The filmmaker husband of actress Aubrey Plaza has been found dead at his Los Angeles home, according to reports.
An assistant discovered Jeff Baena, 47, at around 10.30am on Friday, law enforcement sources told TMZ.
Family of The Life After Beth and The Little Hours director told Deadline that they are devastated by the news and are asking for privacy.
Baena and producer Aubrey Plaza, 40, who stared in The White Lotus, have been married since 2021.
Circumstances of his death remain unclear at this moment.
A statement on the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s website said an investigation will take place.
The office told the AP news agency that Baena was pronounced at a home close to the Fern Dell Nature Trail, near the Hollywood Hills and Los Feliz areas.
After graduating NYU Film School, Baena moved to Los Angeles to start building his career.
He became a production assistant for Robert Zemeckis, working on a number of films, followed by a job as an assistant editor for writer-director David O. Russell.
Baena also co-wrote I Heart Huckabees, which was nominated for a 2004 Gotham Aware for best feature.
He also wrote Life After Beth, which premiered at Sundance in 2014. His film Joshy also premiered at the famous festival and was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize.
Banea also worked on Horse Girl and Spin Me Round. He created the anthology comedy series Cinema Toast, which had an episode directed by Plaza and one starring Community actress Alison Brie.
He was with Plaza, who rose to fame in comedy series Parks And Recreation, for more than a decade.
In 2023, Plaza was Golden Globe-nominated for her role in the second series of HBO dark comedy The White Lotus.
She is also known for her roles in Disney+ series Agatha All Along, and the 2024 films Megalopolis and My Old Ass, along with Ingrid Goes West, Dirty Grandpa and Emily The Criminal.
The actress told The Ellen DeGeneres Show in December 2021 that she and Baena “got a little bored one night” during the Covid pandemic and decided to wed after celebrating their 10th anniversary.
She said that after finding a wedding officiant online to perform the ceremony in their garden, she “created a very quick love altar in our yard”, and they got married.
Plaza and Baena’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
