Billy Crystal Breaks Silence on Rob Reiner’s Death in Tribute With Larry David and Others

Billy Crystal has broken his silence on the shocking deaths of legendary director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, after their bodies were found at home on Sunday.

The When Harry Met Sally star issued a joint statement to the Associated Press alongside his wife, Janice Crystal, as well as Albert and Kimberly Brooks, Martin Short, Alan and Robin Zweibel, Larry David and Ashley Underwood, Marc Shaiman and Lou Mirabal, Barry and Diana Levinson and Ambassador James Costos and Michael Smith.

“Going to the movies in a dark theater filled with strangers having a common experience, laughing, crying, screaming in fear, or watching an intense drama unfold is still an unforgettable thrill,” the statement begins. “Tell us a story audiences demand of us. Absorbing all he had learned from his father Carl and his mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner not only was a great comic actor, he became a master story teller.”

“There is no other director who has his range,” the statement continues. “From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films.”

Reiner’s “comedic touch” was “beyond compare,” they go on, “his love of getting the music of the dialogue just right, and his sharpening of the edge of a drama was simply elegant.”

“For the actors, he loved them. For the writers he made them better,” the statement continues. “His greatest gift was freedom. If you had an idea, he listened, he brought you into the process. They always felt they were working as a team. To be in his hands as a film maker was a privilege but that is only part of his legacy.”

The message also paid tribute to Reiner and his wife personally: “Rob was also a passionate, brave citizen, who not only cared for this country he loved, he did everything he could to make it better and with his loving wife Michele, he had the perfect partner.”

“Strong and determined, Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens,” the statement adds. “They were a special force together-dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever.”

They conclude, “There is a line from one of Rob’s favorite films, It’s a Wonderful Life, ‘Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?’ You have no idea.”

Reiner, 78, and Singer Reiner, 68, were found dead in their Brentwood home Sunday, and their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, was soon arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He is being held without bail.