Rita Wilson Breaks Silence on Rob and Michele Reiner's Death: 'They Did Everything Right'
- - Rita Wilson Breaks Silence on Rob and Michele Reiner's Death: 'They Did Everything Right'
Charna FlamDecember 18, 2025 at 12:52 AM
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Rita Wilson and Rob Reiner in New York, NY on Oct. 10, 1999. -
Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead inside their Los Angeles home on Sunday, Dec. 14
In the days since their deaths, friends have paid tribute to their legacies, including Rita Wilson's essay for Variety on Wednesday, Dec. 17
“They loved their kids. Each one. They did everything right. They loved. They were loved," she wrote of the late couple
Rita Wilson penned a heartfelt tribute in memory of her friends Rob and Michele Reiner.
The actress, 69, wrote an essay for Variety on Wednesday, Dec. 17, paying tribute to her late friends.
Rob, 78, and his wife Michele, 70, were found dead inside their Los Angeles home on Sunday, Dec. 14. Their 32-year-old son Nick was arrested and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Wilson shared memories of her friendship with the couple, saying that Rob’s “films will be there to experience over and over again."
“What can’t ever be experienced again is running into Rob and Michele in the neighborhood and having a great laugh, or having dinner where Michele insists on having only one conversation," said Wilson.
Wilson recalled often spending time at the couple's home for dinner, joining Carl Reiner, Sid Caesar, Mel Brooks and Larry Gelbart as they shared their favorite memories from Your Show of Shows.
She added that the couple were known for hosting “Bad Showbiz Night” parties, in which they invited their guests to bring their “worst showbiz moment and share it with a room full of luminaries, who also braved exposing their own.”
Wilson remembered Michele as “a talented photographer who had a keen eye in her work and in her life.” She noted that Michele’s mother was a Holocaust survivor, and “Still, Michele found beauty every day.”
“Rob made history in multiple ways through his work,” Wilson wrote of her Sleepless in Seattle costar. But she noted how the couple’s civic contributions and actions “made the world a better place.”
John Nacion/Variety via Getty
Michele Singer Reiner and Rob Reiner on February 14, 2025 in New York, New York.
Wilson remarked on the family’s relationships, saying, “They loved their kids. Each one.”
“They did everything right. They loved. They were loved,” she wrote.
As her tribute came to a close, she said, “It’s hard to reconcile the goodness they offered to the world with this ending. It doesn’t make sense.”
“But how they lived makes all the sense in the world,” she concluded.
Wilson’s essay was published the same day the late couple’s daughter, Romy, and son, Jake, issued an official statement on their parents' deaths.
"Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day," the statement said. "The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren't just our parents; they were our best friends."
Neilson Barnard/Getty
Jake Reiner, Romy Reiner, Rob Reiner, and Michele Reiner on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Wilson and Rob’s Sleepless In Seattle costar Meg Ryan also remembered the couple.
"Thank you, Rob and Michele, for the way you believe in true love, in fairy tales, and in laughter," the actress, 64, wrote on Instagram Wednesday, Dec. 17, alongside a throwback photo of herself dancing with the When Harry Met Sally director.
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Ryan's costar in the classic rom-com, Billy Crystal, paid tribute to the Reiners in a joint statement with other famous close friends, shared on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
The late couple "were a special force together-dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever," read the statement, from Billy and Janice Crystal, Albert and Kimberly Brooks, Martin Short, Alan and Robin Zweibel, Larry David and Ashley Underwood, Marc Shaiman and Lou Mirabal, Barry and Diana Levinson, and Ambassador James Costos and Michael Smith.
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