Former NCIS star Pauley Perrette has remembered her late cousin Wayne in an emotional Instagram post.

The actress, best known for the role of forensic scientist Abby Sciuto on CBS's procedural, took to Instagram to remember her cousin, who was a firefighter and passed away in 2022.

Perrette's post is a picture of Wayne's back tattoo paying tribute to the 343 firefighters who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attack.

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"My firefighter Cousin Wayne (my cousin, my brother, my best friend) spent everyday after 9/11 in homage to the 343 #firefighters we lost on that awful day," the NCIS star wrote in the caption.

"He just went to heaven and is within them now," she added.

Perrette previously spoke on the bond she shared with Wayne to mark one year from his passing.

"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," she wrote (via Hello! magazine).

pauley perrette as abby sciuto in a scene from ncis
CBS Photo Archive//Getty Images

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The star also remembered Wayne in September last year, revealing she had suffered a stroke and paying tribute to the loved ones she had lost, including her father and cousin.

"It's 9/2. One year ago I had a massive stoke. Before that I lost so many beloved family and friends, and daddy and then Cousin Wayne," she wrote in a post on Twitter/X.

"Yet still a survivor after this traumatic life I've been given so far… And still so grateful, still so full of faith, and STILL HERE!"

NCIS airs on CBS in the US. Seasons 1-20 are streaming on Disney+ in the UK.

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Stefania Sarrubba

Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).