By Jordan Freiman / Updated December 15, 2025 / CBS News
Director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead Sunday in their Brentwood, Los Angeles, home in what police described as an apparent homicide, sources told CBS News. Reiner was 78; Michele Singer Reiner was 68.
The couple’s family issued a statement to Variety: “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.”
Firefighters who responded to the home Sunday afternoon discovered two bodies. The Los Angeles Police Department said its Robbery Homicide Division was handling the case but provided few details, calling it an “apparent homicide.” At a news briefing, LAPD Deputy Chief Allen Hamilton said the department was “not seeking anyone as a suspect, or as a person of interest or in any other manner, and we will not be doing that until we conduct our investigation and move forward.” He added the department had not identified a suspect “at this time,” and that “no one has been detained” and “no one is being interviewed.” Police would not immediately confirm the identities of the deceased.
Public figures across Hollywood and politics reacted with shock and sorrow. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the deaths “a devastating loss for our city and our country,” praising Reiner’s cultural contributions and his advocacy for social and economic justice. Gov. Gavin Newsom and his partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, said they were “heartbroken by the tragic loss of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner,” lauding Reiner’s storytelling and empathy from films such as The Princess Bride to A Few Good Men.
Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama said they were “heartbroken,” noting Reiner’s achievements in film and television and his belief in the goodness of people. Rep. Nancy Pelosi called the news “devastating,” describing Rob as “creative, funny, and beloved” and Michele as his “indispensable partner, intellectual resource, and loving wife.” Sean Astin, the newly elected president of the Screen Actors Guild, described Reiner as “one of those most significant figures in the history of film and television,” saying his cultural impact “simply can’t be overstated.”
Reiner directed and produced a string of acclaimed films, including The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, A Few Good Men, Stand By Me and This Is Spinal Tap. A sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, was released this fall. Michele Singer Reiner worked as a photographer and, according to Variety, shot the image of Donald Trump that appeared on the cover of his book The Art of the Deal.
The couple married in 1989 and had three children. Reiner had previously been married to director Penny Marshall and is the adoptive father of Marshall’s daughter, actress Tracy Reiner. The son of comedian and actor Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner rose to fame as Michael Stivic (“Meathead”) on CBS’s All in the Family, a role that earned him two Emmy Awards.
The family of Norman Lear, who produced All in the Family, said Lear “often referred to Rob as a son” and noted that Rob and Michele “spent every breath trying to make this country a better place” through their art, activism and philanthropy.
Reiner included a brief appearance by his mother, Estelle, in When Harry Met Sally…, the film that produced the iconic line, “I’ll have what she’s having.” Reiner first met Michele during the making of that movie; in a 2016 interview with AV Club he said meeting her influenced his decision to change the film’s ending so that Harry and Sally end up together.