Real-Life Chicago Fire Family Loses One of Its Own
The real-life family of Firehouse 51 has lost one of its own. Dale Hay, a crew member on Chicago Fire, was honored with a dedication card at the end of Season 12, Episode 2, after his tragic passing in 2023, and he’s not the only family member the One Chicago franchise has lost in the past year.
Chicago Fire is NBC’s drama series following the personal and professional lives of firefighters and paramedics at the fictional Firehouse 51 of the Chicago Fire Department. The series, which premiered in 2012, was the first series in NBC’s One Chicago franchise, which also includes Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, and Chicago Justice. The franchise is created by Dick Wolf, the same mind behind the Law & Order and FBI universes.
Chicago Fire premiered its 12th season on January 17, 2024. In the second episode of Season 12, viewers learned that the Chicago Fire cast and crew had lost an important family member. Read on for what to know about Dale Hay from Chicago Fire and the crew member behind the dedication card at the end of Season 12, Episode 2.
Who was Dale Hay from Chicago Fire?
Who was Dale Hay from Chicago Fire? Chicago Fire Season 12, Episode 2, “Call Me McHolland,” ended with a dedication card that honored someone named Dale Hay. “In Memory of Dale Hay,” the slide read. So who was Dale Hay? Dale E. Hay Jr. was a construction foreman at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, the same production studio that helps film episodes of Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med.
Hay died on September 8, 2023, in Chicago, according to his obituary with Cumberland Chapels in Norridge, Illinois. He was 57 years old. Hay, who was born on September 5, 1966, is survived by his wife, Laurie Mpistolarides, and his children: Dale III, Heather, and Jessica. He was married to his wife for 38 years before his death. His parents’ names were Dale Sr. and Carol, and he was also the brother of Ron and Donna Harnett. In lieu of flowers, Hay’s family’s asked for donations to be made to the American Cancer Society.
Hay isn’t the only the Chicago Fire family member the cast and crew lost in 2023. Treat Williams — who played Lieutenant Kelly Severide’s father, Benny Severide, from Seasons 1 to 7 of Chicago Fire — died on June 12, 2023. He was 71 years old. Williams died in a motorcycle accident in Vermont. “He was killed this afternoon. He was making a left or a right [and] a car cut him off,” Williams’ agent Barry McPherson told People at the time. “I’m just devastated. He was the nicest guy. He was so talented.”
McPherson continued of Williams, “He was an actor’s actor. Filmmakers loved him. He’s been the heart of the Hollywood since the late 1970s. He was really proud of his performance this year. He’s been so happy with the work that I got him. He’s had a balanced career.”
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Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Local fire chief Jacob Gribble shared at the time that the crash happened on the afternoon of June 12, 2023, on Route 30 by Long Trail Auto near Dorset, Vermont. The accident involved a single car which collided with Williams’ motorcycle. A LifeNet helicopter arrived on the scene and airlifted Williams to a hospital in New York, where he was later pronounced dead. The Medical Examiner’s office in New York determined Williams’ cause of death as “severe trauma and blood loss.” Vermont State Police also confirmed at the time that the man driving the vehicle that collided with Williams’ motorcycle was issued “a citation on a charge of grossly negligent operation with death.”
After his death, several of Williams’ co-stars honored him with statements. “My thoughts and prayers are with Treat’s family,” Taylor Kinney, who has played Severide since Season 1 of Chicago Fire, said in a statement after Williams’ death. “He played my father on Chicago Fire, and was a father figure to everyone on set. I’ll always relish our conversations and his uncanny ability to light up a room. We all send love, he will be missed.”
Along with Chicago Fire, Williams also played Lenny Ross from Seasons 6 to 13 of Blue Bloods. “It has been said that we are all just passing time and occupy our chair very briefly,” Tom Selleck, who plays Commissioner frank Reagan, said in a statement at the time. “My friend Treat was aptly named and occupied his chair so well. I will miss him but I will not forget him. Well done, my friend.”
Bridget Moynahan, who played Assistant District Attorney Erin Reagan, called Williams an “actor’s actor” and an “absolute pleasure” in her own statement at the time. “He was a role model off screen as well,” she continued. “His love and devotion to his family was one for all to admire. We lost a good one, folks. RIP Treat.”
Vanessa Ray, who plays Eddie Janko-Reagan, also honored Williams on her Instagram Story. “This is heartbreaking. The first time I worked with Treat on @bluebloods_cbs at family dinner, he found out I was in Hair on Broadway,” Ray wrote. “I said I was the ‘Frank Mills’ girl. He started singing. He knew every word. I did not. What an incredibly sharp, kind, beautiful artist. Rest now sweet Berger,” Ray wrote, describing her run in the Broadway production of Hair in 2010. Williams starred in the 1979 movie adaptation of Hair as George Berger.
Chicago Fire is available to stream on Peacock.
Check out our gallery below on other Chicago Fire cast and crew deaths and the Firehouse 51 family members we’re remembering.
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