'This Is Spinal Tap' Director ROB REINER And His Wife Killed In Apparent Homicide

Rob Reiner, director of the iconic mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap", died Sunday (December 14),along with his wife, Michele. He was 78 years old.

Reiner and his 70-year-old wife were found dead in their home in Brentwood, California, both having suffered "lacerations consistent with a knife," law enforcement sources told TMZ. There reportedly was no sign of forced entry.

A spokesperson for the family confirmed the Reiners' deaths, saying in a statement: "It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time."

According to People and New York Post, the couple's 32-year-old son Nick Reiner is "a person of interest" in the deadly stabbing and he is currently "being questioned" by police.

Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief Alan Hamilton said, "We are not looking for anyone as a suspect or in any other manner at this time," emphasizing that the investigation is still in its earliest phase and adding that no one had yet been detained nor was anyone being interviewed "as a suspect."

"We're going to try to speak to every family member that we can to get to the facts of this investigation," Hamilton said.

Reiner was a two-time Emmy-winning actor for his role in the landmark television series "All In The Family", and was also an acclaimed director of "This Is Spinal Tap", "Stand By Me", "The Princess Bride", "When Harry Met Sally", "Misery", "A Few Good Men", "The American President", "Ghosts Of Mississippi" and "The Bucket List". He recently directed the Emmy-nominated documentary "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life", and "Spinal Tap Il: The End Continues", the sequel to "This is Spinal Tap". As a dedicated political activist, he passed a tobacco tax initiative in California to fund early childhood development and chaired the state commission to oversee its implementation. In 2008, he helped form The American Foundation For Equal Rights which paved the way for marriage equality nationwide.

The original "This Is Spinal Tap" film — directed by Reiner and written/improvised/performed by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer — was released in 1984 to critical acclaim and went on to become a cult classic that has directly inspired actual metal bands like METALLICA, spawned the "turn it up to 11" idiom, and been referenced in pop culture ever since. In 2002, it was deemed "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library Of Congress, and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.

"This Is Spinal Tap" was released to little fanfare with some viewers convinced the bumbling dinosaurs — who had a knack of losing drummers in freak accidents — on screen were a genuine band. But word of mouth about the smartly observed film, which took a pop at bands such as STATUS QUO, LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH, spread and it became a sleeper hit.