California
Rob Reiner and wife found dead in Brentwood, California home
Celebrated Filmmaker Rob Reiner, Wife Michele Singer Found Dead
Acclaimed filmmaker Rob Reiner and wife Michele Singer found dead in their Brentwood home. The circumstances are under police investigation.
Celebrated actor, director, producer and activist Rob Reiner, whose work shaped American television and cinema for decades, has died at 78, according to Variety and TMZ. His death, alongside that of his wife, Michele Singer, 68, is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department after the couple was found in their home in Brentwood, California.
A dedicated political activist, Reiner was slated to speak on Tuesday, Dec. 16, in Palm Springs, Calif., about his career and his book “A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap.”
Reiner, born March 6, 1947, in the Bronx, New York, grew up in the entertainment business − his father was comedy legend Carl Reiner and his mother, Estelle, was an actress. He became famous in his own right for his portrayal of Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the groundbreaking sitcom “All in the Family,” winning two Emmy Awards as Archie Bunker’s son-in-law.
Though he had dozens of acting credits to his name, he transitioned to directing and created beloved films including “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Stand by Me,” “The Princess Bride,” “Misery,” “A Few Good Men” and “When Harry Met Sally …” He cast his mother as an extra in the rom-com classic for a scene at a New York deli where Meg Ryan faked an orgasm.
“First couple of times, she didn’t do it full out,” Reiner said of directing Ryan in the scene. “Finally, I sat across from Billy (Crystal). And I acted it for her. … And I’m pounding the table, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ And I’m realizing I’m having an orgasm in front of my mother, you know? There’s my mother over there.” His mother’s line – “I’ll have what she’s having” – became one of the most famous lines in film.
Similarly, his mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” was a part of the cultural landscape (and earned a spot in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry), with memorable songs like “Gimme Some Money.”
Reiner admitted that was the very reason “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” came to be: “We never got any money from the first movie, really,” Reiner said in an interview with USA TODAY earlier this year about his three stars, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. “Lots of people had the rights, and the four us had 10% each, and while it’s going to sound crazy, we only got like 82 cents apiece over the years, despite all the DVD and foreign sales. Call it creative accounting on steroids. So Harry said, ‘I’m going to sue to get the rights back,’ and though it took him years, he got it done.”
The sequel was largely improvised. “The fun thing for me was falling back with old friends,” he said. “You just start doing your thing with each other, Chris used to call it ‘schneedeling,’ and right away, we were schneedeling as if no time has gone by. You can’t beat that.”
Reiner was a progressive and outspoken voice in the Hollywood community, supporting issues including marriage equality and gun control. He was a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and advocated for social and political change. In 2006, his name was floated as a possible candidate for governor of California, but he decided not to run.
Reiner was slated to speak on Tuesday, Dec. 16 in Palm Springs at the historic Plaza Theatre about his career and his book “A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap.” Bruce Fessier, who covered entertainment for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs for four decades, was to moderate.
“I was preparing for my Q&A with Rob Reiner … when I heard two people had been murdered at his house in West L.A.,” Fessier said. “I felt like I knew him well.”
He had rewatched both “Spinal Tap” movies that afternoon and had also read his book in preparation.
“I prayed the victims weren’t Rob and his wife, Michele,” he said. When the deaths were confirmed, he cried “Why them? Rob was way more than a great film director and actor. He did so much good as a political activist. He was a renaissance man.”
Rob Reiner was married to actress and director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. During their marriage, Reiner adopted Marshall’s daughter, Tracy, who later became an actress.
In 1989, Reiner married Michele Singer, a photographer. Together they shared three children: Nick, Jake and Romy. Reiner often credited Michele with inspiring the happy ending of “When Harry Met Sally …,” which he was filming when they met.
Kate Franco, executive editor of The Desert Sun, contributed to this report.
California
California Now Offers Free Passes to State Historic Parks (Just Don’t Miss the Deadline) | KQED
An annual pass that’s usually $50 is free in honor of Juneteenth — and to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Historical buildings are visible at Sonoma State Historic Park, Sonoma, California, May 31, 2026. Until July 6, Californians can download the state historic park pass for free and use it as many times as they want through the end of 2026. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)
“California doesn’t hide from hard truths and uncomfortable history – in fact, we embrace it and learn from it,” Newsom wrote.
Until July 6, Californians can download the state historic park pass for free and use it as many times as they want through the end of 2026. The pass gives free entry to state historic parks for up to four people.
Jump to:
The Historian Passport grants entry to more than 30 state historic parks, including parks like Olompali and Malakoff Diggins which, rather than just providing outdoor recreation, also have an educational emphasis on the state’s history.
Many of these parks tell the story of the state’s cultural or indigenous history, from missions and museums to temples and the site that sparked the California Gold Rush.
Newsom made a similar move to make state parks free for Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, in response to Trump’s decision to eliminate the holiday from the list of fee-free days at national parks across the country, replacing it with his birthday on Flag Day.
How to get your free Historian Passport for up to four people
You must make an account with the state’s reservation site ReserveCalifornia.com to obtain a Historian Pass. Then, visit the site’s Advance Passes page and select “Special Edition Historian Passport” from the dropdown menu, which will show as costing $0. No payment information is required.
After checking out, you’ll receive an email with an attached PDF version of your Historian Passport.
The state recommends you print off this PDF to present at any California state historic park for free entry, although you may just be able to show the image on your phone too.
Bear in mind that cellphone service may be poor at many state historic parks, so it’s worth screenshotting the PDF to save it as an image on your phone in case you’re unable to search your email.
Looking for free entry to other state parks that aren’t included in the Historian Passport? Consider checking out a parks pass from your local library, which provides these passes as part of the California State Library Parks Pass program.
Northern California State Historic Parks to visit for free this year with a Historian Passport
Bay Area
Sacramento area
Sierra foothills
KQED’s Carly Severn contributed to this report.
A 33-year-old Northern California man was sentenced to three years in prison after he was found passed out drunk behind the wheel in the drive-thru of an In-N-Out Burger, marking his seventh arrest and conviction for driving under the influence.
According to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, California Highway Patrol officers were alerted to the June 2025 situation by a store employee.
Responding officers approached the vehicle and reported smelling urine and vomit, along with the odor of alcohol inside the car, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Officers arrested the man, identified as Carlos Alvarez of Salinas, on suspicion of felony DUI.
This was his fourth DUI conviction in the past 10 years, The Times reported.
It was not immediately clear what sentences were imposed in Alvarez’s prior DUI convictions or whether he has previously served jail time for any of the other felony convictions.
Two college students died after being swept out to sea from a Santa Cruz beach as massive waves and dangerous rip currents inundated the California coastline in recent days.
Authorities confirmed this week that Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, were killed after the sudden swell at a Santa Cruz beach last Wednesday. Nair died last week while Sran died in a local hospital on Sunday.
The incident came a day after a five-year-old girl in southern California was killed when turbulent waters swept the child, who was walking with her mother and brother, out to sea from the shore of Treasure Island Beach in Orange county.
Authorities have urged people to take precautions while visiting beaches throughout the state as the coast faced treacherous conditions with the continuing king tides, a non-scientific term describing the highest tides of the year.
On 10 June, local authorities in Santa Cruz responded to a beach for an ocean rescue of two women who had been pulled into the water. A team of about eight rescue swimmers helped pull Nair and Sran from the water, and they were taken to local hospitals by ambulance and helicopters.
It was the fifth rescue firefighters had undertaken on that mile-long portion of coastline from Yellow Bank Beach to Bonny Doon Beach, the San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit of Cal Fire said in a statement online.
Kyle Breton, a Santa Cruz county volunteer fire captain, said in a video that officials believed the two friends were napping near a rock archway between two beaches when the water came in and swept them out.
Sran was a student at San Jose State University and Nair attended the University of California, Berkeley, the universities confirmed to media outlets.
In an obituary, Nair’s family remembered her as a “cherished sister, granddaughter and a treasured friend” who “always found a way to lift others up”.
“Harshita was truly full of life – radiating energy, warmth and joy wherever she went. She had a deep love for adventure and embraced every moment with enthusiasm and courage. Her spirit was contagious, her laughter uplifting and her presence comforting.”
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