Jamie Lee Curtis battling 'very private grief' over Rob and Michele Reiner's deaths
Jamie Lee Curtis has admitted she's been immersed in a "very private grief" following the murder of her friends Rob and Michele Reiner but she's determined to honour them and continue their "good work".
Jamie Lee Curtis has been immersed in a "very private grief" following the death of her friends Rob and Michele Reiner.
The Halloween star, 67, was left devastated after the director and his wife were killed at their home in Los Angeles last December as she's been close to the couple for years and she honoured her late friends at the Emmy awards in September by giving a tribute and Jamie admitted the moment was "tougher" than she "anticipated".
She told The Hollywood Reporter: "I’m obviously a close friend of theirs; we got married at Rob’s house on Dec. 18, 1984. Rob was the best man.
"My late sister Kelly was my maid of honor. So we are close. Rob is our daughter Annie’s godfather. When Michele married Rob, she and Rob became my daughter’s godparents.
"We have a closeness, of course. What I’m trying to say is that I felt a responsibility to represent everyone - strangers, fans, colleagues, friends, close friends and family - in that moment at the Emmys. I was fine and happy to do it."
Jamie added: "It was very challenging ... I was happy to do it, but it was a little tougher than I anticipated ... It’s been a little strange because it’s a very private grief, and yet I’m a public-facing person. I’m trying to walk that line a little bit."
Jamie revealed she listened to the song Bridge Over Troubled Water on repeat before taking to the stage so she wouldn't be overwhelmed with sadness when the track was played during the awards show.
She explained: "I went to the rehearsal, and they were playing Bridge Over Troubled Water. There’s an exercise in grief about desensitizing yourself, so I listened to that song for the next day, trying to get used to it."
The actress will be honouring her friends once again next month when she accepts the inaugural recipient of the Michele and Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award at the Children’s Institute’s Cape and Gown Gala, which benefits the Children’s Institute - the charity run by Michele Reiner's sister Martine Singer.
Jamie admitted she doesn't want her speech to be "funeral-like" when she takes to the stage on November 8 - declaring her's determined to honour her friends and turn the sad moment into a celebration.
She said: "Rob and Michele’s [lives are] celebratory. They would not want this [event] to be morbid and funeral-like. It has to be a celebration.
"So, I’m going to suit up, show up, do my thing, stand there in community and say thank you to them."
The When Harry Met Sally filmmaker and his wife were found dead at their home in December and their youngest son Nick Reiner subsequently charged with their murders. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and remains in custody ahead of his trial.
