Nine months after Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner died, their family continued to feel the loss. Michele’s sister Martine Singer opened up about their marriage, their children and the grief that followed.
The tragedy changed the family’s lives overnight, leaving Jake and Romy Reiner without their parents. Singer said everyone had found their own way to cope while remaining closely connected.
Michele Reiner’s sister Martine Singer reflects on the lasting pain of losing Rob and Michele Reiner
Singer spoke exclusively with Extra about the loss and her sister’s 36-year marriage to Rob. “Our lives are changed forever,” she said. She compared grief to a wound that never fully disappeared. “I suppose you heal from a wound, but the scar is there,” Singer explained. “It’s a really hard thing to describe because it never goes away.”
Singer also remembered the couple’s relationship with obvious affection. “They were absolutely incredible together,” she said. “They met and didn’t take long before they were together forever.”
Her focus also remained on Jake and Romy, who lost both parents in December. Singer said the family continued healing individually while supporting one another through the aftermath. “Everybody in the family is healing in his or her own way,” she said. Singer added, “I’ll never be my sister, and I can never be what’s missing in their lives, but I consider them my kids. There’s no daylight between us.”
The case surrounding the deaths also continued through the courts. Nick Reiner, Rob and Michele’s son, faced charges connected to his parents’ deaths and had pleaded not guilty. His next court appearance was scheduled for October. Away from the courtroom, Singer continued the work she shared with the couple. She served as president and CEO of Children’s Institute, a Los Angeles organization supporting children and families.
“The work that we do is really working with the whole family, working with the community, working with community partners all the time,” Singer said. Rob and Michele had supported that mission for years. Singer remembered them as “the most caring, generous, brilliant people” who worked to “heal the world.”
Their legacy will also continue through Jamie Lee Curtis. The actress will receive the inaugural Michele and Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award from Children’s Institute. Singer said Curtis “embodies very much their spirit, their generosity” and called her “a kindred spirit.”