Investigators believe couple suffered stab wounds

Legendary director-actor Rob Reiner and wife found dead at home; homicide suspected

Son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Jewish filmmaker directed ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ ‘The Princess Bride,’ and ‘This is Spinal Tap’; family member questioned by investigators

LOS ANGELES — Director-actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead Sunday at a Los Angeles home owned by Reiner, the family confirmed on Sunday evening.

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” a family spokesperson said in a statement, carried by the LA Times. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”

Investigators believe the couple suffered stab wounds, and a family member is being questioned by investigators, said a law enforcement official, on the condition of anonymity.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request shortly after 3:30 p.m. and found a 78-year-old man and 68-year-old woman dead inside. Reiner turned 78 in March.

Detectives with the Robbery Homicide Division were investigating an “apparent homicide” at Reiner’s home, said Capt. Mike Bland with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Los Angeles authorities have not confirmed the identities of the people found dead at the residence in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood on the city’s west side that’s home to many celebrities.

Reiner was long one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and ’90s, including “This is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Princess Bride.”

His role as Meathead in the 1970s TV classic “All in the Family” alongside Carol O’Connor’s Archie Bunker catapulted him to fame and won him two Emmy Awards.

The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, the younger filmmaker was married to photographer Michele Singer Reiner since 1989. The two met while he was directing “When Harry Met Sally” and had three children together.

Both the director-actor and his wife came from Jewish families, with close connections to the Holocaust. Reiner’s aunt, and his wife’s mother, both survived Auschwitz.

In January 2024, the filmmaker, paying tribute to Norman Lear, invoked the Yiddish word kochleffel in a speech at the Emmys, declaring: “For all you non-Jews out there, kochleffel is a ladle, a ladle that stirs the pot. And when Norman the kochleffel stirred that pot, he wound up changing American culture.”

That year also saw the release of a documentary Reiner produced, “God and Country,” about the rise of Christian nationalism in the US. For many years, Reiner was one of the entertainment industry’s most prominent critics of US President Donald Trump, on social media and in cable news appearances.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the filmmaker’s death a devastating loss for the city.

“Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” Bass said in a statement. “An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, he always used his gifts in service of others.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was “heartbroken” by the couple’s death.

Reiner was previously married to actor-director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. He adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner. Carl Reiner died in 2020 at age 98 and Marshall died in 2018.

Killings are rare in the Brentwood neighborhood. The scene is about a mile from the home where OJ Simpson’s wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were killed in 1994.