Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle were found dead at their Los Angeles home on Sunday afternoon in what police are investigating as an apparent homicide.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the tragic passing of Michelle and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss and ask for privacy during this incredibly difficult time,” Reiner’s family said in a statement obtained by Variety.
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Los Angeles police have launched an investigation
Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Homicide and Robbery Unit were called to the couple's Brentwood home around 3:40 p.m. Sunday after learning two people had been found dead. They arrived at the site after being asked by the Los Angeles Fire Department, who were the first to be called to the scene.
Sources later told CBS News that Reiner, 78, and his wife Michelle Singer Reiner, 68, were identified as the victims. LAPD detectives have yet to publicly identify the victims or release the circumstances of their deaths.
During a press conference Sunday evening, LAPD Deputy Chief Allen Hamilton said they have not identified a suspect “at this time.” Hamilton said they are “not looking for anyone as a suspect, person of interest or in any other way, and we will not do so until we have investigated and moved forward.”
The legendary life and career of Rob Reiner in Hollywood
Reiner first gained fame on the CBS sitcom All in the Family, in which he played Archie Bunker's son-in-law Mike “Meathead” Stivic. He won two Emmy Awards for this role and went on to star in Sleepless in Seattle, The Wolf of Wall Street, Everyone's Hero and The First Wives Club.
Reiner is highly regarded for directing several classic films, including The Princess Bride, Misery, A Few Good Men, Stand by Me and When Harry Met Sally. He also wrote and directed the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tub, which was followed by a sequel, Spinal Tub 2: The End Continues, released in September.
During his six-decade career, Reiner was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, eight Golden Globes and one Academy Award.
He is the son of Carl Reiner, an iconic comedian and actor whose career spanned decades. In addition to starring in films like Oh My God, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Ocean's Eleven and its sequels, he is also the creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show. He died in 2020 at 98.
In 2017, Carl and Rob became the first father-son duo to be memorialized outside the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood when they left hand and foot prints on the cement.
Reiner married his wife Michelle in 1989 after they met while filming When Harry Met Sally… In 2016, Reiner told AV Club during an interview that meeting Michelle led to him changing the ending of the film, in which Harry and Sally end up together.
Michel was the photographer who took the photo of President Trump that was used on the cover of his book “The Art of the Deal,” Variety reports.
They had three children.
Reiner was previously married to the late director. Penny Marshalland is the adoptive father of her daughter, actress Tracy Reiner.
Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images 
Reaction of Hollywood stars and politicians
The family of Norman Lear, the legendary producer of the film All in the Family, who died in 2023 at 101shared a statement after learning of the Reiners' death.
“The Lear family is devastated by the deaths of Rob and Michelle Reiner. Norman often called Rob his son, and their close relationship was extraordinary to us and to the world,” the Lear family said in a statement. “Norman would like to remind us that Rob and Michelle tried every day to make this country a better place, and they did it through their art, their activism, their philanthropy and their love of family and friends.”
Former President Barack Obama published on Xnoting that he and his wife Michelle are “heartbroken by the tragic passing.”
“Rob's achievements in film and television have given us some of our most beloved stories on screen. But behind all the stories he created was a deep belief in the goodness of people—and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into practice,” the statement said. “Together he and his wife lived a life of purpose. They will be remembered for the values they stood for and for the countless people they inspired. We extend our deepest condolences to everyone who loved them.”
Actor Sean Astin, the newly elected president of the Screen Actors Guild, called Rob Reiner “one of the most significant figures in film and television history.” He went on to call Reiner's influence on American culture something that “simply cannot be overstated.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement on behalf of himself and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, saying they are “heartbroken by the tragic loss of Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer Reiner.”
“Rob was the big-hearted genius behind many of the classic stories we love, with projects as wide-ranging as The Princess Bride and A Few Good Men,” Newsom said. “His boundless compassion made his stories timeless, teaching generations how to see the goodness and righteousness in others and challenging us to dream bigger.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that “this is a devastating loss for our city and country. Rob Reiner's contributions resonate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy while fighting for social and economic justice. An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer and active political activist, he has always used his gifts to serve others.”
A statement from former House Speaker and current Rep. Nancy Pelosi called the news “devastating.”
“It is difficult to imagine anyone more outstanding and excellent in every field and endeavour. Rob was creative, funny and loved. And in all their endeavors, Michelle was his irreplaceable partner, intellectual resource and loving wife,” she said. post on X.
