Jeff Baena, a screenwriter and director, who was married to actress Aubrey Plaza, has passed away at the age of 47. He died on Friday at his California home, as confirmed by records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Baena and Plaza had worked together on several projects, including the 2014 dark comedy “Life After Beth,” which Baena wrote and directed. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Representatives for both Baena and Plaza have been contacted for further comment.
The couple’s most recent collaboration was the 2022 romantic comedy “Spin Me Round,” in which Plaza starred alongside Alison Brie, Jake Picking, and Stella Chesnut.
Baena is said to have met Plaza while playing a game of Balderdash, as shared in a 2022 profile on Plaza. The couple began dating in 2010 and tied the knot in a spontaneous ceremony in 2020.
In a December 2021 appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Plaza revealed details about their unplanned wedding. She told host Ellen DeGeneres that they held the ceremony in their backyard while staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Plaza recalled, “I just said, ‘Hey, it’s our 10-year anniversary. We should do something, maybe get an ice cream cone or something special.’ Then I joked about getting married, and he responded, ‘Well, we probably couldn’t get married that quickly.'”
She went on to explain, “I suggested, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to get married on our actual anniversary?’ So, I Googled it and found OneHourMarriage.com. By 5 p.m., I called and asked, ‘Can you come in an hour and marry me in our yard?'”
In a 2021 interview, Plaza shared her thoughts on her creative partnership with Baena, saying, “It’s very complicated. There are extreme highs and lots of challenges. It’s hard to navigate, but we’ve been together for 11 years and just push through it.”
Baena is survived by his wife Plaza, mother Barbara Stern, stepfather Roger Stern, father Scott Baena, stepmother Michele Baena, brother Brad Baena, and stepsiblings Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman.
