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The deaths of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer have left the world shocked with each new development.
On Monday morning, news broke that the When Harry Met Sally filmmaker had been found dead inside his Los Angeles home with his wife of 36 years.
It’s been reported that their daughter Romy found her parents dead with stab wounds in their Brentwood mansion and alerted the police shortly before calling actor Billy Crystal, who ‘raced’ to the scene to ‘say his goodbyes’.
Soon after, the couple’s son Nick, 32, was arrested in connection with their deaths. He’s since been booked on suspicion of murder,
In the aftermath, stars and fans alike have shared emotional tributes to Reiner and his wife – with Elton John saying the couple were ‘two of the most beautiful people I’d ever met’.
As the story develops, here’s everything we know so far.
When were Rob Reiner and his wife Michele found?
On Monday morning UK time, it was reported that Reiner and Singer had been discovered dead in their home with what appeared to be knife wounds.
Reiner had directed classic films, including the likes of When Harry Met Sally, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride and This Is Spinal Tap, while Singer was an actress and photographer.
Soon after the shocking discovery, the Los Angeles Police Department told ABC7 that the deaths were being investigated as homicides.
When confirming the couples’ deaths, a spokesperson for the family said: ‘It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner.
‘We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.’
After meeting on the set of When Harry Met Sally, Reiner and Singer married in 1989. They share children Jake, Nick and Romy.
Their daughter discovered her parents’ bodies around 2pm on Sunday after their masseuse said they’d failed to answer the door.
When and where was Nick Reiner arrested?
On Sunday evening, Nick Reiner was arrested and ‘booked for murder’.
According to reports, Nick had earlier checked in to The Pierside Santa Monica, where staff allegedly found a shower ‘full of blood’ and a trail leading off of his bed.
He was then detained by officers from the LAPD’s robbery homicide division, who were assisted by US marshals.
Photographs released by police show him being forced to the ground and handcuffed by a LAPD officer as several others watched on.
In a statement the following day, the LAPD said that after the initial homicide investigation at the Reiners’ home, it was ‘further revealed’ that Nick Reiner ‘was responsible for their deaths’.
He is being held in custody, with bail set at $4million (£3million).
The BBC has reported that the case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office today, when prosecutors will decide about filing charges.
No alleged motive for the murders has been shared.
However just a few hours before allegedly murdering his parents, Nick apparently had an ‘explosive row’ with them at a Christmas party hosted by comedian and talk show host Conan O’Brien.
NBC News spoke to a source who said that Nick was disruptive at the gathering, which left his parents ‘upset and embarrassed’. They also reportedly got into a ‘very loud argument’ with their son before leaving the party.
What do we know about Nick Reiner’s relationship with his parents?
Reiner was previously married to late filmmaker Penny Marshall and adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner, 61, before they divorced in 1981.
After meeting Michele and marrying in 1989 – the couple welcomed eldest son Jake in 1991. He has worked on TV shows including Curb Your Enthusiasm and co-hosts a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball podcast called The Incline.
In 1993 second son Nick was born. Over the years the family have been open in discussing his issues with addiction, which began when he was just 15 years old.
In 2016 Reiner and Nick released the semi-autobiographical film, Being Charlie, which the latter co-wrote based on his struggles with addiction.
The film followed an 18-year-old as he and his parents clash over a course of action to treat his addiction.
At the time they were promoting the film, Nick said he’d gone to rehab 17 times over the years.
‘If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs [Rob and Michele] were suggesting, then I had to be homeless,’ he told People.
‘That made me who I am now, having to deal with that stuff. I met crazy great people there, so out of my element.
‘Now, I’ve been home for a really long time, and I’ve sort of gotten acclimated back to being in L.A. and being around my family. But there was a lot of dark years there.’
A few years earlier, his parents had also spoken Nick’s addiction and their attempts to assist him.
‘When Nick would tell us that it wasn’t working for him, we wouldn’t listen. 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 told the Los Angeles Times in 2015.
Michele added: ‘We were so influenced by these people. They would tell us he’s a liar, that he was trying to manipulate us. And we believed them.’
The couple’s youngest child – Romy – was born in 1997. She has also featured in shows like You People, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Voices.
She frequently shared photos with her parents on social media.
What did Trump say about Reiner on Truth Social?
Although many people have been paying tribute to Reiner and his wife, US President Donald Trump has enraged many after he released a statement on the deaths.
Posting on Truth Social, he claimed Reiner – an outspoken Democrat – had ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’.
‘[He] passed away reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome,’ Trump wrote.
‘He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness.’
In a press conference, Trump was questioned about his post and branded the director a ‘deranged person’ who was ‘very bad for the country’.
He was quickly slammed, with The White Stripes musician Jack White calling him a ‘disgusting, vile, egomaniac loser, child’.
‘To use someone’s tragic death to promote your own vanity and fascist authoritarian agenda is a corrupt and narcissistic sin. Shame on you trump and anyone who defends this.’
What tributes have celebrities paid to Reiner and Singer?
Dia Dipasupil/ Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
Reiner began his career as an actor, rising to fame appearing All in the Family, before appearing in the likes of Sleepless in Seattle and The Wolf of Wall Street.
His first role behind the camera came in 1984 with the iconic mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap.
Also sharing their memories of the couple were former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, who revealed during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel on Monday night that they’d been due to catch up with Reiner and Singer on the day they died.
‘We’ve known them for many, many years and we were supposed to be seeing them that night – last night and we got the news,’ she said.
She then appeared to take aim at Trump’s comments. ‘Let me just say this, unlike some people, Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you ever want to know.
‘They’re not deranged or crazed. What they have always been are passionate people in a time when there’s not a lot of courage going on, they were the kind of people who were ready to put their actions behind what they cared about.
‘They cared about their family, they cared about this country, and they cared about fairness and equity and that is the truth, I do know them.’
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