Acclaimed director Martin Scorsese has published a deeply emotional essay mourning his close friend and fellow filmmaker, Rob Reiner, who was found killed alongside his wife earlier this month.
A Profound Loss for Hollywood
In a piece written for The New York Times, Scorsese expressed the profound sadness of having to refer to Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, in the past tense. The couple were discovered dead at their home on Friday 26 December 2025. Their daughter, Romy Reiner, made the tragic discovery. Hours later, their youngest son, Nick Reiner, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Scorsese recalled first meeting Reiner in the 1970s at gatherings hosted by George Memmoli, a founding member of the improv troupe Ace Trucking Company. He described an instant connection, praising Reiner's hilarious yet unassuming nature. "He had a beautiful sense of uninhibited freedom, fully enjoying the life of the moment, and he had a great barrelling laugh," Scorsese wrote.
Celebrating a Cinematic Legacy
The Oscar-winning director of Killers of the Flower Moon went on to celebrate Reiner's influential body of work. He singled out the psychological thriller Misery, starring Kathy Bates and James Caan, as a "very special film." He reserved particular praise for the legendary 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, calling it "in a class of its own" and an "immaculate creation."
Scorsese also explained his decision to cast Reiner as Max Belfort, the father of Leonardo DiCaprio's character, in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). He highlighted Reiner's masterful improvisation and comedic timing, as well as his deep understanding of the character's human predicament—a father who loves his son but foresees his downfall.
An Unfillable Void
Scorsese described the couple's deaths as "an obscenity, an abyss in lived reality." He concluded his tribute by expressing a hope to one day accept the loss, while for now choosing to remember his friend alive and well. "I’ll hear his laugh and see his beatific face and laugh at his stories... and feel lucky all over again to have him as a friend," he wrote.
The Reiners' deaths have sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, prompting an outpouring of tributes. Last week, The Princess Bride star Mandy Patinkin reflected on Reiner's pivotal role as the "glue" in his friendships with actors like Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest.
