Film director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner’s deaths have sent shockwaves through Hollywood.
The When Harry Met Sally director, 78, and his partner, 68, were discovered at their $13.5 million mansion in Brentwood, Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon.
The filmmaker’s son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested and is in custody with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on $4 million (£2.9 million) bail.
Their families confirmed their deaths in a heartbreaking statement.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time,” a spokesperson said.
The couple’s daughter Romy, 28, who lives across the street, is believed to have found their bodies when she visited their sprawling six-bedroom estate and rang the ambulance at 3.30pm.
Both appeared to have suffered stab wounds, sources familiar with the matter told People magazine.
Police earlier said they are treating the deaths as a homicide.
The couple’s 32-year-old son, screenwriter Nick Reiner, is a person of interest, according to the New York Post.
Nick has been open about his issues with drug addiction, which began in his early teens and eventually left him living on the streets.
He has been in and out of rehab since he was around 15 and, as his addiction spiraled, spent significant periods of time homeless in different states.
Nick told People in 2016: “I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun.”
He added at the time: “Now, I’ve been home for a really long time, and I’ve sort of gotten acclimated back to being in LA and being around my family.”
His experience with addiction led him to co-write the semi-autobiographical film Being Charlie in 2015, about his family’s struggles when he was a teenager.
Rob directed the movie, which follows the story of Charlie Mills, the 18-year-old addict son of David, a movie star who is running for Congress.
It depicts the way Charlie’s father and mother treat his addiction, which involves mandatory stints in rehab.
Carey Elwes played Rob and Nick Robinson portrayed Nick onscreen.
The movie premiered at TIFF in 2015 and, at the end, features an apology from the dad to the son.
Rob spoke about the moment’s parallels to real life, telling the LA Times: "When Nick would tell us that it wasn’t working for him, we wouldn't listen.
“We were desperate, and because the people had diplomas on their wall, we listened to them when we should have been listening to our son."
Michele added: "We were so influenced by these people. They would tell us he's a liar, that he was trying to manipulate us. And we believed them."
Rob said that making the film was “cathartic” and healing for the family and that they had “gotten so much closer” during production.
Rob and Michele met when Rob directed When Harry Met Sally and they married in 1989. They had three children - Jake, 34, Nick, and Romy.
The director also adopted Tracy Reiner, 61, during his first marriage to Penny Marshall.
Rob and Michele’s bodies were found on Sunday afternoon. Paramedics and police have been pictured outside their home.
Billy Crystal, who met Rob while filming When Harry Met Sally, and comedian Larry David arrived separately at the home and stayed briefly.
Billy “looked like he was about to cry”, a neighbour told ABC.
Rob was known for a slew of famous films in the 1980s and 1990s, including This Is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride.
Stars like Ben Stiller and Jamie Lee Curtis paid tribute to the esteemed filmmaker on social media.
Ben wrote: “Rob Reiner was one of my favorite directors. He made some of the most formative movies for my generation.
“He came out from behind a huge comedic shadow of the great Carl Reiner and being a tv actor to being a great director who made an incredible run of movies.”
Christopher Guest, who starred in This Is Spinal Tap and The Princess Bride, and his wife Jamie Lee Curtis said in a joint statement that they were “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.
“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,” the couple wrote.
“We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve.”
