LA police investigate 'apparent homicide' after death of director Rob Reiner and wife Michele

LAST UPDATE | 5 hrs ago

LOS ANGLES POLICE ARE investigating the deaths of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele as an “apparent homicide” after the couple was found dead at their southern California mansion.

Condolences poured in for the director as “one of the most significant figures” in the history of film and television, thanks to his smash hit successes like When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride.

Tributes have also come from the highest levels of US Democratic political circles, as Reiner was an outspoken supporter of liberal causes in Hollywood.

US media reported that Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds

Los Angeles police did not confirm the identity of the deceased but said homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiners’ home.

“At this time, no further details are available as this is an ongoing… investigation, into an apparent homicide,” the Los Angeles Police Department said on social media.

LAPD deputy chief Alan Hamilton subsequently told reporters “the Los Angeles Police Department is not seeking anyone as a suspect or as a person of interest, or in any other manner, and we will not be doing that until we conduct our investigation and we move forward”.

“I’m not going to confirm whether someone’s being interviewed at this time or not. We’re going to try to speak to every family member that we can to get to the facts of this investigation,” he added.

Broadcaster CNN reported that a spokesperson for the family had confirmed Reiner and his wife had died.

The Los Angeles Fire Department told NBC a man and a woman, approximately 78 and 68 years old, were found deceased inside the home.

Political heavyweights pay tribute

The deaths of the director and his wife drew condolences from California political heavyweights like ex-vice president Kamala Harris.

Reiner had previously backed efforts to secure equal marriage rights for LGBTQ people and create California’s First 5 programme, which provides child development programs funded by taxes on tobacco products.

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He also frequently tussled with Donald Trump during the US president’s first term in the White House.

Reiner called Trump worse than infamous Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in one interview, and later served on the advisory board of a US committee to investigate Russia’s alleged attacks on US democracy.

California Governor Newsom, Harris and former US President Barack Obama issued separate statements expressing their condolences.

Obama hailed Reiner’s “deep belief in the goodness of people” and credited him for a “lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action” in his tribute on social media.

“Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose,” Obama said. “They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired.”

“Rob will be remembered for his remarkable filmography and for his extraordinary contribution to humanity,” Newsom said on X, adding he was “heartbroken by the tragic loss”.

Career on screen and behind the camera

Reiner rose to acting fame as the oafish son-in-law Michael ‘Meathead’ Stivic on groundbreaking 1970s sitcom All in the Family, before transitioning to directing with rock mockumentary This is Spinal Tap in 1984.

That was just the first of a string of hits, as his 1989 his romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally, starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, was another major success.

Aside from those, he also helmed A Few Good Men and adaptations of Stephen King stories for Stand By Me and Misery.

The Screen Actors Guild – the leading labour union for Hollywood – paid tribute to its long-time member Reiner.

Guild president Sean Astin called Reiner “one of the most significant figures” in the history of film and television whose impact can’t be overstated.

“Tributes will pour in and the impossibly long list of genre defining films and indelible performances will play in our minds and hearts,” Astin said.

“Rob Reiner was a member of our union for nearly 60 years. We send love and warmth to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s families, friends and colleagues. Our entertainment community and audiences around the world will mourn deeply.

On a personal note, so many of Mr Reiner’s films and performances made me think, made me emotional and especially they made me laugh really hard. That’s how I will remember him.

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