Hollywood mourns as investigation continues. Here's what to know:
- Filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home Sunday, Los Angeles Police Department officials confirmed. A homicide investigation is ongoing.
- Nick Reiner, one of Rob and Michele's children, was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder in connection with his parents’ deaths, LAPD said during a news conference Monday. The 32-year-old has a long history with drug addiction, which began in his teens. He is now being held without bail, according to the LAPD.
- Reaction of grief and shock have poured in from the entertainment industry and the political world, with many calling the deaths a tragedy. In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump baselessly suggested that Reiner and his wife died because of Reiner’s anti-Trump views, politicizing their deaths as other conservatives expressed condolences.
- Rob Reiner, who was 78, is best known for a string of films from the 1980s into the 1990s, now considered modern classics: “Stand by Me,” “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally...,” “Misery” and “A Few Good Men,” among others.
Nick Reiner is being held without bail, LAPD says
The son of slain director Rob Reiner was being held in downtown Los Angeles jail with no bail, LAPD said in its news release on Monday.
"As a result of the initial investigation, it was determined that the Reiners were the victims of homicide," LAPD said. "The investigation further revealed that Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of Robert and Michele Reiner, was responsible for their deaths."
On Tuesday, LAPD said "the case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration."
Paul McCartney recalls Reiner as an 'upbeat, lovable man'
Rock legend Paul McCartney lamented the passing of Reiner and his wife, summing it up as an example of life "being so unfair."
"He was such an upbeat, lovable man," McCartney told fans in an Instagram posting. "Life can be so unfair and this tragedy proves it."
McCartney appeared in Reiner's "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues," a sequel to the director's legendary 1984 mockumentary.
Kevin Bacon says 'everyone is hurting today' after news of Reiner's death
Kevin Bacon said his "A Few Good Men" director Reiner made hard work a fun time for everyone involved in that iconic 1992 courtroom drama.
"The making of that movie was one of the best experiences that I've ever had on a set. He was so fun," an emotional Bacon said in a video posted to Instagram. "It really, it comes down from the top. You can set a tone where people feel like we are working hard, but also working hard in a safe and pleasant and fun situation."
Just the simple task of eating lunch with Reiner remains a cherished memory, said Bacon, who played prosecutor Capt. Jack Ross in the famed Reiner film.
"You know, we had lunch together every day," Bacon said. "I'd never done that with a director before or since, I've never gone to have lunch."
Jane Fonda says Reiners sought to 'make the world better'
Jane Fonda, the Oscar-winning actor and progressive activist, paid tribute to the Reiners in a post on Instagram, describing them as "wonderful, caring, smart, funny, generous people."
Rob and Michele Singer Reiner were "always coming up with ideas for how to make the world better, kinder," Fonda wrote.
Fonda and Rob Reiner were both the children of Hollywood royalty. She is the daughter of Golden Age film star Henry Fonda; he was the son of American comedy icon Carl Reiner. They also shared a commitment to liberal political causes.
"They had been helping me launch the Committee for the First Amendment," Fonda wrote, referring to her father's McCarthy-era free speech initiative, which she revived earlier this year. "I saw them night before last looking healthy and happy. I am reeling with grief. Stunned."
Analysis: In a busy eight-year span, Rob Reiner became Hollywood royalty
No filmmaker has ever definitively cracked the code on success in Hollywood. But from 1984 to 1992, Rob Reiner seemed to have it all figured out.
In that eight-year period, Reiner went on a remarkable run. He directed six movies that became modern American classics, earning a level of cultural staying power that some popular artists achieve only once or twice in their careers.
“This Is Spinal Tap” pioneered the “mockumentary” format, introducing moviegoers to a buffoonish British rock group who turned the sonic dial to 11. The coming-of-age drama “Stand by Me” and the fairy tale “The Princess Bride” enthralled children and parents alike. “When Harry Met Sally…” channeled the wit of Golden Age screwball comedies. “Misery” terrified audiences. “A Few Good Men” stirred their consciences.
The films in that prolific and creatively fruitful era weren’t all immediate box-office hits. But in time, through VHS replays and DVD rentals and cable re-airings and repertory screenings at theaters across the U.S., all six movies embedded themselves in popular consciousness. Reiner, a warm and cheerful presence on screen and behind the camera, made it look easy.
Film academy says Reiner's legacy is 'immeasurable'
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Oscars, paid tribute to Rob Reiner in a post on Instagram, saying his "impact on cinema is immeasurable."
"Rob told stories with uncommon warmth and clarity, moving seamlessly between comedy, romance, drama, and suspense," the academy said. "His work received an Academy Award nomination for ‘A Few Good Men’ and helped create moments that have lived with audiences for decades. In his films, we continue to find laughter, love, and a reflection of ourselves."
Reiner received a best picture nomination for "A Few Good Men" as one of the legal drama's three credited producers.
Trump baselessly says Rob Reiner died because he was anti-Trump
President Donald Trump baselessly suggested Monday morning that legendary director and actor Rob Reiner and his wife died because of Reiner’s anti-Trump views, politicizing their deaths as other conservatives expressed condolences.
Reiner, Trump wrote on Truth Social, was killed “due the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known and sometimes referred to as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what information the president might have about a motive for the killings.
Rob Reiner was a Trump critic and a major donor to Democratic candidates and causes, including giving more than $150,000 to the Democratic presidential candidates’ “victory fund” during the 2024 election cycle. He was also a prominent figure who voiced his view, in the wake of conservative Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September, that violence is not an answer to political disagreement.
LAPD says Nick Reiner was booked on suspicion of murder
Jim McDonnell, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, said Monday at a news conference that police had arrested and booked Nick Reiner on suspicion of murder.
He is being held on $4 million bail, LAPD said.
It is not immediately known if Nick Reiner, who is the younger son of Rob and Michele Singer Reiner, has legal representation
McDonnell also confirmed that Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner had been found dead in their after LAPD responded to a call on Sunday afternoon. A source close to the family told NBC News that the two had appeared to have suffered stab wounds.
It was "a very, very tragic incident," McDonnell said.
'Princess Bride' actor Cary Elwes shares photo to mourn Reiner
"Princess Bride" star Cary Elwes couldn't muster the words to convey his profound sadness over the director's shocking death.
Instead, he let a picture — which appeared to be from the set of their beloved 1987 fairytale, "The Princess Bride."
Rob Reiner introduced himself to younger viewers with late-career acting work
Rob Reiner was a familiar face on American television for more than 50 years, first as Archie Bunker's proudly progressive son-in-law on the landmark sitcom "All in the Family" — and more recently as a tough-minded business consultant on FX's "The Bear." It's a role that helped introduce the late actor and director to a new generation of viewers.
Reiner's late-career acting work also included a memorable supporting turn as Leonardo DiCaprio's father in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street." In one scene, DiCaprio's ruthless stock broker explains that his father was nicknamed "Mad Max" because of "his hair-trigger temper, which could be set off by something as innocuous as a ringing telephone."
Then the phone rings, and Reiner launches into an expletive-laden tirade. Reiner later told an interviewer that he appreciated Scorsese's willingness to let him improvise his lines.
"He knows that if you can improvise, you’re going to wind up with something that has a greater internal spark to it than anything that could be written," Reiner told Slashfilm, a movie news website.
