Indie filmmaker Jeff Baena, Aubrey Plaza’s husband, found dead at Los Angeles home
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Writer-director Jeff Baena, whose darkly comedic independent films included “The Little Hours” and who was married to his frequent creative collaborator Aubrey Plaza, has died. He was 47.
Baena was found dead Friday morning at a Los Angeles home, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. The circumstances of his death remained unclear Saturday, and the office said it was investigating and a full report would not be available until the case is closed.
Baena co-wrote David O. Russell’s 2004 film “I Heart Huckabees” and wrote and directed five of his own films, four of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
He had been dating Plaza for three years before she starred in his 2014 directorial debut, the zombie comedy “Life After Beth.” His next film, 2016’s “Joshy,” featured Thomas Middleditch as a man who gets together with friends months after his fiancee commits suicide.
The son of an attorney and teacher, Baena grew up in Miami and attended film school at New York University. He told podcaster Marc Maron in a 2017 interview that his interest in cinema was sparked after watching Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” and Federico Fellini’s “8 1/2” as a child.
“I was always drawn to left-of-center things,” he told Jim Alexander two years ago in an interview for the Reel Talker YouTube channel.
Baena said in the same interview that it was “amazing” to work with Plaza, who appeared in four of his five films. The 40-year-old actor and producer rose to fame playing April Ludgate on the television series “Parks and Recreation” and was nominated for an Emmy for her role on “The White Lotus.” The couple married in 2021.
“The opportunities to create together, to do something creative where we’re both fulfilled, it’s like how rare is that? She’s down and she’s so talented, so I’m really lucky,” Baena said.
A representative for Plaza said that in addition to Plaza, Baena is survived by his mother, Barbara Stern, stepfather Roger Stern, father Scott Baena, stepmother Michele Baena, brother Brad Baena and stepsiblings Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman.
Aubrey Plaza's husband, director Jeff Baena, found dead at 47
Filmmaker Jeff Baena, the husband of actress Aubrey Plaza, has died aged 47.
His body was discovered by an assistant at his Los Angeles home on Friday morning, where he was later pronounced dead, media reports say.
The American director, best known for films The Little Hours, Life After Beth and Joshy, married Ms Plaza in 2021.
The family told Deadline they were "devastated" and asked for privacy at this difficult time.
Ms Plaza, 40, star of TV series The White Lotus and Parks and Recreation, has not yet commented publicly on the death of her husband.
The circumstances of his death remain unclear.
Mr Baena graduated from New York University with a degree in film before moving to LA to pursue directing.
He worked in production under filmmakers Robert Zemeckis and David O'Russell, before breaking away to make his own films.
He made his directorial debut in 2014 with the release of the zombie comedy film Life After Beth, which featured Plaza.
The pair would go on to collaborate on several projects.
Jeff Baena, Writer-Director Married to Aubrey Plaza, Dies by Suicide at 47
Jeff Baena, a writer and director who was also married to Aubrey Plaza, has died, PEOPLE can confirm. He was 47.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that an assistant discovered Baena's body at a Los Angeles-area home around 10:30 a.m. local time on Friday, Jan. 3. He was pronounced dead at the scene, per the outlet.
According to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner, the manner of Baena's death was ruled a suicide by hanging.
Representatives for Baena did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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Baena was born and raised in Miami. He later attended film school at New York University and moved to Los Angeles shortly after graduating to begin his career in entertainment.
Baena has more than a dozen directing and film credits to his name.
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Most notably, he co-wrote the 2004 film I Heart Huckabees starring Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law and Naomi Watts. Not long after, he made his directorial debut by writing and directing Life After Beth, a zombie comedy starring Plaza, 40.
Later on, Baena created an anthology series titled Cinema Toast, which aired on Showtime in 2021 and marked Plaza's own directorial debut.
Baena met and started dating Plaza in 2011. They kept their relationship very private over the years, never announcing their engagement or wedding.
The world learned that the two had tied the knot in May 2021, when Plaza referred to Baena as her "darling husband" in an Instagram post.
"So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to italia to cause some more trouble," her caption read.
A rep later confirmed to PEOPLE that the couple had tied the knot.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
Jeff Baena, filmmaker and husband of Aubrey Plaza, dead at 47
Indie screenwriter and director Jeff Baena has died at 47 years old. Representatives for Baena's wife, "Parks and Rec" star Aubrey Plaza," directed CBS News to a report of Baena's death by Deadline.
His death was also confirmed to CBS News by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. The coroner's office reported that Baena died by suicide.
Baena is best known for the 2014 comedy "Life After Beth," which starred Plaza, and his work co-writing 2004's "I Heart Huckabees," according to his IMDB page. More recently, he created, wrote, directed and executive produced Showtime's 2021 series "Cinema Toast" and wrote, directed and produced the 2022 movie "Spin Me Round."
Baena and Plaza, 40, wed in 2021. The pair frequently collaborated on his projects. Plaza opened up about the wedding on The Ellen Show, describing the ceremony as an impromptu event held in their backyard while they were sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The wedding was held on their tenth anniversary together, Plaza said.
"I just said 'It's our 10-year anniversary, we should do something, get an ice cream cone, you know, do something special. And then I joked about getting married and he's like 'Well, we probably couldn't get married that fast,'" she said. "He was like 'We probably couldn't get married that fast.' I said 'Wouldn't it be nice to get married on our actual anniversary? And then I Googled it, and I found OneHourMarriage.com, and then I called around 5 p.m., and I said 'Can you come in an hour and marry me in our yard?'"
He is survived by Plaza, his mother Barbara Stern, his stepfather Roger Stern, his father Scott Baena, his stepmother Michele Baena, and his brother Brad Baena and stepsiblings Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman, according to Deadline.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here
For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email [email protected].
Indie filmmaker Jeff Baena, Aubrey Plaza's husband, found dead at Los Angeles home
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Writer-director Jeff Baena, whose darkly comedic independent films included “The Little Hours” and who was married to his frequent creative collaborator Aubrey Plaza, has died. He was 47.
Baena was found dead Friday morning at a Los Angeles home, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office. The circumstances of his death remained unclear Saturday, and the office said it was investigating and a full report would not be available until the case is closed.
Baena co-wrote David O. Russell's 2004 film “I Heart Huckabees” and wrote and directed five of his own films, four of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
He had been dating Plaza for three years before she starred in his 2014 directorial debut, the zombie comedy “Life After Beth." His next film, 2016's “Joshy,” featured Thomas Middleditch as a man who gets together with friends months after his fiancee commits suicide.
The son of an attorney and teacher, Baena grew up in Miami and attended film school at New York University. He told podcaster Marc Maron in a 2017 interview that his interest in cinema was sparked after watching Stanley Kubrick's “A Clockwork Orange” and Federico Fellini's “8 1/2” as a child.
“I was always drawn to left-of-center things,” he told Jim Alexander two years ago in an interview for the Reel Talker YouTube channel.
Baena said in the same interview that it was “amazing” to work with Plaza, who appeared in four of his five films. The 40-year-old actor and producer rose to fame playing April Ludgate on the television series “Parks and Recreation” and was nominated for an Emmy for her role on “The White Lotus.” The couple married in 2021.
“The opportunities to create together, to do something creative where we're both fulfilled, it's like how rare is that? She's down and she's so talented, so I'm really lucky," Baena said.
A representative for Plaza said that in addition to Plaza, Baena is survived by his mother, Barbara Stern, stepfather Roger Stern, father Scott Baena, stepmother Michele Baena, brother Brad Baena and stepsiblings Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman.
Jeff Baena, writer, director and husband of Aubrey Plaza, dead at 47
Jeff Baena, a writer and director whose credits include “Life After Beth” and “The Little Hours,” has died, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
He was 47.
Baena died at his home in Los Angeles on Friday. His cause of death is listed as deferred on coroner records.
Baena was the husband of actor and comedian Aubrey Plaza. The two worked on several projects together, including the 2014’s horror-comedy “Life After Beth” and the 2017 historical comedy “The Little Hours.”
More recently, the pair collaborated on the 2021 comedy series “Cinema Toast,” and the 2022 film “Spin Me Round.” Both of those projects also featured actor Alison Brie, who additionally starred in Baena’s 2020 drama “Horse Girl.”
Baena is known for co-writing the acclaimed 2004 film “I Heart Huckabees,” which featured Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin, and for writing and directing the 2016 dramedy “Joshy” starring Thomas Middleditch.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Baena and Plaza for comment.
The couple married in a private ceremony in 2021 and had been together since 2011.
Around that time, Plaza told People about how the Covid-19 pandemic strengthened their relationship.
“We were quarantined for months and months like everybody else,” she said at the time. “And we did enjoy it. I think it was, obviously other than all of the catastrophic things happening in the world, just on a personal level, relationship level, was kind of nice to just be forced to be in one place for that long.”
Baena was a graduate of NYU Tisch Film School. After moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment, he worked as a production assistant for Robert Zemeckis and as an assistant editor for David O. Russell, with whom he collaborated on “Huckabees.”
“I think it’s rare to have as many opportunities as I’ve had. I’ve been lucky and I’m definitely appreciative of that,” Baena said in a 2022 interview with Reel Talker. “I love movies and I love filmmaking. I just celebrate it and I hope younger filmmakers and new filmmakers also have a chance to express themselves.”
He reflected on working with Plaza in that same interview.
“She’s awesome. I would be working with her if she wasn’t my wife, but luckily she is,” he said. “Having that sort of shorthand and that sort of connection is amazing… The opportunities to create together and do something creative where we’re both fulfilled, how rare is that.”
Baena is survived by Plaza, his parents and stepparents, along with several siblings.
This story has been updated to include additional information.
Jeff Baena Dies: The Indie Filmmaker And Husband Of Actress Aubrey Plaza Was 47
Jeff Baena, the screenwriter and film director, and husband of actress Aubrey Plaza (The White Lotus), died on January 3. He was 47. An assistant reportedly discovered his body at a home in Los Angeles, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. A cause of death has not been revealed.
Born in Miami on June 29, 1977, Jeff Baena began his career as a production assistant for director Robert Zemeckis, working on a number of his films.
Baena then took a job as an assistant editor for writer-director David O. Russell, where the two began collaborating on scripts together. One of those scripts was I Heart Huckabees, which Russell directed in 2004. At the same time, Baena penned the zombie comedy Life After Beth, which marked his debut as a director.
The next film for Baena was The Little Hours in 2017, with Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dave Franco, Kate Micucci, John C. Reilly, and Molly Shannon. Baena teamed with Alison Brie again in Horse Girl, which opened in 2020.
Baena also created an anthology series for Showtime titled Cinema Toast in 2021. And his now final film, Spin Me Round, premiered in 2022.
Baena is survived by wife Aubrey Plaza, mom Barbara Stern and stepfather Roger Stern, dad Scott Baena and stepmother Michele Baena, brother Brad Baena and stepsister and stepbrother Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman.
