Director Jeff Baena, the husband of Hollywood actress Aubrey Plaza, has tragically died at the age of just 47, having been found dead inside his Los Angeles home
11:47, 05 Jan 2025Updated 11:47, 05 Jan 2025
The husband of Hollywood star Aubrey Plaza has tragically died aged 47 - and his cause of death has now been released.
Film director Jeff Baena, who married Plaza in 2020, was found dead at their Los Angeles home on Friday (January 3). The Los Angeles Fire Department had received a phone call from Baena's assistant on Friday (January 3) at around 10.30am, according to TMZ.
Baena was confirmed dead when cops arrived at his Los Feliz property, which he and Plaza purchased in 2022. His death has now been confirmed as suicide by the LA County Medical Examiner's Office.
According to Daily Mail, his body was discovered by his assistant at the property. The Los Angeles Fire Department told the outlet: "Death was determined for an approximately 47-year old male, no transport,"
They added: "We responded to the 2100 block of Fern Dale Place for a death investigation. Officers responded for a male decedent," Baena's family told Deadline that they have been left "devastated" by the loss and have asked for privacy at this time.
Baena was best known for producing indie films such as Life After Beth (2014), The Little Hours (2017) and Horse Girl (2020). He frequently worked on movies with wife Aubrey, 40, who shot to fame in NBC's hit sitcom Parks and Recreation.
Plaza has also appeared in HBO's The White Lotus and films such as Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs the World. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her role as lawyer Harper in The White Lotus.
Aubrey casually announced news of their marriage in May of 2021, when she referred to him as "my darling husband" in an Instagram post about a film they were working on together called Spin Me Round (2022). Gushing over Baena, she wrote: "So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to italia to cause some more trouble [devil emoji]."
According to GQ in 2022, the pair met "over a game of Balderdash" and married in a "quickie ceremony in 2020". Aubrey revealed how she spent lockdown with Jeff and how it was an enjoyable time in their relationship.
She told People: "We were quarantined for months and months like everybody else,” she said. “And we did enjoy it. I think it was, obviously other than all of the catastrophic things happening in the world, just on a personal level, relationship level, was kind of nice to just be forced to be in one place for that long. Could have gone either way, I guess."
Plaza also discussed how they can relate to one another, given they work in the same industry. She told People: "I think that when you’re with someone that is in your field, they understand what you’re dealing with on a deeper level.
"So obviously you are able to support each other and really understand kind of the journey that we’re both on." Aubrey starred in several of Jeff's films, including Life After Beth (2014), Spin Me Round (2022), and The Little Hours (2017).
In 2014, Baena spoke of his life's ambition to direct movies after his directorial debut Life After Beth. He told Seensome: "It’s all I ever want to do; it felt really comfortable and fun.
"I’ve been a writer for twelve years now and it was always a means to an end, I never wanted to be a writer, I wanted to be a director so this was always my intention and it felt right."
The couple were spotted on a rare outing in Los Angeles back in July of 2024. Aubrey and Jeff were photographed taking a walk together.
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