Actor-director and political activist Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead in their Los Angeles home on December 14, with police treating the case as an apparent homicide, city officials said.
While authorities initially withheld the identities of the deceased, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed that Reiner, 78, and Michele, 68, had died. Mayor Bass described the couple’s deaths as «a devastating loss» and praised Reiner’s impact on American culture, social advocacy and creative work.
Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton of the Los Angeles Police Department said patrol officers discovered the bodies late Sunday afternoon. Detectives from the LAPD robbery-homicide unit were awaiting a search warrant to conduct a thorough investigation of the residence. No suspects have been identified. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the official cause of death.
Reiner was best known for his role as Mike «Meathead» Stivic on the TV comedy All in the Family, where he played the liberal son-in-law to Archie Bunker, portrayed by Carroll O’Connor. He later had a prolific career as a Hollywood director, helming classics such as The Princess Bride, This is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally…, Stand by Me, A Few Good Men, Misery and The American President. A sequel to This is Spinal Tap was released earlier this year.
Michele Reiner, formerly a photographer, captured the image of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book Trump: The Art of the Deal.
A native of New York City and son of comedy writer and actor Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner was also known for his political activism, supporting Democratic candidates including John Kerry, Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. He was first married to Penny Marshall, before marrying Michele Singer, with whom he had three children.
