Hollywood director Rob Reiner and wife Michele found dead in LA home
Legendary Hollywood film-maker and actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele have been found dead in their Los Angeles home, according to the BBC’s news partner CBS.
Authorities are investigating the incident as an apparent homicide after police and firefighters were called to the couple’s house on Sunday afternoon in the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood of LA.
Police said they found a 78-year-old man and 68-year-old woman, who were both pronounced dead at the home. Police said no suspect or person of interest was currently being sought.
Reiner is known for directing classic films such as The Princess Bride, This is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally, Misery and A Few Good Men.
Authorities did not immediately identify the couple or the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department told the BBC they received a call at about 15:38 local time (23:38 GMT) for medical aid to a home in Brentwood, a neighbourhood in LA that is home to many celebrities.
Robbery homicide detectives from the LA police department also responded to the home and have opened a homicide investigation.
In a news conference on Sunday night, police did not offer any details on the deaths or what they found when they responded. Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said both bodies were still inside the house, more than six hours after police and firefighters had been called.
No-one has been detained or arrested in relation to the incident, he said.
Police also did not give details about any injuries the pair sustained, nor if any weapon was found or used. Hamilton said a cause of death would be determined by the LA coroner’s office.
California Governor Gavin Newsom released a statement that confirmed the death of Reiner and his wife.
Newsom said he was “heartbroken” by the deaths and called Reiner a “big-hearted genius behind so many of the classic stories we love”.
LA mayor Karen Bass called Reiner’s death a “devastating loss for our city and country”, and paid tribute to the couple’s charity work for childhood development and LGBTQ+ advocacy.
Reiner was one of Hollywood’s best-known film-makers and co-founded the successful Castle Rock Entertainment production company.
He started his career in the 1960s and made it big playing Meathead in the groundbreaking comedy All in The Family in the 1970s, which scored him two Emmy Awards.
He was married to actress Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981 and is the adoptive father to Marshall’s daughter, actress Tracy Reiner.
He married Michele Reiner, an actress and photographer, in 1989. The couple have three children together.
