Shock rippled through Hollywood on Sunday after news broke that legendary director Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead inside their Los Angeles home.
Reiner, 78, the filmmaker behind classics like This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally…, was discovered alongside his wife, 68, in what police are treating as a homicide. Investigators believe both suffered stab wounds. A family member is being questioned, though the LAPD has said no suspects are currently being sought.
A spokesperson for the Reiner family confirmed the deaths in a statement to CNN, saying: “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
The Los Angeles Police Department has obtained a search warrant for the couple’s home in Brentwood, an affluent neighborhood where police sealed off Chadbourne Avenue as investigators worked late into the night. LAPD deputy chief Alan Hamilton said the case is being handled by the Robbery Homicide Division and would “continue over the coming days.”
According to reports, the bodies were discovered by a family member. People magazine reported that the couple’s daughter, Romy Reiner, who lives nearby, found them and contacted authorities. That detail has only deepened the sense of devastation surrounding the case.
Friends and collaborators began arriving at the house within hours. Billy Crystal, Reiner’s longtime friend and the star of When Harry Met Sally…, was seen outside the home, visibly emotional. Larry David was also reported to be at the scene, paying his respects.
LAPD: Before we do anything here, we have to get a search warrant because there are issues regarding standing at this residence. So as long as those legal requirements are met, we can continue the investigation. Now, when I tell you that we have not identified a suspect, it… pic.twitter.com/dTInBgCcWB
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 15, 2025
Tributes poured in quickly, not just from Hollywood but from across the political world. Reiner was known as much for his outspoken activism as his filmmaking. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, former president Barack Obama, ex-VP Kamala Harris, and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi all shared messages honoring his life and legacy.
Jen and I are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.
Rob was the big-hearted genius behind so many of the classic stories we love, with projects as wide-ranging as The Princess Bride to A Few Good Men. His boundless empathy made his stories… pic.twitter.com/JEYeY7DYO6
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) December 15, 2025
Michelle and I are heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele. Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen. But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 15, 2025
Actress Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar for her role in Reiner’s 1990 film Misery, spoke emotionally to NBC News.
“I’m horrified hearing this terrible news. Absolutely devastated. I loved Rob,” Bates said.
“He was brilliant and kind, a man who made films of every genre to challenge himself as an artist. He also fought courageously for his political beliefs.
“He changed the course of my life. Michele was a gifted photographer. She shot my beautiful photos for the Misery campaign. My heart breaks for them both. My thoughts are with their family.”
Reiner, the son of comedy icon Carl Reiner, met Michele Singer in 1989 while directing When Harry Met Sally…. They married that same year and later had three children together. While Reiner became one of the most successful directors of his generation, Singer built a respected career behind the camera as a photographer.
Among his many films, Reiner often said Stand by Me held a special place. “It was the first time I did a film that reflected my own personal sensibility; it had a mixture of melancholy, humour and nostalgia,” he told The Guardian in 2021.
“I was 12 in 1959 so the music was the music I listened to and the feelings I had in relation to my father, I injected into the film. When it came out and was accepted it validated me. It gave me a big boost to press forward.”
Christopher Guest, Reiner’s close friend and collaborator from This Is Spinal Tap, shared his grief through a statement released by his wife Jamie Lee Curtis: “Christopher and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michele Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them.”
As investigators continue to piece together what happened inside the Reiners’ home, the industry they helped shape is left reeling. For now, police say the focus remains on gathering evidence and interviewing those closest to the couple.
