Aubrey Plaza and husband Jeff Baena had been separated four months before his death
A medical examiner’s report has confirmed that actor Aubrey Plaza and her late husband, director Jeff Baena, had been separated for four months before he passed away in January.
Baena began his career as a screenwriter and wrote David O Russell’s film I Heart Huckabees before making his directorial debut with 2014’s Life After Beth, which starred Plaza. His other films included 2016’s Joshy, 2017’s The Little Hours, 2020’s Horse Girl, and 2022’s Spin Me Round, which was his final feature.
Baena and Plaza separated in September of last year after three years of marriage. On January 4th, an assistant found him unresponsive in his home in Los Angeles, and his death was later ruled to be a suicide.
The new report from the medical examiner has revealed additional information about the incident, including the revelation that, a month before he died, Baena had made “concerning remarks” to Plaza that “prompted her to call a friend to perform a welfare check on her husband” (via People). Baena attended therapy after the October welfare check.
Following his death, Plaza released a statement calling his death an “unimaginable tragedy,” and expressed gratitude for those who had offered their support. In February, the Parks and Recreation actor made her first public appearance following her husband’s passing to attend SNL50, the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live.
Fans noted that she quietly paid tribute to Baena with the shirt she wore to the event, which was orange and white tie-dye. Plaza had previously revealed that she and her husband, who met and began their relationship in 2011, wore matching pyjamas that he had tie-dyed himself when they got married in 2021.
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