We woke up this morning to the horrifying news that beloved actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were killed in their Brentwood home in Los Angeles last night. Both had been stabbed multiple times. Details are scarce, but the couple’s 32-year-old son, Nick—who has long struggled with addiction and recently moved back in with his parents—has been arrested in connection with the killings, with bail set at $4 million.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” the family said in a statement confirming the deaths. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Reiner started his career as an actor, best known for his Emmy-winning role as Meathead, son-in-law to Archie Bunker, on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family. (“I could win the Nobel Prize and they’d write ‘Meathead wins the Nobel Prize,'” Reiner once joked about the enduring popularity of the character.) Then Reiner turned to directing, although he continued to make small but memorable appearances in films such as Throw Momma from the Train, Sleepless in Seattle, The First Wives Club, and The Wolf of Wall Street, as well as TV’s The New Girl.
His first feature film as a director was an instant classic: 1984’s heavy metal mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap (check out the ultra-meta four-minute alt-trailer). He followed that up with a string of hits: The Sure Thing, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Misery, the Oscar-nominated A Few Good Men, The American President, The Bucket List, and Ghosts of Mississippi. His 2015 film Being Charlie was co-written with his son Nick and was loosely based on Nick’s experience with addiction. Reiner’s most recent films were a 2024 political documentary about the rise of Christian nationalism and this year’s delightful Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.
The tributes pour in
Tributes to Reiner and his wife Michele have been pouring in. Sure, a certain president responded with his usual lack of class. But most responses were heartfelt and sincere in expressing shock and condolences. “I’m horrified hearing this terrible news,” Kathy Bates, who starred in Misery, said in a statement. “Absolutely devastated. I loved Rob. He was brilliant and kind, a man who made films of every genre to challenge himself as an artist. He also fought courageously for his political beliefs. He changed the course of my life. Michelle was a gifted photographer. She shot my beautiful photos for the Misery campaign. My heart breaks for them both. My thoughts are with their family.”
“Christopher [Guest] and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michele Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them,” actress Jamie Lee Curtis said in a statement. (Curtis and the Spinal Tap star were reportedly married at the Reiners’ house in 1984.) “We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve.”
“We are saddened by the loss of actor, filmmaker, and activist Rob Reiner,” Turner Classic Movies said in a statement posted to Bluesky. “A storyteller with sincerity that imbued his work and the causes he believed in, we are grateful for the time we spent with him over the years. We mourn the loss of him and his wife, Michele.”
Eric Idle said that he had spoken to Reiner mere hours before the deaths. “He was telling me about filming at Stonehenge [for Spinal Tap II] and his thoughts for the future,” Idle tweeted. “This is so awful. I shall miss him. A clever, talented and very thoughtful man.”
“Rob was my true hero,” filmmaker Paul Feig said. “A true visionary titan and a lovely, lovely person. One never knows if it’s proper to post during something as tragic as this. But I just want the world to know what so many of us know in the industry. Rob was the best.”
“The cultural impact of Rob Reiner cannot be understated,” screenwriter C. Robert Cargill posted on Bluesky. “Legend isn’t big enough a word. It goes to 11. You can’t handle the truth. As you wish. I’ll have what she’s having. I’m your number one fan. You guys wanna see a dead body? The very idea of a bucket list. The West Wing. All from his movies.”
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