Rob Reiner's friend witnessed 'big love fest' at family home
Rob Reiner's friend, cinematographer Barry Markowitz, witnessed "one big love fest" when he stayed at the director's house last month.
Rob Reiner's friend witnessed "one big love fest" when he stayed at the director's house last month.
The When Harry Met Sally filmmaker and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at home on Sunday (14.12.25) and their son Nick, 32, has been charged with their murders, but cinematographer Barry Markowitz saw nothing but harmony when he spent time with the family at their Los Angeles home around 14 November.
Barry was in town for the premiere of his film The Perfect Gamble and Rob - who he had worked with on Being Charlie, a 2015 semi-autobiographical film co-written by Nick and directed by his father - insisted he stay at their house, where he spent time with the couple, their youngest son and daughter Romy, 27. Eldest child Jake Reiner, 34, wasn't around at the time of the visit.
The cinematographer descibed the home as "one big love fest" with lots of "family time", and while Nick had battled addiction in the past, he seemed "on the upswing".
He added to the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column: “He looked great. He was sitting and talking with the family. They eat dinner together, old-school, and a lot of love, always a lot of love.
“He helped out, he took out the garbage, he watched TV, he washed dishes. He’d bring me something to drink. He was just normal in that sense.”
Barry noted Nick would play tennis and basketball and do things around the house, and he had a "blast" during his five-night stay.
He said: “I think what’s puzzling the most… is that there was so much love, that it doesn’t jibe.
“I’m not here to judge anyone. L-o-v-e is the only thing I saw, and I don’t think it was fake. They had a real bond."
Rob and Michele had never given up on Nick, despite his many trips to rehab, and had no concerns for their safety around their middle child.
He said: “[Rob] never had fears for his safety. I’m not in his head, but we talked. [Nick] wasn’t a violent type.
“I slept in the same house as Nick. There was never a thought, I believe, in Rob’s head [that Nick was a danger.] If he would have thought his life was in peril at any point, he would have handled the situation.
“When somebody is mentally disturbed, you don’t need a reason. There’s no rhyme or reason. Mental illness — that’s the reason.”
