Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles home on Sunday (local time).
The LA Sheriff’s Department said on Monday their 32-year-old son Nick had been arrested on suspicion of their murder, and was being held in custody without bail.
He has not yet been charged.
U.S. President Donald Trump has since taken to social media to suggest the alleged murder was related to Rob Reiner’s progressive political views.
The Reiners
Rob Reiner, the son of comedian and writer Carl Reiner, rose to fame acting in the 1970s sitcom ‘All in The Family’.
He made his directorial debut with the 1984 mockumentary ‘This Is Spinal Tap’, which he also appeared in.
Reiner went on to direct ‘The Princess Bride,’ ‘Misery’, and ‘A Few Good Men’.
He was also known for his political activism and support for Democratic candidates.
Rob was married to fellow director Penny Marshall in the 1970s. He adopted her daughter from a previous marriage, Tracy.
Rob married Michele Singer in 1989, who he met while he was directing the rom-com ‘When Harry Met Sally...’. He credited falling in love with Michele with the film’s happy ending.
Michele was an actress, photographer, and producer. Together, they had three children: Jake, Nick, and Romy.
Nick had publicly talked about his addiction to drugs in past years. He and Rob worked together on a film partly based on his life, ‘Being Charlie’, in 2015.
Deaths
Emergency services were called to the Reiners’ home in Brentwood, California on Sunday afternoon (local time).
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U.S. media reports Romy Reiner found her parents’ bodies.
Their son, Nick, was arrested several hours later in connection with their deaths. He is being held without bail.
Authorities will consider what charges to lay this week.
Trump
In a post to Truth Social, Trump alleged Reiner’s death was “due to the anger he caused others through his… mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
“He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump,” the post said.
Reiner had been a vocal critic of the President. In 2017, he told Variety that he believed Trump “is the single-most unqualified human-being to ever assume the Presidency of the United States.”
A range of political figures, including Republicans, denounced Trump‘s statement.
Republican representative Thomas Massie said it was “inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered.”
Democrat Senator John Hickenlooper called the post “heartless.”
During a press conference in the Oval Office, Trump doubled down on his comments, saying Reiner was “a deranged person” who was “very bad for our country.”
Other responses
Former President Barack Obama said Rob and Michele “will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired.”
Author Stephen King called Rob a “wonderful friend, political ally, and brilliant filmmaker”. Reiner directed adaptations of two of King’s books:
‘Misery’ and ‘Stand By Me’ (from novella ‘The Body’).
Cary Elwes, who starred in ‘The Princess Bride’, shared a photo from the film’s set with the caption: “No words...”
