Amid the devastating death of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, several celebrities have spoken out to pay tribute to the iconic director and actor.
But perhaps none have had quite the emotional weight of actor Jerry O'Connell's, which he gave during an appearance on CBS Mornings and in a statement to People.
The Reiners were found stabbed to death in their home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles on December 14. Their son Nick has been arrested and jailed amid the ongoing investigation.
O'Connell appeared in one of Reiner's most iconic films, the 1986 adaptation of Steven King's 1982 novella The Body, the story of a group of best friends who set out to find the body of a missing boy in the 1950s.
O'Connell was just 11 years old when he worked on the film, playing the role of Vern, the sensitive boy of the group who is often bullied for his weight.
Speaking to CBS Mornings, he told the hosts he was in "shock" about the murder, and described the sort of relationship he developed with Reiner during the making and promotion of the film.
"Rob was like a father to me... Everything I have is because of Rob Reiner."
Speaking to People, O'Connell reiterated this sentiment, adding that he'd been in touch with his Stand By Me costars, Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman, and said they are all reeling.
"We're all shocked... I feel like a parent has passed, you know? I just feel like a parent has passed.”
He went on to describe the paternal touch Reiner gave the working environment on the film, whose main characters were all child actors, including the late River Phoenix alongside Wheaton, Feldman and O'Connell himself.
He explained:
“We were saying, we have no idea how he herded a bunch of like 11, 12 and 13-year-olds for this movie."
"And not only herd us, it wasn't like a teacher or an authority figure. He was just a special, he was just a special human being… he is just a kind soul, really. A kind soul.”
In his CBS appearance, O'Connell also detailed how at that time in his childhood, he was constantly getting in trouble for being precocious. But on set, Reiner celebrated his personality.
He described a moment when he ad-libbed a line in a scene, and Reiner cut the cameras.
“I thought, ‘Oh boy, here we go. He’s gonna [yell at me]. Why didn’t I sit on my hands and shut up?’”
"And he goes, ‘Jerry, Keep going man. That’s what I’m talking about right there. Keep going. More.’ ”
O'Connell is just one of scores of celebrities who have memorialized Reiner, from actors to fellow directors and other luminaries.
And on Instagram, where O'Connell also paid tribute to Reiner, fans were deeply moved by his heartfelt remembrance.
In addition to Stand By Me, Reiner, 78, directed many other iconic films of the '80s and '90s, including This Is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride and A Few Good Men, for which he garnered an Oscar nomination.
Michele Singer Reiner, 68, who was the inspiration for When Harry Met Sally's happy ending, was a photographer and producer. Together, she and Reiner were deeply involved in activism for progressive causes.
They are survived by Rob Reiner's adopted daughter Tracy, whose mother was the late director and actor Penny Marshall and Reiner's first wife, and their three children Jake, Romy, and Nick.
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