SPINAL TAP members pay tribute to murdered film maker ROB REINER
"He was a mensch"
18-12-2025
Two of the three lead actors from the iconic mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” have paid tribute to the film’s director, Rob Reiner, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, who were found dead inside their Brentwood, California home Sunday afternoon (December 14). The couple’s son Nick Reiner has been arrested and booked on murder charges for their killings.
On Instagram, Harry Shearer, who co-wrote the “This Is Spinal Tap” movies with Reiner, and played the British hard rock bassist Derek Smalls in the mockumentary, took to his Instagram to write: “Rob was a friend and collaborator through much of my life. He was funny, he was smart, he was a mensch. When he came to see the comedy act I was in, and, later, the musical comedy I had co-written, his laugh was uproarious and audible around the block. He was a great collaborator, and when the four of us proposed ideas for the films, he was the one who wrote them on 3×5 cards, and organized them into a movie. And Michele was a very good friend to my wife Judith. This is unspeakable, the stuff of Greek tragedy.”
Jamie Lee Curtis and her husband, “This Is Spinal Tap” franchise actor and writer Christopher Guest, who reportedly got married at Reiner‘s house in 1984, shared a statement from Curtis in which she wrote: “Christopher and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michele Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them. There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we shared and the great political and social impact they both had on the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage and their global care for a world in crisis. We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve.”
Reiner recently directed “Spinal Tap Il: The End Continues”, the sequel to “This Is Spinal Tap”, which featured cameos from music legends Paul McCartney and Elton John, among others.
McCartney paid tribute to Reiner on social media, writing: “What a tragedy the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, is. It is so shocking in many ways but for me especially so, because over the last year I had been working with him. He directed me in ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. He was such an upbeat, lovable man.
“Life can be so unfair and this tragedy proves it. His father, Carl Reiner, was a great humourist before him and Rob followed in his dad’s footsteps doing a terrific job making many great films. I will always have fond memories of Rob and the idea that he and his wife will no longer be in the world with us is heartbreaking.
“Thanks for all the humour, Rob. Rest in Peace. Love Paul“.
On his Instagram story, John wrote: “I am in disbelief at today’s news of Rob and Michele. They were two of the most beautiful people I’d ever met and they deserved better. My thoughts are with them and their loved ones.”
During a press conference on Monday, Los Angeles Police Department chief Jim McDonnell revealed Nick Reiner had been “booked for murder”. The LAPD later said an initial investigation conducted by the agency’s Robbery Homicide Division “determined that the Reiners were the victims of homicide,” adding authorities’ investigation revealed Nick Reiner was “responsible for their deaths.”
The 32-year-old Nick began using drugs at age 15 and had struggled with substance abuse for more than a decade and a half. In the past he had said in the past that he had been homeless at times when he was on the run and refusing to go into rehab. He reportedly had at least 17 stays in rehab facilities.
The original “This Is Spinal Tap” film — directed by Reiner and written/improvised/performed by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer — was released in 1984 to critical acclaim and went on to become a cult classic that has directly inspired actual metal bands like METALLICA, spawned the “turn it up to 11” idiom, and been referenced in pop culture ever since. In 2002, it was deemed “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant” by the Library Of Congress, and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.
“This Is Spinal Tap” was released to little fanfare with some viewers convinced the bumbling dinosaurs — who had a knack of losing drummers in freak accidents — on screen were a genuine band. But word of mouth about the smartly observed film, which took a pop at bands such as STATUS QUO, LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH, spread and it became a sleeper hit.
In July SPINAL TAP have teamed up with music icon Elton John for an epic re-recording of the band’s classic cut “Stonehenge”, released today via Interscope Records. A music video for the song, featuring footage from the film, is also out today.
Watch “Stonehenge” with Elton John below.
The soul-stirring single will appear on “The End Continues”, the forthcoming album for the mockumentary “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues”, out September 12 to coincide with the film’s theatrical release. The 13-track set includes nine brand new songs and four reinvented favorites featuring additional guests Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.
A new trailer for the movie, featuring a musical clip of “Stonehenge” premiered last week at San Diego’s Comic-Con 2025 after Rob Reiner and Paul Feig‘s panel “Directors On Directing”.
Destined to become an instant cult classic, “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” picks up 41 years after the release of 1984’s groundbreaking “This Is Spinal Tap”, when now-estranged bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls (Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer) are forced to reunite for one final concert. Documentarian Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) returns as well, to try to capture his favorite metal gods as they contemplate mortality. Joined by music royalty like McCartney and John, SPINAL TAP wrestle with their checkered past to put on a concert that they hope will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock ‘n’ roll.
“Stonehenge” looms large in TAP lore thanks to a prop gaffe captured in the first movie, where the band ordered an 18-foot high version of the monument but instead received an 18-inch one. They’ve performed the song many times since, with rocks of various sizes, and Tufnel even appeared on NatGeo‘s 2008 “Stonehenge: Decoded” special to share his theories about the mysterious megaliths. For the new recording of the song, John brings his most arena-sized vocals to the mix, lording over shredding guitar, swirling synths, pounding drums, shrill pan pipes, and a full-band medieval jam session. Tufnel still holds down the eerie spoken parts.
“Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” will open in theaters and IMAX nationwide on September 12, following a recent limited theatrical re-release of “This Is Spinal Tap” newly restored in 4K resolution. The original film — directed by Reiner and written/improvised/performed by McKean, Guest and Shearer — released to critical acclaim and went on to become a cult classic that has directly inspired actual metal bands like METALLICA, spawned the “turn it up to 11” idiom, and been referenced in pop culture ever since. In 2002, it was deemed “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant” by the Library Of Congress, and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.
Meanwhile, TAP have played on, reuniting for various tours, charity gigs, festivals and TV appearances (including “SNL” and “The Simpsons”); collaborating with the likes of John Mayer, Cher, Slash, Adam “MCA” Yauch and members of FLEETWOOD MAC, FOO FIGHTERS and METALLICA; and releasing three albums: 1984’s “This Is Spinal Tap”, 1992’s “Break Like The Wind” and 2009’s “Back From The Dead”, which was nominated for a “Best Comedy Album” Grammy Award (all three charted on the Billboard 200).
“The End Continues” track listing:
01. Nigel’s Poem
02. Let’s Just Rock Again
03. Flower People (with Elton John)
04. Brighton Rock
05. The Devil’s Just Not Getting Old
06. Cups And Cakes (with Paul McCartney)
07. I Kissed A Girl
08. Angels
09. Big Bottom (with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood)
10. Judge And Jury
11. Rockin’ In The Urn
12. Blood To Let
13. Stonehenge (with Elton John)
Asked by The Hollywood Reporter what makes the original “This Is Spinal Tap” movie so timeless, Reiner said: “I don’t know. I mean, what’s weird is that when it first came out, nobody got it. They thought I made a movie about a real band that wasn’t very good. And why wouldn’t I make a movie about THE BEATLES or THE ROLLING STONES? It took a while before people really caught on to it and understood that we were making fun, we were having fun with it. And then over the years it kind of…”
He continued: “We had created like a parallel universe for SPINAL TAP; we didn’t talk about other bands. But then, all of a sudden, the real world started creeping in. They played Glastonbury, they played Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Stadium. And every rock band we talked to, they all said, ‘Oh my God. It’s just like what we do on tour.’ They keep the tape on the tour bus. They watch it over and over. Sting saw it and he said, ‘Every time I see it, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.’ So somehow we’ve seeped into the culture. The Oxford English dictionary now has ‘this goes to 11’ as a thing that’s not just about loud music, but about anything in excess. And we’re part of the Library Of Congress and the National Film Registry. So here we are. I mean, we never thought in a million years it was gonna happen like this.”
Regarding the plot for “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues”, Reiner, who directed the original movie and costarred as the fictional documentarian Martin “Marty” DiBergi and also returned for the sequel, said: “Well, what happens is we find out that they… And this we took from real life, which is the guys had not played with each other in 15 years. So we said, ‘Okay, what would cause them to get back together again?’ We created this whole idea that there’s bad blood, they’re not speaking to each other, what’s going on, and you find that out in the course of the film, but they now are forced together because of a contract. That was the last performance they had to give. It was a contract when their manager, Ian Faith, died, which is the real guy [who played Ian], [actor] Tony Hendra died. And the daughter takes it over and says, ‘Well, what am I gonna do with this contract? It’s worthless. They don’t play together.’ Then there’s a big music star screwing around at a soundcheck. He sings ‘Big Bottom’. It’s caught on an iPhone, they throw it up on TikTok and it goes viral. And then, ‘Okay, now we’ll play.’ And they go to New Orleans and play their last concert. But if you notice, it says ‘The End Continues’ [in the title of the movie]. These people never stop. They never stop.”
Social media