Season 12, Episode 2 of Chicago Fire ended with a tribute to a crew member named Dale Hay, and many fans are wondering who he is and how he's connected to the One Chicago universe.
Read more details, below, about Dale Hay and the "in memory" that was played for him on air.
Who is Dale Hay from Chicago Fire's "in memory" (Season 12, Episode 2)?
Before the end credits started rolling on Chicago Fire Season 12, Episode 2, a screen displayed that read "In memory of Dale Hay," prompting many questions from fans.
NBC can confirm that Dale Hay was a Chicago Fire crew member and part of the construction team. He sadly passed away a few months ago.
The Chicago Fire cast and crew are, in many ways, like a real family. They've been filming the show for 12 years now, and from that comes real love for the people you work with.
Miranda Rae Mayo, who plays Stella Kidd, opened up to Looper in 2022 about the close-knit bond of the Chicago Fire cast and crew, which, of course, included Hay.
"The crew was so loving and warm and welcoming and really wanted me to succeed," she said. "That's also what we saw onscreen with Stella Kidd's character is that, from the jump, there was the support of Dawson's character. Since Dawson was supportive, everybody else hopped on board and was very quick to embrace her. That's very much how my experience was off-camera. The people who really welcomed me the most were Uri, who played Otis, and David Eigenberg, who played Herrmann. And Brett [Kara Killmer]. They were very warm and, 'Come in, meet the family, meet my family, come over for dinner.'"
That family mentality has kept the show going for so many years. "It’s never lost on me how special it is to be a part of something with the longevity this has," Taylor Kinney, who plays Severide on Chicago Fire, told Us Weekly in May 2022. "It’s a testament to [show creator] Dick Wolf and the team of people he puts together.”
Dale Hay was an essential, beloved part of that team, and he will be missed.
