Death Cannot Stop True Love: The Princess Bride Cast Pays Tribute to Rob Reiner

As we look to the news for more information on the tragic death of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer, we also turn to the gifts he gave us that touched our hearts and shaped our childhood (and adulthood.). I’m still personally coming to grips with what a world without The Princess Bride would have been like for me. 

It not only shaped my humor, it allowed me to understand that the heart of a story transcends its genre, and that you CAN have everything at once - an epic fantasy, a comedy - and a romance. It taught me each character can have a story that can flow into the main narrative - and that a movie CAN hold a candle to, and even perhaps elevate, the source material. Goldman’s story took on even more meaning and was made even more poignant through the lens of a grandfather spending his time reading that “kissing book” to him, and watching him groan at every page turn to not being able to put it down.

If you’ve ever read Cary Elwes' book, As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, (which, if you haven't, and you're a fan, you should!) there’s a couple of things that stand out - one of which is that William S Goldman, the source of this epic story - didn't just trust anyone with his story. It took a long, long time to get that movie made, and was only entrusted to Rob Reiner, someone who truly believed in it. 

You can tell a lot by the way people orbit a person, and Reiner’s casts oftentimes became like family, or at the very least dear lifelong friends. This was certainly true of the amazing cast of The Princess Bride, who spoke so intensely fondly of him throughout the years. 

Perhaps because The Princess Bride was the work of Reiner’s that was closest to my heart (I walked down the aisle to the theme, after all) - it’s their voices I wanted to hear as I tried to come to grips with such a terrible thing as Reiner’s murder. Maybe because I wanted to check on them - and maybe because I wanted to feel that connection between the work and the man through them. 

If you feel that way too, let’s have a look together:

Cary Elwes, who’s authored a book about his time on the set of The Princess Bride, let this picture from set express his grief, simply saying 'No words...'

Mandy Patinkin, on the other hand, not only seemed to somehow adequately express what a tragedy this killing was, but also shared an impactful story from his time working with Reiner on the film. 

In a quote to EW, he said :

““How do we process this unthinkable tragedy? Loss after loss after loss. What is happening to our world? What is happening to our human race? What is happening to our world? What is happening to our human race?”

“When we were filming the scene in the Princess Bride, where Inigo kills the six-fingered man and says: ‘I want my father back you son of a bitch’ take after take after take, Rob kept asking me to do less do less, do less,” Patinkin continued. 

“In my sleepless night, I realized he wanted less anger from me to allow my broken heart to be felt. Now 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.”

Chris Sarandon shared a wonderful photo of the cast along with his condolences:

Fred Savage similarly, shared this amazing picture, along with words of gratitude:

Meanwhile, Christopher Guest and his wife, Jamie Lee Curtis, had this to say to USA Today:

In a statement to USA TODAY, actors Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis said they "are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends." Guest starred in Reiner's 1984 directorial debut, "This Is Spinal Tap."

"Our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them," the statement said. "There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we shared and the great political and social impact they both had on the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage and their global care for a world in crisis."

"We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve."

Robin Wright echoed those sentiments in her statement:

"I am deeply shocked and devastated. I cannot begin to imagine what the family is experiencing or what they will have to endure in the months and years ahead. It is truly heartbreaking," she tells EW. "Rob was one of the most loving, compassionate, and kind people I have ever known. He was an extraordinary director and the impact he had on me has stayed with me throughout my career. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," she concludes.

Billy Crystal, who was an extremely close friend, may have been at the scene shortly after the couple was found, and understandably has not made any public statements, though Reiner was often mentioned as his “dearest friend” with a deep family history including a very deep friendship with Reiner’s father Carl, that lasted until his death. 

If, like us, you’re trying to process this tragedy, we hope that you’ll find a little comfort hearing remembrances of Reiner through the eyes of his friends – the cast of a film that has not only delighted us as children, provided laughs in dark times, and been a part of some of our happiest moments. 

“Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”