Rob Reiner Death

Billy Crystal and his wife Janice saw the slain bodies of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele ... because TMZ has learned they arrived at the scene in a flash after a family member called them about the horrific discovery.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Rob and Michele's daughter Romy called Crystal and his wife not long after she called police to report finding her parents brutally murdered inside their Brentwood home Sunday.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Billy and his wife raced over to the house -- and were there so quickly, one source tells us -- the couple actually saw their slain friends ... and wanted to say their goodbyes.

Nick Reiner -- the son of Rob and Michele Reiner, who's been arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents -- stuck out like a sore thumb at Conan O'Brien's Christmas party ... and he was acting out of place.

Sources at the party, which went down Saturday night at Conan's, tell TMZ ... Nick seemed out of place based on how he was dressed and how he was carrying himself.

We're told Nick showed up to the very formal party in a hoodie, while everyone else was wearing nice suits and dresses.

Our sources say Nick roamed around in his sweatshirt, didn't interact with people, kept to himself, and was very reserved ... all of which made some folks feel his behavior was odd.

Tanya Brown -- whose sister, Nicole Brown, was slain in 1994 -- opened up to TMZ about the eerie similarities between Rob and Michele Reiner's killings and the brutal murder of her sister, which sparked the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial.

Tanya tells TMZ ... she saw the words "murder in Brentwood" posted on social media Sunday night, which understandably conjured up old, terrible memories.

As we reported ... Rob and his wife were found Sunday with their throats slit inside their Brentwood, California home.

Tanya said, "The story is very triggering -- beyond triggering. I’ve shed a lot of tears ... it’s very personal to me."

Nick Reiner -- the son of Rob and Michele Reiner, who's been arrested on suspicion of murdering them -- was missing for hours after his parents were found with their throats slit inside their Brentwood home ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources say ... after Rob and Michele's daughter Romy found their bodies, she noted to police Nick had been living there and was possibly behind the murders.

When police responded to a call for a death investigation around 3:40 PM Sunday, Nick was nowhere to be found. Romy was the one who called 911 and told police her brother was "dangerous" and should be considered a suspect.

Romy told police Nick was not there when she arrived, insinuating he fled the scene. Police finally located and arrested Nick at approximately 9:15 PM Sunday.

Nick is currently in police custody, held without bail.

Rob Reiner and his wife Michele’s deaths have sent shockwaves through Hollywood ... and Donnell Rawlings is opening up to TMZ about the tremendous impact Rob had on the entertainment industry, and how profound the loss of the couple is.

We caught up with the comedian at LAX Monday morning, and he told us that while it’ll be incredibly tough, he hopes Rob’s family and friends can eventually find some understanding of how this tragedy happened.

Catch the full clip -- Donnell looks back on Rob’s groundbreaking career, talking about how he embraced change when others wouldn’t and used his platform to open doors for people along the way.

Donald Trump is doubling down on his jaw-dropping claim that Rob Reiner might still be alive if he'd been nicer about him -- branding the acclaimed director a bad influence on the United States.

Asked Monday in the Oval Office about Republicans blasting his earlier remarks following their tragic deaths, Trump vehemently declared he was no fan of Reiner and re-upped his earlier jab, insisting RR was suffering from "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

Trump went on to claim Reiner made false statements about him -- including accusations of being controlled by Russia -- making it clear he’s well aware Reiner has long been politically opposed to him and, in Trump’s view, undermining his leadership.

Soledad O'Brien stopped by "TMZ Live" Monday, still reeling from the loss of her collaborator Rob Reiner and his wife Michele ... and Soledad had some choice words for Donald Trump's disparaging post about the late actor-director.

Soledad got to know Rob well while co-hosting the 10-part true-crime podcast series, "Who Killed JFK?"

She tells TMZ, Rob was kind to everyone ... "The person who was taking in the audio, the person who was shooting, the person who was producing, the person who was helping the person who was producing, the assistants ... absolutely the kindest human being."

In fact, Soledad described Rob and his wife as "two really wonderful, kind people," making their gruesome deaths all the more heartbreaking.

"It's so horrific," Soledad said. "I honestly cannot believe it."

Rob Reiner, his wife Michele, and their son Nick attended Conan O'Brien's Christmas party Saturday night. At the party, Rob and Nick got into a "very loud argument," loud enough for many others to hear ... Reiner family sources tell TMZ. We're told Rob and Michele then left the party. We do not know if Nick left as well.

TMZ is the first to report the argument between Rob and Nick before the murders.

Our family sources add … Michele had been anguishing to friends over the last few months that she and Rob were at their wits' end over Nick's mental illness and alleged substance abuse issues, and did not know what to do with their son Nick … saying, "We've tried everything."

As you know ... the legendary actor-director and his wife were found in their L.A.-area house Sunday with their throats slit. Nick was arrested Monday morning and booked for murder ... he's held on $4 million bail.

11:16 AM PT -- Nick Reiner's original $4 million bond has been changed ... he's now being held without bail.

Rob and Michele Reiner's son Nick has been arrested and is being held on $4 million bail, TMZ has learned.

The 32-year-old is in the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department as of Monday morning, according to online records. He was booked at the LAPD jail.

As we reported ... the couple was found by one of their daughters Sunday with their throats slit inside their Los Angeles home. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said Nick is a suspect in the case, and announced his arrest on suspicion of murder.

Rob Reiner and his wife Michele had their throats slit by a family member, possibly after an argument inside their Los Angeles home, leading to their tragic deaths ... TMZ has learned

It's unclear what exactly triggered the violence, which went down Sunday afternoon in Brentwood ... but we're told one of Rob's daughters found her parents dead and told police a family member had killed them. PEOPLE reports the couple's son, Nick, was questioned in connection with the murders. Nick has since been arrested for murder.

Our sources also say the daughter told police the family member "should be a suspect" because they're "dangerous."

TMZ broke the story ... Rob and Michele suffered lacerations consistent with knife wounds, and LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division is investigating the case.

Zooey Deschanel just shared an emotional tribute to Rob Reiner ... fondly looking back on her time working with him on "New Girl."

In a social media post Monday morning, just hours after we reported on Rob and his wife's deaths, Zooey says ... "My heart is broken. Rob Reiner was the absolute warmest, funniest, most generous of spirits."

She continues ... "A truly good human being. An incredible artist and such a playful and fun collaborator. I cherish the time we spent working together and the many films he made that have shaped who I am."

Zooey adds ... "Rob and his lovely wife Michele were always so kind and it brought me so much joy any time I was lucky enough to see them."

Rob Reiner and his son Nick were on rocky ground long before tragedy struck ... with both publicly hinting at a fractured father-son relationship years before the director and his wife were brutally killed ... crimes Nick is now allegedly linked to.

Back in a 2015 interview while plugging "Being Charlie" -- a film loosely inspired by Nick’s real-life struggles, directed by Rob and written by Nick -- Rob admitted the two butted heads during the writing process, but the clash actually helped him understand his son more ... and said it even made him a better father.

As Rob got emotional, Nick sat stone-faced ... before finally chiming in that their bond came from him watching his dad in his element, doing what Rob did best -- making movies -- adding he probably should’ve kept quiet and learned from him.

Many tributes have poured in following the loss of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, mourning their passing by sharing condolences and fond memories ... but President Donald Trump took a whole other approach, suggesting Rob would still be alive if the director had been nicer to him.

POTUS took to Truth Social to politicize the ghastly event, calling Rob a "tortured and struggling" comedy star.

Trump claimed the homicides occurred "reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS."

Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were killed inside their Los Angeles home Sunday ... leading to an outpouring of tributes from across Hollywood and the world.

Ben Stiller called it "a huge loss," writing, "Rob Reiner was one of my favorite directors. He made some of the most formative movies for my generation. He came out from behind a huge comedic shadow of the great Carl Reiner, and being a TV actor to being a great director who made an incredible run of movies. 'Spinal Tap' is one of the best comedies ever made -- and the list goes on. He was a kind, caring person who was really, really funny."

Hollywood and fans are reeling over the killing of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele ... and the family is speechless, finding it difficult to comprehend the news.

TMZ broke the story ... the legendary actor-director and his wife were slain in their Brentwood home Sunday ... and we've learned the couple's son Nick was in law enforcement custody as of Monday morning, being questioned about their deaths.

Tracy Reiner -- Rob's adopted daughter from his marriage to ex-wife Penny Marshall -- told NBC News ... “I came from the greatest family ever. I don’t know what to say. I’m in shock.”