Legendary Jewish film director and actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday afternoon, according to TMZ.
The outlet cited law enforcement sources in reporting that the couple suffered lacerations consistent with a knife attack.
A family member is being questioned by investigators, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.
Reports indicate that the suspect is the couple’s son, Nick, who has a long history of drug addiction.
Los Angeles Fire Department medical personnel responded to a call for help and arrived at Reiner’s mansion in the city’s Brentwood neighborhood, where they discovered the couple dead.
Multiple outlets reported that the Los Angeles Police Department’s robbery and homicide unit was on the scene on Sunday evening.
“This is a devastating loss for our city and our country. Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.
“An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, he always used his gifts in service of others,” she added, while noting that the investigation is ongoing.
Reiner, 78, rose to fame as Mike “Meathead” Stivic on the 1970s CBS sitcom “All in the Family,” for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards.
In addition to his acting credits, the New York City native directed several classic films, including “Stand By Me,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “The Princess Bride,” “Spinal Tap” and “A Few Good Men.”
A liberal activist, he was the son of entertainer Carl Reiner, who said he became an atheist after the rise of Adolf Hitler.
Though bar mitzvahed, Rob Reiner described himself as an atheist, rejecting organized religion. The mother of Michele Singer and Reiner’s aunt both lost their entire families in the Holocaust, the younger Reiner said.
Still, Reiner, who grew up in a Yiddish-speaking house, said his Jewishness was “reflected in his work. It’s my sensibility.”
He added that “I value honesty and integrity and knowledge and education and all those values I was raised with.”
Reiner leaves behind four children—including a daughter with actress and director Penny Marshall, to whom Reiner was previously married—and a grandchild.
