Renowned cultural figures from Hollywood and beyond are paying tribute to director Rob Reiner, who was killed with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, on December 14 in an apparent homicide. After Reiner’s death, his friends Larry David and Billy Crystal were seen at his home, per People, with Crystal looking on the edge of tears.
Reiner began his career acting on the sitcom All in the Family, created by Norman Lear, who died in 2023. “Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world,” his family said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. “Norman would have wanted to remind us that Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place, and they pursued that through their art, their activism, their philanthropy, and their love for family and friends.”
Kathy Bates, whom Reiner directed to an Oscar for Misery, was “devastated” by the loss, per NBC News. “I loved Rob,” Bates said in a statement. “He was brilliant and kind, a man who made films of every genre to challenge himself as an artist. He also fought courageously for his political beliefs. He changed the course of my life.” Now, people who worked with Reiner and those who were inspired by his films are mourning the loss of the great director.
Below, tributes to the life and career of Rob Reiner from his friends, collaborators, and famous fans.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The actor and politician called Reiner a “rare talent,” following a similar message from his son Patrick. “He was a creative genius who left us some of the greatest movies of all time, and he was a wonderful friend. My thoughts are with his family,” he concluded.
Paul Walter Hauser
In a lengthy Instagram post, Hauser credited Reiner’s A Few Good Men as “THE reason” he became an actor and wanted to direct. He recalled Reiner’s kindness during a brief meeting in 2010 when the director shared stories about co-writing The Story of Us with his wife. “I hate that Rob and his wife are gone from this world, but they sure as hell impacted me and countless others while here,” Hauser wrote. He concluded his tribute by noting that he will continue to carry Reiner with him: “Sick to my stomach. Headed back to set. Holding him close as I do the gig that he inspired me to do.”
Wil Wheaton
Wheaton wrote in a blog post that he is still processing the “tragic, senseless, devastating loss” of Reiner, who directed him in 1986’s Stand By Me. “When I was turning 13, and realizing that my own father didn’t care about me, that my mother didn’t see me as a son, but as a thing she could put to work, Rob Reiner made me feel loved, valued, seen, and respected,” he wrote. “He made sure I knew that I was important to him and his movie. He made sure I knew that he saw every actor he could for my role, and he chose me because he saw so much of Gordie in me.”
Wheaton described the director as a big part of his “coming of age” for showing him “unconditional affection and approval” when he was a teenager. He added that he had been hoping to reunite with Reiner for Stand By Me’s 40th anniversary next year. “The world is a better place thanks to his activism and the way he chose to use all of his privilege and influence,” Wheaton continued. “Rest in peace Rob and Michele. May their memories be a blessing.”
Harry Shearer
Shearer, who starred in This Is Spinal Tap, praised Reiner as a friend and “great collaborator,” adding that Michele had been a very good friend to his own wife, Judith Owen. “This is unspeakable, the stuff of Greek tragedy,” he captioned a photo of the Reiners.
Mandy Patinkin
The Princess Bride star called the Reiners’ deaths “incomprehensible” in an Instagram post that affirmed his hope that others will join him in trying to follow in Reiner’s footsteps “as an artist and a humanitarian.” Patinkin said that when he’s feeling lost, he might ask himself, “What would Rob do?” — and then do it.
Ayo Edebiri
Edebiri wrote in an Instagram Story that Reiner’s work changed her life and that she couldn’t believe how “game” he was to talk to her during a recent meeting. “He was so generous with his time and energy and stories,” she said. “Feeling absolutely gutted.”
Paul McCartney
McCartney reflected that the Reiners’ deaths were especially shocking given that he had recently worked with the director on Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. “I will always have fond memories of Rob, and the idea that he and his wife will no longer be in the world with us is heartbreaking,” he wrote. “Thanks for all the humour, Rob. Rest in Peace.”
Robin Wright
“I am deeply shocked and devastated, I cannot begin to imagine what the family is experiencing or what they will have to endure in the months and years ahead. It is truly heartbreaking,” said Wright, who played the titular bride in The Princess Bride, in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “Rob was one of the most loving, compassionate, and kind people I have ever known. He was an extraordinary director and the impact he had on me has stayed with me throughout my career. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
Cary Elwes
The Princess Bride star simply shared a black-and-white photo of his and Reiner’s chairs on set, captioning it “No words …”
Kiefer Sutherland
The star of A Few Good Men shared a photo of himself and Reiner on the set of Stand by Me and reflected that the director was “one of the kindest gentleman I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.” Sutherland said his “heart was broken” at the news of the deaths and added that he would “forever be grateful” for the opportunity Reiner had given him as a child.
Rita Wilson
Wilson praised the Reiners as “two people who really did make the world a better place,” writing in an Instagram tribute that she has been friends with the couple since their kids were all toddlers at the same preschool. She described Michele as an “enormously talented photographer” whose work as a producer “focused on social justice and creating awareness of our world” and remembered Rob as “pure joy” and a “generous director who loved actors.” Wilson worked with Rob on North and The Story of Us and said no matter how much time passed between their encounters, they always seemed to pick up right where they’d left off. “His work as an actor, writer and director will live on, as will all the works he and Michele endeavored so hard to establish for our civil good,” Wilson concluded. “Our hearts go out to their families with the deepest of sorrow and love. Rob and Michelle, may their memories be eternal.”
Ken Jeong
Jeong praised This Is Spinal Tap as his “bible,” tweeting that it was a “true highlight” that he got to meet Reiner early in his career. “His body of work was such a profound influence on my career I cannot articulate,” Jeong wrote. “Rest In Peace, Rob & Michele Reiner.”
Fred Savage
Savage, who starred as the grandson in The Princess Bride, recalled in an Instagram tribute that Reiner had found him as a child in a casting room in downtown Chicago. “Who knew those two weeks in a bedroom set on the Shepperton Studio lot would last forever??” he wrote. “His work was a gift to us all and I feel lucky to have been a part of it.”
Zooey Deschanel
Deschanel remembered Reiner, who played her father on New Girl, fondly. “My heart is broken. Rob Reiner was the absolute warmest, funniest, most generous of spirits,” she wrote on Instagram on December 15. “A truly good human being. An incredible artist and such a playful and fun collaborator. I cherish the time we spent working together and the many films he made that have shaped who I am.”
Reba McEntire
Reba remembered the filmmaker, who directed her in the 1994 film North, in a post on X. She writes, “I enjoyed every minute I was around Rob Reiner. He was one of a kind. I got to work with him on the movie North and he also helped us with our ending of my video, ‘Does He Love You.’ I sure will miss him. What a gift he was to this world. Rest in peace, my friend.”
Shania Twain
The country singer paid tribute to the late couple, sharing she was “shocked and saddened” by the tragedy.
Guillermo del Toro
The Frankenstein director praised not only Reiner’s work, but his character off set, calling him “vital and honest.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy paid tribute to the late director, praising his work from his first film, This Is Spinal Tap, to his Oscar-nominated film A Few Good Men.
Maria Shriver
Shriver shared a sentimental message for the couple, remembering how they raised their children together and still remained good friends over the years. “We had dinner this past week, and they were in the best place in their lives: loving one another, loving their friends, their family, their country. They never gave up on our country. They wanted to make it better,” she explained.
Christopher Miller
The Project Hail Mary co-director celebrated Reiner’s diverse filmography as “iconic all-time classics.”
Barack Obama
Reiner was a staunch Democrat who supported Obama’s presidential campaigns. “Beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people — and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action,” the former president wrote of Reiner.
Joe Biden
Reiner, who endorsed Biden in the 2020 election, was a fierce supporter of the Democratic Party. “I think that if he becomes president, on day one, America will be brought back to where it belongs in the world,” Reiner said in 2019 to The Blast. Biden reflected on Reiner’s lasting contributions to culture, “We take solace in knowing their work will live on for generations to come.”
Jamie Lee Curtis
Curtis released a statement on behalf of herself and her husband, Christopher Guest, who collaborated with Reiner multiple times, including on This Is Spinal Tap, which Guest co-wrote and starred in. “Christopher and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michele 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,” she wrote, per Deadline. “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.”
Eric Idle
Legendary English comedian Eric Idle, an original member of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, mentioned that he’d spoken with Reiner just the night before.
Ben Stiller
“What a huge loss,” Stiller, a documented fan, wrote on X. “Rob Reiner was one of my favorite directors. He made some of the most formative movies for my generation. He came out form behind a huge comedic shadow of the great Carl Reiner and being a tv actor to being a a great director who made an incredible run of movies. Spinal Tap is one of the best comedies ever made — and the list goes on. He was a kind caring person who was really really funny. I didn’t know him well but was always a fan and I feel a real sadness for those who did, and his family.”
Stephen King
King called Reiner a “Wonderful friend, political ally, and brilliant filmmaker (including 2 of mine).” Stand by Me, one of Reiner’s most popular films, is an adaptation of Stephen King’s book The Body. Reiner also directed the 1990 King adaptation Misery.
Governor Gavin Newsom
Reiner spent time and effort focusing his political activism on his home state of California, where Newsom is the current governor. “Rob was a passionate advocate for children and for civil rights — from taking on Big Tobacco, fighting for marriage equality, to serving as a powerful voice in early education,” Newsom wrote. “He made California a better place through his good works.”
Representative Nancy Pelosi
Pelosi and Reiner worked together on liberal agendas throughout his life, and he endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election. “It’s hard to think of anyone more remarkable and excellent in every field and endeavor they pursued,” Pelosi said in her tribute. “Rob was creative, funny, and beloved.”
Mayor Karen Bass
Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, knew Reiner personally. “This is a devastating loss for our city and our country,” she said in a post. “Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice.”
Roseanne Barr
Barr and Reiner were both worked in mainstream Hollywood comedies in the ’80s. Barr later described getting into a fight with Reiner over politics and telling him, “You’re buying fake news.” She mourned Reiner on X, and prayed for “swift justice.”
Ron Howard
Ron Howard and Reiner both made the transition from acting to directing during their careers, and, in Howard’s words, “intersected often.” Howard complimented Reiner, saying he was a “superlative filmmaker, a supportive colleague and at all times a dedicated citizen.”
Ming-Na Wen
Actress Ming-Na Wen recalled Reiner’s “class & kindness” when they worked together on a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and called his death a “huge loss.”
John Cusack
Actor and screenwriter John Cusack had his breakout performance in Reiner’s 1985 teen comedy The Sure Thing. He went on to play Denny Lachance in Stand by Me. In his brief post, Cusack said he was “shocked” and called Reiner “a great man.”
Paul Feig
Director Paul Feig is a progeny of Reiner’s comedic legacy, and he moderated a Q&A with Reiner about Spinal Tap II: The End on October 20, 2025. “I just want the world to know what so many of us know in the industry,” Feig wrote. “Rob was the best.”
Feig had also invited him as a guest to the premiere of his latest film, The Housemaid.
Corey Feldman
Feldman, who is perhaps best known for starring as Teddy Duchamp in Reiner’s Stand by Me, wrote on X that he is “shocked & saddened” by Reiner’s death. He added, in all caps, “U will B 4ever missed.”
Elijah Wood
Wood, who starred in Reiner’s 1994 film North as the titular character, opposite Jon Lovitz and Bruce Willis, said he was “horrified” by Reiner’s death.
Dane Cook
Comedian Dane Cook and Reiner never worked together, but in his tribute, Cook wrote that he was “broken hearted to hear the news.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson shared a selfie of himself with Reiner, with whom he appeared on a 2021 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher. Tyson called Reiner’s death especially “devastating” because he cared so “deeply about humanitarian causes.”
Josh Gad
Josh Gad and Reiner once acted together in a spoof of The Princess Bride, in which Reiner read Gad’s comic book The Writer as a bedtime story. “He cared so much for those who had no voices,” Gad said in a tribute. “This loss is devastating. I cannot express how much this hurts.”
Kevin Nealon
Comedian and actor Kevin Nealon wrote that Reiner’s films were simply “part of the air for us.”
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