Dec. 16, 2025, 10:36 p.m. ET
Billy Crystal, Larry David, Martin Short, and other Hollywood stars shared a heartfelt tribute to Rob and Michelle Reiner after the couple was found dead in their California home on Sunday, Dec. 14.
The couple’s son, Nick Reiner, has been charged in the fatal stabbing of his parents, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman confirmed Tuesday, Dec. 16. The deaths of the Reiners have shocked the entertainment world and beyond, prompting tributes from Michael Douglas, Stephen King, Demi Moore, Paul McCartney and more.
In a statement to The Associated Press, which Crystal’s representative shared with USA TODAY on Dec. 16, more celebrities spoke as to why Rob Reiner was an extraordinary director, actor and person.
“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,” the statement reads. “There is no other director who has his range. 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.”
The statement was signed by Short, Billy and Janice Crystal, Albert and Kimberly Brooks, Larry David and Ashley Underwood, Alan and Robin Zweibel, Marc Shaiman and Lou Mirabal, Barry and Diana Levinson as well as James Costos and Michael Smith.
“His comedic touch was beyond compare, 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. 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 statement reads.
The statement continued: “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 citizen. They were a special force together-dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever.”
“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.”
Other stars who have recently paid their respects to the Reiners include Christopher Guest, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschanel, John Cusack, and Tom Hanks’ wife, Rita Wilson.
