Aubrey Plaza has deactivated her Instagram account following the death of her husband, Jeff Baena.
The Parks and Recreation alum deleted her account after issuing a statement about the tragedy on behalf of herself and Baena's family.
"This is an unimaginable tragedy," the statement, shared on January 6, read. "We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time."
Highlights
- Aubrey Plaza deactivated her Instagram page after her husband Jeff Baena's tragic death.
- The filmmaker died by suicide aged 47 on January 3.
- The couple had been together for over a decade and had shared a set multiple times.
Aubrey Plaza deactivated her Instagram account after her husband, Jeff Baena, tragically took his own life
Image credits: Plazadeaubrey
The filmmaker was found unresponsive by an assistant at his Los Angeles home on January 3. He was 47.
The medical examiner for the County of Los Angeles gave the cause of death as suicide.
Following Baena's passing, many social media users sparked outrage by celebrating that the actress was "single again" and making other controversial comments of that nature, Bored Panda previously reported.
Plaza and Baena had been in a relationship since 2011. They tied the knot ten years later in a secret ceremony in their backyard during the pandemic.
Image credits: SundanceTV
"So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to italia to cause some more trouble," Plaza announced in May 2021 ahead of the premiere of Spin Me Around, the dark comedy film directed by Baena that featured Plaza.
In an interview ahead of the release of the psychological drama Horse Girl, which starred Alison Brie, Baena opened up about how his family's struggles with mental health inspired the film.
In a joint statement, Plaza and Baena's family referred to his passing as an "unimaginable tragedy" and asked for privacy
Image credits: Saturday Night Live
Image credits: Saturday Night Live
"Alison and I both have had family members who have had mental illness, and it was a major influence on working on this," he shared.
"While I would not consider Horse Girl to be an activist film, the themes of how we as a society and individuals treat persons with mental illness was a major focus and impetus for making this."
Baena began his career working as a production assistant for Robert Zemeckis and an assistant editor for writer-director David O. Russell.
The actress and the filmmaker worked together on multiple projects, including the 2014 film Life After Beth, which marked Baena's directorial debut
Image credits: IMDB
During his early years in Hollywood, he co-wrote the cult hit I Heart Huckabees—with Russell—and Meet the Fockers.
His directorial debut came in 2014 with the zombie film Life After Beth, which starred Plaza.
He also worked together with his then-girlfriend in the 2017 medieval comedy The Little Hours and Showtime's anthology series Cinema Toast, created by Baena and directed by Plaza.
The couple began dating in 2011 and married ten years later in a secret ceremony
Image credits: CRITERION
Image credits: CRITERION
"I think that one of the great things about our careers is that we are forced to be independent, take little breaks, go off and do our things and come back," Plaza said in 2019 about working with her partner.
"So it's kind of fun. Nothing is ever the same. You don't want to spend too much time apart. But I think that there's a way that it can work, and there's a balance in that."
Baena's directorial debut, Life After Beth, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014. On January 4, the festival honored his contributions to the film industry in a social media message.
"We extend our heartfelt thanks to Jeff Baena for sharing his stories and contributing to the lasting memories we've built together," the statement read. "Jeff, we'll miss your wit, humor, and daring vision. Rest in peace, friend."
Image credits: Plazadeaubrey
Brady Corbet, who won Best Director at this year's Golden Globe awards, paid tribute to Baena during his acceptance speech.
After thanking the cast and producers who worked on The Brutalist, the director made a special mention of three people he lost during the seven years he spent creating the film, including his grandfather and his grandfather's brother.
Corbet then closed his speech by saying, "Finally, tonight my heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff's [Baena] family. Good night."
If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm or suicide ideation, help is available. International Hotlines provide resources.