An official cause of death has been revealed for Rob Reiner and wife Michele Singer Reiner.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner revealed on Wednesday, December 17, that Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, died from “multiple sharp force injuries.”
News broke on Sunday, December 14, that Rob and Michele were found dead in their home in Brentwood, California.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” the family’s spokesperson said in a statement to Variety.
“We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”Rob Reiner and Wife Michele’s Deaths: Everything We Know So Far
Rob and Michele tied the knot in 1989. The couple shared three children: sons Jake and Nick and daughter Romy. Rob was also father of daughter Tracy whom he adopted while married to late ex-wife Penny Marshall.
Shortly following their deaths, Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Alan S. Hamilton confirmed in a press conference that Rob and Michele were discovered with “apparent stab wounds.”
NewsPlop confirmed on Monday, December 15, that Rob and Michele’s son Nick was arrested on a murder charge. Nick was brought into custody and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Nick — who made a brief appearance in court on Wednesday — faces life in prison without parole or death penalty.
A source told Us exclusively on Monday that Rob, Michele and Nick attended Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Saturday, December 13. The insider claimed Nick was acting “creepily” toward fellow guests. TMZ later reported that Nick and his dad got into a “very loud argument” at the gathering.
Rob and Michele had been candid about Nick’s struggles with substance abuse over the years and its negative impacts on their family. Nick began to abuse drugs as a teen and entered rehab for the first time at age 15.
“If your kid is going through rough times, [as] the parent, your main job is to keep your child safe. So I would do anything,” Rob said during a Build Series interview in 2015. “At the end of the day, I know my child better than an expert does and I probably should have trusted my own instinct and that’s one of the things I did learn about the whole experience.”
After multiple relapses and treatment stints, Nick ended up homeless.
What Rob Reiner’s Son Nick Said About Addiction, Their Complex Relationship
“I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas,” Nick recalled to People in 2016. “I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun. If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting, then I had to be homeless.”
Nick explained to the outlet that his experience living on the streets inspired him to get clean.
“That made me who I am now, having to deal with that stuff,” he added. “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.”
Nick’s struggles served as inspiration for the 2015’s Being Charlie, which Nick cowrote with his father. Rob also directed the film.