Director Jeff Baena dies from suicide at 47, leaves behind actress wife Aubrey Plaza

Jeff Baena, a renowned film director and husband of actress Aubrey Plaza, has died by suicide at the age of 47, according to a report by TMZ.

Law enforcement sources told the outlet that police and fire officials responded to a Los Angeles home on Friday morning around 10:30 am after an assistant discovered Baena unresponsive. Authorities have confirmed the death was ruled a suicide.

Baena began his Hollywood career working under acclaimed directors such as Robert Zemeckis and David O. Russell. His breakthrough came when he collaborated with Russell on I Heart Huckabees (2004), starring Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin.

Baena later made a name for himself as a filmmaker with numerous projects such as the 2014 horror-comedy Life After Beth, which starred Plaza, as well as Joshy (2016), The Little Hours (2017), and Horse Girl (2020). Plaza has also played a prominent role in the series, Parks and Recreation.

In 2021, Plaza revealed that the two had married in an Instagram post after privately dating for about 10 years. The couple never announced their engagement.

Plaza had previously spoken publicly about the marriage, explaining on the Drew Barrymore Show in 2021 what it is like being married to someone you also work with.

"It's so complicated. It's extreme highs and extreme complications. It's a really hard thing to navigate, but we've been together for 11 years. We just muscle our way through it,” Plaza said at the time.