Filmmaker Jeff Baena died by suicide inside the Los Angeles home he shared with his actress wife Aubrey Plaza, it has been confirmed. 

In an update after his death on Friday, the LA County Medical Examiner’s Office said the 47-year-old died by hanging at their Los Feliz property.

His assistant found his body in their newly purchased home in 2022, and the authorities were alerted at 10:25 am, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department as reported by DailyMail.com.

‘Death was determined for an approximately 47-year old male, no transport,’ they said in a statement. 

Upon arrival at the residence on Fern Dale Place, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that they were responding to a report of a deceased male individual. The director of Life After Beth was declared dead at the scene.

In an update after his death on Friday, the LA County Medical Examiner’s Office said the 47-year-old died by hanging in their Los Feliz property 

Baena was found dead by an assistant on Friday in his LA home around 10:30am. He is seen here alongside his wife Aubrey Plaza

Baena’s family told Deadline that they are devastated by the news and are asking for privacy at this time. 

Baena got into film after he graduated from New York University with a film degree and moved to LA to launch his career. 

Starting at the bottom rung, he held positions supporting prominent filmmakers such as Robert Zemeckis and David O. Russell while establishing himself in the field. His roles included working as a production assistant for Zemeckis and as an assistant editor for Russell.

He is best known for directing Life After Beth, his directorial debut, which Plaza starred in, and The Little Hours. 

Baena also co-wrote I Heart Huckabees, which was nominated for a 2004 Gotham Award for Best Feature. 

He also wrote Life After Beth, which premiered at Sundance in 2014. His film Joshy also premiered at the famous festival and was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize. 

The Miami native also worked on Horse Girl and Spin Me Round. 

For his television works, he directed and executive produced Showtime series Cinema Toast. He co-directed the product with his wife. 

Baena got into film after he graduated from New York University with a film degree and moved to LA to launch his career

In her final post with Baena shared in May 2021, the award-winning actress praised her ‘darling husband’ 

He also had previously spoken candidly about mental health ahead of the release of his 2020 film Horse Girl.

On a Reddit Ask Me Anything forum he was asked if the film’s lead Sarah, played by Alison Brie, being released from the mental hospital and if the scene was based on personal experiences,. 

Baena openly admitted to watching his stepmom suffering from bipolar disorder saying: ‘Unfortunately, people get released all the time when they still need treatment,’ he wrote in February 2020. 

‘The 72-hour mandatory hold only applies to patients who are a danger to themselves, so they must be released after that appraisal period.

‘My first stepmom had manic depression and was in and out of facilities in Miami due to the Baker Act (5150 in California). 

‘While I would not consider “Horse Girl” to be an activist film, the themes of how we as a society and individuals treat persons with mental illness was a major focus and impetus for making this.’ 

Baena and Brie cowrote the film together about the latter’s family history with mental illness, specifically the actress’ grandmother, who suffered from schizophrenia. 

‘That was the original impetus for writing a story like this,’ Brie, who is married to actor Dave Franco, wrote on the forum. 

The director and husband of Aubrey Plaza also said his family history with mental illness had influenced the film’s plot as well. 

He secretly married The White Lotus star in 2020 almost a decade after they met, keeping their relationship largely out of the limelight.

Plaza has not publicly commented on the death of her husband. 

The actress’s final Instagram post with her husband revealed how ‘proud’ she was of him.

In her final post with Baena shared in May 2021, the award-winning actress praised her ‘darling husband’.

‘So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that take us to Italia to cause some more trouble,’ she captioned the post.

The heartbreaking last post together featured the star couple lovingly gazing into each other’s eyes and was accompanied with screenshots of a Deadline article detailing their ‘new assignment’ – the 2022 film Spin Me Round. 

Baena is survived by his wife, his mother Barbra Stern, stepfather Roger Stern, his stepmother Michele Baena, his brother Brad Baena, and his step siblings Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman.