Rob Reiner's friend Dennis Maguire is opening up about his heartbreak following the murders of the director and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner - and what they bonded over before the tragedy. "Rob and I had good talks about father-son relationships. We both had rockstar fathers in the industry whom we idolized," Maguire told Business Insider on Wednesday, December 17. "His father (actor, director and screenwriter Carl Reiner) had a massive career, and my father (film executive, producer and assistant director Charles H. Maguire) worked on films like On the Waterfront and Patriot Games, the latter of which I worked on with him." "Rob was a lover of film and Hollywood history, and as a third-generation industry guy myself, I also loved hearing old Hollywood stories, so I would get Lauren Bacall to tell stories when she sat on the set," Maguire remembered. "One time, she was in the middle of a story, and Rob looked around and realized the lighting was done. He asked me, 'Well, should we interrupt her?' I was like, 'If you want to, I kind of want to hear the rest of the story, Rob.' He goes, 'Do we have time?' And I said, 'Rob, you own it. It's your company. You call the shots.'" Rob and Michele were found dead from apparent stab wounds in their Brentwood, California, home on Sunday, December 14. Their son Nick Reiner was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He faces life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted, and his arraignment is set for January 7, 2026. (In addition to Nick, Rob and Michele shared kids Jake, 34, and Romy, 27. Rob also adopted first wife Penny Marshall's daughter, Tracy, 61, from a previous relationship.) Rob Reiner's Friend Recalls Staying With Family, Seeing Nick Before Murders The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed on Wednesday, September 17, Rob and Michele's cause of death to be "multiple sharp force injuries," and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. Maguire remembered Rob as a "big, gregarious guy with a big personality" who was "funny" and a "very intelligent guy who could talk about anything." "I first worked alongside Rob as his first assistant director for one week on Stand by Me reshoots, and later for another seven or eight months in 1990 on Misery," Maguire said. "Before his passing, I hadn't seen him in a number of years. He and Michele had a house in Malibu Colony, and sometimes I'd see them out and we'd chat for a while." Nancy Ostertag/Getty Images Maguire said the murders have left Rob's collaborators, friends and loved ones full of anguish. "Some friends from Misery and I have been texting, calling, and emailing back and forth since we found out," he shared. "We all want to commiserate. I couldn't sleep the first night because my mind was racing - I'm heartbroken. It's just a terrible, tragic thing." Maguire also explained that Rob cared deeply for his cast and crew on each project. The filmmaker was always dedicated to making sure his colleagues spent time with their loved ones and did not have to work tiresome hours often. "The film industry has miserable, awful hours. In my career, I've worked 16-, 18- and even 22-hour days. I've fallen asleep driving home from work twice," Maguire noted. "Rob made a point of shooting what we consider short days - 10- or 11-hour days - so he wouldn't burn out the actors and so people could go home to their families. It was civilized. Working in the film industry is taxing on relationships. But Rob was married to Michele for over 35 years - which is rare in Hollywood. It's almost unheard of."