Aubrey Plaza calls husband Jeff Baena’s death an ‘unimaginable tragedy’
Baena, 47, was found dead in a Los Angeles home on Friday
Wilmington native and actor Aubrey Plaza, whose husband and longtime collaborator Jeff Baena died on Jan. 3, has shared a statement following what she called an “unimaginable tragedy.”
Baena, a screenwriter and director, was found dead Friday in a Los Angeles home. The Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled the cause of death a suicide. He was 47.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy,” Plaza said in a statement on behalf of her and Baena’s family, as reported by the Daily Mail. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”
Baena cowrote the 2004 comedy I Heart Huckabees, starring Lily Tomlin, Dustin Hoffman, Mark Wahlberg, and Jason Schwartzman. His 2014 directorial debut, Life After Beth, is a quirky zombie comedy starring Plaza. Baena’s other films include Joshy (2016), The Little Hours (2017), Horse Girl (2020), and Spin Me Round (2022).
Baena, like Plaza, was a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Baena worked with Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis and Silver Linings Playbook writer-director David O. Russell early in his career.
Plaza and Baena worked together frequently; she appeared in four of the five films he directed. The pair married in 2021 after dating for 10 years. Plaza is best known for her role as the moody and mischievous teen April Ludgate in the sitcom Parks and Recreation and recently appeared in the new witchy series Agatha All Along and last year’s comedy-drama My Old Ass.
“She’s awesome. I would be working with her if she wasn’t my wife, but luckily she is,” said Baena of Plaza in a 2022 interview. “Having that sort of shorthand and that sort of connection is amazing … The opportunities to create together and do something creative where we’re both fulfilled, how rare is that.”
Plaza was scheduled to present at the Golden Globes on Sunday but did not attend. The Brutalist director Brady Corbet acknowledged the loss briefly during his speech accepting the award for best director.
“Tonight my heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff’s family,” he said.