Angela Bassett has paid emotional tribute to a beloved crew member on her hit show 9-1-1 who was killed in a 4am car crash in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Rico Priem, 66, who worked as a grip on the ABC show, died after his Toyota Highlander left the road, went up an embankment and flipped onto its roof near San Dimas, the California Highway Patrol and his union IATSE Local 80 confirmed, per Variety.

He was pronounced dead at the scene and the cause of the crash - which was reported at 4.27am - is currently part on an ongoing investigation, the CHP confirmed.

Bassett, 65, who has played Sergeant Athena Grant-Nash on the show since 2018 told Entertainment Tonight: 'It was just a very, very sad moment. We’re all rocked by it, certainly.

The star said the cast and crew had united to pay tribute to Priem, saying: 'We just had to take a moment, just take time and take a moment/

Angela Bassett has paid emotional tribute to a beloved crew member on her hit show 9-1-1 who was killed in a 4am car crash in Los Angeles on Saturday

Rico Priem, 66, who worked as a grip on the ABC show, died after his Toyota Highlander left the road, went up an embankment and flipped onto its roof near San Dimas, the California Highway Patrol and his union IATSE Local 80 confirmed, per Variety 

'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.'

IATSE Local 80 President Matthew Loeb revealed Priem was driving home after a 14 hour shift on 9-1-1 at the time of the accident, saying: 'We are working to support our member’s family, their fellow members and colleagues. 

'Safety in all aspects of the work our members do is our highest priority and we will assist in any investigation in any way that we can.'

The union said in a further statement: 'We are fully committed to the safety and the well-being of all our members and express our heartfelt condolences to the member’s family.

'Workers have a reasonable expectation that they can get to work and come home safely. No one should be put in unsafe circumstances while trying to earn a living.'

Fellow 9-1-1 grip Nina Moskol shared an emotional message to Priem on Sunday - revealing he was on the brink of retirement at the time of his death. 

She wrote: 'He was on the cusp of retirement, with his paperwork filed. 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.

He was pronounced dead at the scene and the cause of the crash - which was reported at 4.27am - is currently part on an ongoing investigation, the CHP confirmed

Aisha Hinds, who plays Henrietta wrote on Instagram on Tuesday: ' Words….ever insufficient…none able to carry the harrowing heartbreak reverberating through our 9-1-1 family'

The cast of 9-1-1 are pictured  - Oliver Stark, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kenneth Choi, Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Aisha Hinds, Gavin McHugh and Ryan Guzman

She urged: 'Please stay safe out there. Grip safe. Drive safe. Get off the road if needed. Take the room.'

Aisha Hinds, who plays Henrietta wrote on Instagram on Tuesday: 'Words….ever insufficient…none able to carry the harrowing heartbreak reverberating through our 9-1-1 family.

'As the industry processes the passing of one of our invaluable and invested individuals—notably loyal, thus lauded and loved for his commitment to his craft and sharing the wisdom he’d gleaned from decades of working in this industry, hearts are heavy navigating feelings of grief and gratitude for the life of Rico Priem.'

'Rico graced us with his presence and passion, before he passed away in the early morning hours on Saturday, May 11th It is the hope and the unspoken assumption that when we wrap a days work, we will see each other again to do it all over again the next day. His passing has stilled our hearts and signaled for more conversation and care in that area.'