Legendary American film director Rob Reiner’s son has been taken into custody after the deaths of the director-writer and his wife, Michele, a law enforcement officials said.
The official confirmed to The Associated Press that 32-year-old Nick Reiner was in police custody on Monday. The official could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Online jail records indicate that Reiner was booked by the Los Angeles police and remained in jail as of Monday. It was not immediately clear what charges he would face. The online records showed a $4 million bail had been set.
Reiner and his wife were found dead Sunday at their home. Reiner, the son of a comedy giant who became one himself as one of the preeminent filmmakers of his generation, was 78 years old.
Meanwhile, US President Trump has blamed Reiner’s death on his politics.
Trump responded to the killing of a Hollywood cultural icon and his wife with a striking political attack on the victims.
In a social media post, Trump said without evidence that Rob Reiner’s death was due to his opposition to Trump and his policies — in Trump’s words, “the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
Reiner tragedy shocks
Investigators were questioning a family member of Reiner, including son, Nick Reiner.
Investigators believe the filmmaker suffered stab wounds, said the official.
Los Angeles Police had not identified a suspect, Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton, the chief of detectives, said at a briefing on Sunday night.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request shortly after 3:30 p.m. and found a 78-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman dead inside.
Reiner turned 78 in March.
Detectives with the Robbery Homicide Division were investigating an “apparent homicide” at Reiner’s home, said Capt. Mike Bland with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles authorities have not confirmed the identities of the people found dead at the residence in the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood on the city’s west side that’s home to many celebrities.
Rob Reiner is mourned by Barack Obama, Eric Idle, and many others Many prominent people are paying tribute to Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele.
Barack Obama said on X, “Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen. But 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.”
Eric Idle noted, “I spoke to him last night for over an hour. I always enjoyed his company. I met him at his Dad’s in 1975. He was telling me about filming at Stonehenge and his thoughts for the future. This is so awful. I shall miss him. A clever, talented, and very thoughtful man.”
James Woods wrote on X, “Rob and I remained good friends ever since we made GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI. The studio didn’t think I was old enough to do the part, but Rob fought for me. Political differences never stood in the way of our love and respect for each other. I am devastated by this terrible event.”
Reiner grew up thinking his father, Carl Reiner, didn’t understand him or find him funny. But the younger Reiner would in many ways follow in his father’s footsteps, working both in front and behind the camera.
After starting as a writer for “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” Reiner’s breakthrough came when he was, at age 23, cast in Norman Lear’s “All in the Family.” But by the 1980s, Reiner began as a feature film director, churning out some of the most beloved films of that, or any, era.
