Acclaimed director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, have been found dead at their home in Los Angeles. The pair were discovered at their property in Brentwood on Sunday, with Los Angeles Police confirming they are investigating an « apparent homicide ». The couple’s family confirmed their deaths in a statement, which read: “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 filmmaker directed hit movies such as The Princess Bride, Spinal Tap and When Harry Met Sally.
It has since been reported that police have confirmed to PEOPLE Magazine that their son Nick, 32, is being questioned by investigators. The Los Angeles Times has also reported that there were no signs of forced entry into the home.
Prior to his death, Rob Reiner made a movie a decade ago that focused on the challenges the family faced. The 2015 film, which is titled ‘Being Charlie’, offers a deeply personal glimpse into what happened in the Reiner household in the past.
The film centered on the story of Charlie Mills, an 18-year-old struggling with addiction. He is the son of David (Cary Elwes), who is running for Congress. Rob Reiner directed the film, and his son, Nick, co-wrote the script with a friend, Matt Elisofon, from rehab.
According to Time and The Hollywood Reporter, Nick Reiner battled his own problems with addiction and homelessness as a teenager, and the script was « inspired » by his own experience of being born to a famous parent and his everyday realities of addiction.
The film premiered in 2015, and in the movie, the character Charlie (Nick Robinson) resents the way he was treated for his addiction by his parents, and he spends mandatory stints in rehab.
Later on, the film ends with an apology from the father to his son, which, reportedly, Rob Reiner gave to his son in real life.
Reiner told the Los Angeles Times at the time, at a dinner at the TIFF Festival: « When Nick would tell us that it wasn’t working for him, we wouldn’t listen. We were desperate and because the people had diplomas on their wall, we listened to them when we should have been listening to our son. »
His wife, Michele, added: « We were so influenced by these people. They would tell us he’s a liar, that he was trying to manipulate us. And we believed them. »
Nick later said in the interview with the LA Times: « I never thought I’d capitalize on rehab. »
At a post-screening Q&A, Rob Reiner was asked a question about his relationship with Nick and said: « We didn’t set out for it to be cathartic or for it to be therapeutic, but it turned out to be that. » He later said “there were disagreements” and “at times it was really rough” when trying to depict their relationship in the film.
