Rob Reiner Reflected on His Father Carl Reiner’s Death Months Before His Own: ‘The Best Way to Go’

Rob Reiner looked back on his father Carl Reiner’s peaceful death with gratitude just months before the Princess Bride director and his wife, Michele Singer, were killed in their home.

As news of Rob and Michele’s murders made headlines, Variety executive editor Jem Aswad revisited a June conversation with Rob about the day his Hollywood icon dad, Carl, died in June 2020 at age 98.

“For years [after their wives had passed away], my dad and Mel Brooks would have dinner and watch TV, every single night—they were best friends,” Rob recounted at the time.

Rob shared that his father died of a heart attack after an evening of enjoying Brooks’ company.

“On the night my dad died, Mel was leaving at the end of the night, and he said, ‘Goodnight, Carl!’ And just as he was about to walk out the door, he heard a thud, and my dad just fell down—he was dead, like, immediately. I got over there about five minutes later, and he was gone,” he recalled. “But, you know, it’s the best way to go: fast, and not have pain or linger.”

Months later, Rob and Michele were killed in their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday, December 14, at ages 78 and 70, respectively. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently determined that the couple—who had been married since May 1989—died of multiple sharp force injuries after being stabbed.

Following the discovery of the pair’s bodies, Rob and Michele’s son Nick Reiner was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Nick, 32, has yet to enter a plea, and his arraignment is scheduled for January 7.

Rob and Michele also shared son Jake, 34, and daughter Romy, 27. The two siblings spoke out about their parents’ deaths in a Wednesday, December 17, statement.

“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,” they 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.”