Writer/director Jeff Baena and actress Aubrey Plaza pose for a portrait during the Sundance NEXT FEST in Los Angeles on August 8, 2014.
Mark Davis/Getty Images for Sundance NEXT
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Mark Davis/Getty Images for Sundance NEXT
Jeff Baena, director, screenwriter and husband of actress and producer Aubrey Plaza, 47, was found dead Friday in a Los Angeles residence, Los Angeles firefighters confirmed.
The death is currently under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Baena’s family has not confirmed the filmmaker’s death. But a medical examiner’s death certificate indicates that a man with Baena’s name and date of birth died at a residence in Hollywood.
According to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, the cause and manner of death have not yet been determined.
Baena is best known for directing independent films, including The small hours and for co-writing I love Huckabees with David O. Russell.
He has frequently collaborated with actress and producer Aubrey Plaza. The couple began dating in 2011 and married in 2021.
Plaza had not publicly commented on the death at the time of publication.
Baena was born in Miami in 1977. He graduated from New York University and worked for filmmakers Robert Zemeckis and David O. Russell.
NPR reached out to Baena’s agent, lawyer and manager for confirmation of the death and his comments, as well as various close associates, including actress Alison Brie and filmmakers Jay and Mark Duplass. No one had responded or posted on social media at the time of publication.
From their collaboration on the 2020 comedy thriller Horse girlBrie said. Stick Review about hikes and double dates with the filmmaker. “We were talking about all kinds of things and he was talking about certain types of characters I should play,” she said. “Jeff and I are very close friends.”
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