Billy Crystal, Albert Brooks and other close friends of Rob and Michele Reiner pay tribute

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Some of Rob and Michele Reiner’s closest friends, including actors Billy Crystal, Albert Brooks, Martin Short and Larry David, have released a statement mourning the couple and praising their love of film and country.

“Absorbing all he had learned from his father Carl and his mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner not only was a great comic actor, he became a master story teller. There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films,” the group said in a statement released first to The Associated Press.

“His comedic touch was beyond compare, his love of getting the music of the dialogue just right, and his sharpening of the edge of a drama was simply elegant,” it said of Rob Reiner, whose films included “A Few Good Men,” “When Harry Met Sally…” and “The Princess Bride.”

The statement was released two days after Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead in their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Their son, Nick Reiner, was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder and is suspected of stabbing his parents to death.

The joint statement came from some of Reiner’s longtime collaborators and contemporaries, including Crystal, Brooks, Short, David and their spouses. The signatories included writer Alan Zweibel, composer and lyricist Marc Shaiman, director Barry Levinson and former U.S. Ambassador to Spain James Costos.

“For the actors, he loved them. For the writers he made them better. His greatest gift was freedom. If you had an idea, he listened, he brought you into the process. They always felt they were working as a team. To be in his hands as a film maker was a privilege but that is only part of his legacy,” the statement said.

The Reiners were major Democratic contributors and champions of numerous political causes.

“Rob was also a passionate, brave citizen, who not only cared for this country he loved, he did everything he could to make it better and with his loving wife Michele, he had the perfect partner. Strong and determined, Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens… They were a special force together — dynamic, unselfish and inspiring,” the statement said.

“We were their friends, and we will miss them forever,” it said, before concluding with a quote from one of Reiner’s favorite films, the Christmastime classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

“’Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?’ You have no idea,” the statement concludes.

The deaths of the Reiners have stunned Hollywood, especially since their family embodied a gentle and comedic spirit.

Their deaths drew tributes from numerous stars and political figures on Sunday and Monday, but many of those closest to the Reiners had yet to release statements.