Rob Reiner’s son Nick arrested after director and wife found dead

The son of filmmaker Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer, Reiner has been arrested and is being held on suspicion of murder after the couple was found dead in their Los Angeles home.

The Los Angeles Police Department said Monday that Nick Rayner, 32, was arrested and is being held without bail.

The late couple's 28-year-old daughter, Romy, found her parents in their home with multiple stab wounds on Sunday, sources told BBC US partner CBS News.

Rob Reiner is known for directing several iconic films across a variety of genres, including When Harry Met Sally, This Is Spinal Injury, Stand by Me, Misery and A Few Good Men.

Emergency services were called to the Reiners' home in Brentwood, California, at around 3:38 pm local time (23:38 GMT) on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said two people, later identified as Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife Michelle, 68, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said Nick Rayner was arrested hours later at approximately 9:15 pm local time on Sunday. Investigators have not publicly released a motive and said the investigation is ongoing.

Nick Reiner has spoken publicly about his struggles with addiction and homelessness. His experiences formed the basis of the semi-autobiographical film Being Charlie, which he directed with his father in 2015.

The family's home is in Brentwood, an enclave of wealthy celebrities full of large mansions, boutiques and restaurants. On Monday morning, a security guard stood outside the house as media gathered at the main gate.

Rob Reiner, son of comedian great Carl Reiner, began his career in the 1960s and rose to fame playing Meathead on the television sitcom All in the Family.

He cemented his success with the cult mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap in 1984, in which he starred and starred.

Reiner was married to Laverne & Shirley actress Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981 and is the adoptive father of Marshall's daughter, actress Tracy Reiner.

In 1989, he married Michelle Rainer, whom he said he met while filming the romantic comedy-drama film When Harry Met Sally. The couple has three children.

Michelle Reiner was an actress, photographer and producer, and the founder of the photography agency and production company Reiner Light.

Rob Reiner was also known for his outspoken political activism and support of Democratic candidates.

In a post calling their deaths “very sad,” President Donald Trump criticized Reiner, saying they “reportedly” died “due to the anger he caused others with his huge, persistent and incurable disease” with “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

“He has been known to drive people crazy with his raging obsession with President Donald Trump,” the president wrote.

It is unclear what messages the president was referring to, and although the investigation is being treated as a homicide, police have not yet commented on any possible motive.

The president and his allies often used the term “Trump Derangement Syndrome” to refer to those who criticized him. Reiner has been an outspoken critic of Trump.

Several Republicans criticized Trump for the post, including former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said the deaths were “a family tragedy, not politics or political enemies.”

“Many families are dealing with a family member struggling with drug addiction and mental health issues. It's incredibly difficult and should be treated with compassion, especially when it ends in murder,” she said.

Trump's post was also met with anger by some of the Reiners' friends.

In a post on X, Maria Shriver, the former first lady of California and a longtime friend of the Reiners, said the couple were “devoted parents.”

“They loved all of their children deeply and never gave up trying to care for them,” she said.

Sir Elton John, who appeared in the Spinal Tap sequel this year, said: “I don't believe the news today about Rob and Michelle.

“These were two of the most beautiful people I have ever met and they deserved better.”

Fellow actor John Cusack, who starred in Reiner's 1985 film Of Course, called him a “great man” and Elijah Wood, who starred in the 1994 film North, said he was “horrified” by the couple's deaths.