NCIS: The 'Billy Mac' Tribute Explained

"NCIS" has been a television staple for decades, and for much of its remarkable run, a fair portion of the on and off-screen personnel has remained the same. Thus, while it's natural for personal and creative conflicts to arise occasionally, much of the team behind the "JAG" spin-off has grown incredibly close. So much so that in Season 20's "Butterfly Effect," the show paid tribute to a crew member who passed away.

The March 2023 "NCIS" installment is dedicated to the late William McLaughlin, affectionately known as Billy Mac by the cast and crew. He worked behind the scenes on "NCIS" as a propman and left a positive impact on the set and those who frequent it. For instance, first assistant director Paul Snider shared some emotional words about Billy Mac on Instagram, bidding the beloved tenured crew member farewell in a post. "NCIS lost another family member with the passing of Billy "Billy Mac" Mclaughlin. A great propman, the class clown, a good friend and a great human being. RIP Billy," he wrote.

In response to Snider's post, other notable "NCIS" crew members commented on Billy Mac's death.

Expanding on Paul Snider's Instagram post about Billy Mac, a few other members of the "NCIS" team stopped by to share some words about their fallen colleague. One of these individuals was co-executive and supervising producer Avery Drewe, who commented, "I don't think there's a single image that can capture Billy Mac. Prop Man who read the script and had creative ideas on how to make a scene work better. Prop man who kept it light when it was needed, and switch on a dime to having the right thing ready in a crunch." Drewe also highlighted Billy Mac's dependability, sense of humor, and penchant for maintaining crew camaraderie.

Makeup artist June Bracken and cameraman Christos Bitsakos also commented on Snider's post to honor Billy Mac's memory. Bracken expressed her sadness over the news and also touched on Billy Mac's sense of humor, calling him "a good man with a kind heart." As for Bitsakos, he referred to him as "one of those guys that you just want to be around and always had your back." Other folks who knew him, and even some who didn't, came by Snider's post to offer kind words about Billy Mac as well.

Between the tribute shown in "Butterfly Effect" and the public ones on social media, it's clear that Billy Mac was a key piece to the "NCIS" puzzle and an adored face behind the camera. May he rest in peace.