Director Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, according to TMZ and People.
Although TMZ reported that Rob, 78, and Michele, 68, had wounds consistent with knife lacerations, no cause of death has been released.
The Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Police Department arrived at a home owned by the Reiners on Sunday afternoon and found two deceased victims. In a press conference on Sunday night, LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said the coroner’s office will handle identification of the victims.
Their deaths were later confirmed by a Reiner family spokesperson.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” the spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Hamilton said the force’s Robbery Homicide division is investigating the couple’s deaths before noting that the LAPD “is not seeking anyone as a suspect or as a person of interest or in any other manner.”
While CNN and The Associated Press reported that authorities are interviewing a family member about the deaths, citing a law enforcement official familiar with the probe, Hamilton declined to confirm that during the press conference.
“There are going to be many family members interviewed,” Hamilton said. “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.”
Rob Reiner was the son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, who died in 2020. He directed many box office hits that became a part of the cultural fabric of America, including “The Princess Bride,” “Stand By Me,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “The American President.” His film, “A Few Good Men,” starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1993.
Reiner also worked as a comedy writer and producer, and co-founded the production company Castle Rock, which produced such hits as “City Slickers,” “In the Line of Fire,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and the TV sitcom “Seinfeld.”
But it was Reiner’s early career as an actor that earned him two Emmy Awards for playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the hit sitcom “All in the Family.” He was previously married to the late actress/director Penny Marshall.
Michele Reiner met Rob during the filming of “When Harry Met Sally.” They quickly fell in love, married in 1989 and had three children: Nick, Romy and Jake. Rob has cited their relationship as the reason he changed the ending of the film, so the two lead characters would end up together. During their marriage, Rob also adopted Marshall’s daughter, Tracy.
As a photographer, Michele was best known for taking the cover image for President Donald Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal,” according to Variety. She also produced several films, including “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” and “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” both of which her husband directed.
The couple was known for their political advocacy as well, particularly in support of LGBTQ rights and early childhood development. They also co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which successfully launched a court challenge against a California ballot initiative that sought to bar same-sex marriage.
In 2006, Rob weighed a run for California governor against Arnold Schwarzenegger; however, he ultimately decided against it, noting that he planned to focus on his family. In recent years, Rob has been an outspoken critic of Trump, whom he’s described as the “single most unqualified human being to ever assume the presidency of the United States.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and his partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom expressed their condolences in a statement on Sunday night.
“Rob was the big-hearted genius behind so many of the classic stories we love,” they stated. “That empathy extended well beyond his films. Rob was a passionate advocate for children and for civil rights — from taking on Big Tobacco to fighting for marriage equality to serving as a powerful voice in early education.”