer had to say to TVLine:

“David lived a great, full, long life … I was in awe when I first met him and all of us on the show were honored to have toed a mark opposite him. My condolences go out to Katherine and his family.”

Meanwhile, his co-star and frequent scene partner Brian Dietzen posted a lengthy, emotional tribute that you can see over on his Instagram:

David McCallum was a mentor, a great scene partner, a wonderful father and husband, and he was my dear friend.

I met David on my first day of work at NCIS. I was booked to work one day on the show, but David and I hit it off. Our scene turned out well and they invited me back for more scenes with this screen legend. Several more.

Over the course of the next 20 years, David and I (along with our alter-ego’s Ducky and Jimmy) developed a deep friendship and love of our shared work.

He was a joy to work with. Always had a smile. Always had something new to add to the page, and ALWAYS had the ability to steal every scene he was in! … The friendship and respect people saw between Ducky and Jimmy over the years mirrored the relationship we’d developed off camera. Whether it was going on field trips for character research, attending charity events or catching some golf together, he was always up for an adventure. The guy could do anything.

Meanwhile, Wilmer Valderrama (who plays Nick Torres and worked with often over the past few years) shared his own heartfelt thoughts on Instagram:

“David, what an immense honor it was to share the screen with you. Your professionalism and ability to effortlessly take every one of us on a journey through your art will be felt forever. I will miss you my friend.”

Obviously, McCallum was a friend, colleague, and source of wisdom for a number of the show’s cast. It does remain to be seen how the writers are going to account for his passing; the writers’ room could open soon following the end of the WGA strike.

Related – Be sure to see what the NCIS producers had to say about McCallum’s passing

Our thoughts continue to go out to David’s family and all who loved him during this difficult time.

(Photo: CBS.)

This article was written by Jessica BunBun.