"Parks and Recreation" star Aubrey Plaza's husband, writer and director Jeff Baena, has died at age 47.
Authorities confirmed that the body of Baena was discovered by an assistant at a residence in the Los Angeles area on Friday, Jan. 3, around 10:30 a.m. local time, TMZ reported. First responders pronounced Baena dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County medical examiner later ruled his death a suicide, citing hanging as the cause.
Born and raised in Miami, Baena pursued his passion for filmmaking at New York University where he studied film, People reported. Following his graduation, he relocated to Los Angeles to find his footing in the film industry. He has over a dozen directing and film credits to his name.
Baena is arguably best known for co-writing the 2004 film "I Heart Huckabees," featuring Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, and Naomi Watts. He later made his directorial debut with "Life After Beth," a zombie comedy starring Plaza, which premiered in 2014. In 2021, Baena created the anthology series "Cinema Toast," airing on Showtime and serving as Plaza's directorial debut.
Baena and Plaza began dating in 2011, keeping their relationship largely private. It wasn't until May 2021 that the public discovered they had secretly married, when Plaza referred to Baena as her "darling husband" in an Instagram post.
"So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to italia to cause some more trouble," her caption read.
During an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Plaza later revealed that she and Baena "got a little bored one night" during the COVID-19 pandemic and decided to marry after celebrating their 10th anniversary, according to Sky News. She shared that they found a wedding officiant online and set up a makeshift altar in their garden, making the ceremony intimate and special.
Sundance Film Festival, where Baena's directorial debut "Life After Beth" premiered in 2014, remembered the director on social media.
"We extend our heartfelt thanks to Jeff Baena for sharing his stories and contributing to the lasting memories we've built together," the statement read. "Jeff, we'll miss your wit, humor, and daring vision. Rest in peace, friend."