Martin Scorsese mourns the devastating loss of his close friends Rob and Michele Reiner, sharing a deeply personal reflection on their lives and the impact they had on him.
In a sincere attempt to The New York TimesThe legendary filmmaker has spoken of his heartbreak following the tragic deaths of the couple, who were found dead in their Los Angeles home on December 14.
Their son, Nick Reiner, has since been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
“What happened to Rob and Michele is an obscenity, an abyss in lived reality,” Scorsese wrote, expressing the shock and grief that followed the news.
“From now on, I’m going to have to use the past tense, and that fills me with deep sadness.”
Scorsese discussed his longtime friendship with Rob Reiner, noting that the two bonded early on over their shared love of storytelling and filmmaking.
He remembers meeting Rob and his then-wife, Penny Marshall, in the early 1970s and immediately feeling a connection.
“I immediately loved spending time with Rob,” he wrote. “He was hilarious, warm and there was a kind of joy that filled the room.”
The director praised Reiner’s creative legacy, calling It’s a lumbar puncture “in a class of his own” and showcasing his work in Misery as particularly powerful.
He also reflected on his collaboration with Reiner in The Wolf of Wall Streetdescribing a scene in which Reiner plays Leonardo DiCaprio’s father as deeply moving.
“I was struck by the tenderness he brought to it,” Scorsese shared, adding that looking back on that performance now is particularly painful.
In conclusion, Scorsese expressed a desire that was both personal and universal, the hope of once again sharing laughter and conversation with his late friend.
“I always wish I could sit next to him again,” he wrote, “and hear that laugh and feel lucky just to be in his presence.”
