Dear friends of Rob and Michele Reiner are remembering the late couple.
Billy and Janice Crystal, Albert and Kimberly Brooks, Martin Short, Alan and Robin Zweibel, Larry David and Ashley Underwood, Marc Shaiman and Lou Mirabal, Barry and Diana Levinson and Ambassador James Costos and Michael Smith signed a joint statement on Tuesday that was shared with the Associated Press amid news of their deaths.
“Going to the movies in a dark theater filled with strangers having a common experience, laughing, crying, screaming in fear, or watching an intense drama unfold is still an unforgettable thrill. Tell us a story audiences demand of us. Absorbing all he had learned from his father Carl and his mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner not only was a great comic actor, he became a master story teller,” the statement read. “There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films.”
“Rob was also a passionate, brave citizen, who not only cared for this country he loved, he did everything he could to make it better and with his loving wife Michele, he had the perfect partner,” the statement continued. “Strong and determined, Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens… They were a special force together-dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever.”
Rob and Michele were found dead in their Brentwood home on Sunday, both “suffering lacerations consistent with a knife,” law enforcement sources told TMZ. Their son, Nick Reiner, was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder, and is being held without bail. On Tuesday, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell confirmed during a press conference that the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office “has formally filed charges against Mr. Reiner for the murder of his parents.”
Amid the news of Rob’s death, Hollywood paid tribute to the late director. Demi Moore said of Rob and Michelle, “Our kids grew up together, we worked together, and as our lives intertwined personally and professionally I will always cherish the moments and memories of what we shared.”
Jerry Seinfeld, whose show Seinfeld was produced by Reiner’s Castle Rock Entertainment, wrote on Instagram: “Next to Larry David and George Shapiro, Rob Reiner had the biggest influence on my career. Our show would have never happened without him. He saw something no one else could. When nobody at the network liked the early episodes, he saved us from cancellation. That I was working with Carl Reiner’s son, who happened to be one of the kindest people in show business, seemed unreal. I was naive at the time to how much his passion for us meant.”
Read the full joint statement signed by Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Larry David, Albert Brooks and more below.
“Going to the movies in a dark theater filled with strangers having a common experience, laughing, crying, screaming in fear, or watching an intense drama unfold is still an unforgettable thrill. Tell us a story audiences demand of us. Absorbing all he had learned from his father Carl and his mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner not only was a great comic actor, he became a master story teller. There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films.
His comedic touch was beyond compare, his love of getting the music of the dialogue just right, and his sharpening of the edge of a drama was simply elegant. For the actors, he loved them. For the writers he made them better. His greatest gift was freedom. If you had an idea, he listened, he brought you into the process. They always felt they were working as a team. To be in his hands as a film maker was a privilege but that is only part of his legacy.
Rob was also a passionate, brave citizen, who not only cared for this country he loved, he did everything he could to make it better and with his loving wife Michele, he had the perfect partner. Strong and determined, Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens… They were a special force together-dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever.
There is a line from one of Rob’s favorite films, It’s a Wonderful Life, ‘Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?’ You have no idea.”
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