Why Rob and Michele Reiner Were Missing From The ‘New York Times’ Annual ‘The Lives They Lived’ Tribute Piece

On December 16th, the New York Times Magazine released its annual ‘The Lives They Lived’ tribute, detailing all the big public figures who passed away in 2025. But there were two names notably missing from the piece: Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. 

The Reiners’ absence in the tribute did not go unnoticed by readers as people immediately began wondered why the couple was excluded from the list when their deaths have had such a deep impact on the film industry, some believe it is due to the graphic nature and speculation surrounding their deaths that the New York Times refrained from including the Reiners, others believed that Martin Scorsese’s opinion piece, published on December 25th that detailed his relationship with both Rob and Michele, was to serve in place for their absence in the tribute publication. 

But the real reason all comes down to timing, as Danielle Rhoades, the NYT Senior Vice President of Communications, told Deadline, 

‘The Lives They Lived’ is a New York Times Magazine feature. Though the print publication date is Dec. 16, the content was finalized and sent for publication on Dec. 11, three days before Rob Reiner’s death.

This would explain why the list would feature Hollywood public figures such as David Lynch, Diane Keaton, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Terence Stamp, whose deaths were announced earlier in the year. 

Rob and Michele were discovered dead at their Brentwood home by their daughter, Romy. The reported cause of death is multiple stab wounds. Hours after finding the Reiners, police arrested their youngest son, Nick, for his parents’ murders. His hearing is set for January 7th, 2026, where he faces two counts of first-degree murder, and if convicted, Nick could face a sentence of life in prison without parole or the death penalty. 

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