E! News has reached out to reps for the Reiner family and law enforcement, but has not yet heard back.
Ahead of the release of what was ultimately his final film, Rob had looked back on the legacy of Spinal Tap and admitted that returning to his 1984 film—a mockumentary about a British heavy metal band's disastrous comeback tour in the United States—wasn't something he previously considered.
"We never planned to do a sequel ever," the 78-year-old told Variety in June. "For years, people would say, 'You have to make a sequel!' And we always said, 'Nah, nah, we've done it—let it be.'"
He mulled over the idea with costar Harry Shearer, who had won back the rights to the film from StudioCanal following a lawsuit in 2016, after their legal victory.
"At first, we thought no, the bar is too high," Rob—who played documentarian Marty opposite Harry, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean's band members—admitted. "But then we met a couple of times and an idea started to percolate."
And when Kate Bush's song "Running Up That Hill" soared up the charts following its feature on Stranger Things in 2022, the When Harry Met Sally director had a plan.
"Well, what if a famous musician or someone starts screwing around with a Spinal Tap song, somebody catches it on an iPhone and puts it up on TikTok, it goes viral, and all of a sudden they become relevant again?" he explained. "So with all of those things together, we came up with this idea."
Following Rob and Michele's expected deaths, the director's Spinal Tap collaborators were among those who paid tribute to the couple.
"The loss of Rob and Michele is devastating," Harry, 81, wrote on his Instagram Stories Dec. 15. "The stuff of Greek tragedy."
For more celebs who've honored Rob and Michele, keep reading.
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The actress, who Rob Reiner adopted during his marriage to late ex Penny Marshall, said she saw her dad at a family gathering the day before he and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in an apparent homicide at their Los Angeles home.
“I came from the greatest family ever,” she told NBC News in a Dec. 14 statement. “I don’t know what to say. I’m in shock.”
"One of my most cherished pictures," the A Simple Favor director captioned on X. "Rob was my true hero. A true visionary titan and a lovely lovely person."
He continued, "One never knows if it’s proper to post during something as tragic as this. But I just want the world to know what so many of us know in the industry. Rob was the best."
After news of Rob and Michele's passing broke, the Magic of Belle Isle star wrote on Instagram of her director and his wife, "God be with those who love them. Thank you Rob for giving us so much joy to hold on to."
"The humor is smart and the heart is real," the actor, who costarred with Rob's dad Carl Reiner in 2003's Good Boy!, shared on X. "His films were part of the air for us. Grateful for what he made, and for what he and his wife gave the world.
The Misery star said she was "absolutely devasted" by the news of Rob's death.
"I loved Rob," Kathy, who worked with the director in the 1990 film, told NBC in a statement. "He was brilliant and kind, a man who made films of every genre to challenge himself as an artist."
She continued, "He changed the course of my life. Michele was a gifted photographer. She shot my beautiful photos for the Misery campaign. My heart breaks for them both. My thoughts are with their family."
"Shocked by the death of Rob Reiner," the actor shared on X, 40 years after working with the director in 1985's The Sure Thing. "A great man."
The actor, who worked with the director in the 1994 movie North, wrote on X, "Horrified to hear of the passing of Rob Reiner and his wonderful wife Michelle [sic]. So much love to their kids and family."
"Rob Reiner was one of my favorite directors," the Zoolander alum shared on X. "He made some of the most formative movies for my generation. He came out form behind a huge comedic shadow of the great Carl Reiner and being a tv actor to being a a great director who made an incredible run of movies."
He continued, "Spinal Tap is one of the best comedies ever made—and the list goes on. He was a kind caring person who was really really funny."
"I’m absolutely shocked and horrified to hear about Rob Reiner and his wife Michele," the comedian wrote on X. "This is a travesty. Praying for swift justice. Sympathies to their family and children. I’m at a loss for words."
"Grieving the loss of my favorite director of all-time," the Emmy winner shared on Instagram. "A Few Good Men is THE reason I became an actor, and Rob’s filmography behind the camera is THE reason I wanted to direct and still do."
He added, "I hate that Rob and his wife are gone from this world, but they sure as hell impacted me and countless others while here."
In the wake of Rob and Michele's death, the musician recalled meeting the couple while working on the yet-to-be released Spinal Tap at Stonehenge: The Final Finale.
"He and Michele made me feel like family and gave me an incredible opportunity to fulfill a dream," Josh shared on Instagram. "There was laughter and love and song and it was a memory I will cherish forever. I'm stunned and deeply saddened and sending my love to their family.
"He was one of the greatest directors of our time. He was a friend. He was simply a beautiful person," the Frozen star wrote on Facebook. "Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle [sic] were two of the most kind and caring souls you could ever imagine. He cared so much for those who had no voices. This loss is devastating. I cannot express how much this hurts."
"I am deeply saddened," the comedian shared on X. "One of the most accomplished American directors who ever lived, his movies have been adored by generations, but I will remember him most for making me laugh my guts out with my Dad watching the greatest American tv show of all time, All In The Family."
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