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Filmmaker and his wife were fatally stabbed in their home last week as youngest son, Nick, charged with the murders
Inga Parkel in New York Monday 22 December 2025 23:27 GMT- Bookmark
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Michael Douglas has revealed that he and slain director Rob Reiner confided in each other about parenting sons struggling with drug addiction.
The When Harry Met Sally filmmaker was found dead last week in his home alongside his wife, Michele. Reiner was 78, and Michele was 70.
The couple’s youngest son, 32-year-old Nick, whose difficulties with drugs were well-known, has been charged with their murders.
In CBS News’s special Sunday report, Rob Reiner: Scenes from a Life, Douglas, 81, noted that “with this terrible tragedy, we’re realizing how much pressure he was dealing with in his personal life with his son.”
“I also had a son who had drug issues,” he added, referring to his 47-year-old son, It Runs in the Family actor Cameron, whom he shares with his first ex-wife, Diandra Luker.
“And I’m happy to say he’s overcome them and he’s living a prosperous life. But we talked a lot about that: What you can do as a parent, what you can’t do,” Douglas said. “So knowing with all of that going on behind the scenes, this was a man who always gave you his best.”
open image in galleryMichael Douglas (left) said he and Rob Reiner talked 'a lot' about helping a child in the throes of drug addiction (Getty)
open image in galleryMichael Douglas's son, Cameron (left), struggled with severe drug addiction for many years (Getty Images)Douglas’s son previously struggled with severe drug addiction. In 2009, he was arrested in a DEA sting operation and pleaded guilty to heroin possession and conspiracy to distribute large amounts of drugs. He was sentenced to five years in prison. His sentence was ultimately extended after he was caught smuggling drugs into the correctional facility while incarcerated. He ended up serving nearly eight years before he was released in 2016.
Cameron got sober while in prison, and the year after his release, he and his longtime girlfriend, Viviane Thibes, welcomed their daughter, Lua. In 2020, they welcomed their son Ryder.
Of his journey toward sobriety, Cameron told People in 2023: “I think when somebody is really struggling, to have love and support is crucial.
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“Because at least for myself, there are some parts of my life that were so dark that I was maybe starting to lose hope for myself. Then having the love and support of people that you also love and respect, it was just critical for me.”
Douglas previously co-starred with Reiner in the 1971 drama Summertree from director Anthony Newley. He later starred in Reiner’s 1995 romcom The American President and his 2014 romcom And So It Goes, opposite the late Diane Keaton.
Last week, Reiner and Michele were found fatally stabbed in their home. The following day, Nick was arrested and charged with their slayings. He is currently being held in solitary confinement under suicide watch.
open image in gallery(L-R) Rob, Michele, Romy, Nick, and Jake Reiner and his girlfriend Maria Gilfillan (2025 Invision)Before his arrest, Nick was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was being treated for a serious psychiatric disorder at the time of his parents’ murder, unnamed sources familiar with his background told NBC News. At some point before the killing, his medication had been adjusted, the outlet reported.
The day before Reiner and Michele were found dead, the director and his son were reportedly seen arguing at a Christmas party, where some guests reported Nick had been acting erratically.
Following his first court appearance last week, Nick’s siblings, Jake and Romy, issued a joint statement asking for privacy.
“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends,” their statement read.
“We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”
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