**NCIS’s Brian Dietzen Shares Touching Final Moments with David McCallum**
Brian Dietzen, known for his role as Dr. Jimmy Palmer on NCIS, recently opened up about his poignant last conversation with co-star David McCallum, who portrayed Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard on the show and passed away at 90 last September.
Reflecting on their chat just days before McCallum’s passing, Dietzen told People, “I had the opportunity to speak to him on his birthday, which was wonderful. That was on a Tuesday. He passed away that weekend, already in the hospital and not in good health.”
Despite McCallum’s health challenges, Dietzen recalled, “He had some time in his last week to chat with his family, his kids, and Katherine, his wife. I was fortunate enough to speak with him during that time.”
While Dietzen chose to keep the specifics of their conversation private, he emphasized, “I’m grateful I got to speak with him one last time and express my feelings. It was incredibly meaningful.”
NCIS honored McCallum with an episode titled ‘The Stories We Leave Behind’, where the team mourned Ducky while tackling one of his unresolved cases. Dietzen co-wrote the episode with Scott Williams, sharing, “When David passed away, Scott and I collaborated on this episode. It felt right, and I was honored to do it.”
NCIS airs on CBS in the US, with Seasons 1-20 available for streaming on Disney+ in the UK.
