Jeff Baena, writer-director married to Aubrey Plaza, dead at 47

Jeff Baena, an independent filmmaker best known for directing “Life After Beth” and co-writing “I Heart Huckabees,” died Friday, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.

Jeff Baena, an independent filmmaker best known for directing “Life After Beth” and co-writing “I Heart Huckabees,” died Friday, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. He was 47.

Baena had been married to actor Aubrey Plaza since 2021. The couple collaborated on several films, including 2014’s “Life After Beth,” in which Plaza had a starring role.

Jeff Baena and Aubrey Plaza in 2016.David Crotty / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images fileHe died by suicide at a home, according to the medical examiner's records.

Baena graduated from New York University’s film school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career, according to Deadline. He worked as a production assistant before he pivoted into an assistant editor role. It was in that role that he worked with director David O. Russell, his co-writer and the director of “I Heart Huckabees,” a 2004 dark comedy with an ensemble cast that included Mark Wahlberg, Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin.

In an interview with Fast Company in 2016, Baena spoke about how an accident that left him with an eye injury — specifically cornea damage — became the catalyst for his co-writing relationship with Russell.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeff-baena-aubrey-plaza-husband-dead-rcna186237

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