The filmmaker couldn't believe that someone so special had stolen his heart, as he had been "single for 10 years after being married for 10 years," he confessed in several interviews.
Rob had married actress and director Penny Marshall in 1971 - one of his most successful films was Big (1988) with Tom Hanks (69) - and had adopted Marshall's daughter Tracy from a previous relationship.
After his divorce, Reiner confided in Nora Ephron about his emotional state, which served as the basis for the male character in When Harry Met Sally (1989), one of the best comedies of recent decades; thus, Harry (played by Billy Crystal) is based on Rob and Sally (Meg Ryan) on Nora herself and some of her friends. When they had already filmed three-quarters of the movie, Michele's appearance drastically changed the ending of the film.
Everything was planned for a sad ending. But as Reiner told CNN, "we had an ending where the protagonists didn't end up together, but I met Michele and thought, 'Well, I can see how this could work out differently'." That's why Harry and Sally go from reuniting and having a beautiful friendship to getting married. That happy ending is what thousands of fans adored.
This beautiful love story between Rob and Michele ended in marriage in 1989 after the successful movie premiere. From their relationship, three children were born, Jake (34), Nick (32), and Romy (28). It was precisely Romy who discovered the bodies of her parents in the family mansion in Brentwood (Los Angeles) this Sunday.
One of Michele's most recognized works before meeting Rob was the cover of Donald Trump's book titled The Art of the Deal (1987). Shortly after, she collaborated with the video game company MysteryDIsc.
When they celebrated their silver wedding anniversary in 2014, Reiner confessed that "as you go on, the relationship gets better and better because you truly become better friends. And that has happened. She has helped me grow up. What I say, how women show you what matters, she has done that for me."
One of the worst tragedies of the marriage was the drug addiction of their middle son, Nick, which led him to leave the family home. In an interview with People magazine in 2016, the young man said, "I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas. I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It wasn't fun at all."
He also mentioned that he had co-written a movie about his terrible experience and emphasized that he had been "getting used to being back in Los Angeles and with my family. But there were many dark years there."
The Reiner couple was known for their countless charitable works. In fact, in 1997 they founded the I Am Your Child foundation and in 2004 the Parent's Action for Children, whose main mission is to raise awareness about the importance of the child's early years and to promote public policies through education and parental advocacy.
At the time of their passing, Reiner was 78 years old and Michele was 68. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the director's fortune from The Princess Bride was estimated at 200 million euros.