Billy Crystal recalled the last conversation he had with Rob Reiner before he was stabbed to death in his Los Angeles home last December.
“We had spent the night before together talking about our careers together,” the comedian said on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday.
“I met him in 1975 when I was a guest star on ‘All in the Family’ playing his best friend. It was a good year for me…and we continued to do that all these years,” Crystal recalled.
The “When Harry Met Sally…” star recalled a time at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party when they discussed how the movie business has “changed” over the years.
“We talked about the fact that you can’t control what the movie turns out to be. What you can control is the experience of making it,” he said.
“And the experience we had together, and the experience he had with the cast of his other films, was so extraordinary. He said, ‘That’s something you get to experience all the time. It’s great to have a hit movie, but it’s all about the connections you make with people,'” Crystal recalls.
“So I kept that in mind.”
Crystal, 78, went on to describe Reiner as “funny, dedicated, opinionated in the best sense of the word, fighting for our country’s truth and the best sense of comedy.”
“We could talk about anything. He was an uncle to my children,” said Billy, who has daughters Jennifer, 53, and Lindsey, 48, with wife Janice Crystal.
“There are a lot of moments when something good happens or you think, ‘Isn’t that crazy?’ — I want to pick up the phone and make a call, because that’s what we do.”
The “Princess Bride” actor said Reiner’s death was a “grave loss” to humanity.
“He was the most human person I have ever met,” he concluded.
Rob and his wife Michelle Reiner were stabbed to death in their home in Brentwood, California on December 14, 2025. The filmmaker was 78 years old and the photographer 70.
The couple’s youngest son, Nick Reiner, was arrested and charged with murder in his parents’ deaths.
The 32-year-old “Being Charlie” writer has struggled with drug addiction and has a history of violence.
In the weeks leading up to his parents’ death, Nick was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
He pleaded not guilty to the serial murder charges in February, and his next court appearance is scheduled for April 29.
If you or a loved one is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call SAMHSA’s national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
