Tributes come after Rob Reiner and Michele Singer found dead

The tributes and reactions come after the director and the actor. Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer were found dead Sunday at his home in Los Angeles.

The family of the late great television personality Norman Lear shared their reaction. Rob Reiner rose to fame in the hit Lear comedy “All in the Family.”

“The Lear family is devastated by the death of Rob and Michele Reiner,” began the statement shared with ABC News.

“Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world,” the family statement said. “Norman would have liked to remind us that Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place, and they did so through their art, their activism, their philanthropy, and their love for their family and friends.”

Watch the ABC News special, “The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy,” on ABC at 10 pm ET/9 pm CT, Tuesday, and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Reiner played Michael “Meathead” Stivic on “All in the Family,” which ran for nine seasons from 1971 to 1979.

Lyn Lear, Norman Lear’s widow, added: “The world is unmistakably darker tonight and we are left helpless.”

lear, who He died at the age of 101. in 2023, he also talked about Reiner in his 2014 memoir, “Even This I Can Experience.”

“To be alone with Rob Reiner is to be in a crowd. His brain and mouth, like a string of Chinese firecrackers, are constantly going off,” Lear wrote. “If that sounds like I’m describing a pain in the a–, nothing could be further from the truth. Rob was like that when I fell in love with him when I was nine years old and was teaching my daughter Ellen how to play jacks. The great thing about Rob was that the person, the actor, the director, the friend, the participant, the activist, the star, the husband and the father, all emerged from the center of his being.”

Actor and comedian Christopher Guest and his wife, actress and producer Jamie Lee Curtis, also issued a statement reacting to Reiner and Singer’s deaths. He guest-starred in Reiner’s directorial debut, the 1984 rock documentary parody “This Is Spinal Tap,” as well as its sequel, “Spinal Tap II: The EndContins,” released in September, which is Reiner’s final film.

“Christopher and I are paralyzed, saddened and shocked by the violent and tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michelle Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care at this time is for their children and their immediate families and we will offer every support we can to help them,” Guest and Curtis said.

“There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we share. [and] the great political and social impact that both had in the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage and their global care for a world in crisis. We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve,” the statement continued.

Actor Cary Elwes, who played Westley in 1987’s “The Princess Bride,” which Reiner also directed, shared a photo of his and Reiner’s director’s chairs on set.

“Speechless…” Elwes captioned the photo post.

Actress and singer Rita Wilson, who appeared in Reiner’s 1999 film “The Story of Us,” remembered Reiner and Singer as “two people who really made the world a better place” in a long Tribute to Instagram.

“We have been friends since our children were small and attended the same preschool. It is impossible to reconcile the tragedy of their deaths with the beauty they offered the world,” Wilson wrote in part. “Michele was an enormously talented photographer whose eye was applied not only to what she captured on film but also to her own personal aesthetic…Rob was a generous director who loved actors, because he was one himself. He gave the actors freedom and trusted our choices.”

“Our hearts go out to their families with the deepest pain and love. Rob and Michelle, may your memories be eternal,” he added.

Journalist Maria Shriver remembered Reiner and Singer in a heartfelt way. instagram postcalling them two of his “closest friends.”

“We raised our children together, from Mom and I onwards. We laughed together, we cried together, we played together, we dreamed together,” Shriver wrote. “We had dinner last week and they were having the time of their lives: loving each other, loving their friends, their family, their country.”

“They loved their children very much and never stopped trying to be good parents,” Shriver added. “My love goes out to their family. I am so sad for them. I am devastated, devastated, shocked, stunned and deeply saddened, as are all the people who loved them and whom they loved. I hope people remember them as two deeply talented, kind, funny, loving, good, patriotic people who loved each other deeply.”

Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama mourned the deaths of Reiner and Singer in a shared statement in X.

“Michelle and I are heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele,” the Obamas said. “Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most treasured stories on screen.”

“But behind all the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action,” the Obamas continued. “Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose. They will be remembered for the values ​​they championed and the countless people they inspired. We send our deepest condolences to all who loved them.”

Director and producer Ron Howard remembered Reiner as “a superlative filmmaker, a caring colleague and at all times a dedicated citizen” in a x publication.

“Our careers and lives intersected often over the decades since Rob wrote the pilot script for Happy Days and then as each of us transitioned from an acting career to one of directing and producing,” Howard wrote. “He proved to be a superlative filmmaker, a caring colleague and always a dedicated citizen. Rob will be missed on many levels. My heart goes out to his family and many close friends.”

Director Paul Feig also called Reiner his “true hero” in a publish in X.

“One of my most precious photographs” Feig wrote alongside a photo of the two of them at a San Diego Comic-Con event. “Rob was my true hero. A true visionary titan and a lovely person. You never know if it’s appropriate to post during something as tragic as this. But I just want the world to know what many of us in the industry know. Rob was the best.”

John Cusack, who starred in Reiner’s 1985 film “The Sure Thing,” reacted to Reiner and Singer’s deaths in a way x publicationsaying he was “shocked” for the death of Rob Reiner – a great man.”

Actor Josh Gad called Reiner “one of the greatest directors of our time” in a tribute shared on instagram.

“He was one of the greatest directors of our time. He was a friend. He was just a beautiful person,” Gad wrote alongside a photo of Reiner.

“Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle were two of the kindest, most caring souls you could imagine. He cared so much about those who didn’t have a voice,” Gad continued. “This loss is devastating. I can’t express how much it hurts. I love you, Rob and Michelle. Thank you for everything you gave us.”

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the deaths of Reiner and Singer.

Reiner and Singer’s family confirmed their deaths in a statement, writing: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss and ask for privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”

The couple married in 1989 and had three children: Jake, Nick and Romy. Nick Reiner, 32, has been arrested for murder and is being held without bail, according to authorities.