From Trump Photo to Tragedy: Noted Photographer Michele Singer Reiner and Husband Rob Reiner Killed

Michele Reiner and Rob Reiner
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Michele Singer Reiner and her husband, Rob Reiner were killed yesterday in their Los Angeles home, apparently stabbed to death by troubled son Nick Reiner.

While many know the work of the famed movie director Rob Reiner – Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, and A Few Good Men among them, you might not know that the happy ending of the film When Harry Met Sally only came about because he met his second wife, Michele, in 1989 while making the film.

At the time, after a ten year marriage "I’d been single for ten years, and I couldn’t figure out how I was ever going to be with anybody" he told CNN last year. That had led to his planned ending, the couple walking away from each other, but meeting photographer Michele Singer changed his mind so fast they were married the same year the film came out.

Who was Michele Singer?

Before she was a photographer who's most famous image was, according to IMDB, the picture of Donald Trump that appears on his famous book The Art of The Deal.

The Art of the Deal cover

The cover to The Art of the Deal with Donald Trump with photo by Michele Singer taken in 1987 (before she married Rob Reiner) (Image credit: Books Please)

Michele Singer Reiner also acted, appearing in Steve Martin's comedy Mixed Nuts, and picked up several Producer credits on Reiner's projects, as well as an Emmy nomination – alongside her husband, the director – for the documentary Albert Brooks: Defending My Life.

She was also interested in the increasing power of the church in the United States, listed as a producer in the documentary God & Country about the growing power of Christian nationalism. While her husband Rob was also a producer on this project, director, Dan Partland had previously worked on a film called Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump which does beg some questions about whether they spoke about Michele's previous photographic clients.

Known details

According to several publications, including the New York Post, Michele & Rob's 32-year old son, Nick Reiner, has been listed as a person of interest. The LA Times isn't confirming yet, but in the past covered Nick Reiner's drug issues.

Adam Juniper
Managing Editor

With over 20 years of expertise as a tech journalist, Adam brings a wealth of knowledge across a vast number of product categories, including timelapse cameras, home security cameras, NVR cameras, photography books, webcams, 3D printers and 3D scanners, borescopes, radar detectors… and, above all, drones. 


Adam is our resident expert on all aspects of camera drones and drone photography, from buying guides on the best choices for aerial photographers of all ability levels to the latest rules and regulations on piloting drones. 


He is the author of a number of books including The Complete Guide to Drones, The Smart Smart Home Handbook, 101 Tips for DSLR Video and The Drone Pilot's Handbook

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