Aubrey Plaza speaks out in heartbreaking statement after husband's tragic death

Aubrey Plaza broke her silence to release a statement after the death of her husband last week

Aubrey Plaza, 40, has broken her silence following the death of her husband, Jeff Baena, on January 3.

The actress released a short statement via a representative, sharing: "This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time," according to the Daily Mail.

The statement came after Aubrey opted to step back from a major public event soon after the tragedy. Aubrey was set to appear at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, and was due to be joined by co-presenters including Salma Hayek, Anya Taylor-Joy and Anthony Ramos. Understandably, however, she did not attend the exclusive awards show, according to PEOPLE.

Film director Jeff, aged 47 at the time of his death, was unresponsive when an assistant found him at his Los Angeles home on January 3. Law enforcement offers and the fire brigade from the LA area arrived at his home at 10.25am on January 3 and he was pronounced dead on the scene. The LA County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Jeff's death as suicide. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Fire Department also confirmed Jeff's cause of death.

At the time, a spokesperson for Jeff's family, including his wife Aubrey, confirmed to the Mirror that they had been left devastated by the heartbreaking news and stated that the circumstances surrounding his death remained unclear but requested that they be granted time to grieve privately.

Aubrey and Jeff enjoyed a long relationship, having first started dating in 2011, when she auditioned for his film Life After Beth. The movie was the first of many collaborations together, with the couple going on the work togetehr on Joshy (2016) and Horse Girl (2020). In 2021, during the pandemic, Jeff proposed to Aubrey after ten years together. Keeping it quiet, they tied the knot quietly and away from the public eye. Aubrey quietly revealed the news on Instagram, referring to Jeff as her "husband" in May 2021 while celebrating their joint project, Spin Me Round.

Soon after the wedding, Aubrey opened up about their relationship during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. "It's so great, it's so complicated," she told the talkshow host. "It's, like, extreme highs and extreme, you know, complications. It's a really hard thing to navigate, but we've been together for 11 years. We just muscle our way through it."

She also revealed sweet details about their matching tie-dye pajamas, which Jeff made for their backyard wedding during the lockdown. Aubrey reminisced about their spontaneous big day, which took place in front of an "altar of their love objects." That same year, the actress told People that the pandemic actually strengthened their relationship.

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