Carl Reiner, beloved comedy legend, is dead at 98

The legendary producer, writer, director, and actor Carl Reiner is dead at 98.

Reiner died of natural causes on Monday night at his Beverly Hills home, Variety reported. (TMZ first broke the news on Tuesday.) His passing marks the end of a wildly successful career that included timeless collaborations with Mel Brooks and indelible contributions across the board to TV and film.

Reiner created (and produced and wrote and appeared on) The Dick Van Dyke Show. He directed bona fide Hollywood favorites like Steve Martin’s The Jerk and The Man With Two Brains, as well as the classic Martin-Lily Tomlin comedy All of Me. He was also an actor, appearing in hits like It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Even younger audiences are familiar with Reiner’s work. He was Saul Bloom in the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy, and he voiced a toy rhino – Carl Reinerocerous – in Toy Story 4, a role he reprised for the Disney+ series, Forky Asks a Question. He also made more recent TV appearances in Family Guy, American Dad, Parks and Recreation, and Bob’s Burgers.

Reiner came up during an era of comedy when punching down wasn’t quite so popular. It’s a fact that was reflected again and again in his work, which may be best characterized as wholesome irreverence.

He was also, by most accounts, just a good person. Not because of any particular philanthropic work; more for the way he carried himself and his platform in the world. You can see the evidence of that splashed all throughout Reiner’s prolific Twitter presence and public persona in general. In recent years especially, he embraced his role as a vocal critic of Donald Trump and the ideas he stands for.

Reiner is survived by his three children, Annie, Lucas, and Rob (as in famed director, Rob Reiner). All three came from his marriage to Estelle Lebost, who died in 2008. The two married in 1943.

News of Reiner’s death was immediately met online by an outpouring of grief for the fallen icon and sympathy for his family, as well as fond reminiscences of happier times.