Actress Meg Ryan paid tribute to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner on Wednesday, praising the couple for their belief in “true love, in fairy tales, and in laughter.”
Ryan starred in Reiner’s “When Harry Met Sally…,” a classic rom-com that served as her breakout role.
“Oh how we will miss this man,” Ryan said in a post on Instagram. “Thank you, Rob and Michelle, for the way you believe in true love, in fairy tales, and in laughter. Thank you for your faith in the best in people, and for your profound love of our country.”
“I have to believe that their story will not end with this impossible tragedy, that some good may come, some awareness raised,” Ryan continued. “I don’t know, but my guess is that they would want that to be hopeful and humane, to be something that brings us all to a greater understanding of one another and to some peace.”
Reiner and his wife were found dead Sunday at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Their son Nick Reiner has been arrested on murder charges.
Ryan’s “When Harry Met Sally” co-star Billy Crystal released a joint statement with several other close friends of Reiner’s, including his childhood friend Albert Brooks. In the statement provided to The Associated Press, they said, “Rob Reiner not only was a great comic actor, he became a master story teller. … His comedic touch was beyond compare.”
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“Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens,” the statement said. “They were a special force together-dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever.”
The happy ending of “When Harry Met Sally…” had some real-life inspiration, with Reiner saying he changed it to have the couple end up together after meeting his future wife Michele on the set of the film. The two married in 1989 and had three children together: sons Nick and Jake, and daughter Romy.
CBS celebrates Reiner’s life and life’s work through the eyes of those who knew him in “CBS News: Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life,” a one-hour special that will be broadcast Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
