Aubrey Plaza has spoken out after the sudden death of her husband, Jeff Baena, whose death by suicide at the age of 47 was announced on Jan. 3.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time,” Plaza and Baena’s family said in a statement on Monday.
Plaza and Baena were together for 10 years before they married in 2021. The pair worked closely together on numerous projects, including Baena’s 2014 directorial debut, a zombie comedy starring Plaza called “Life After Beth,” and the 2017 nun comedy, “The Little Hours.” Baena had more than a dozen films in his catalog, making his big break in the industry in 2004 by co-writing “I Heart Huckabees” with director David O. Russell.
In a 2022, interview with Reel Talker, Baena shared what it was like to work with Plaza as partners, saying, “She’s awesome. I would be working with her if she wasn’t my wife, but luckily she is.”
Just days after Baena’s death, Plaza was set to attend the Golden Globes on Sunday as a presenter but was noticeably absent in the wake of her personal tragedy. While Plaza understandably pulled out of the event, she and her late husband were given nods by fellow artists, showing their respects.
When Brady Corbet snagged the win for best director of a motion picture for “The Brutalist,” he mentioned them in his speech, saying, “My heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff’s family.”
Other people in the industry have also paid tribute to Baena and his life’s long work. Friend and star in Baena’s films, Adam Pally said on Instagram, “Jeff Baena was a sweet, Jewish boy from Miami. He was a collaborator, a mentor, the scrappiest basketball player with the ugliest jump shot you ever saw.”
“He was a connector of people, a fosterer of possibility, the guy who knows where the best restaurant was no matter where you were.” Pally added, “an overly gracious host with an almost disturbing open door policy, a film encyclopedia, and most important to me a friend.”
If you are in crisis, please call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
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