Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | April 15, 2026
You should live your life in such a way that people don’t have a bad word to say about you when you pass away. It won’t be easy, and no matter how hard you try, there will still be a few people who don’t like you for their own delusional, self-obsessed reasons. But, it’s worth it, and while you may not be able to reap the benefits of people remembering you fondly, you can still find comfort in the present, because if you live your life in such a way, it will be filled with happiness.
I did not know Rob Reiner personally, but he seemed like the kind of person I am talking about. He was loud, funny, passionate, and caring. You could see him light up a screen or elicit a smile from others with ease. When he and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were murdered last year, the outpouring of support and remembrance was instant and forceful. Despite the undeniable tragedy that had unfolded, the Reiners were celebrated and will continue to be for some time.
That remembrance extended to the Academy Awards, where there was a beautiful segment that featured actors who had worked with Rob Reiner over the years, like Demi Moore, Michael McKean, Meg Ryan, and Kathy Bates. They were all led by Billy Crystal, who revealed on a recent episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he had called Conan O’Brien (the host of the show) personally to suggest the segment, which Conan happily agreed to. What followed was something incredibly touching.
Crystal also took time during his interview with Colbert to explain why he loved Rob so much, and it’s a beautiful, albeit somber thing to witness. It takes Crystal a minute to talk about his friend, with Colbert offering him some grace to take a moment. But once he does, you can feel the love emanating from him. He talks about some inspiration for Harry and Sally’s relationship coming from him and Rob’s, and he also drops one of the most beautiful quotes about Rob, saying, “You can’t control how a movie’s gonna do, what you can control is the experience of making it.”
And that’s what the segment was about. All of these people who had loved working with Rob Reiner, whose lives were touched by him, came together to remember him fondly. We should all be so lucky.
