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BILLY CRYSTAL, MEG RYAN AND OTHERS REMEMBER ROB REINER AS A ‘MASTER
STORY TELLER’  
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Ali Watkins
December 17, 2025
The New York Times
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_ A group of prominent figures issued a statement memorializing Mr.
Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. “We were their friends,
and we will miss them forever.” _

Rob Reiner, left, with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan during an
anniversary screening of “When Harry Met Sally” in 2019., Mario
Anzuoni/Reuters

 

Billy Crystal, Larry David, Martin Short and several other prominent
figures and close friends of Rob Reiner released a statement on
Tuesday memorializing the Hollywood director, according to The
Associated Press.

Mr. Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were found
dead in their home in Los Angeles on Sunday. Their son Nick Reiner,
32, has been charged with murder in their deaths.

In their statement, the friends of Mr. Reiner said: “Going to the
movies in a dark theater filled with strangers having a common
experience, laughing, crying, screaming in fear, or watching an
intense drama unfold is still an unforgettable thrill. Tell us a story
audiences demand of us. Absorbing all he had learned from his father
Carl and his mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner not only was a great comic
actor, he became a master story teller.

“There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama
to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his
game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his
films.”

 

 

Mr. Crystal, a close friend of the Reiners who starred in several of
his movies, including “The Princess Bride” and the romantic comedy
“When Harry Met Sally … ,” was seen late Sunday
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home, not long after their bodies had been discovered.

Mr. Reiner was also a longtime friend and collaborator of Mr. David,
having produced Mr. David’s show “Seinfeld” and appearing as an
exaggerated version of himself in Mr. David’s “Curb Your
Enthusiasm.”

Along with Mr. David, Mr. Crystal and their wives, the statement was
issued on behalf of Martin Short, Albert and Kimberly Brooks, Alan and
Robin Zweibel, Marc Shaiman, Lou Mirabal, Barry and Diana Levinson,
James Costos and Michael Smith, according to The A.P.

“His comedic touch was beyond compare, his love of getting the music
of the dialogue just right, and his sharpening of the edge of a drama
was simply elegant,” the statement continued. “For the actors, he
loved them. For the writers, he made them better.

“His greatest gift was freedom. If you had an idea, he listened, he
brought you into the process. They always felt they were working as a
team. To be in his hands as a filmmaker was a privilege but that is
only part of his legacy.”

The group also paid tribute to the Reiners’ political work. The pair
were longtime Democratic backers who were mourned by much of the
progressive left
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“Rob was also a passionate, brave citizen, who not only cared for
this country he loved, he did everything he could to make it better
and with his loving wife Michele, he had the perfect partner. Strong
and determined, Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their
lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens,” the statement
said. “They were a special force together — dynamic, unselfish and
inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever,”
the statement said.

“There is a line from one of Rob’s favorite films, ‘It’s a
Wonderful Life,’ ‘Each man’s life touches so many other lives,
and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?’
You have no idea.”

Separately on Wednesday, Meg Ryan, who starred opposite Mr. Crystal in
“When Harry Met Sally … ,” posted a statement on Instagram
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“I have to believe that their story will not end with this
impossible tragedy, that some good may come, some awareness raised,”
she wrote. “I don’t know, but my guess is that they would want
that to be hopeful and humane, to be something that brings us all to a
greater understanding of one another and to some peace.”

_ALI WATKINS_ [[link removed]]_ covers
international news for The Times and is based in Belfast._

* rob and michele reiner
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* memorials
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