On December 14, legendary Hollywood film director, actor, and screenwriter Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Brentwood mansion.
This past Sunday, at about 3:30 in the afternoon, the couple was found in their Brentwood home after their daughter, Romy, could not reach them for a massage appointment and went to check on them. The Los Angeles Medical Examiner announced in a statement on Wednesday afternoon stating that Rob and Michele Reiner died from “multiple sharp force injuries.” Soon after their deaths, law enforcement officials shifted their investigation to focus on the couple’s son, Nick Reiner, 32. For years, the younger Reiner had been caught in an endless loop of drug abuse, rehab and relapse, and it was known that Nick had a complicated relationship with his family.
On Tuesday, December 16, Nick Reiner was charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstance allegations that he used a knife, according to court documents. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, officials said Tuesday. Reiner’s arraignment was postponed to Tuesday, January 7 after his lawyer, Alan Jackson, told the court that it was “too early” for a plea when Reiner first appeared in front of the Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, December 17.
The Reiner’s other three children, Romy, Tracy, and Jake, are stunned and destroyed by their parents’ horrific death. Tracy Reiner recently shared her reactions in an NBC news interview: ““I came from the greatest family ever. I don’t know what to say, I’m in shock.”
This reaction is shared by communities across the country. The death of the famous director of cinema classics such as The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, A Few Good Men, and When Harry Met Sally, led to widespread grief from political figures, activists, and other members of the film and cinema community. Rob Reiner impacted and improved countless lives through his creative work, and advocacy for marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights. His and his wife’s contributions will continue to reverberate through American society, and the loss of them will leave a long-lasting mark on communities throughout the country.
