Dustin Lance Black honours Rob and Michele Reiner as son is charged with murder: ‘They became my parents’ (EXCLUSIVE)
“I’ve lost two of the most beautiful, inspiring mentors, teachers, parental figures that I’ll ever have," said Black
By Aaron Sugg
Dustin Lance Black has shared a deeply personal and emotional tribute to Rob and Michele Singer Reiner, describing the celebrated filmmaker and his wife as parental figures following a turbulent upbringing.
The couple were announced dead on Sunday (14 December), after being found stabbed at their Brentwood home in Los Angeles. Authorities have arrested, and subsequently charged, their son, Nick Reiner with first-degree murder.
Black, married to Olympic gold medallist Tom Daley, recalled the pair’s LGBTQ+ advocacy and their fight for marriage equality during a time when same‑sex marriage was contested.
“I was very much on board to fight the fight” – Dustin Lance Black in his fight for same-sex marriage alongside Rob and Michele Reiner
“People don’t remember anymore how radical it was in the United States that we might have marriage equality,” he said exclusively to Attitude. “I was very much on board to fight the fight… I gave a big Oscar speech about marriage equality, and they immediately reached out.”
The late couple were honoured for their role in advancing marriage equality through their organisation, the American Foundation for Equal Rights, founded in 2009. The foundation was behind the legal challenge to California’s Proposition 8, which banned same‑sex marriage.
Black was a founding board member, and wrote 8, a play recounting the federal trial. “They taught me how to turn passion of your heart into strategy of your mind and action in your body… to move the needle towards a fairer world,” he said, reflecting on their partnership.
“They became my parent” – Black remembers his and the Reiner’s bond
“I think we might have met in passing. And so I would, from then until yesterday and in my heart forever, they became my parents,” Black continued. His own father left the family when he was a child, and his mother raised him and his brothers while living with the effects of polio.
He added that although Rob and Michele did not have LGBTQ+ children themselves, they became unwavering allies, investing their time and resources in the fight for equality.
Just weeks ago, Black said Michele had contacted him about joining a First Amendment group they were forming, advocating for free speech amid the current political climate.
“I’ve lost two of the most beautiful, inspiring mentors, teachers, parental figures that I’ll ever have” – Black on Rob and Michele’s death
He described their bond as irreplaceable: “I’ve lost two of the most beautiful, inspiring mentors, teachers, parental figures that I’ll ever have. And the world lost two of its greatest champions for love and justice and equality. And they will be irreplaceable.”
At the 2015 Human Rights Campaign Las Vegas Gala, the late couple were honoured for their fight for same‑sex marriage. In light of their deaths, HRC President Kelley Robinson issued a statement on behalf of the organisation, saying they are all “devastated.”
32-year-old Nick will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the death of his parents, 78-year-old Rob and 68-year-old Michele.
Black and husband Tom Daley are currently teaming up with Starling Bank
Black and Daley are currently teaming up with Starling Bank after working with the company to confront their different spending habits, with the couple admitting that Daley is the bigger spender.
They said life in the US is very different from the UK, particularly when it comes to paying for healthcare, education and other costs, a change Daley admitted he had to get used to.
The married couple have used Starling Bank’s Let’s Talk Money tool to help them identify their own money languages, aiding their communication about finances.
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