Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner's longtime friend stayed in their family home with them just WEEKS before their murders... and is opening up about what he saw. As the world continues to come to grips with the shocking and brutal murders of the beloved director and his wife, longtime friend and collaborator Barry Markowitz is speaking up about being "one of the last people to see" the family before things changed forever. Related: Nick Reiner Seen At Gas Station MOMENTS Before Arrest The Tel Aviv-based cinematographer, who worked with Rob on three movies, revealed he stayed with Rob and Michele in their home while visiting the area just weeks before their murders: "They would say, 'You're staying here. You're not going to no hotel. There's no fridge, good toilet paper, no family." Markowitz observed it was "business as usual" for Rob and Michele, who lived with daughter Romy, 28, staying in a house across the street and son Nick, 32, staying in their guesthouse: "Romy was in and out [of the house] and at dinner time she comes over and we all bulls**t together. [We would] scream at the TV, we watched a movie and a basketball game. Played with the dogs. Family time. One big love fest." They seemed like - and clearly were - such a loving and close-knit family. On Nick specifically, Markowitz added he seemed to be "on the upswing" amid his addiction issues: "He looked great. He was sitting and talking with the family. They eat dinner together, old school, and a lot of love, always a lot of love." The suspected murderer apparently never failed to join Rob and Michele for dinner and was always around the home "shooting hoops" and doing household chores: "He helped out, he took out the garbage, he watched TV, he washed dishes. He'd bring me something to drink. He was just normal in that sense." How could things go so wrong so fast? Markowitz didn't notice "anything strange" about the family's dynamic: "They were busy working and doing stuff. The help was there, the secretaries were there, in and out of the house ... business as usual." The Hollywood creative spent a total of five nights with the Reiners, and described his time with them as "a blast." "I think what's puzzling the most, the 360, is that there was so much love, that it doesn't jive. I'm not here to judge anyone. L-o-v-e is the only thing I saw, and I don't think it was fake. They had a real bond." With that in mind, it's so incredibly heartbreaking to imagine what must have been going through Rob and Michele's minds in their final moments. On Nick's mental state and what led him to allegedly murder his parents, Markowitz added: "It's just a sickness. That's my verdict." The cinematographer told the outlet Rob and Michele "never, ever, ever" gave up on their son throughout his ongoing battle with drug addiction: "They gave him everything, they tried a million things with him ... Not giving him money but sending him to top-of-the-line places ... Rob never gave up. He tried everything. If you knew Rob, he was just a bundle of love." He went on to describe Michele as a "balabusta," the Yiddish word for a proficient homemaker: "She was the kingpin and she was the strength - the rock." The longtime friend, who served as the cinematographer on Rob and Nick's 2015 semi-autobiographical film Being Charlie, denied rumors of tension on the set: "I cannot remember no tension ... we were just having a decent time, all of us. One big family and there was no fights." He also claimed Rob and Michele never had any reason to believe Nick would hurt them - even though the screenwriter was known to channel his rage into the guest house they let him reside in: "[Rob] never had fears for his safety. I'm not in his head, but we talked. [Nick] wasn't a violent type. I slept in the same house as Nick. There was never a thought, I believe, in Rob's head [that Nick was a danger.] If he would have thought his life was in peril at any point, he would have handled the situation." Therefore, he doesn't necessarily believe Nick had any real motives to kill his parents: "When somebody is mentally disturbed, you don't need a reason. There's no rhyme or reason. Mental illness, that's the reason." But beyond everything, Markowitz thought of Rob "like a brother" and admitted he's "totally broken" after losing him and Michele: "I can't believe they're not here. I'm looking at the iPad, everything is Rob Reiner. I started crying ... I want to call him up and say, 'Hey, buddy.' [Rob] was like my family. Four, five days later, I'm here in this f**king nightmare." How incredibly troubling. Nick, who is suspected of murdering Rob and Michele, has officially been charged with two counts of first degree murder. Our hearts continue to be with the family. Rest in peace. For resources on mental health, visit https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov