A family member is being interviewed in connection with the deaths of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner who were found dead inside their Los Angeles home Sunday afternoon, according to law enforcement sources.
There was no sign of forced entry at the Reiners’ sprawling Brentwood home and the couple had injuries consistent with being stabbed, sources told the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton provided little information at a press conference Sunday night, but said the death investigation was ongoing. TMZ reported that the couple’s throats were “slit” following an argument at the home.
No suspect has been identified and no one has been arrested, as of Monday morning.
The city fire department said the bodies of a 68-year-old woman and a 78-year-old man were discovered in a property on Chadbourne Avenue in the Brentwood neighborhood and a spokesperson for the Reiner family confirmed the deaths to CNN Sunday.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” a family spokesperson said in a statement. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Actors Billy Crystal and Larry David were spotted at the home Sunday night, a neighbor told ABC7, adding that Crystal “looked like he was about to cry.”
Hamilton said the investigation was being handled by the LAPD’s robbery homicide division, and would “continue over the coming days.”
He added that the police are not seeking anyone as a suspect or a person of interest in the case until they’ve moved forward in the investigation.
The police official declined to confirm the identities of the two people found dead, saying that information would come from the city’s county coroner. He added that investigators are waiting for a warrant to search the home.
“We’re waiting for the legal process to move forward. We have to obtain a search warrant for the residence. Once that is complied with, we will be conducting a full crime scene investigation on the interior and exterior of the residence and the surrounding neighborhood.”
Paramedics were dispatched to the residence at roughly 3:30 p.m. Sunday, and Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived minutes later for an “ambulance death investigation.”
A sizable police presence was observed outside the home Sunday evening. Neighbors told NBC News that Reiner and his wife lived together in the home, and property records confirmed that they own the property.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
Reiner was one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and ’90s, including “This is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Princess Bride.”
Tributes have been paid to Reiner, who was an American actor, writer and liberal activist as well as a director. His films included “A Few Good Men” and “Misery.”
He first rose to prominence after playing Mike “Meathead” Stivic on the CBS series “All in the Family,” a role that garnered him multiple Emmy Awards.
The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Reiner was married to photographer Michele since 1989. The two met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally and had three children together, Jake, Nick, and Romy.
Reiner was previously married to actor-director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. He adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner. Carl Reiner died in 2020 at age 98 and Marshall died in 2018.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that it was “a devastating loss for our city and our country.”
“Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” she said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.
