Rob Reiner Spoke About 'Mortality' and 'Enjoying Life Until You Die' in Eerie Resurfaced Interview Before Director and Wife Were Found Stabbed to Death
Rob Reiner reflected on his own mortality before his murder.
Dec. 15 2025, Published 3:45 p.m. ET
Rob Reiner reflected on recognizing his own mortality, years before his tragic murder, RadarOnline.com can report.
The beloved actor/director and his wife, Michele, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday afternoon. Their son, Nick, has been arrested following their killing.
Rob Reiner Reflects on Getting Older
Rob Reiner used his feelings on death to inspire some of his greatest movies.
After finding stardom acting alongside Carroll O'Connor on the hit television show All in the Family, Reiner became a prolific director, responsible for some of cinema's most loved movies.
Many of Reiner's movies were grounded in realism and dealt with everyday issues and fears, like growing older. Films like The Bucket List and The Magic of Belle Island tackle the tricky topic of death, something the 78-year-old reflected on in a recently resurfaced interview about the Morgan Freeman-led movies.
"When I turned 60 a few years ago, I started thinking more and more about my mortality – that’s what happens when you get older. I thought of myself as a very, very, very young old person, like the beginning of old age," Reiner told "Movie Mom" Nell Minow.
"You start thinking about how finite your life is and how it becomes more precious, and that led me to wanting to make The Bucket List. No matter what your situation is, you try to find a way to enjoy your life and live it the best you can until you die."
Rob Reiner's Reflections on Life
The director's son, Nick, has been arrested after Reiner and his wife were found dead.
Reiner said he took the same approach when handed a spec script for what would become The Magic of Belle Island.
"When I read it, I thought, 'Wow, this is also about a guy who has basically given up on life; he’s in a wheelchair, his wife just passed away, he can’t write any more, and he’s drinking, and he basically shut the door on himself.'"
The movie follows Freeman, a bitter, wheelchair-bound writer who moves to a small town and is befriended by a single mother (Virginia Madsen) and her three daughters.
Reiner continued: "I love the idea of moving into this lakeside community for the summer, and over the course of the summer, his interactions with the woman next door and her children and the people in the town make him learn how to live again.
"I love this whole idea that no matter what your situation is, you have to find a way to celebrate life."
Rob and Nick Reiner's 'Loud Argument'
Daughter Romy is said to have discovered the bodies.
Reiner was out celebrating the holiday season with Michele and Nick Saturday night. The three were guests at comedian Conan O'Brien's Christmas party, where guests observed the Oscar-nominated director in a "very loud argument" with his son.
Amid the uproar, Reiner and Michele reportedly left the party. The next day, their bodies would be discovered in their home with knife stab wounds.
As Radar has reported, Rob's son has a troubled history of drug addiction and homelessness, and word is his dad and mom were out of options to help him.
According to insiders, Michele was even heard lamenting: "We've tried everything."
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Nick Reiner's Drug Issues Exposed
The couple were found with knife marks in their necks.
Nick suffered from drug issues while being raised, and had been in and out of over 18 rehab facilities by the time he was 19 years old.
Rob had addressed Nick's problems publicly, claiming he and Michele didn't know how to deal with the situation, as they relied on the advice of experts, who insisted "tough love" was the approach they should take.
In 2015, the father and son collaborated on Being Charlie, a semi-autobiographical film that followed an 18-year-old who struggled with addiction and had a famous parent.
The following year, Nick confessed the movie helped him finally find something in common with his father.
"We didn't bond a lot as a kid," Nick said. "(He) really liked baseball, and I like basketball. And he could watch that with my brother. But when I saw him (directing), it was something that I'm interested in. I was like wow like he really knows a lot and like it made me feel closer to him."
