Members Of Spinal Tap Pay Tribute To Rob Reiner
"This is unspeakable, the stuff of Greek tragedy," said This Is Spinal Tap star Harry Shearer.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues trailer (Source: YouTube/Sony Pictures Releasing Australia)
Members of the parody English rock band Spinal Tap have paid tribute to the director of the 1984 mockumentary, Rob Reiner, following his and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner’s, tragic passing.
Rob Reiner (aged 78) and Michele Singer Reiner (aged 68) were found dead with multiple stab wounds in their Los Angeles home on Sunday (14 December), the BBC reports.
The couple’s 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested and booked on suspicion of murder. He’s currently being held in custody with no bail.
Rob Reiner found success as the director of the cult mockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap, in 1984, which he also starred in. He went on to direct the beloved romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally and other iconic movies, including Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, Misery, and A Few Good Men.
“Rob was a friend and collaborator through much of my life,” wrote Harry Shearer, who played Spinal Tap bassist Derek Smalls and co-wrote This Is Spinal Tap along with Reiner and his castmates, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean.
Shearer continued, “He was funny, he was smart, he was a mensch. When he came to see the comedy act I was in, and, later, the musical comedy I had co-written, his laugh was uproarious and audible around the block.
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“He was a great collaborator, and when the four of us proposed ideas for the films, he was the one who wrote them on 3×5 cards, and organized them into a movie. And Michele was a very good friend to my wife Judith. This is unspeakable, the stuff of Greek tragedy.”
Christopher Guest (Nigel Tufnel in This Is Spinal Tap) and his wife, actress Jamie Lee Curtis, also shared a statement. The pair wrote, per Deadline, “Christopher and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michele Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them.
“There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we shared and the great political and social impact they both had on the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage and their global care for a world in crisis. We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve.”
The tragic deaths of Rob and Michele have drawn further tributes from across the entertainment industry.
Paul McCartney described the awful news as “shocking in many ways,” especially because he had worked with Rob Reiner on the This Is Spinal Tap sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, over the last year.
“He was such an upbeat, lovable man. Life can be so unfair and this tragedy proves it,” McCartney said. “His father, Carl Reiner, was a great humourist before him and Rob followed in his dad’s footsteps doing a terrific job making many great films.
“I will always have fond memories of Rob and the idea that he and his wife will no longer be in the world with us is heartbreaking. Thanks for all the humour, Rob. Rest in Peace.”
Taking to Instagram, Elton John said he was “in disbelief at today’s news of Rob and Michele. They were two of the most beautiful people I’d ever met and they deserved better. My thoughts are with them and their loved ones.”
Rocker Jack White also expressed his thoughts—after US President Donald Trump went on a bizarre rant on his social media platform, Truth Social, in which he alleged that Rob Reiner passed away “reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
Screenshotting the post, Jack White commented, “Trump you disgusting, vile, egomaniac, loser, child. Neither he nor any one of his followers can defend this gross, horrible insult to a beautiful artist who gave the world so much. To use someone's tragic death to promote your own vanity and fascist authoritarian agenda is a corrupt and narcissistic sin.
“Shame on you trump and anyone who defends this. God bless you Rob Reiner and thank you for what you gave the world. I never even met you and I still stand by you.”
You can find more tributes below.
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