Rob Reiner Dies at 78: All in the Family Star & Wife Found Dead in Apparent Stabbing

All in the Family actor and When Harry Met Sally director Rob Reiner (son of Carl Reiner) and his wife Michele, have died at the ages of 78 and 68, after they were killed in an apparent double homicide at their home.

The details surrounding their deaths remained unclear, but according to TMZ, the Los Angeles First Department was called to the couple’s home at around 3:30 p.m. PT for medical aid, where authorities found a man and woman around Rob and Michele’s ages. Initially, reports did not confirm the identity of the victims but did share that the home belonged to the Reiners.

The Los Angeles Police Department arrived right after the LAFD and has opened an investigation into the shocking deaths. According tothe New York Post, the victims fitting the couple’s description were found stabbed to death. It has since been reported by People that multiple sources have confirmed that the alleged perpetrator was Rob and Michele’s son, Nick. In 2016, Nick spoke candidly to the outlet about his struggles with addiction, although it’s unclear if that has any impact on the current turn of events.

Reiner, in addition to being a performer and director, was also notably the son of famed comedian Carl Reiner, the latter of whom died in 2020 at the age of 98. Rob Reiner is best known on television for playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic in Norman Lear‘s classic sitcom,All in the Family. Eventually, Reiner explored the directing space with his first feature, This Is Spinal Tap, which recently released its long-awaited sequel,Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.

FX

Among Reiner’s other movie contributions are Stand By Me,The Princess Bride,When Harry Met Sally,Misery, andA Few Good Men. Born in the Bronx, New York, in 1947, Reiner followed in the footsteps of his famous father and mother, Estelle, who was also a performer. Ultimately, Reiner relocated to Beverly Hills as a young teen, where he befriended performers including Richard Dreyfuss and Alberta Brooks.

He dipped his toe into the TV pool with small guest appearances on sitcoms such as The Andy Griffith Show,Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Beverly Hillbillies,andThe Partridge Family before landing his regular role withAll in the Family, playing opposite Carroll O’Connor‘s Archie Bunker, as his liberal son-in-law.

In 1971, as Reiner appeared on All in the Family, he was married to actress Penny Marshall, with whom he had adopted her daughter Tracy, who was from a previous marriage. Their relationship ended in 1979 when they divorced. Reiner would ultimately meet his wife, photographer Michele Singer, while working on When Harry Met Sally. They married in 1989 and had three children, Jake, Nick, and Romy.

Everett Collection

Reiner’s most recent television appearance included a memorable guest role on FX’s award-winning seriesThe Bear in episodes that debuted this past summer. He is also no doubtremembered for his role as Jess’s (Zooey Deschanel) dad, Bob, in Fox’s former comedy New Girl. Reiner also featured in The Good Fight,Hollywood,30 Rock, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and movies The Wolf of Wall Street,The Story of Us, and The First Wives Club.

Among some of the other films he directed wereThe American President,Ghosts of Mississippi,Rumour Has It…,The Bucket List,Flipped,The Magic of Belle Island, andAnd So It Goes, among others. Michele Reiner produced a few of Rob Reiner’s projects, includingSpinal Tap II: The End Continues and his 2023 documentaryAlbert Brooks: Defending My Life. She’s also attached as an executive producer on the forthcoming seriesWind River: Rising.