Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were remembered by their Hollywood peers at the 2026 Oscars, with Billy Crystal leading the way.
Crystal, 78, recalled how he met Rob in 1975 while playing best friends on an episode of All in the Family. “It went so well Rob said, ‘It was fun playing your best friend, why don’t we keep it going?'” the actor said at the Sunday, March 15, awards show.
“It was a thrill to see him evolve from a great comic actor to a skilled story teller,” Crystal said as pictures of Rob throughout his career showed on the screen behind him.
Crystal proceeded to highlight some of Rob’s best works, including Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally (which starred Crystal) and Misery.
Crystal gave Rob’s late wife, Michele, a shout-out as well, noting, “When Michele Singer entered his life, they were unstoppable.”
According to Crystal, the loss of both Rob and Michele, who were killed three months prior, is “immeasurable.”
“For us, who had the privilege of working with and knowing him and loving him, all we can say is, ‘Buddy, what fun we had storming the castle,'” he concluded.
Crystal was then joined by some of Rob’s biggest leading men and women on stage at the Dolby Theatre for a moment of remembrance in their honor. The group, which included When Harry Met Sally‘s Meg Ryan and Misery‘s Kathy Bates, stood quietly as the crowd gave the late couple a standing ovation.
Prior to his death in December 20205, Rob earned his first and only Academy Award nomination for Best Picture for A Few Good Men in 1993. He was also known for directing a string of beloved films, including 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap, 1986’s Stand by Me, 1987’s The Princess Bride, 1989’s When Harry Met Sally and 1990’s Misery.
Rob and Michele were found dead in their California home in December 2025. He was 78, while she was 70.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined Rob and Michele’s cause of death to be “multiple sharp force injuries.”
The couple’s son Nick, 32, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances in connection to his parents’ deaths. In February, Nick pleaded not guilty to the charges. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty if convicted.
Nick remains behind bars without bail as he awaits his next court date on April 29.
In January, Nick’s legal proceedings were delayed after his attorney Alan Jackson withdrew from the case.
“Circumstances beyond our control, but more importantly, circumstances beyond Nick’s control, have dictated that, sadly, it’s made it impossible for us to continue our representation of Nick,” Jackson told reporters at the time. “I’m legally and I’m ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons why, I know that’s a question on everyone’s mind.”
Public defender Kimberly Greene was subsequently appointed as Nick’s lawyer.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman told the press in January, “We are fully confident that a jury will convict Nick Reiner beyond a reasonable doubt of the brutal murders of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, and do so unanimously.”
Rob and Michele, who married in May 1989, shared son Jake, 34, and daughter Romy, 28. (Rob was also the adoptive father of daughter Tracy, 61, whom he shared with his late ex-wife, Penny Marshall.)
Amid the charges against Nick, a spokesperson for Rob and Michele’s family said in a January statement to The New York Times, “They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings.”
As Nick awaits the next steps in his case, his family members have distanced themselves from him.
“Last I heard, the family has not been in communication with Nick,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month. “They just cannot handle that at the moment.”
