Michelle Obama says she and husband Barack Obama were due to see director Rob Reiner and his photographer wife Michele Reiner the night they were killed.
The former US first lady has paid tribute to the couple, who were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on Sunday night.
The Reiners’ son, Nick, 32, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and was held in custody.
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ms Obama said of the Hollywood couple, “We’ve known them for many, many years, and we were supposed to be seeing them that night.”
Rob Reiner was active in politics, supporting liberal causes.
Ms Obama’s comments came after Donald Trump suggested the 78-year-old died because of his anti-Trump views.
He referred to the director as “tortured and struggling” and said he and his 68-year-old wife had died “reportedly due to the anger he caused” by opposing the Republican president.
Reiners were ‘not deranged’
Ms Obama said, “Let me just say this: unlike some people, Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you’ll ever want to know.
“They are not deranged or crazed. What they have always been are passionate people in a time when there’s not a lot of courage going on.”
File pic: AP
The former first lady highlighted how caring the couple were; stating they cared about their family, country and fairness and equality.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump suggested the Reiners died “reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as Trump derangement syndrome”.
“He was known to have driven people crazy by his raging obsession with President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before.”
Rob Reiner with Hillary Clinton. Pic: Reuters
Rob Reiner was known for directing some of the most-loved films of the 1980s and 1990s, including the rom-com When Harry Met Sally and the legal thriller A Few Good Men.
Tributes pour in
Former US presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as former US speaker Nancy Pelosi, also paid tribute to the director.
Mr Obama added, “Beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people – and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action.”
Michelle Obama spoke to Jimmy Kimmel. Pic: AP
Among the other high-profile figures paying tribute was actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who played Reiner’s ex-wife in the hit comedy series New Girl. She said, “I will always remember them as they lived. Passionate. Political. Surrounded by family and friends.”
US actor Kevin Bacon, who starred in A Few Good Men, appeared emotional in a video he shared on Instagram, praising the director for giving him the role.
Bacon said, “The making of that movie was one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had on a set.
“It was a magical time. So, I’m just sending love to everybody who knew him, because I know that everyone’s hurting today.”
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Reiner’s other films included The Princess Bride (1987), Ghosts Of Mississippi (1996), The Story Of Us (1999), The Magic Of Belle Isle (2012) and LBJ (2016).
Actress and activist Jane Fonda said she was “reeling with grief” in a post on Instagram, while Stephen King, whose books were adapted into Reiner’s 1986 Stand By Me and 1990’s Misery, said he was “horrified and saddened” by the death of the Reiners.
