LOS ANGELES – Tributes poured in late Sunday following news of the death of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner. Officials said they were investigating a homicide at the couple's residence, but provided few details.
"It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner," a Reiner family spokesperson said in a statement shared with Variety and the Los Angeles Times. "We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time."
The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request at around 3:40 p.m. local time Sunday and discovered the bodies of a 78-year-old man and 68-year-old woman inside the couple's home. Reiner turned 78 in March.
The estate of Norman Lear — the legendary producer who created All in the Family and cast Reiner in the series — released a statement remembering their close relationship.
"Norman often referred to Rob as a son," the statement said. "The world is unmistakably darker tonight."
On X, former President Barack Obama remembered Reiner for giving audiences "some of our most cherished stories" told on screen.
He added that "beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people – and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action."
The author Stephen King, who collaborated with Reiner on the film adaptations for Stand by Me and Misery wrote he was "horrified and saddened" by the news, calling Reiner a "wonderful friend, political ally and brilliant filmmaker."
Beyond entertainment, Reiner was also active in politics, frequently supporting liberal causes and speaking out on social issues.
Investigation underway in Brentwood
The Los Angeles Police Department says its investigation remains active. The area surrounding the Reiners' home was cordoned off overnight as homicide detectives worked at the scene.
Officials have declined to say whether there are any suspects. "At this time, the Los Angeles Police Department is not seeking anyone as a suspect or as a person of interest," Hamilton said. "We will not be doing this until we conduct our investigation and we move forward."
Authorities did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
A career that spanned decades
Rob Reiner was born in the Bronx in 1947 to a show business family. He said his number one inspiration was his father, Carl Reiner, a comedy genius, from the early days of television. In the 1950s, the elder Reiner worked with Sid Caeser, Mel Brooks and Neil Simon. In the 1960s, he created The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Rob Reiner often spoke about how much he loved what his father did; he even told Fresh Air in September the story about how he wanted to change his name to Carl.
After studying at UCLA, he began with an improv company.
Comedy really was "All in the Family"
In the 1970s, Reiner co-starred in the TV sitcom All in the Family, which featured a generation gap that marked the era.
Reiner played Michael Stivic, the progressive son-in-law nicknamed "Meathead" by the bigoted but loveable Archie Bunker. They often butted heads about everything from politics to how to put on your shoes.
Reiner talked about how influential and controversial All in the Family was while speaking to Fresh Air's Terry Gross in September.
"I was 23" he recalled, "and it was groundbreaking at the time. Nobody had done a show like this. CBS when they put it on they had a big disclaimer at the beginning, saying – 'the views that are represented in the show don't represent the views of' — basically, it was a disclaimer saying, I don't know how this show got on here, but… watch it at your own risk."
All In The Family, as Reiner pointed out, was the number one TV show in America for five years straight.
Reiner went on to become a well-loved movie director.
His films were memorable and quotable.
"You can't handle the truth," Jack Nicholson says to Tom Cruise in the Aaron Sorkin-written thriller A Few Good Men, which was nominated for an Oscar in 1993.
"Inconceivable" is one of the many quotable lines from the 1987 fantasy adventure comedy The Princess Bride.
Reiner even cast his own mother, Estelle Reiner, to deliver the punchline of a scene in the 1989 rom-com When Harry Met Sally. After Meg Ryan's character fakes an orgasm at Katz' Deli in New York, Mrs. Reiner tells the waiter, "I"ll have what she's having."
Reiner gave credit to Billy Crystal for that line. But his films also created sensations.
The first feature film he directed, This is Spinal Tap, introduced mainstream audiences to the "mockumentary." In that 1984 parody of a rock documentary, Reiner also plays the filmmaker who asks a member of the fictional band Spinal Tap about the volume switch on an amplifier.
"The numbers all go to 11, right across the board," says the lead guitarist of the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap, played by Christopher Guest.
"And does it mean it's louder?" asks Reiner's character. "Well, it's one louder," explains the rocker.
Earlier this year, Reiner brought Spinal Tap back together for a sequel, Spinal Tap: The End Continues.
One of the aging rockers, Derek Smalls, was played by Harry Shearer.
In an interview with NPR Sunday, Shearer remembered Reiner as "a great collaborator. He was a great appreciator. He was encouraging and it was fun to be around him."
"It's devastating, knowing the two of them and knowing how the story ended. It's just horrible, unspeakable. It's a Greek tragedy come to our lives in the most traumatic and awful way. Rob still had more work to be done, and it's a loss."
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