Rob Reiner, the iconic director behind This Is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally…, and The Princess Bride, along with his wife Michele Reiner, were found dead in their Brentwood home on December 14, 2025, in a shocking apparent homicide. Their son, Nicholas Reiner, 41, faces first-degree murder charges after allegedly stabbing the couple during a confrontation, with police responding to a 911 call from the scene. The 78-year-old Reiner, son of comedy pioneer Carl Reiner, leaves a legacy of box-office hits grossing over $1 billion worldwide.
Tributes poured in from Hollywood titans. Martin Scorsese, a close friend since 1970s comedy gatherings, penned a New York Times essay calling the deaths “an obscenity” that “breaks my heart,” reminiscing about Reiner’s “uninhibited freedom” and tender role in The Wolf of Wall Street. Billy Crystal hailed him as “brilliant and kind,” while Larry David and Penny Marshall’s circle mourned the man who blended improv genius with heartfelt directing. Reiner’s activism for liberal causes and environmentalism amplified the loss.
Reiner’s career spanned All in the Family as Michael “Meathead” Stivic to directing Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning Misery and rom-com gold with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. His production company Castle Rock Entertainment shaped ’90s cinema. Michele, a producer on many projects, shared his creative world. Nicholas, struggling with mental health, awaits arraignment amid family pleas for privacy.
The tragedy stuns Tinseltown during holiday season, with Scorsese envisioning lost dinners filled with Reiner’s laugh. A private funeral drew A-listers; public memorials loom. Reiner’s influence endures in comedy’s soul and storytelling heart, forever etched in film history.
