As fans and friends continue to mourn the death of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, “The Princess Bride” star Cary Elwes had a simple, stunned message late Sunday night.
In a post to Instagram, Elwes posted a photo of his and Reiner’s chairs on the set of “The Princess Bride,” sat side-by-side and with Elwes’ prop sword leaning against his own chair. The actor captioned the post: “No words…”
Elwes, of course, played Westley — or the dread pirate Roberts, depending on who you asked — in Reiner’s beloved film, starring opposite Robin Wright. It remains one of his most famous roles.
The comment section on Monday morning was filled with condolences, including from actor Josh Gad, who said “I’m truly so sorry Cary.” Comedian Will Sasso also commented with a broken heart emoji.
As of Monday morning, Elwes is the only star of “The Princess Bride” to have publicly spoken on Reiner’s death, as the news came through late Sunday night.
On Monday afternoon, fellow “Princess Bride” star Mandy Patinkin also mourned the “unthinkable tragedy.” In a statement to EW, Patinkin — who played Inigo Montoya in the film — said that he “can’t breathe, but I’m breathing.”
“I’m hearing his voice tell us all to do more, do more, do more to repair the human soul, to repair our hearts, to repair our country, to repair our world, to never give up, to keep fighting, to keep living for every soul taken from this earth, that no longer has the life and breath to raise their voices for a better world, we must raise our voices for them,” Patinkin said.
Fred Savage, who was just a young boy in “The Princess Bride,” also paid tribute to Reiner on Instagram, recalling how “he found me in a casting room in downtown Chicago.”
“Who knew those two weeks in a bedroom set on the Shepperton Studio lot would last forever??” Savage wrote. “His work was a gift to us all and I feel lucky to have been a part of it.”
The 78-year-old director was found dead in his Brentwood home, along with his wife Michele, after LAPD officers assigned to West L.A. Division responded to a death investigation in the 200 block of South Chadbourne Avenue around 3:40 p.m. on Sunday. Once inside the residence, officers discovered the bodies.
In a short press briefing on Sunday night outside the Reiners’ home, LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told TheWrap and other reporters that nobody is in custody, though he would not confirm the deaths were a homicide or how they died. He said police were waiting for a warrant to enter the house and do a full investigation.
An individual close to the family told TheWrap that the Reiners were found with knife wounds. People magazine reported that the Reiners were murdered by their son Nick Reiner, citing “multiple sources.”
