Rob Reiner Death

The surviving loved ones of Rob and Michele Reiner have a little more closure today ... the couple's death certificates have been released.

TMZ obtained the late couple's certificates from the Los Angeles County Public Health Dept. ... while they list some information already publicly known -- multiple sharp force injuries as their causes of death -- the gravity of the documents is still heavy.

They were both cremated at Mount Sinai Mortuary. Their final resting place is the home of their son, Jake.

Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman -- formerly the president of the American Psychiatric Association -- stopped by "TMZ Live," sharing some disturbing insight into the multiple rehab facilities ... which ultimately failed Rob and Michele Reiner's son Nick.

Before his parents' tragic murders, Nick was in and out of rehab at least 18 times. While Nick struggled with substance abuse, Dr. Lieberman suggested the care he received was palliative at best ... and after-care at rehabilitation programs is generally inadequate, resulting in a revolving-door repetition of treatment and release.

Lieberman said, "[Rehab centers] don't necessarily provide mental healthcare for a primary diagnosis such as schizophrenia, which may have been the reason that impelled Nick to use illegal medications, which he became addicted to."

Nick Reiner is expected to claim insanity in his parents' murder case ... and we have a resurfaced interview where he admitted to using the same tactic in the past as a ploy to get drugs.

While promoting his 2015 film "Being Charlie," Nick spoke on the addiction and recovery podcast "Dopey," spilling about how he got prescribed the antidepressant Wellbutrin.

Nick told host Dave Manheim that while he was a patient at Alina Lodge -- an addiction treatment center in New Jersey -- the staff refused to give him drugs. This is, of course, standard procedure for a sober clinic, but Nick wasn't taking "no" for an answer.

During its final episode of the year, "Saturday Night Live" paused to pay tribute to late producer Rob Reiner ... flashing a title card with an old photo of Rob before the show's "goodnight" segment.

The in memoriam gesture comes less than a week after Reiner and his wife -- Michele Singer Reiner -- were found dead in their Los Angeles home. Their son -- Nick Reiner -- is now facing first-degree murder charges after being arrested in connection with their deaths.

Reiner hosted SNL’s third episode back in 1975 during the show’s early days ... and unlike hosts George Carlin and Paul Simon at the time, he fully joined in the sketches ... helping set the style that would forever define the series.

As we reported, the couple's daughter, Romy, is the one who discovered Rob and Michele's bodies and called 911. She told police her brother Nick was "dangerous" and should be considered a suspect.

Nick was arrested about 6 hours after police responded to the call. He's currently held on suicide watch at Men's Central Jail in L.A. without bond and awaits his January 7th hearing.

LAPD searched the hotel room where Nick Reiner checked in around the time his parents were murdered, and TMZ has been told the police did not have a search warrant.

Harvey explains during the latest episode of the "2 Angry Men" podcast what happened at around 1 AM Monday ... when an LAPD detective showed up at the Pierside Santa Monica hotel.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the detective told the front desk clerk he was looking for a guest named Nick Reiner. The detective told the clerk he was there for a "welfare check." But he also told the clerk he was concerned Reiner "disposed of a weapon and used the room to clean and dispose of evidence in a violent crime."

Nick Reiner is spending his days in an L.A. jail, dealing with the aftermath of the violent murders of his parents, and he's not been able to fully process it ... TMZ has learned.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... Nick is not reeling in grief. Rather, he's "in a fog"  ... in no small part due to his medical condition and the meds he's taking.

Our source goes on to characterize Nick as "calm," "cognizant," and "dazed" -- adding Nick isn't even close to processing what happened.

TMZ broke the story ... Nick had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. In the weeks leading up to the murders, we're told he was out of control. Our sources characterized Nick as "erratic" and "dangerous." As we reported, he was recently treated at an L.A.-based rehab facility that specializes in mental health and substance abuse and was under the care of a psychiatrist.

Nick Reiner was an unsolvable dilemma for his parents ... so says a substance abuse treatment expert.

Nick Mathews -- the founder and CEO of Southern California-based treatment center Stillwater Behavioral Health -- joined us on "TMZ Live," and we asked him about Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner's son, who is charged with their murders.

For Mathews, Nick presented a treatment provider's worst nightmare ... he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but had been in and out of rehab for years and struggled with substance abuse.

Just listen to Mathews explain all the challenges Nick would present for the rehab centers and doctors tasked with treating him ... there's no quick, easy fix or even a cut-and-dry solution here.

Rob Reiner's and Michele Singer Reiner's bodies have been released from the L.A. County Medical Examiner's custody ... TMZ has learned.

A source with knowledge tells TMZ ... the Reiners' bodies have been released to the family. Details on a service will be released at a later time.

As you know ... Rob and Michele were found dead in their Brentwood home Sunday and their son Nick Reiner has been arrested and charged with their murders.

Denise Richards' estranged husband Aaron Phypers appeared in court Friday to face charges of allegedly injuring Denise ... and he made an eyebrow-raising comparison between his situation and recent tragic events.

We got the 53-year-old actor as he exited L.A.'s Van Nuys courthouse for the first time since being arrested ... and he compared Denise to suspected murderer Nick Reiner.

Watch the video ... he tells us, "I never assaulted her ... this is all show ... she's just playing this as a game. It's like the Me Too movement."

Then, when asked what he thinks her motives are, Aaron answered, "What happened to Rob Reiner recently? There's a lot of influence there, guys. And I'm not calling stuff out, but do a drug test."

Nick Reiner was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and in the weeks leading up to the murder of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, the meds he was taking made him "erratic and dangerous" ... TMZ has learned.

Two sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Nick was under the care of a psychiatrist for mental illness. We're told in the month before the murders, Nick's behavior had gotten "alarming."

He had recently received care at a Los Angeles-based rehab facility that specializes in mental illness and substance abuse. We're told the facility charges $70,000 a month ... and lots of rich, powerful parents send their troubled kids there.

Our sources say 3 to 4 weeks before the murders, doctors changed his meds and he became even more erratic. Our sources say doctors were trying to adjust the medications so Nick stabilized, but it wasn't working.

JB Smoove is reflecting on Rob Reiner's life and work ... saying they’d been planning to link up for a while, but now JB's left with a meetup that never happened, and a moment he’ll always regret.

TMZ caught up with JB at LAX Thursday, and he tells us Rob had veganism on the brain and was planning to hit him up for advice ... but sadly, that conversation never got the chance to happen in person.

You gotta catch the clip -- JB also reflects on how Rob basically saved "Seinfeld," which of course led to the later success of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." And JB reminds us about those rare moments we miss when we let our day-to-day busy lives get in the way of deeper connections.

Nancy Grace says the double homicides of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner are a textbook example of a case that calls for the death penalty ... and that could be bad news for alleged murderer Nick Reiner.

Nancy tells TMZ ... this case is the classic example of when capital punishment should be applied, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen.

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman mentioned the death penalty in a recent press conference, so it's being talked about among prosecutors ... but as Nancy explains, a final decision on capital punishment goes way beyond the D.A. office.

New footage shows Nick Reiner walking around in Santa Monica hours before his parents' dead bodies were discovered in their Brentwood home ... and he's heading toward the hotel he checked into.

TMZ obtained surveillance video from a local business on Santa Monica Pier. You see Nick walking down the sidewalk, towards the Pierside Santa Monica hotel.

The video was shot around 4 AM Sunday ... and Nick looks like he's carrying a black backpack and wearing a hat ... just like the video we obtained of him at a Brentwood gas station earlier in the evening.

We don’t know if this video of Nick was shot before or after he allegedly murdered his parents.

What we do know is that he checked into the hotel approximately 6 minutes after he's seen in this footage. Sources with direct knowledge told us no one saw any blood on Nick when he arrived at the hotel at 4:15 AM.

Nick Reiner did NOT get booted from his parents' house the night before Rob and Michele Reiner were murdered in the Brentwood home where they lived with their son ... TMZ has learned.

There has been speculation online Rob kicked Nick out of the house Saturday night after returning from Conan O'Brien's Christmas party.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ, Nick left on his own accord. We do not know the circumstances under which Nick decided to leave. TMZ broke the story he and Rob got into a heated argument at Conan's party ... but it’s unclear if the exchange continued back at the Reiner residence.

Our sources confirm … Nick was not mentally sound in the period of time leading up to the murders. A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ … Nick's mental instability went beyond consuming illegal substances. We're told prescription drugs "messed with his head."

Nick Reiner appeared noticeably different in the days leading up to the deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner -- coming off as "drained" and "abnormal" ... according to gas station employees who say they’ve known him for years.

TMZ spoke with multiple employees at a Sinclair gas station in Brentwood, a spot they say the Reiner family frequented regularly.

One employee tells us they last saw Nick about two weeks ago, recalling he looked tired and was unusually standoffish.

At the time, Nick purchased a pack of Marlboro Lights, which employees say was routine for him. They add that he did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The son and daughter of Rob and Michele Reiner have broken their silence ... days after their sibling Nick allegedly killed their beloved, iconic Hollywood parents in their Brentwood home.

Jake and Romy Reiner say in a statement first obtained by TMZ ... "Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren't just our parents; they were our best friends."

"We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life."

"We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave."