Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer have been founded dead inside their home reportedly both suffering stab wounds. Police are investigating their deaths as a murder.
Reiner directed some of the most memorable and acclaimed movies of the 1980s and 1990s including Stand By Me, Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally, The Sure Thing, The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men, The American President and Ghosts of Mississippi.
The Fire Department were called to the couples Brentwood home in Los Angeles and reportedly found both Reiner and Singer dead with both having sustained fatal stab wounds.
A family spokesperson issued a statement: “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.”
Police are investigating the deaths but at this stage have not named any suspects. Reiner was 78 years old, while Singer was ten years younger. The couple met while Reiner was making When Harry Met Sally and married in 1989. They had three children together, sons Jake and Nick, and daughter Romy.
Reiner was previously married to actor and director Penny Marshall from 1971 until 1981 and he was the step father to her daughter Tracy Reiner.
He first came to prominence as an actor appearing in the long running US sitcom All in the Family. He was born into a show business family, his father was comedian Carl Reiner.
While he found success as a director, he returned to acting regularly appearing in a wide range of films including Throw Momma From the Train, Postcards from the Edge, Sleepless in Seattle, Bullets Over Broadway, The First Wives Club, Primary Colors, The Wolf of Wall Street and television shows including The Good Wife, The Good Fight and New Girl.
His greatest success came as a director working across both drama and comedy genres. His first film was the 1984 mockumentary This is Spinal Tap, and it’s 2025 sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues was his final work.
Along the way he brought many different films to the screen, he adapted the work of Stephen King with Stand By Me and Misery – which saw Kathy Bates take home an Oscar. The Princess Bride has been described as one of the most perfect films ever made, while romantic comedies When Harry Met Sally and The American President have had enduring popularity. Reiner also tackled drama with A Few Good Men, The Ghosts of Mississippi, LBJ and Being Charlie.
Reiner was also well known for his progressive politics which saw him become a vocal campaigner for marriage equality and LGBTIQA+ rights. He was the cofounder of the American Foundation of Equal Rights which initiated court challenges against laws in California that banned same-sex marriages.
Former US president Barack Obama led the tributes to the couple writing on X that he and his wife Michelle were “heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele”.
“Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen. But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people — and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action,” Obama wrote.
Christopher Guest, who starred in Reiner’s films This Is Spinal Tap and The Princess Bride, and his wife Jamie Lee Curtis said in a joint statement that they were “numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michele Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them.”
Guest and Curtis said the time to celebrate the couples many achievements would come later.
“There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we shared and the great political and social impact they both had on the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage and their global care for a world in crisis.”
“We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve.” they wrote.
