Rocky Carroll's long-running 'NCIS' character Leon Vance is dead (and that's OK with him)

The study of this decease is not an exaggeration: Rocky Carroll’s quality Leon Vance, manager astatine the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, died Tuesday connected “NCIS” aft appearing connected the CBS bid for 18 of its 23 seasons truthful far.

For Carroll, 1 of the worst parts, obviously, was that his quality would beryllium dormant and helium was retired of an acting job. But the champion parts? The squad managed to support the crippled twist a concealed for months, nary leaks. Plus the histrion had a bully agelong tally connected a deed show.

Carroll told Variety successful an interrogation published Tuesday evening that helium has “had a small clip to wrapper my caput astir it and travel to presumption with it” since helium was told successful November that his quality was going to die. His last country was changeable Dec. 11, helium said.

Still, helium wondered astir the finality of Vance’s death, fixed that different characters who near the amusement person been shipped off, gone but not gone. When bid pb Mark Harmon near the amusement successful 2021, his quality Jethro Gibbs simply retired to Alaska. He’s gone fishing, not gone forever.

“So if you wanted this quality to go,” Vance told the trade, “why are we being truthful last astir it, erstwhile everybody other conscionable gets sent disconnected to different country?”

But, helium said, the amusement wanted to “do thing spectacular” for its 500th episode. It was clip for Vance to die. The communicative of his decease broke the show’s mold, unfolding successful nonlinear fashion. Screen Rant said it was the “best quality send-off that the amusement has done successful years — arguably adjacent amended than Gibbs’ exit.”

Carroll couldn’t rather judge they managed to support Vance’s departure from this mortal coil nether wraps. He called it “pretty cool” that successful the property of societal media, cipher leaked the story. He expected the occurrence would beryllium “a immense daze for people” who are fans of the show, with lone a tiny ellipse of “NCIS”-related folks successful the loop earlier Tuesday night.

And contempt the finality of Vance’s death, determination are 7 “NCIS” episodes yet to travel this play and the bid has been renewed for a 24th iteration. Carroll has directed much than 2 twelve episodes of the amusement since 2015, per IMDb, and was already backmost connected acceptable successful January to nonstop another. As for the remainder of it, helium seems beauteous zen.

“I’ve been a quality connected this bid for 18 years. Most Hollywood careers don’t past 18 years. So to beryllium capable to play 1 quality connected 1 of the astir fashionable shows successful the satellite for 18 seasons, that’s the equivalent of surviving to beryllium 105,” Carroll told Variety.

And, helium added aboriginal successful the interview, “18 years of accordant enactment connected the astir watched amusement successful the satellite gives you a small spot of cushion. I mightiness beryllium doing a accumulation successful a 50-seat theatre determination successful Hollywood and having the clip of my life. For the past 18 years, I’ve had the champion part-time occupation successful Hollywood. So there’s not a full batch to beryllium upset about.”