Charlie Barnett As Nugart “Noogie” Lamont
Noogie or — as he preferred to refer to himself — The Noogman, was a hard-boiled ex-con who helped the Vice team as an informant. He worked mostly for Crockett and Tubbs, helping them solve various drug cases. The character was played by the late actor and comedian, Charlie Barnett, and appeared in six episodes of the show.
His last appearance was season four’s seventh episode, titled “Missing Hours”, which premiered on November 13, 1987. Nugart was a comic-relief character and helped keep the show a lot lighter in episodes where he appeared.
Philip Michael Thomas As Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs
Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs was initially played on the show by Philip Michael Thomas and went on to be portrayed by actor Jamie Foxx in the show's 2006 feature film. He was the partner of undercover detective James "Sonny" Crockett, and one of the show's main characters. Tubbs was loved by most of the show's fans and ended up becoming a fashion icon due to his slick style.
He began as a detective in the Armed Robbery Division of the New York Police Department alongside his brother Rafael, until the latter was tragically murdered by the drug lord, Esteban Calderone. Tubbs was known as a skeptical, cynical and highly realistic character, in contrast with the much more brash Crockett.
Philip Michael Thomas – Now
Philip Michael Thomas retired from acting after failing to get his acting career together once Miami Vice had ended. He appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies and advertisements for telephone psychic services, which arguably degraded some of his iconic past performances.
The actor's most popular recent role was actually as Lance Vance, a character from Rockstar's popular video games, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. You’d be shocked to find out that Thomas actually has eleven children, five from his previous marriage and six others from various previous relationships.
Charlie Barnett– After the show
Unfortunately, actor and comedian Charlie Barnett died just six years after Miami Vice officially ended in 1990. He was 42 years old at the time of his death and passed away from getting infected with the AIDS virus, likely due to his drug addiction.
The actor’s brief stint on the show was highly popular, and he went on to appear in a few other shows. Barnett's last role was in a 1996's film titled: They Bite.
Jimmy Smits As Eddie Rivera
We got to enjoy Jimmy Smith's character, the suave detective Eddie Rivera, in just one single episode before he died in a blast from a car bomb intended for drug dealer Corky Fowler. Rivera was the partner of Detective Sergeant James "Sonny" Crockett on the show and helped set the tone of the show early on. Sadly for viewers, Rivera didn't make it beyond the pilot episode of Miami Vice, but his contribution to the show’s inevitable success is clear.
We were quite saddened by Eddie Rivera’s death, as he could have been a great addition to the show as it went on. At-least the actor, Jimmy Smits, got to play in many other films and TV shows after his single-episode premiere on Miami Vice.