Richard Priem, who also went by Rico, was killed in a car accident early Saturday morning in Pomona, California.
Angela Bassett is reacting to the tragic news that a 9-1-1 crew member was killed in a car accident after working a late 14-hour shift on the procedural drama.
The 65-year-old actress, who stars on the hit Fox show, spoke to ET at the 2024 Disney/ABC Upfront event at the Javits Center in New York City, where she offered her condolences to the family of Richard Priem, the man who went by Rico and worked as a grip on the show and was a member of the IATSE Local 80 crew union.
"The studio, 9-1-1, we all extend our deepest condolences to his friends to his family," Bassett shared with ET. "It was just a very, very sad moment. We're all rocked by it, certainly."
9-1-1 is in its seventh season, and over the years the cast and crew have experienced many milestone moments in each of their personal lives -- from births and weddings to, tragically, now a death in the family.
"It's the first time [we experience death]. We have births, you know, we have weddings and now to experience this," Bassett shared before adding that the cast and crew remembered Priem on the set. "We just had to take a moment, just take time and take a moment. We thought it was important to come together and have whatever bit of service and offer whatever we can do to his family, 'cause we know that we'll miss him but we know they will miss him even more."
Bassett added that when the cast and crew got together on the set to remember Priem, "so many beautiful words were spoken of him."
Priem died in a highway crash early Saturday at approximately 4:27 a.m. following an overnight shoot on location in Pomona, California. The California Highway Patrol said Priem's Toyota Highlander "left the roadway for unknown reasons, went up an embankment and flipped onto its roof." Priem was pronounced dead at the scene, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
"On behalf of the studio and everyone at 9-1-1, we send our sincere and deepest condolences to Rico Priem's family and friends," a representative for 20th Television wrote in a statement to ET.
Priem's death was addressed in a social media post by one of his colleagues, Nina Moskol, who said that they had just worked together on Thursday night.
"He was on the cusp of retirement, with his paperwork filed," the tribute stated. "He had his already rich life planned for retirement, including spending time with his wife, watching his grand-nephew grow, riding his beloved Harley, and even gripping still to stay connected to his friends. He was so jazzed about what he had learned about retiring, he wanted to teach the ins and outs of retirement at the local."
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