Deaths of Hollywood Icon Rob Reiner and Wife Michele Spark Shocked Reactions, Tearful Tributes

Hollywood is stunned by the shocking tragic deaths of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele. The two were killed in a gruesome act, reportedly by their son Nick, with their lifeless bodies discovered by their daughter, Roma, on Sunday.

Police say Roma alerted them that Nick, who has been outspoken about his struggles with addiction, should be a suspect as he was considered “dangerous.” Nick is being held on a $4 million bail and placed on suicide watch.

Now, the slain couple’s Hollywood peers are paying tribute to them. Tributes are pouring in daily.

Christopher Guest, who starred in Rob’s film This Is Spinal Tap, and his actress wife Jamie Lee Curti,s said in a statement, as reported by Variety: “Christopher and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michelle 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.”

They continued: “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.”

It has been reported that Rob and Nick argued during a Christmas party at Conan O’Brien’s home. Family friends say the Reiner’s grew tired of Nick’s ongoing substance abuse issues, and his reported mental illness. They allege Michele told friends in recent months they they were fed up and at their wits’ end.

Harry Shearer, who also starred in This Is Spinal Tap, wrote in an Instagram tribute, “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 3×5 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.”

The late Norman Lear’s family wrote in a statement, also reported by Variety: “The Lear Family is devastated by the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner. Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world. Norman would have wanted to remind us that Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place, and they pursued that through their art, their activism, their philanthropy, and their love for family and friends. Lyn Lear had remained very close with them and said, ‘The world is unmistakably darker tonight, and we are left bereft.’” The Reiner’s purchased the Brentwood home they lived and died in from Norman Lear in 1991.

Icon Paul McCartney also paid tribute, writing in an Instagram post: “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.”