Jeff Baena, the acclaimed writer and director who was married to actress Aubrey Plaza, has passed away at the age of 47.
According to law enforcement sources, Baena’s body was discovered by an assistant at a residence in the Los Angeles area on the morning of Friday, January 3, at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet reported.
The Los Angeles Medical Examiner determined the cause of Baena’s death to be suicide by hanging. Efforts to reach Baena’s representatives for comment were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Jeff Baena, pictured alongside Aubrey Plaza at Build Studio in New York City on June 29, 2017. Baena was born and raised in Miami before attending New York University, where he studied film. Following his graduation, he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
Over his career, Baena accumulated more than a dozen directing and film credits.
He first gained recognition as the co-writer of the 2004 film I Heart Huckabees, starring Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, and Naomi Watts.
He later made his directorial debut with Life After Beth, a 2014 zombie comedy he also wrote, featuring Plaza in a leading role.
In 2021, Baena created Cinema Toast, an anthology series that aired on Showtime. The project marked a milestone for Plaza as well, as it featured her directorial debut.
Jeff Baena and Aubrey Plaza at Lisa Edelstein’s Birthday Party, held at a private residence in Silverlake, California, on May 21, 2016.
Baena and Plaza began dating in 2011. Throughout their relationship, they maintained a high level of privacy, choosing not to publicly announce their engagement or marriage.
Their marriage became public knowledge in May 2021 when Plaza referred to Baena as her “darling husband” in an Instagram post celebrating one of his projects.
“So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to Italia to cause some more trouble,” Plaza captioned the post.
