Billy Crystal ‘went to see’ Rob Reiner’s body to say one last thing to him
Within hours of the crime scene being secured, police arrested the Reiners’ youngest son, Nick Reiner, 32. He has since been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
When Billy Met Rob
Shortly after she made the gruesome discovery, TMZ reports that Romy, 28, contacted Billy Crystal, who had been a close friend of her father for 50 years.
“It worked really well, and we said, ‘It feels right onstage, why don’t we just continue this in our lives?’ We became the closest of friends,” Crystal, 77, wrote of his early bond with Reiner in a 2016 personal essay for The Hollywood Reporter.
Crystal then recalled that his “favorite moment” with his pal was at their first screening of When Harry Met Sally.”
“Rob and I were sitting in the back next to each other. Then the orgasm scene happens, and the place goes berserk. When Rob’s mother, Estelle, says, ‘I’ll have what she’s having,’ it was thunderous, a laugh you can only hear with the best of jokes in a concert hall. It’s those moments that make movies so spectacular: You set up the joke in September, and you don’t hear the punch line until May. We just grabbed each other’s hands because we knew something exciting was about to happen with this movie.”
“He was so smart and so accurate and funny at the same time. And he was a terrific actor as well. It’s a very impressive combination of talents that I first met – plus, he was just hilarious,” Crystal added.
‘Looked like he was about to cry’
On Dec. 14, photographers on scene captured images of Crystal wiping his face as he stood with his wife and spoke briefly with law enforcement before leaving.
The Analyze That star was observed outside the home by a neighbor, who told ABC7 that that he appeared deeply affected, and “looked like he was about to cry.”
TMZ writes that before watching first responders tending to his friends, Crystal had a chance to say to say his last “goodbyes” – but from a distance.
A representative for Crystal disputed earlier reports that claimed the star and his wife saw the bodies, stating that the couple was never permitted to get close to the house. According to the spokesperson, Crystal and his wife remained outside the property and did not enter the residence.
