Jeff Baena, an indie screenwriter and director, has died at the age of 47. Representatives for Baena’s wife, “Parks and Recreation” star Aubrey Plaza, directed CBS News to Deadline’s report on Baena’s death.
The death was also confirmed to CBS News by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. The coroner’s office reported that Baena committed suicide.
According to his IMDB page, Baena is best known for his co-writing work on the 2004 film “I Heart Huckabees” and the 2014 comedy “Life After Beth,” which starred Plaza.
More recently, he created, wrote, directed, and executive produced Showtime’s 2021 series “Cinema Toast” as well as the 2022 film “Spin Me Round.”
Baena and Plaza, 40, will marry in 2021. The two frequently collaborated on his projects. Plaza spoke out about the wedding on The Ellen Show, describing it as an impromptu event held in their backyard while they were sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Plaza said the wedding commemorated their tenth anniversary together.
“I just said, ‘It’s our 10-year anniversary; let’s do something special, like get an ice cream cone. And then I joked about getting married, and he was like, ‘Well, we probably couldn’t get married that quickly,'” she explained.
“He said, ‘We probably couldn’t get married that quickly.'” I asked, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to get married on our actual anniversary? And then I Googled it and found OneHourMarriage.com, so I called around 5 p.m. and said, ‘Can you come in an hour and marry me in our yard?'”
He is survived by Plaza, his mother Barbara Stern, his stepfather Roger Stern, his father Scott Baena, his stepmother Michele Baena, his brother Brad Baena, and stepsiblings Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman, Deadline reports.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or experiencing a suicidal crisis, please call or text 988. You can also contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline here.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine is available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or via email at [email protected].
