Jeff Baena, acclaimed writer and director and husband of actress Aubrey Plaza, has passed away at the age of 47. According to law enforcement sources cited by TMZ, Jeff Baena’s body was discovered by an assistant at a home in the Los Angeles area on Friday, January 3, at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time.
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Baena was declared dead at the scene, with law enforcement sources confirming to the outlet that his death was the result of suicide.
Meanwhile, Deadline‘s Mike Fleming Jr. reported that the “circumstances of [Baena’s] passing are unclear” and that “the family is devastated and asks for privacy at this difficult time.”
Jeff Baena’s Prolific Film Career Included Collaborations with Aubrey Plaza
Baena, a Miami native, pursued his passion for filmmaking at New York University’s prestigious film school. After earning his degree, he relocated to Los Angeles to embark on a career in the entertainment industry.
Baena has over a dozen directing and film credits to his name. Among his most notable achievements, he co-wrote the 2004 film I Heart Huckabees, featuring a star-studded cast including Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, and Naomi Watts. Shortly after, he made his directorial debut with Life After Beth, a zombie comedy starring Plaza.
He went on to write and direct Joshy, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and earned a nomination for the prestigious Grand Jury Prize before being released by Lionsgate.
In 2020, Baena co-wrote, directed, and produced Horse Girl, a film that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival before making its way to Netflix. Two years later, in 2022, he wrote, directed, and produced Spin Me Round, which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival and was distributed by IFC Films.
In 2021, Baena launched the anthology series Cinema Toast on Showtime, which also served as the platform for Plaza’s own directorial debut.
Baena and Plaza began dating in 2011, keeping their relationship remarkably private. Over the years, they chose not to publicly share details about their engagement or wedding.
The world discovered their marriage in May 2021, when Plaza revealed the news by calling Baena her “darling husband” in an Instagram post.
“So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to italia to cause some more trouble,” she wrote alongside the post.