Aubrey Plaza’s husband Jeff Baena’s obituary is released days after his tragic suicide at 47

A heartbreaking obituary for Aubrey Plaza’s husband Jeff Baena has been released days after his tragic suicide.

Baena was found dead in a Los Angeles home on Friday, January 3 at the age of 47, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, with his death ruled a suicide.

Baena and Plaza, 40 – who broke her silence on the shocking death last week – started dating in 2011 and married in 2021.

The obituary published in The Miami Herald remembers Baena as a “beloved son, husband, brother, uncle and friend to many” and a “gifted filmmaker.”

It reads: ‘Jeff left us too soon, but despite his woefully short life, he left us fond memories of a gifted filmmaker, but also a very special person on so many different levels.

“Jeff was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He attended Killian High School in Kendall, Florida. He graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 1999. After graduating, Jeff moved to Los Angeles to write and direct films. He started as a production assistant for Robert Zemeckis.

He then became an assistant editor for writer-director David O. Russell, with whom he collaborated on I Heart Huckabees and uncredited revisions of Meet the Fockers. Beginning in 2004, Jeff was routinely given credit for writing and directing the films he was associated with; however, he occasionally collaborated with others.

“Jeff fell in love with film at the age of 11 when he saw A Clockwork Orange and Felini’s 8 1/2, elements of which influenced his own films decades later. His oeuvre testifies to his sharp intellect. Each of his films reflects a carefully crafted balance between the logical and the improbable.

‘His combination of intellect and creativity challenged us. He embraced independent filmmaking because of his unalterable aversion to institutional guardrails on creativity. Those who have worked with him praise his vision, taste, technical competence and ability to bring actors together into an ensemble that performs in perfect harmony. There was always a family atmosphere. He loved nature and emphasized it cinematically-graphically in his films wherever and whenever possible.

‘Jeff’s body of work includes: I Heart Huckabees, nominated for the 2004 Gotham Award for Best Feature Film; Life After Beth, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize; Joshy, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize; The Little Hours, nominated for the Audience Award at the 2017 Edinburgh International Film Festival; Horse Girl, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival; and Spin Me Round, which premiered at the 2022 South by Southwest Film Festival. Jeff’s wife, Aubrey Plaza, has starred in most of his films.

“On television, Jeff created, wrote, directed and produced the Showtime series, Cinema Toast, to fill the void left by the suspension of filmmaking during the COVID lockdown.

“Jeff equally loved the company of his friends, some from grade school onwards, and was usually the organizer of game nights, poker nights, pool parties, basketball games and get-togethers. Jeff was a true relationship builder with a gift for bringing people together on and off the film set. His magic sauce ensured that everyone had fun and that no one ever left his meetings as a stranger.

‘As a boy, Jeff enjoyed reading The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Ironically, the Little Prince exclaims: ‘I don’t have much time. I have to find friends and learn so many things.’ And so it was for Jeff.

“Jeff is survived by his wife, Aubrey Plaza; parents, Barbara Stern (Roger) and Scott Baena (Michele); brother, Brad (Ivette); stepsister Bianca Gabay (Maurice); stepbrother Jed Fluxman (Nicole); cousins ​​Jake Baena and Leo Fluxman; nieces Brielle Baena, Ava and Olivia Gabay. Jeff joins his beloved Stevie.

“We will always love and miss Jeff dearly. His presence and his work made the world feel better. He had much more to offer. Sadly, that’s all gone. Sweet dreams, our Little Prince.’

Family members were called upon to plant a tree in Baena’s memory.

Plaza was flooded with condolences following her husband’s death, as colleagues like Julia Fox and Selma Blair were among those offering the actress-producer words of comfort in the wake of the family tragedy.

“No words can touch this painful time,” Blair, 52, said in an Instagram comment thread alongside Plaza’s most recent Dec. 24 post.

Fox, 34, wrote in the thread, “Sending you so much love” with a dove emoji.

Actress Alison Brie, 42, shared a series of images of Baena on her Instagram Stories and added a broken heart emoji.

She also posted a statement from actor-comedian Adam Pally, 42, a friend and collaborator of Baena, who praised him on a personal and professional level.

“He was a collaborator, a mentor, the dirtiest basketball player with the ugliest jump shot you ever saw,” Pally said. “He was a talented director with impeccable taste and vision, he was a connector of people, an enabler of opportunity, the man who knew where the best restaurant was, wherever you were.

‘An overly friendly host with an almost disturbing open-door policy, a film encyclopedia, and for me, above all, a friend.’

Pally ended by saying, “My heart breaks for my friend Aubrey and the Baena family and for all of us who spent time on his sets or at his home or in or at his job. Thank you for believing in me Jeff, may your memory be a blessing.”

In a brief statement seen by DailyMail, a Plaza representative said: “This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are very grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”

Born in Miami, Baena studied his craft at New York University before starting his career in entertainment. Speaking to podcaster Marc Maron in 2017, Baena cited Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 as highly influential in his decision to pursue a career as a creative.

Baena had directed five independent films in his career — four of which debuted at Sundance — including 2020’s Horse Girl and 2016’s Joshy. He also helmed a 2021 installment of the TV series Cinema Toast.

In addition to writing all of his films, he shared a writing credit with David O. Russell on the 2004 film I Heart Huckabees. Also that year, he wrote uncredited in the film Meet the Fockers.

Joshy, starring Plaza and starring Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally and Alex Ross Perry, tackled a tragic subject and told the story of a man who recovered from his fiancée’s suicide with the help of friends.

Plaza, who played April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation from 2009 to 2015, has seen her career skyrocket in recent years since her Emmy-nominated performance in 2023’s The White Lotus.

She has a number of upcoming projects in various phases; it was not immediately clear how the family tragedy would affect her future professional endeavors.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988.