On December 14, 2025, the Los Angeles Fire Department was called to the Brentwood home of legendary actor and film director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner. Upon arrival, they found the director, 78, and his wife, 68, dead, with foul play suspected.
People magazine soon reported that anonymous sources close to the family had confirmed that the Reiners were tragically murdered by their son, Nick. No authorities have confirmed that this is the case, though Nick has been arrested and held as a person of interest on $4 million bail.
Rob and Michele Reiner were parents to a blended family composed of Rob Reiner’s adopted daughter, Tracy, and Rob and Michele’s children, Jake, Nick, and Romy. By all accounts, even Nick’s, the family had a deep and loving relationship.
But there were also longstanding tensions, which Reiner explored in a fictionalized film, “Being Charlie,” which Nick wrote and his father directed. It premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and centers on Charlie, the teen addict son of a movie star now running for Congress.
Bart Sherkow | Shutterstock
Tracy Reiner, the biological daughter of Penny Marshall and Michael Henry, was adopted by Rob Reiner during his and Marshall’s 10-year marriage. A producer, director, and actor herself, she’s also appeared in several of her father’s most classic films, including “When Harry Met Sally,” “A League of Their Own,” and “Apollo 13.”
Tracy has spoken candidly about Reiner’s impact on her life, not just as her stepfather but as a sort of mentor who introduced her to both the entertainment industry itself and the icons he and her mother befriended during their careers. She was frequently seen in public appearances alongside her stepfather, who “consistently referred to Tracy as his daughter and remained closely involved in her life,” according to media reports.
: Owen Wilson Has 3 Kids — The Sad Reason He Only Sees His Sons And Refuses To Meet His 5-Year-Old Daughter
lev radin | Shutterstock
Jake Reiner is the eldest son of Rob and Michele Reiner and followed in a slightly different version of his father’s footsteps by first becoming a television journalist, where he served at Houston’s KRPC Channel 2 for many years. In 2016, he told the Houston Chronicle that after an early foray into his dad’s vocation, he discovered a different passion.
“When I was in high school, I did a lot of theater, a lot of acting. I really enjoyed performing,” he said. “I just had a different passion, the passion for news,” which steered him away from the family business.
But in recent years, he’s made his way back. After moving back to Los Angeles and continuing his journalism career at the city’s KCBS, he went back to acting in 2023.
: Caitlyn Jenner Says ‘Good Riddance’ To OJ Simpson And Gets A Brutal Reminder
romyreiner | Instagram
Romy is the youngest of the Reiner clan and has herself gotten into the family business, working as an actor, writer, and producer. In a loving Father’s Day tribute to her dad in 2021, she called him “the man who I could talk to forever and also the man who I can sit in silence with and be perfectly content.”
Nick Reiner has been open about his difficult relationship with his parents, including during the press tour for “Being Charlie,” which was based on his experiences and starred Nick Robinson as Charlie. Cary Elwes, star of Reiner’s “The Princess Bride,” played the father based on Reiner. The film contains several bracing scenes depicting Charlie’s parents’ harsh treatment of his addiction issues, which Nick said worsened his real-life struggles during his harrowing battle, which included several bouts of homelessness.
In a 2015 interview, Rob Reiner told the Los Angeles Times that he and Michele were given what they came to realize was bad advice from experts that resulted in them not listening to their son’s needs. “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,” Reiner said at the time.
By the time the film was released, Rob Reiner said he felt that he and his wife’s relationship with Nick had been repaired. But a reporter who attended the event noted that Nick’s demeanor seemed at odds with his father’s characterization, suggesting he may feel differently.
Nick was arrested late Sunday night in connection with his parents’ murder and booked into jail on Monday, according to online records obtained by news media.
: How Did Penny Marshall Die? New Details On The Tragic Death Of The ‘Laverne And Shirley’ Star
Sloane Bradshaw is a writer and essayist who frequently contributes to YourTango.
