Actress Aubrey Plaza pulled out of presenting an award at the Golden Globes after the tragedy (Image: Getty Images North America)
Actress Aubrey Plaza was absent from the ceremony on Sunday night following the tragic death of her husband Jeff Baena at the age of 47. The director was found unresponsive at his Los Angeles home on January 3 and was pronounced at the scene by law enforcement officers and the fire brigade.
The LA County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled Jeff’s death as suicide. A spokesperson for Jeff’s family, including Aubrey, confirmed that they are devastated by the and requested privacy during this difficult time.
Aubrey, 40, was scheduled to appear at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards alongside co-presenters Salma Hayek, Anya Taylor-Joy and Anthony Ramos, but did not attend, according to . The horrific circumstances were not mentioned, but Best Director winner Brady Corbet told the audience in a brief commemoration: “My heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff’s family.”
Aubrey and Jeff’s story began in 2011 during her audition for his movie Life After Beth, leading to a decade-long partnership both professionally and romantically, with collaborations on films like Joshy (2016) and Horse Girl (2020). In December 2021, after ten years together, Jeff proposed.
US actress Aubrey Plaza married husband Jeff quietly, away from the public eye (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Quietly marrying out of the public’s gaze, ‘Parks and Recreation’ star Aubrey Plaza subtly referred to director Jeff Baena as her “husband” in an post in May 2021, as she praised his latest cinematic venture, Spin Me Round, which they worked on together.
Gushing over her partner’s creative endeavours in Italy, Plaza shared: “So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to Italia to cause some more trouble [devil emoji],” celebrating their collaboration on the film.
The discreet couple has maintained a low profile throughout their romance, deliberately keeping out of the limelight and opting not to have children, reports the Originally hailing from Miami, Baena relocated to New York City to pursue his passion for film at school, eventually endeavouring to establish himself as a filmmaker in Los Angeles.
With his release of Life After Beth, he earned recognition as a director with the support of his now-spouse. In a candid reflection during a 2014 interview with Seensome about his first time in the director’s chair, Baena disclosed: “It’s all I ever want to do; it felt really comfortable and fun. I’ve been a writer for twelve years now and it was always a means to an end, I never wanted to be a writer, I wanted to be a director so this was always my intention and it felt right.”
Jeff Baena’s family includes wife and actress Aubrey Plaza, mother Barbara Stern, stepfather Roger Stern, father Scott Baena, stepmother Michele Baena, brother Brad Baena, and stepsiblings Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman.