Filmmaker Jeff Baena, left, and actor Aubrey Plaza in 2016 in Los Angeles. Plaza and Baena had been separated for several months before the indie film director’s death, according to a report Wednesday from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner.
David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images/Patrick McMullan via Getty Image
Aubrey Plaza and Jeff Baena had been separated for several months before the indie film director’s death, according to a report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner.
The couple, who had been together for over a decade, separated in September 2024. About a month later, Baena, 47, made “concerning remarks” to Marin resident, Plaza, 40, that “prompted her to call a friend to perform a welfare check on her husband,” according to the examiner.
The report, which was obtained by multiple media outlets Wednesday, March 19, reveals that the writer-director, who had been facing “recent marital difficulties,” began attending therapy as a result.
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Baena, known for films such as “Life After Beth” and “The Little Hours,” died by suicide on Jan. 3.
Aubrey Plaza at the 34th Annual Gotham Awards held at Cipriani Wall Street on Dec. 2, 2024 in New York.
Nina Westervelt/WWD via Getty Images
The report notes that Plaza received a final text from Baena at 7:36 a.m. on the day of his death. His body was later discovered by his dog walker at his Los Angeles home.
In a statement released after his passing, Plaza and Baena’s family expressed their grief.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support,” it said. “Please respect our privacy during this time.”
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Plaza and Baena were secretly married in 2021, after years of dating.
Aubrey Plaza, right, and Jeff Baena arrive at the premiere of “The Little Hours” at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival in Culver City on June 19, 2017. Plaza and Baena had been separated for several months before the indie film director’s death, according to a report Wednesday from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner.
Willy Sanjuan/Associated Press
Their relationship, which began in 2011, was known to fans through their collaborative work, particularly in Baena’s film “Life After Beth,” a zombie comedy that starred Plaza. The two also worked together on the Showtime anthology series “Cinema Toast.”
The actress, a Marin resident, made her first public appearance since Baena’s death on Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special, wearing a tie-dye shirt in tribute to her late husband. The couple had embraced tie-dye during their intimate wedding.
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