Actor Billy Crystal led an emotional tribute at the 98th Academy Awards Sunday night to his longtime friend, director and actor Rob Reiner, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner.
“Their loss is immeasurable,” Crystal said of the couple, who were found dead inside their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14, 2025.
Crystal, who collaborated with Reiner on several projects, recalled Reiner’s great films, from “When Harry Met Sally” to “Spinal Tap,” and the loving and impactful relationship he had with Michele.
Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton, Fred Savage, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane, Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Kiefer Sutherland, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga speak at the 98th Academy Awards, March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, Calif.
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The couple married in 1989 and had three children: Jake, Nick and Romy.
Shortly after the Reiners’ death, their son Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested for murder and charged with two counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of multiple murders. He pleaded not guilty to murder charges in February.
Crystal did not mention the circumstances of their deaths in his Oscars tribute, instead choosing to focus on the impact the couple left in the worlds of filmmaking and social justice.
After his remarks, Crystal was joined onstage at the Dolby Theatre by more than one dozen of Rob Reiner’s past collaborators, including actresses Meg Ryan, Demi Moore, Annette Bening and Kathy Bates and actors Kiefer Sutherland, Mandy Patinkin, Fred Savage and Jerry O’Connell.
Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton, Fred Savage, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane, Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Kiefer Sutherland, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga speak at the 98th Academy Awards, March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, Calif.
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The Oscars In Memoriam segment went on to recognize more stars who died over the past year, including a tribute from actress Rachel McAdams to actresses Diane Keaton and Catherine O’Hara, both of whom died in the past six months.
Later, singing legend Barbra Streisand made a surprise appearance to honor the late Robert Redford, with whom she starred in “The Way We Were.”
Barbra Streisand speaks about the late Robert Redford as she is shown on screen with him during the In Memoriam segment at the 98th Academy Awards, March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, Calif.
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After paying tribute to Redford, who died in September, Streisand sang a few notes from “The Way We Were.”
