‘The Vampire Diaries’ season 5 spoilers: Nina Dobrev, cast mourn crew member

Tragedy struck the entire family of “The Vampire Diaries” in the past week, as the show lost someone who had been a valuable member of their crew over the years. 27-year Sarah Jones, who worked as a camera assistant on the show as well as many other movies and programs, died following an accident that occurred on the set of “Midnight Rider,” a biopic about Greg Allman.

There is a campaign out there right now entitled “Slates for Sarah,” where many TV shows with workers who spent time with her can post pictures of their own film slates with a dedication of her written on them. “The Vampire Diaries” has already taken part in this effort (which has spread online thanks to Facebook and other social networks), as have crew members from “Supernatural,” “The Mindy Project,” “Castle,” and many others. Even those who did not know Jones know the work that goes with a job, and they are all a part of the same family.

Some of the “Vampire Diaries” stars also posted some of the following tributes online via social media.

Nina Dobrev – “Our #TVDfamily lost a loved one,” Nina wrote. “Beautiful soul. A dear friend. I miss you Sarah. You will always be a part of us… #SlatesForSarah”

Ian Somerhalder – “My heart is heavy-the TVD fam &I lost a very dear sister of ours. An amazing woman, leaving us too soon. Hug your loved ones, hug them so tightly.”

Steven R. McQueen – “Truly saddened to hear about the passing of a friend… R.I.P. Sarah Jones.”

Julie Plec – “The #TVDFamily lost a loved one today. RIP beautiful Sarah Jones.”

There is also a petition going around online in order to add Jones’ name to the In Memoriam tribute during the Academy Awards on Sunday night, and you can sign that here.

Photo: The CW