Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were found dead inside their Los Angeles home on Sunday afternoon, prompting a homicide investigation and an outpouring of tributes for one of Hollywood’s most influential directors and a prominent partner in his work and public life. Police said they were called to the Brentwood-area property in mid-afternoon and are treating the deaths as an apparent homicide, but stressed that no suspect had been identified in the initial hours of the inquiry.

In a statement released through the family, relatives confirmed the deaths and appealed for privacy. “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time,” the statement said.

The Los Angeles Police Department said officers were called to the home at about 3:40 p.m. local time. The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed it responded to a medical aid request shortly after 3:30 p.m., and officials said a man and a woman were found dead inside the residence. Authorities reported the victims’ ages as 78 and 68.

Senior law enforcement sources told ABC News the couple had been stabbed. Police described the case as an apparent homicide and said senior leadership from the department’s robbery and homicide unit responded to the scene.

At a news conference, police said there had been no arrests and no one was in custody. Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief Alan Hamilton said investigators were not seeking anyone “as a suspect or in any other manner at this time,” adding: “We’re going to try to speak to every family member that we can to get to the facts of this investigation.”

The Associated Press, citing a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation, said authorities were investigating the deaths as an “apparent homicide,” and reported that Capt. Mike Bland of the Los Angeles Police Department used the same description.

The circumstances described by officials contrasted with reports relying on unnamed sources, including an account that said multiple sources had told People the couple were killed by their adult son, Nick. Police have not publicly named a suspect and have said no one is in custody.

A neighbour told ABC News that actors Billy Crystal and Larry David were seen at the house after police had arrived. “Billy looked like he was about to cry,” the neighbour said.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement mourning Reiner’s death and pointing to the cultural reach of his films and his political engagement. “This is a devastating loss for our city and our country,” she said. “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.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom also issued a statement, calling himself “heartbroken by the tragic loss” and adding: “His boundless empathy made his stories timeless, teaching generations how to see goodness and righteousness in others – and encouraging us to dream bigger.” Newsom said Reiner would be remembered “for his remarkable filmography and for his extraordinary contribution to humanity.”

The family of the late TV producer Norman Lear, whose sitcom All in the Family helped launch Reiner’s career, said it was “devastated” by the deaths. “Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world,” the statement said, according to ABC News. It added that Lyn Lear said: “The world is unmistakably darker tonight, and we are left bereft.”

Reiner rose to prominence in the 1970s as an actor before becoming a defining filmmaker of the 1980s and early 1990s. He became widely known playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic on All in the Family, and later directed a run of films that shaped popular culture across generations, including This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Misery and A Few Good Men.

The Associated Press described Reiner as one of the preeminent filmmakers of his generation and noted his dual identity as an on-screen presence and an outspoken political advocate. AP also reported that Reiner was the son of Carl Reiner and Estelle Reiner, and that he remained a constant figure in Hollywood across multiple decades through directing, producing and activism.

Reiner met Michele Singer while working on When Harry Met Sally…, according to accounts carried by ABC News and the AP, and the couple married in 1989. They shared three children, Jake, Nick and Romy. Reiner was previously married to Penny Marshall, who died in 2018.

Singer Reiner worked as a photographer and producer and, alongside her husband, appeared frequently at film and civic events in Los Angeles. Their marriage and professional partnership were often described by those around them as closely intertwined, including through political causes and campaign work, with Reiner widely associated with liberal advocacy in California and nationally.

Investigators have not publicly detailed what they believe happened inside the home or what evidence they have recovered, and officials cautioned that the inquiry was in its earliest stage. Hamilton said detectives would be seeking to speak to family members as part of establishing a full timeline and understanding who had contact with the couple in the hours before they were found.

Police have not released information about a possible motive, whether a weapon was recovered, or whether surveillance or digital evidence may help reconstruct events. In the absence of those details, authorities’ public messaging has focused on the fact of an apparent homicide investigation and the lack of an identified suspect.

For many in the film industry and beyond, the shock of the deaths sat alongside immediate reflection on Reiner’s legacy as a director who moved between broad comedy and serious drama, and whose work repeatedly entered the cultural bloodstream through quotable scenes and enduring characters. The mayor’s statement emphasised both the reach of his films and his off-screen activism, while the Lear family statement framed the loss in intimate terms, pointing to longstanding personal ties between Reiner and the producer who helped shape his early career.

Authorities said the investigation would continue in the coming days, with police work expected to include interviews, forensic examination of the scene and coordination with the coroner’s office. Reiner’s family, in its statement, asked for privacy as investigators work to establish what happened.