Featured Image Credit: Rommel Demano/Getty Images
Topics: Crime, Donald Trump, Celebrity
Ben Williams
The entertainment world has been left reeling following the sudden deaths of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, who were found dead at their Los Angeles home over the weekend.
Rob Reiner, 78, is best known for directing iconic films including When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, Stand By Me and A Few Good Men. Michele, 68, meanwhile, was a respected photographer.
Police were called to the couple’s Brentwood property on Sunday afternoon, where both were pronounced dead at the scene.
As investigators began working to piece together what happened, authorities initially released very few details, describing the deaths as an apparent homicide and stressing that the investigation was in its early stages.
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For several hours, there was no public confirmation of a suspect or motive, while officers said they were speaking to family members and others connected to the couple.
It has since been confirmed by law enforcement that Nick Reiner, 32, Rob and Michele’s middle child, has been arrested and 'booked for murder'.
According to custody records, he was arrested on Sunday evening and is being held on a $4 million bail.
Nick is a screenwriter and has previously worked closely with his father. He co-wrote the 2016 film Being Charlie, which Rob directed. The film explored addiction and recovery, and Nick has spoken openly in the past about his own struggles with substance abuse.
In a 2016 interview with People, he said of the film: “It’s not my life”, but added: “I went to a lot of these places, so I had a lot of these stories.”
He also spoke candidly about periods of homelessness, saying: “If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting, then I had to be homeless…I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun.”
Despite those difficulties, Nick previously described rebuilding his relationship with his family and working alongside his father as a turning point. He said at the time: “That made me who I am, having to deal with that stuff.”
As the investigation continues, public attention has also been drawn to comments made by US President Donald Trump, who criticised Rob following news of his death.
In a post on Truth Social, the president’s own social media platform, Trump claimed (without evidence) that Reiner and his wife ‘reportedly’ died ‘due to the anger he caused others through' an apparent disease known as ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’, comments which have been widely condemned.
For now, police say the investigation remains ongoing, and further updates are expected.