Longtime Hollywood star Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead at their Brentwood home Sunday in what police are describing as an apparent homicide.
A spokesperson for the Reiner family confirmed the deaths Sunday evening.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” the family spokesperson said in a statement. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Los Angeles police were investigating the deaths as a homicide after the couple’s bodies were found at their home in the 200 block of Chadbourne Avenue, police said. Reiner, 78, was a legendary actor, director and, later, political activist, and his wife was a photographer and producer.
Law enforcement sources told The Times that a family member was being interviewed in connection with the deaths.
A source who was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation but had knowledge of the investigation confirmed that there was no sign of forced entry into the home. The source also said that the Reiners had injuries consistent with being stabbed.
At a news conference late Sunday, LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton released little information about the case but said the death investigation was ongoing. He said detectives were working to secure a search warrant before launching a “thorough” investigation inside and outside the residence.
“At this time, the Los Angeles Police Department is not seeking anyone as a suspect or as a person of interest … and we will not be doing that until we conduct our investigation and move forward,” Hamilton said. He said many family members would be interviewed but that “no one has been detained; no one is being questioned as a suspect.”
Hamilton did confirm that the person who initially reported the incident was at the house. Their identity was not being released at this time, he said.
Earlier Sunday, Margaret Stewart, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman, said the department was called to the residence around 3:30 p.m. for medical aid. Inside the home, the two bodies were found.
Reiner had a five-decade-long career in Hollywood.
Early in his career, he played Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the iconic sitcom “All in the Family” from 1971 to 1979, alongside Carroll O’Connor as Archie Bunker.
As a director, Reiner helmed a string of hits including “When Harry Met Sally,” “The Princess Bride” and “This Is Spinal Tap.” His work took a dramatic turn when he directed the 1986 adaptation of Stephen King’s novella “Stand by Me.”
Reiner was nominated for an Academy Award for 1992’s “A Few Good Men,” which starred Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, though the movie lost to Clint Eastwood’s western “Unforgiven.”
Reiner also was a leading political voice in Hollywood.
He was a co-founder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the organization that led the fight to overturn Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage. He’s also been active in children’s issues through the years, having led the campaign to pass Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, which created an ambitious program of early childhood development services.
Proposition 10 was considered landmark policy. Reiner enlisted help in the effort from Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams, and his own father, comedy legend Carl Reiner.
Reiner was married to Penny Marshall, star of “Laverne & Shirley,” from 1971 to 1981. He met photographer Michele Singer on the set of “When Harry Met Sally” and the two married in 1989, the year the movie came out.
Michele Singer Reiner began producing films over the last decade, including “Shock and Awe,” “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” and “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” all directed by her husband. She also produced “God & Country,” a look at Christian nationalism in the U.S.
By Sunday evening, law enforcement had swarmed Reiner’s sprawling estate in Brentwood, though an eerie quiet hung over Chadbourne Avenue, which had been sealed from the public with yellow crime scene tape.
Police cars were stationed at either end of the block where the Reiner residence is located while a chopper circled overhead. (LA Times)