Filmmaker Jeff Baena died by suicide at the Los Angeles home he shared with his wife, actress Aubrey Plaza. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the 47-year-old died by hanging at their Los Feliz home. His body was found by an assistant at the property, which the couple had purchased in 2022.
Emergency responders from the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at the scene at 10:25 a.m., according to a report by the Daily Mail. The director of “Life After Beth” was pronounced dead at the scene. The family shared with Deadline that they are heartbroken by the news and have requested privacy during this difficult time.
Took His Own Life
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“Death was determined for an approximately 47-year old male, no transport,” police said in a statement.
“We responded to the 2100 block of Fern Dale Place for a death investigation. Officers responded for a male decedent,” the Los Angeles Police Department added.
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Baena was best known for directing films like the 2014 horror-comedy “Life After Beth” and the 2017 comedy-drama “The Little Hours.” He and actress Aubrey Plaza, 40, best known for her role in the sitcom “Parks and Recreation”, married in 2021 after being together for ten years.
Baena entered the film industry after earning a degree in film from New York University, then moved to Los Angeles to begin his career.
He initially took on lower-level roles, working with well-known directors like Robert Zemeckis and David O. Russell, where he gained experience. He served as a production assistant for Zemeckis and an assistant editor for Russell.
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Baena gained recognition for directing his debut film, “Life After Beth.” He also co-wrote “I Heart Huckabees”, which earned a 2004 Gotham Award nomination for Best Feature.
Baena wrote “Life After Beth”, which premiered at Sundance in 2014. His film “Joshy” also premiered at Sundance and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. He contributed to “Horse Girl and Spin Me Round.”
On the television front, Baena directed and executive produced the Showtime series “Cinema Toast,” co-directing the project with his wife.
Spoke About Mental Health
Jeff Baena had previously opened up about mental health while promoting his 2020 film “Horse Girl.” During a Reddit Ask Me Anything session, he was asked whether the character Sarah, portrayed by Alison Brie, being discharged from a mental hospital was inspired by his own experiences.
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Baena candidly shared that he had seen his stepmother struggle with bipolar disorder. “Unfortunately, people get released all the time when they still need treatment,” he wrote in February 2020.
“The 72-hour mandatory hold only applies to patients who are a danger to themselves, so they must be released after that appraisal period.
“My first stepmom had manic depression and was in and out of facilities in Miami due to the Baker Act (5150 in California).
“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 and Brie co-write the film, drawing inspiration from her family’s history with mental illness. The story particularly delves into Brie’s personal connection, as her grandmother had struggled with schizophrenia.
“That was the original impetus for writing a story like this,” Brie, who is married to actor Dave Franco, wrote on the forum.
The filmmaker and Aubrey Plaza’s husband revealed that his own family’s history with mental health challenges also played a role in shaping the film’s storyline.
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He married Aubrey Plaza in May 2021 in a private ceremony. The couple had kept their relationship mostly out of the public eye, with fans only finding out that they were married when Plaza subtly referred to him as her “darling husband” in an Instagram post.
“So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to italia to cause some more trouble,” the caption said.
Baena is survived by his wife, Plaza, as well as his mother, Barbara Stern, and stepfather, Roger Stern. He is also survived by his father, Scott Baena, and stepmother, Michele Baena, along with his brother, Brad Baena, and his step-siblings, Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman.
