How Michele Reiner influenced the end to ‘When Harry Met Sally’ – NBC Los Angeles

Michele Singer Reiner is being remembered as a talented photographer who tried to make the world a better place through a passion for activism that she shared with Hollywood director Rob Reiner, her husband of more than 35 years.

The couple was found dead Sunday at their home in Los Angeles’ Brentwood area. On Monday, police said their 32-year-old son Nick Reiner was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the killings and being held without bail.

The deaths sparked tributes from colleagues in the entertainment industry, political figures and more.

“Michele was an enormously talented photographer whose eye applied not only to what she captured on film but also to her own personal (aesthetic),” said actor Rita Wilson, a friend of the Reiners. “Her work as a producer focused on social justice and creating awareness of our world. She was wry, funny, opinionated but also reasonable and self reflective. She was so close to her sister and her family understanding the importance of close connection.”

Rob Reiner, the 78-year-old son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, was married to photographer Michele Singer, 68, in 1989. The two met while he was directing “When Harry Met Sally” and have three children together — Nick, Jake and Romy.

Comedy legend Rob Reiner and wife Michele, a talented photographer, were found dead Sunday in side their Brentwood home. Tracey Leong reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Dec. 14, 2025.

In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, Reiner said it was his Michele who influenced his decision to change the hit rom-com’s ending.

“Originally, Harry and Sally didn’t get together,” Reiner told The Guardian. “But then I met Michele and I thought: OK, I see how this works.”

The two appeared together at the film’s 1989 premiere. The movie, starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, went on to become a defining film of the era.

In 1989, Rob Reiner told the New York Times that Michele visited the New York set with the then-fiancée of a cinematographer on the film who predicted the two would end up together. He said Michele caught his eye when the film’s characters were engrossed in a heated argument.

Photos: Celebrated Hollywood film director Rob Reiner through the years

“I look over and I see this girl, and whoo! I was attracted immediately,” Reiner said. “I wormed my way into their lunch. But that’s what he said to me, ‘You’re going to marry her.’ And one thing led to another and here we are.”

Michele Singer Reiner was a producer for “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” “God & Country,” “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” and “Shock and Awe,” according to IMDB. Earlier in her career, she photographed the cover image of Donald Trump for his 1987 bestseller “The Art of the Deal.”

Singer Reiner worked on several films directed by her husband, including as a special photographer on 1990’s “Misery,” an adaptation of the psychological horror novel by Stephen King. The two went on to collaborate on other projects, including advocacy campaigns.

Rob Reiner was previously married to actor-director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. He adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner. Carl Reiner died in 2020 at age 98 and Marshall died in 2018.