Billy Crystal, Larry David, More Break Silence Following Rob and Michele Reiner Murders

Billy Crystal, Larry David, Albert Brooks, and many more Hollywood A-listers shared their grief over the brutal murders of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner in a shared statement released on Tuesday, Dec. 16. The Reiners were found on Dec. 14 in their Brentwood home with their throats slit. Their son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, has been charged with murder.

A-Listers Break Silence to Praise Rob Reiner's Influence

The statement was signed by Albert and Kimberly Brooks; Billy and Janice Crystal; Larry David and Ashley Underwood; Martin Short; comedy writer Alan Zweibel and his wife, Robin Zweibel; composer Marc Shaiman and his husband, Lou Mirabal; director Barry Levinson and his wife, Diana; and the former U.S. ambassador to Spain James Costos and his partner, Michael Smith.

“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 began. “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.”

'Comedic Touch Was Beyond Compare'

“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,” it read. “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 filmmaker was a privilege, but that is only part of his legacy.”

Brooks and Reiner were old friends, having met in high school and forged a friendship over six decades. Reiner directed the 2023 documentary Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, though the doc marked the only time the two prolific creatives collaborated on-screen. Crystal met Reiner in 1975 when the former was cast in a guest role on All in the Family, in which Reiner played the iconic role of hippy “Meathead” Stivic. Crystal had a small role in Reiner’s This Is Spinal Tap (1984) before going on to lead one of the director’s most celebrated films, When Harry Met Sally (1989). Both Crystal and David reportedly visited the crime scene shortly after the Reiners’ bodies were discovered.

'A Passionate, Brave Citizen'

“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,” the statement continued. “Strong and determined, Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens…They were a special force together—dynamic, unselfish, and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever.”

The statement concluded: “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.”