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Rob Reiner’s son Nick has been arrested in connection with the deaths of the Hollywood filmmaker and his wife, after the couple were found dead at their home in California.
According to the Los Angeles County sheriff, the 32-year-old was apprehended on Sunday after Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were killed in an “apparent homicide”.
Investigators said the couple had suffered stab wounds, the Associated Press reported. Bail has been set at $4mn.
Reiner, the Hollywood director behind hits including This is Spinal Tap and When Harry Met Sally, began making films in the 1980s.
The son of comedian Carl Reiner, Rob had his breakout acting role in the 1970s in Norman Lear’s television series All in the Family. He played the liberal, long-haired son-in-law of Archie Bunker — a cranky bigot portrayed by Carroll O’Connor — who addressed him as “Meathead”.
Nick Reiner has talked openly about his drug addiction and time living on the streets. In 2016, he and his father released a feature film based loosely on that experience called Being Charlie.
“It forced me to see more clearly and understand more deeply what Nick had gone through,” Reiner said in an interview at the time. “It definitely brought us closer together.”
Tributes to Reiner flooded in from political leaders and the entertainment world, praising his work onscreen and dedication to liberal political causes.
Nancy Pelosi, the California congresswoman and former Speaker of the House, described the “deadly assault” as “devastating” in a post on X.
“Rob was creative, funny and beloved. And in all of their endeavours, Michele was his indispensable partner, intellectual resource and loving wife,” Pelosi added.
Gavin Newsom, governor of California, praised Reiner for his political activism as well as his film work, which also included The Princess Bride and A Few Good Men.
“Rob was a passionate advocate for children and for civil rights — from taking on Big Tobacco, to fighting for marriage equality to serving as a powerful voice in early education,” Newsom said in a statement with his partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “He made California a better place through his good works.”
US President Donald Trump said on social media: “We may not have agreed politically, but we mourn the loss of this iconic and talented actor and director of over 50 years. This was so tragic. Rest in peace Mr and Mrs Reiner.”
But in a later post, Trump added that the “tortured and struggling, but once very talented” director suffered from “TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME”.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said: “Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society.”
In 1987, Reiner founded Castle Rock Entertainment, the production company behind the TV hit Seinfeld and the film The Shawshank Redemption.
In September, Reiner and Castle Rock released Spinal Tap II: The End Continues — 41 years after the release of the first film.
