Aubrey Plaza shares statement following death of husband Jeff Baena: “Unimaginable tragedy”
Aubrey Plaza has shared a statement following the death of her husband, Jeff Baena, who passed away in Los Angeles on Friday at the age of 47.
The independent movie director was found in his home near the Hollywood Hills by an assistant and was later confirmed by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office to have died by suicide.
In a new statement released by Plaza, she described the passing of her husband as an “unimaginable tragedy,” saying, “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”
The pair worked together on the 2014 horror Life After Beth and the 2017 comedy The Little Hours. However, Baena’s journey began ten years before his directorial debut when he wrote the David O Russell movie I Heart Huckabees.
He learned under the tutelage of Robert Zemeckis, who gave him his first job, offering him a role as a production assistant after he graduated from NYU Film School. He then went on to focus on his directing, also creating Joshy, Horse Girl, and his final project, Spin Me Around.
Baena also created the anthology series Cinema Toast, which featured one episode directed by Plaza and another involving Community actor Alison Brie. During an interview with the AV Club in 2022, Baena described his approach to filmmaking, stating that he always wanted to keep his projects fresh, which often meant doing something completely different to what he had done before.
“I’m only making stuff that I feel is different from something I’ve made before,” he said. “[I like] trying new things and going into new places and painting myself into corners and trying to get out of it. And if it’s something that you’ve seen before, I don’t see the value in making it again.”
Baena first entered a relationship with Plaza in 2011 but married in 2021 after Plaza said the pair “got a little bored one night” while in quarantine during the pandemic. While celebrating their tenth anniversary, they found a wedding officiant online and had the ceremony after creating “a very quick love altar in our yard”.
Following his death, many of Baena’s industry peers paid tribute, including the team at Sundance Film Festival, who said: “We extend our heartfelt thanks to Jeff Baena for sharing his stories and contributing to the lasting memories we’ve built together. Jeff, we’ll miss your wit, humour, and daring vision. Rest in peace, friend.”
Comedian Marc Maron also said: “Very sad about the tragic loss of a true artist and sweet guy.”
Following Baena’s death, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that a coroner will be leading the investigation.
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