We’ve lost so many legends in the garbage year of 2025. Gene Hackman and his wife passed earlier this year, in what was one of the saddest celebrity stories up until now. Robert Redford passed away in September. Diane Keaton, Michelle Trachtenberg, Tom Stoppard, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Diane Ladd and Val Kilmer all passed away this year as well. It’s just been completely awful. The murders of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner have shocked the nation though. To be killed in their own home by their own son… it’s just an unspeakable tragedy. People Magazine put together their cover story on the Reiner family very quickly this week. Some highlights, including some of People’s exclusive reporting:
Rob Reiner’s work with his son Nick: In 2016, the actor-turned-filmmaker — whose bushy beard and jolly demeanor often earned him comparisons to Santa Claus — veered into more personal territory with Being Charlie, co-written by his son Nick Reiner, now 32. The movie, about a teen struggling with addiction, echoed some of Nick’s self-described “dark years” after he started to use drugs at a young age. In a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Rob and Nick — who had cycled in and out of upwards of 18 rehabs and sometimes lived on the streets — described their fraught dynamic and how making the movie brought them closer. “It forced us to look at what each other was going through,” said Rob. “Our relationship is better now than it was, and it’s got places to go.”
What happened on Sunday: Multiple sources who spoke with family members told PEOPLE in the wake of the tragedy that Nick killed Rob, 78, and Michele, 70. Their daughter Romy, 28, who lives nearby, found them and paramedics rushed to the home around 3:30 p.m. One source with knowledge of the situation describes the site of the murders as a “Hollywood horror-scene nightmare.” The next day, the LAPD confirmed Nick — who had been living with his parents, a second source says — had been arrested on suspicion of murder after being taken into custody at 9:15 p.m the night of the killings.
Why did Nick do it? Authorities did not provide a motive, but a third source says Rob and Nick got into a heated argument at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party the night before, while a fourth insider notes Nick’s erratic behavior at the gathering was “freaking everyone out.” Less than 24 hours later, Rob and Michele were dead.
Nick’s addiction: Behind the scenes, Rob and Michele privately dealt with Nick’s addiction. When he learned their son started using drugs when he was 14, Rob said he “overreacted” by immediately sending Nick to a treatment center. The Reiners came to regret forcing Nick — who admitted he grew “angry” at his parents — into programs, they said. Time — and candid conversations — seemed to have healed the rift at the time Rob made Being Charlie. “I used to harbor a lot of ill will toward them,” Nick told PEOPLE in 2016, “but it’s diminished to almost zero.”
Nick started using again in 2017: But by the next year, Nick was back on a destructive path. In a 2018 interview on the Dopey podcast, he revealed he trashed his parents’ guest house the year prior while high. “I got totally spun out on uppers — I think it was coke and something else — and I was up for days on end,” he said. “I started punching out different things in my guest house…started with the TV and then I went over to the lamp…everything in the guest house got wrecked.”
Rob and Michele always supported Nick though: But the Reiners remained close despite Nick’s serious struggles. The kids stepped out to events alongside Rob and Michele, including the Sept. 9 premiere of Spinal Tap II. “They were such a tight-knit family. They did everything together,” says a source connected to the Reiners. Still, “they could never reach stability with Nick. They tried everything — giving him space, keeping him close — but his struggles are so deep. It’s just a parent’s worst nightmare. They were such lovely people,” adds another insider, “and tried in every way to help their son.”
While I also think it’s a bit much to send a 14-year-old to rehab for using drugs, I don’t get why the kid would grow up murderously resentful of his parents’ actions. We don’t know the circumstances around Nick’s teenage drug use either – it could have been much more than youthful experimentation, and that’s why the Reiners were trying tough love and rehab. The casual way Nick spoke about trashing his parents’ guest house is awful too. I wonder how many times he f–ked up that badly and his parents forgave him or tried to help him.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid. Cover courtesy of People.
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- New York, NY **FILE PHOTOS** Rob Reiner and Wife Michele Singer Reiner Reportedly Found Stabbed To Death At Home in Los Angeles. Pictured: Rob Reiner BACKGRID USA 14 DECEMBER 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY **FILE PHOTOS** Rob Reiner and Wife Michele Singer Reiner Reportedly Found Stabbed To Death At Home in Los Angeles. Pictured: Rob Reiner BACKGRID USA 14 DECEMBER 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Century City, CA **FILE PHOTOS** Rob Reiner and His Wife Michele Were Killed by Their Son. Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found after first responders were called to the couple’s Brentwood home. Pictured: Rob Reiner, Michele Singer Reiner BACKGRID USA 14 DECEMBER 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Los Angeles, CA September 9, 2025 Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner, Romy Reiner, Nick Reiner and family at the Bleecker Street’s “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” Los Angeles premiere at the Egyptian Theatre on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. Bleecker Street’s “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” Los Angeles Premiere, Egyptian Theatre, CA, USA – 09 Sep 2025 Pictured: Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner, Romy Reiner, Nick Reiner, Maria Gilfillan, Jake Reiner BACKGRID USA 14 DECEMBER 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: Todd Williamson/JanuaryImages / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
I feel like this is one of those instances where they should have cut him off completely. Which can be so hard as a parent but I think the reason why he kept relapsing is because he always knew they would catch him when he fell.
This is a gross and disturbing comment. You don’t know them or what they have done or not done over the past 30 years. You read stuff online and think you actually know something. You do not.
I have addicts in my family. So unfortunately I am very aware of the behaviors of addicts and the behaviors that can enable them. I am speaking from experience- not anything read online. And we do actually know what they did because Rob and Nick were both open about it. They made a whole movie about it and Rob himself talked about it. His parents did everything they could for him.
Nah, many of us that have experience with these types of situations, and know that cutting off is the best course of action.
It’s not victim blaming to note this – Nick is purely responsible for what he did. His parents clearly loved him and tried their best. Unfortunately, there are many situations where there’s nothing one can do for people like Nick but to let them fail.
Agreed. At a certain point, after you’ve done all you can for an addicted person, they have to decide whether to turn their life around, or you, as a caregiver, can burn out completely. It sounds like his parents did everything they could. It’s such a tragedy.
Not only should they have cut him off, they needed a restraining order for their home the minute he destroyed property. He demonstrated the capacity for violence. And that’s all we know about. I’m sure there is more that wasn’t disclosed. Those of us who love addicts and alcoholics learn that we do not accept unacceptable behavior and we have a duty to keep ourselves safe first. This is truly a tragedy and it’s really hard to love someone whose destroying themselves.
Exactly. I think they loved him unconditionally as parents should. And it can be hard to reconcile that with the need to keep yourself safe and the others in your family safe. It goes against the very nature of being a parent. And that’s tough. But it’s also necessary and it doesn’t make someone a bad parent for doing so. In fact – I think it’s the opposite.
Exactly. They should’ve cut him off sooner and let his life land wherever it would. My cousin is an alcoholic and recently drinking got him into a terrible accident that could’ve been avoided. Having to deal with an addict gets f’ing tiring! Yes, you love them but at what cost?
I wrote this comment on the lawyer article.
“It has come at the cost of their parents’ lives so I hope he stays in custody forever so the rest of the family don’t have to be afraid anymore”. He sounds not only drug addicted but mentally ill. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up with a diagnosis while being evaluated. Life is going to be very challenging for them all going forward
I wouldn’t be surprised if he already has a diagnosis, given he’s been in and out of rehab for so long.
This right here. The family has been fearfully walking on eggshells for many years. Now the worst possible thing has happened and the remaining family members have a right to safety and some peace. Whether this man is secured forever in a prison or a treatment center remains TBD. He must never be able to harm anyone else.
My brother started using around the same age, and a lot of this feels so, so familiar. He’s in his 50s and in jail for the I can’t even remember time. To have every chance, every treatment door open to you and this still be the outcome, once again shows how terrible addiction can be to overcome.
Same for my step-brother. He started using around 14. Turned out that this is when his bipolar disorder started to emerge. The drug use was self-medication and family just thought it was because he had “bad influences”. He had been in trouble with the law through his 20’s and in his 30’s tried to murder a catholic priest at his former private school (during a 6th grade graduation ceremony…so many young witnesses). Time in prison was where he got the right kind of medication to “quiet the voices”. He’s out, now, and doing better. But we also go through cycles of him believing that he’s cured because the meds make him feel normal/functional and the thinks he doesn’t need to take the meds. Then things go downhill – it’s a cycle.
Everything about this is just so incredibly sad. I can’t imagine. They clearly loved their son.
When my daughter, now 50 yo, was 14, she developed anorexia over what looked to me like a few months. When she got to 80+ lbs. at 5’8″ and wasn’t responding to medical advice and dietary suggestions; I was told she had to be hospitalized as she was in the danger zone of possible death. She was referred to a drug/alcohol rehab for adolescents and she was the only one there w/an eating disorder; but it did keep her safe for ~ 40 days and then she transitioned into a dedicated eating disorder O/P daily program. We don’t know how close to death Nick might have been at 14 or 16 or whenever, and so rehab or other hospitalization isn’t, to me, outside the realm of potentially good choices. Ideally, it’s targeted to age-appropriate or other patient populations; but, sometimes, the only apparent safe choice is an institution.
Saddest damn story imaginable. Rob and Michele were beloved. It’s why so many people are so shattered right now. Not because Rob was famous and powerful but because of his and Michele’s kindness and the way they treated everyone.
It is like a bomb went off in Los Angeles and everyone is stunned and speechless.
Just incredible people
💔💔💔💔
Speaking as an alcoholic in recovery here. Sounds like the family could’ve used their own treatment programs so they could stay strong and support recovery rather than enable addiction. It absolutely is a parent’s worst nightmare. But you have to practice that kind of tough love as a parent – we love and support you always but will not support the addiction so if you use then you are out of the guest house. Ultimately, choosing recovery is on the person with the addictive disease. I’m not hearing any accountability in Nick’s quotes. Just resentment. Which makes me think perhaps none of the 18 rehabs were based in AA programs, or he was totally unwilling to follow them, or a combo. It’s just horrible and I wonder if he’ll find actual recovery in his forced sobriety or maintain his addictive thinking.
I think there is an underlying serious mental illness perhaps caused by the drugs or causing him to turn to drugs for relief. The description of the horrific crime scene indicates the man was possibly psychotic.
My uncle passed away two years ago, but the last 50 years of his life he had some kind of schizophrenia. The onset was in the early 1970s, when he was in his mid-late 20s. From his art work and journals, several professionals instantly said he’d been on heroin. Last time I researched, schizophrenia has an unusually high number of people who have used heavy drugs. They weren’t sure if the drug use triggered the disease or the disease triggered the use.
All that to say, there’s absolutely can be a mental health aspect to it, either triggering the use as self medicating, or the use triggering the onset. It’s very sad.
I thought the same thing. Turned to drugs for many reasons, including self-medicating a mental health issue.
And then drugs destroy the brain all on their own.
It’s so sad.
Fellow alcoholic who is gratefully in remission here. I said the same thing yesterday: one of the saddest and most baffling parts of addiction is that families cannot save their loved ones. The addict has to be willing to change to save themselves. One of my fellow AA’s was in prison for 18 years but he didn’t start AA until after he was out. He said he wasn’t sober in prison: he was abstinent. When he first got out he was an extremely angry person.
For you normals reading this, sobriety is not just the abstinence of drugs or alcohol. If you don’t get down to the root of your problems, you are going to keep relapsing or be extremely discontent for the rest of your life. The 12 Step program of AA saved my life and forced me to confront my problems that I didn’t ever touch upon in years of therapy (which I am still a huge proponent of and still go). I know peace now for the first time since childhood.
Just 💔
Coulda, shoulda, woulda. The only person responsible for this tragedy is the adult male who slashed his elderly parent’s throats while they were defenseless in bed. Some people don’t have a rock bottom and cannot be helped because they are parasitic/entitled towards loved ones and love their drugs/high from mental illness more than life. Rob and Michelle were good people who desperately tried to help their deeply troubled son and their entire family paid a horrific price for their generosity. Remember their legacy and not their tragic deaths. If it hadn’t been for his parents, it would have been someone in his orbit eventually. Playing sliding doors isn’t helpful, especially in a country with soooo much untreated mental illness and addiction. So many families are in the same no-win situation. Condolences to their family and friends. The media frenzy has to be horrific for them.
The story has gotten to me so much. As more background information comes out, it does seem like they were sheltering him because it was either that or he was going to go on the street and probably end up in jail. Unfortunately, this put them in danger. It’s really hard to abandon hope with someone in addiction, but it is often the only thing you can do. Also sounds like a case where maybe some very dangerous disorder was getting attributed to addiction when it was serious enough to require institutionalization.
I remember Paris Hilton talked about some bad intervention on her Megan podcast episode. It was eye-opening, and I wonder if there was just a lot of bad intervention going around circa 2000.
My ex was an addict, and after years of abusing drugs, his brain was just fried. Sometimes there is no going back to “normal” for an addict. I so wish the parents could have understood the real danger they were in with such a disturbed individual, even though it was their own son. At most, he should have been living in a group home environment with other addicts & professionals to guide them. After trashing the guest house he should have been arrested & firm boundaries for the family’s protection put in place. He seemed to have zero respect for his parents and sneered at all their help. Who is paying for his expensive lawyer? Seeing the video of him calmly walking away from his parents house just after midnight & buying a drink at the gas station is so infuriating. I bet he has zero regret.
14 probably does seem young if you’ve never known someone who has been through it, but if someone is drinking/doing drugs to the point that they need an intervention or they are going to die, hospitalization/rehab is the only place for them to go. Teens, twenties is also when a lot of mental disorders start to manifest (even if there were previously no signs). Sources: A childhood friend ended up in rehab at 14, I also have an adopted brother with personality disorders who sounds a lot like speculations of Nick when he was younger. Aggressive, violent temper, poor impulse control and this is all before the age of ten. What it led to for him (and what sounds like a profile for others) is poor judgement (of environment, of people), petty crimes that escalate into full blown criminal activity in adulthood, addictions, you name it. The other issue is that there is a lot of film flam charlatan-esque programs that are lurking waiting to take money from desperate families and the system is not perfect- definitely built more on punishment and reactive (jail or prison after a crime has been committed) than on prevention. Truly a tragedy that this has happened and an alarming window into just how little resources there are for families, even with money.