In only a few days, NCIS fans will bid farewell to Ralph Waite along with the cast in an emotional season finale.

NCIS Season 12 Cast: Gibbs, DiNozzo, Abby & More Coming Back?

Michael Weatherly, who plays Tony DiNozzo on the hit CBS show, posted a photo on Twitter, in which he acknowledged the veteran actor. The photo was presumably taken on set as the cast filmed the last episode of season 11. It shows an empty blue chair with Waite's name on it.

"The #ncis Season finale on the way - thoughts for Ralph..." Weatherly wrote as the caption.

More Details On NCIS' Season 11 Finale

Waite passed away on Feb. 13 at the age of 85. The actor, whose career spanned over 50 years, recurred on NCIS as the father of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon.

Pauley Perrette, who plays Abby Sciuto, also previously uploaded photos with Billy Dee Williams (Leroy Jethro Moore), as well as co-stars Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer) and Rocky Carroll (Leon Vance) from the finale. In the photos, the castmates are dressed in black as they attend Jackson's funeral.

On May 13's finale, Gibbs will find out about his father's death and will have to choose whether to continue with a case or go back home to prepare for the funeral. Gibbs receives some advice from Vance, who insists that Gibbs leaves his work at D.C. and head to Stillwater, Pa.

The episode will also travel back in time and show Gibbs as a boy spending time with his father. "I think it will mean a lot to the audience and it's definitely meant a lot to us from a storytelling standpoint," executive producer Gary Glasberg previously told TVFanatic.com of the flashbacks. "It's a nice episode, it's an emotional episode, it's an informative episode and it gives people some closure."

Tags: NCIS