Billy Crystal, Larry David and More Honor Rob and Michele Reiner: ‘We Will Miss Them Forever’

Close friends of Rob and Michele Reiner are remembering the remarkable couple following news of their tragic deaths.

Billy and Janice Crystal, Albert and Kimberly Brooks, Martin Short, Alan and Robin Zweibel, Larry David and Ashley Underwood, Marc Shaiman and Lou Mirabal, Barry and Diana Levinson, and Ambassador James Costos and Michael Smith signed the letter shared with the Associated Press. In the tribute, the late couple’s friends praised the beloved filmmaker and his wife for having “devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens.”

“Going to the movies in a dark theater filled with strangers having a common experience, laughing, crying, screaming in fear, or watching an intense drama unfold is still an unforgettable thrill,” began the tribute. “Tell us a story audiences demand of us. Absorbing all he had learned from his father Carl and his mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner not only was a great comic actor, he became a master story teller. There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films.”

Many of those who signed the letter worked with Reiner during his prolific career. Billy Crystal starred in his 1989 transcendent rom-com, When Harry Met Sally …, and Reiner directed Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, a 2023 documentary about the comedian — with whom Reiner had been friends with since high school.

“His greatest gift was freedom,” the letter continued. “If you had an idea, he listened, he brought you into the process. They always felt they were working as a team. To be in his hands as a film maker was a privilege but that is only part of his legacy.”

Along with Reiner’s work across film, he was also remembered as “a passionate, brave citizen, who not only cared for this country he loved.” He had found the “perfect partner” in Michele, and together they “devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens … They were a special force together — dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever.”
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Before concluding, the statement quoted a line from one of Reiner’s favorite films, It’s a Wonderful Life: “‘Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?’ You have no idea.”

Rob and Michele were found dead in their California home on Sunday afternoon. According to police, their son, Nick Reiner, was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder and “remains in custody with no bail.”