Hollywood legend Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home Sunday, and their son Nick was arrested on suspicion of murder. The tragic turn of events has sparked an outpouring of tributes for Reiner, who starred as Mike "Meathead" Stivic on All In The Family throughout the 1970s before directing a string of beloved movies in the '80s and '90s. Reiner's directorial debut was 1984's This Is Spinal Tap, the rock-star mockumentary against which all others are judged. Two of the three lead actors from Spinal Tap have offered statements mourning the Reiners so far.
On Instagram, Harry Shearer posted the following:
Rob was a friend and collaborator through much of my life. He was funny, he was smart, he was a mensch. When he came to see the comedy act I was in, and, later, the musical comedy I had co-written, his laugh was uproarious and audible around the block. He was a great collaborator, and when the four of us proposed ideas for the films, he was the one who wrote them on 3x5 cards, and organized them into a movie. And Michele was a very good friend to my wife Judith. This is unspeakable, the stuff of Greek tragedy.
Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis reportedly got married at Reiner's house in 1984. Curtius shared a statement on behalf of Guest and herself:
Christopher and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michele Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them. There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we shared and the great political and social impact they both had on the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage and their global care for a world in crisis. We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve.
Reiner's last movie before his death was the recent Spinal Tap sequel, which featured a number of famous musicians in the cast, such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Questlove. All three have paid tribute to Reiner. Here's McCartney, via Instagram:
What a tragedy the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, is. It is so shocking in many ways but for me especially so, because over the last year I had been working with him. He directed me in 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues'. He was such an upbeat, lovable man.
Life can be so unfair and this tragedy proves it. His father, Carl Reiner, was a great humourist before him and Rob followed in his dad’s footsteps doing a terrific job making many great films. I will always have fond memories of Rob and the idea that he and his wife will no longer be in the world with us is heartbreaking.
Thanks for all the humour, Rob. Rest in Peace. Love Paul
On his Instagram story, John wrote:
I am in disbelief at today's news of Rob and Michele.
They were two of the most beautiful people I'd ever met and they deserved better.
My thoughts are with them and their loved ones.
Along with a clip from the original Spinal Tap, Questlove posted the following on Instagram:
Strength to the loved ones and family of the Reiners.
This is beyond any words I can put together. I am a MAASSSSSEIVE fan of Rob Reiner’s work and never hesitated to remind him. May we all have healing in processing this tragedy.Thank you Uncle Meathead ?
Love For Uncle Meathead
The New York Post reports that Billy Crystal, who starred in Reiner's romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally, showed up at the Reiners' home with wife Janice to mourn. Separately, Larry David was also seen on the premises grieving.
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, also posted about the Reiners' death. In the 1980s, Michele, a photographer, shot the portrait of Trump that appeared on the cover of his book The Art Of The Deal. But the Reiners were longtime progressive activists and outspoken supporters of the Democratic party, so Trump made sure to dance on their graves. Here's what he wrote on his social media network, Truth Social:
A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS. He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace!
Jack White, a longtime Trump adversary who most recently traded insults with the president regarding his White House remodeling job over the summer, logged on to Instagram to decry Trump's "vile" post about the Reiners:
Trump you disgusting, vile, egomaniac loser, child. Neither he nor any one of his followers can defend this vile, horrible insult to a beautiful artist who gave the world so much. To use someone's tragic death to promote your own vanity and fascist authoritarian agenda is a corrupt and narcissistic sin. Shame on you trump and anyone who defends this. God bless you Rob Reiner and thank you for what you gave the world. I never even met you and I still stand by you.
In a televised press conference from the Oval Office today, Trump doubled down on insulting the dead, calling Reiner "very bad for our country."
Check out some of the social media posts below.
