Former NCIS star Pauley Perrette has been inundated with support after sharing a post in memory of her late cousin, Wayne, who she described as her best friend. The actress shared a photo of the late firefighter's incredible tattoo, a tribute to those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terror attacks, with a poignant message.
She wrote: "My firefighter. Cousin Wayne, (my cousin, my brother, my best friend) spent every day after 9/11 in homage to the 343 #firefighters we lost on that awful day. He just went to heaven and is within them now. This was his full back tattoo."
Fans were quick to reply, with one writing: "Cousin Wayne, never forgotten and thanks for sharing. Beautiful tribute to 9/11," while another person added: "May God bless those that were lost on that day including those who ‘ran toward the danger’. The best and bravest were lost on that day."
A third person added: "I'm sorry for your loss. We lost way too many good people that day, and because of that day! My heart goes out to all of you. I was in the Air Force during that time and it changed my life forever."
Pauley previously spoke about her relationship with Wayne, writing: "Everyone has their human, their person…for me it was my cousin Wayne. He was everything to me, he was like my brother, we were like twins ...Wayne's dead, March 18, 2022. It’s been one year and I still don't know who I am without him."
Who did Pauley Perrette play on NCIS?
Pauley starred in NCIS as Abby Sciutto from 2003 to 2018 before leaving after allegedly clashing with her co-star, Mark Harmon. After she was quizzed about whether she would ever return to the show on X, formerly known as Twitter, she wrote: "NO I AM NOT COMING BACK! EVER! (Please stop asking?) I am terrified of Harmon and him attacking me. I have nightmares about it. I have a new show that is SAFE AND HAPPY! You’ll love it!"
© Getty ImagesShe added: "You think I didn’t expect blow back? You got me wrong. THIS happened To my crew member and I fought like hell to keep it from happening again! To protect my crew! And then I was physically assaulted for saying NO!?and I lost my job."
At the time, CBS released its own statement which read: "Pauley Perrette had a terrific run on NCIS and we are all going to miss her," it read. "Over a year ago, Pauley came to us with a workplace concern. We took the matter seriously and worked with her to find a resolution. We are committed to a safe work environment on all our shows."
