Aubrey Plaza's last Instagram post featuring her husband, Jeff Baena, who was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Friday, revealed how deeply "proud" she was of him. Police sources said that cops and fire department personnel were dispatched to the scene around 10:30 a.m. for a death investigation.
The director of "Life After Beth" was pronounced dead at the scene. The family shared with Deadline that they are heartbroken by the tragic news and have requested privacy during this difficult time. An investigation has been launched and sources in law enforcement said that they believe Baena died by suicide. However, a lot still remains unclear about his death.
Expressing Her Love
In the post from May 2021, the acclaimed actress expressed her admiration for Baena, lovingly referring to him as her "darling husband." "So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that take us to Italia to cause some more trouble," she captioned the post.
The emotional final post of the couple captured a tender moment, with the two lovingly staring into each other's eyes.
The heartfelt photo was shared alongside screenshots from a 2021 Deadline article highlighting their "new project"—the 2022 movie "Spin Me Round."
"Excited to be reunited with the amazing @alisonbrie (who also co-wrote this one!) ... and so many more fun people in this. Preparati!!" she finished writing in the post's caption.
The actress's filmmaker husband was found dead at his West Coast home on Friday. Reports indicate that Baena was found by an assistant at his Los Angeles home around 10:30 a.m. on December 3.
Baena was best known for directing films like the 2014 horror-comedy "Life After Beth" and the 2017 comedy-drama "The Little Hours." He and actress Aubrey Plaza, 40, best known for her role in the sitcom "Parks and Recreation", married in 2021 after being together for ten years.
Baena entered the film industry after earning a degree in film from New York University, then moved to Los Angeles to begin his career.
He initially took on lower-level roles, working with well-known directors like Robert Zemeckis and David O. Russell, where he gained experience. He served as a production assistant for Zemeckis and an assistant editor for Russell.
Short but Illustrious Career
Baena gained recognition for directing his debut film, "Life After Beth."
He also co-wrote I Heart Huckabees, which earned a 2004 Gotham Award nomination for Best Feature.
Baena wrote "Life After Beth", which premiered at Sundance in 2014. His film "Joshy" also premiered at Sundance and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.
He contributed to "Horse Girl and Spin Me Round."
On the television front, Baena directed and executive produced the Showtime series "Cinema Toast," co-directing the project with his wife.
Baena is survived by his wife, Plaza, as well as his mother, Barbara Stern, and stepfather, Roger Stern. He is also survived by his father, Scott Baena, and stepmother, Michele Baena, along with his brother, Brad Baena, and his step-siblings, Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman.
