'NCIS' Pays Tribute to Beloved Makeup Artist Shannon Soucie

One of the more intimate aspects of film and TV production that viewers at home are often not made privy to is just how much the work environment and off-screen energy of the entire team behind the camera affect what audiences are seeing on camera. For one of CBS's longest-running programs, NCIS, that definitely seems to be the case. The show honored crew member Shannon Soucie in a recent episode and fans of the program are wondering: What happened to her?

Currently, there's no mention online of the cause of Shannon Soucie's death, but she was relatively young — just 55 years old — when she passed on April 19, 2021.

At the end of the episode, the following message accompanied a photo of Soucie: "In memory of our friend and colleague Shannon Soucie. We will miss you."

Soucie joined the crew of NCIS in the show's third season and throughout her career worked on number of top-tier productions like Primary Colors, The Last Samurai, Alpha Dog, the Lois & Clark TV show, and the Emmy-nominated TV movie Geppetto.

Shannon followed in her father's footsteps as well: Gerald "Jerry" Soucie worked as a makeup artist and was attached to productions like Police Academy 6 and National Lampoon's Animal House prior to passing away in 1989. Shannon's brother Mark also works in the entertainment industry as a studio electrician.

One of Shannon's Facebook friends, Kimmy Scardina, penned her condolences online with many of her friends chiming in as well. In several of the messages left on the post, folks praised Shannon for her kindness and "generosity."

Soucie had around 10 years of experience under her belt before joining NCIS, and then she stayed for a whopping 15 seasons. One of the perks/pitfalls of working as a crew member in entertainment is that jobs can change quickly and you often work on a variety of different productions. Shannon must've really enjoyed working with the NCIS production team as she was with the show for 15 seasons before she passed.

NCIS producer Frank Cardea has often spoken about the great work atmosphere of NCIS. During a 2019 roundtable, he said, "It feels like a family, both on camera and off camera. I think that comes through. You feel comfortable with these people, and you know these people like each other," per Newsweek.

The memorial card played after Episode 13 of the show's 18th season on May 4, 2021. In the show, Gibbs was put into a tight spot and had to choose whether or not he would testify against Parker James for stealing millions of dollars from Navy sailors. 

NCIS is currently playing on CBS and remains one of the network's highest-rated shows. Previous seasons of the show are available for streaming on Paramount Plus.

Our thoughts and well wishes are with Shannon Soucie's close friends and family during this trying time.