The circumstances of his death were still unclear this Friday. There is now no longer any doubt. The American director and screenwriter, Jeff Baena, found dead on January 3 at his home in Los Angeles (California), hanged himself, according to the findings of the Los Angeles medical examiner.
According to the American media TMZ, the body of the 47-year-old man was found lifeless by one of his assistants around 10 a.m. Friday morning. The filmmaker reportedly left a letter explaining his action, without the details being revealed. Sources close to the family said he was battling deep depression.
From “A Clockwork Orange” to “Forrest Gump”
The suicide was noted by the medical examiner within 48 hours of the death notice. “This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has given us their support. Please respect our privacy during this time,” actress Aubrey Plaza and her late husband’s family wrote in a statement sent to the American press.
A figure in independent American cinema, Jeff Baena was known for having directed “Life After Beth”, “The Little Hours” and the film “Horse Girl”. He was married to the American actress, Aubrey Plaza, revealed by the series “Parks & Recreation” and known more recently for her role in the series “White Lotus”.
The son of a lawyer and a professor, Jeff Baena grew up in Miami before attending film school at New York University. In an interview in 2017, he said that his interest in the Seventh Art was born after watching, as a child, “A Clockwork Orange” by Stanley Kubrick and “8 1/2” by Federico Fellini.
Beyond his activity as a director, Jeff Baena had worked with other filmmakers, such as Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”, “Alone in the World”) or David O. Russell (“Happiness Therapy”) as a production assistant. In 2021, actress Aubrey Plaza revealed in an Instagram post that she got married to him, after more than ten years of relationship. They had worked together on five films.
