Rob Reiner (left to right), Michele Singer, Romy Reiner, Nick Reiner, Maria Gilfillan and Jake Reiner attend the Los Angeles premiere of “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” at The Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles on Sept. 9. | REUTERS
Rob Reiner’s son Nick arrested after parents’ stabbing deaths
Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested and booked for the murder of his parents, the Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner.
The son was being held in jail in Los Angeles on no bail, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement on X. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney for filing consideration on Tuesday, reports Japan Times.
It was “a very, very tragic incident,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at a press conference Monday.
Reiner, who directed 1980s classics like “The Princess Bride” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” was found dead Sunday at his home with his wife, both of whom appeared to have died from stab wounds, NBC News and other outlets reported, citing a source close to the family. He was 78. She was 70. The family was seen arguing at comedian Conan O’Brien’s holiday party the night before, the Los Angeles Times and others reported.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” a family spokesman told Variety in a statement. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Celebrities and politicians took to social media to mourn the star, who was featured in or directed some of the most iconic films in Hollywood history. Those lamenting the loss included former U.S. President Barack Obama,
“Ghosts of Mississippi” actors James Woods and Virginia Madsen, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and author Stephen King.
The son of legendary comedian and writer Carl Reiner, one of the pioneers of TV comedy in the 1950s, Reiner followed in his father’s footsteps, winning bit parts in TV shows in the 1960s.
His breakout role came playing Archie Bunker’s liberal son-in-law Michael “Meathead” Stivic in the network sitcom “All in the Family.”
Reiner won two Emmy Awards for the role, out of five nominations, during the show’s eight-year run. Even after turning his focus to directing after the show ended in 1979, Reiner was still best recognized as “Meathead” to a generation of fans.
Reiner proceeded to direct some of the most enduring comedies and dramas of the 1980s and early 1990s, including “When Harry Met Sally.”
He made his debut with the 1984 comedy “This Is Spinal Tap,” a satire about a blundering heavy-metal band refusing to acknowledge its declining popularity. Reiner adapted the King novella “The Body” into the 1986 movie “Stand by Me,” which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination as a director. King told Reiner that it was “the best film ever made out of anything I’ve written.”
Reiner directed another King adaptation in the 1990 horror-thriller Misery, for which Kathy Bates won an Academy Award for best actress.
Bates told the Hollywood Reporter that she is “absolutely devastated” by the deaths of Reiner and his wife. “I loved Rob,” she said. “He was brilliant and kind, a man who made films of every genre to challenge himself as an artist.”
Reiner co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment, which would go on to produce dozens of films including “When Harry Met Sally” and “A Few Good Men.”
“When Harry Met Sally,” starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, earned screenwriter Nora Ephron an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay. The movie ranks No. 23 among the American Film Institute’s funniest American films of all time.
Amid all of his directing projects, Reiner continued acting. His most recent film release was this year’s “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.”
He was also a well-known activist who contributed to liberal and Democratic causes.
U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the legendary director in a social media post. The president noted a “very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood,” and continued to describe Reiner as a “once very talented movie director” who passed away “reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS.”
In 2015, Reiner directed a dramatic film called “Being Charlie” that was co-written by Nick.
The semi-autobiographical story focused on a California gubernatorial candidate whose privileged son suffers from drug addiction and becomes a liability for his father.
In a clip from the AOL show “Build Series,” the late director, joined by his son, acknowledges the film “is loosely based on things that Nick went through and his relationship to me and his mother.”
Reiner said the film “definitely brought us closer to together. Over a period of a year it was intense, difficult at times, but it was also the most satisfying creative experience I ever had.”
Reiner was previously married to actress and film director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981 before marrying Singer in 1989. Singer took the photo that appears on Trump’s bestselling 1987 book “The Art of the Deal.” The couple had three children together. Reiner also adopted Marshall’s daughter, actress Tracy Reiner.
Residents of the upscale neighborhood of Brentwood, where Reiner and his wife lived, were struggling to process the news.
“This is a neighborhood where people walk their dogs,” said Wendy Klein, who strolls in the area often. “I never expected this to happen here.”
Mansour Ghaffari, who has lived nearby for almost 30 years, said he was shocked by the developments. He used to see Reiner in the neighborhood “all the time, walking down the street. A very good man.”
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