Martin Scorsese Reflects on the Loss of Rob and Michele Reiner in Heartfelt Essay

Martin Scorsese; Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner.
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Arturo Holmes/Getty; Stefanie Keenan/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home on December 14; their son Nick has been charged with murder.
• In a guest essay for The New York Times, Martin Scorsese expressed his “profound sadness” over the loss of his friends, describing their deaths as “an obscenity.”
• The acclaimed director reflected on his long-standing friendship with Rob, dating back to the 1970s, and noted Rob’s role in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street.

Martin Scorsese is mourning the tragic loss of his friends, Rob and Michele Reiner. In a recent essay for The New York Times, the 83-year-old director articulated his grief, stating, “What happened to Rob and Michele is an obscenity, an abyss in lived reality.” Their bodies were discovered in their Los Angeles home on December 14, leading to the arrest of their son, Nick Reiner, who has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with their deaths.

Scorsese poignantly remarked, “Rob Reiner was my friend, and so was Michele. From now on, I’ll have to use the past tense, and that fills me with such profound sadness.” He reminisced about Rob’s legacy as the son of renowned show business figures Carl and Estelle Reiner, recalling their early encounters at social gatherings in Los Angeles during the 1970s.

Martin Scorsese and Rob Reiner in 2014.

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Scorsese expressed an immediate friendship with Rob, saying, “Right away, I loved hanging out with Rob. We had a natural affinity for each other.” He added that Rob possessed a remarkable sense of humor, always enjoyable to be around without dominating the conversation.

In his tribute, Scorsese highlighted Rob’s contributions to cinema, naming the 1990 horror film Misery as a personal favorite. He praised Rob’s directorial debut, This Is Spinal Tap, as “in a class of its own.” In Scorsese’s 2013 film, The Wolf of Wall Street, Rob’s performance as a father represented a personal touch that resonated deeply with the director.

Rob Reiner and Martin Scorsese in 2014.

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Reflecting on Rob’s performance, Scorsese stated, “I was moved by the delicacy and openness of his performance… Now, it breaks my heart to even think of the tenderness of Rob’s performance in this and other scenes.” He concluded his heartfelt essay with a wish to reunite with Rob in spirit, cherishing their time together as friends.

Rob and Michele Reiner, aged 78 and 70 at the time of their deaths, were the parents of Nick, Jake, and Romy. Following the tragic incident, Nick Reiner, 32, made his first court appearance on December 17, wearing an anti-suicide smock. His attorney declined to enter a plea, with the next court session scheduled for January 7.

Nick Reiner on September 9; Rob and Michele Reiner in 2017.

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The losses have prompted tributes from a host of Hollywood luminaries, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Billy Crystal, Albert Brooks, Kathy Bates, and John Cusack, all of whom commemorated Rob Reiner’s contributions to film and television since the tragic news broke.