Home Australia Aubrey Plaza’s husband Jeff Baena’s obituary is released days after his tragic suicide at 47

Aubrey Plaza’s husband Jeff Baena’s obituary is released days after his tragic suicide at 47

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Aubrey Plaza received support from Hollywood at Sunday's Golden Globes, which took place just days after the tragic death of her husband Jeff Baena.

A heartbreaking obituary for Aubrey Plaza’s husband, Jeff Baena, was released days after his tragic suicide.

Baena was found dead at age 47 on Friday, Jan. 3, in a Los Angeles home, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, and his death was ruled a suicide.

Baena and Plaza, 40, who broke his silence about the shocking death last week, began dating in 2011 and married in 2021.

The obituary published in The Miami Herald remembers Baena as a “beloved son, husband, brother, uncle and friend to many” and a “gifted filmmaker.”

It says: “Jeff left us too soon, but despite his sadly too-short life, he left us with cherished memories of a talented filmmaker, as well as a very special person on many different levels.

‘Jeff was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He attended Killian High School in Kendall, Florida. He graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1999. After graduating, Jeff moved to Los Angeles to pursue writing and directing films. He started as a production assistant for Robert Zemeckis.

Aubrey Plaza received support from Hollywood at Sunday’s Golden Globes, which took place just days after the tragic death of her husband Jeff Baena.

He then became assistant editor to writer-director David O. Russell, with whom he collaborated on I Heart Huckabees and uncredited reviews of Meet the Fockers. Beginning in 2004, Jeff routinely received credit for writing and directing the films he was associated with; however, he occasionally collaborated with others.

‘Jeff fell in love with cinema at age 11 watching Felini’s A Clockwork Orange and 8 1/2, elements that influenced his own films decades later. His work is testimony to his keen intellect. Each of his films reflects a carefully crafted balance between the logical and the implausible.

‘His juxtaposition of intellect and creativity challenged us. He embraced independent filmmaking because of his unwavering distaste for institutional barriers to creativity. Those who worked with him praise his vision, taste, technical competence and ability to unite actors into an ensemble that acts in perfect harmony. A family atmosphere was always generated. He loved nature and highlighted it cinematically in his films whenever possible.

‘Jeff’s work includes: I Heart Huckabees, which was nominated for the 2004 Gotham Award for Best Picture; Life After Beth, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize; Joshy, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize; The Little Hours, which was nominated for the Audience Award at the 2017 Edinburgh International Film Festival; Horse Girl, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival; and Spin Me Round, which premiered at the 2022 South by Southwest Film Festival. Jeff’s wife, Aubrey Plaza, starred in most of his films.

‘On television, Jeff created, wrote, directed and executive produced the Showtime series Cinema Toast to fill the void left by the suspension of filmmaking during the COVID shutdown.

‘More than anything, Jeff loved the company of his friends, some of them since elementary school, and more often than not he was the organizer of game nights, poker nights, pool parties, basketball games and meetings. Jeff was a true relationship builder and had a gift for bringing people together on and off the film set. His magic sauce was to ensure that everyone had a good time and that no one left his meetings as an outsider.

‘As a child, Jeff loved reading The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Ironically, in it, the Little Prince exclaims: “I don’t have much time. I have friends to find and many things to learn.” And so it was for Jeff.

‘Jeff is survived by his wife, Aubrey Plaza; parents, Barbara Stern (Roger) and Scott Baena (Michele); brother, Brad (Ivette); stepsister Bianca Gabay (Maurice); his stepbrother Jed Fluxman (Nicole); nephews Jake Baena and Leo Fluxman; nieces Brielle Baena, Ava and Olivia Gabay. Jeff is joined by his beloved Stevie.

Baena was found dead at age 47 on Friday, January 3, in a Los Angeles home, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, and his death was ruled a suicide (pictured in 2014).

Baena was found dead at age 47 on Friday, January 3, in a Los Angeles home, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, and his death was ruled a suicide (pictured in 2014).

‘Jeff will always be loved and deeply missed. His presence, as well as his work, made the world feel better. He had much more to offer. Unfortunately, all that is gone. Sweet dreams, our Little Prince.

Loved ones were urged to plant a tree in Baena’s memory.

Plaza was inundated with condolences after her spouse’s death, as colleagues like Julia Fox and Selma Blair were among those who offered the actress and producer words of comfort following the family tragedy.

“There are no words that can touch this painful moment,” Blair, 52, said in an Instagram comment thread alongside Plaza’s most recent post on Dec. 24.

Fox, 34, wrote in the thread: “Sending you lots of love” with a dove emoji.

Actress Alison Brie, 42, shared a series of images of Baena on her Instagram Stories, adding a broken heart emoji.

He also republished statements from actor and comedian Adam Pally, 42, a friend and collaborator of Baena, who praised him on a personal and professional level.

“He was a collaborator, a mentor, the scrappiest basketball player with the ugliest jump shot you’ve ever seen,” Pally said. “He was a talented director with impeccable taste and vision, he was a connector of people, a promoter of possibilities, the guy who knew where the best restaurant was no matter where you were.

The obituary published in The Miami Herald remembers Baena as a

The obituary published in The Miami Herald remembers Baena as a “beloved son, husband, brother, uncle and friend to many” and a “talented filmmaker” (pictured in 2016).

Plaza and Baena posed in 2017 in Park City, Utah, at the Sundance Film Festival, an event at which the filmmaker had been nominated twice for the Grand Jury Prize.

Plaza and Baena posed in 2017 in Park City, Utah, at the Sundance Film Festival, an event at which the filmmaker had been nominated twice for the Grand Jury Prize.

“An overly friendly host with an almost disturbing open-door policy, a film encyclopedia and, most importantly for me, a friend.”

Pally concluded by saying: ‘My heart breaks for my friend Aubrey and the Baena family and for all of us who spent time on their sets or in their home or in their orbit. Thank you for believing in me Jeff, may your memory be a blessing.’

In a brief statement obtained by DailyMail, a representative for Plaza said: ‘This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered their support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”

Baena, originally from Miami, studied his craft at New York University before beginning his career in entertainment. Speaking with podcaster Marc Maron in 2017, Baena cited Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 as highly influential in his decision to pursue a career as a creative.

Baena in his career had directed five independent films, four of which debuted at Sundance, including 2020’s Horse Girl and 2016’s Joshy. He also helmed a 2021 episode of the television series Cinema Toast.

In addition to writing all of his films, he shared writing credit with David O. Russell for the 2004 film I Heart Huckabees. Also that year, he wrote uncredited in the film Meet the Fockers.

Joshy, starring Plaza and starring Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally and Alex Ross Perry, tackled a tragic subject and told the story of a man recovering from his fiancee’s suicide with the help of friends.

Plaza, who played April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation from 2009 to 2015, has seen her career skyrocket in recent years since her Emmy-nominated role in The White Lotus in 2023.

He has several upcoming projects in various phases; It was not immediately clear how the family tragedy would affect his upcoming professional endeavors in the future.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

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