Aubrey Plaza's husband died in January. They had separated four months before.

Writer and director, Jeff Baena, who was also married to actress Aubrey Plaza, died on Friday, January 3. He was 47.

According to TMZ, law enforcement officials said that an assistant found Baena's body at a residence in the Los Angeles area. Authorities declared him dead by suicide at the scene.

Baena had been in a relationship with Plaza for more than a decade. While the pair kept their relationship very private, Plaza subtly dropped the news in 2021 that the two had quietly tied the knot.

According to documents TMZ obtained from the LA County Medical Examiner's report, Jeff had been separated from Aubrey since September 2024.

The publication reports that Jeff and Aubrey spoke the night before his death, and she allegedly last heard from him at 7:36am on the morning of his passing when he sent her a text message.

When officers spoke to Aubrey after Jeff was found, she reportedly confirmed their separation. According to the documents, Aubrey revealed that Jeff had made "concerning remarks in October 2024," which prompted her to call a friend to perform a welfare check on him.

Aubrey allegedly stated that Jeff did not make any previous suicide attempts and had been seeing a therapist following those "concerning remarks."

In January, Aubrey released a statement to People Magazine, speaking of the loss of her husband.

"This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time," the statement to PEOPLE read.

Her statement follows on from the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, where Baena was honoured by a number of industry collaborators and close friends.

Jeff Baena and Aubrey Plaza were together for more than a decade. Image: Getty.

The couple were very private and low-key, only revealing their marriage years after tying the knot.

While appearing on The Ellen Show, Plaza said that they got married on a whim as a way to celebrate their 10-year anniversary.

Joking that they "got a little bored one night" during the pandemic, Plaza said they were looking for "something special" to do to mark the occasion.

Watch Aubrey Plaza tell Ellen DeGeneres about her wedding to Jeff Baena. Article continues below.

"Get an ice cream cone or do something special," she said, before recalling that "joked about getting married".

When Baena replied that they "probably couldn't get married" that same day, Plaza began Googling options. Soon, she found the site 1hourmarriage.com.

Plaza told DeGeneres that after calling the service at 5pm, she was told that there wouldn't be anyone available to marry them until the next day.

"Well, that's not what you're advertising," she quipped.

However, the officiant told Plaza that he could meet with the couple that day if they were willing to "pay extra" for him to travel to Los Angeles. The pair wed that evening and "didn't tell anybody [they] were doing it". In fact, Baena "almost missed the wedding" himself, because he was picking up a food order.

"Then the man… showed up with a Hawaiian shirt and a briefcase and I can't remember a lot of it, it was fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure it's legal," she said of the wedding.

Over the course of their relationship, Baena and Plaza worked together several times, including 2014's Life After Beth, 2017's The Little Hours, and the 2021 TV series Cinema Toast, which Plaza directed and starred in.

Speaking about the collaboration in 2021, Plaza told People about the experience of quarantining with Baena whilst simultaneously putting together a show.

"It was very hectic while we were making the show because we were quarantined and Jeff, he created the show; it was his idea," Plaza said. "Our house became this strange post-production facility and he's downstairs on his Zooms or on his sessions and I'm upstairs editing, we're just going back and forth."

"Yeah, it was very us. We were not baking sourdough bread, but we were sifting through hours of old movies and footage and re-cutting them together and just letting our minds go on a trip. So it was great," she added.

Aubrey Plaza and her husband Jeff Baena worked together several times. Image: Getty.

In 2019, Plaza also spoke about the mutual understanding and comfort she shared with her husband, given they are in the same industry.

"I think that when you're with someone that is in your field, they understand what you're dealing with on a deeper level," she said.

"So obviously you are able to support each other and really understand kind of the journey that we're both on."

Baena grew up in Miami before pursuing film studies at New York University. After graduating, he relocated to Los Angeles to start his career in the entertainment industry.

His most notable films include 2004's I Heart Huckabees which starred Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law and Naomi Watts and 2014's Life After Beth, which starred Plaza and was Baena's directorial debut.

If you think you may be experiencing depression or another mental health problem, please contact your general practitioner. If you're based in Australia, 24-hour support is available through Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.

This article was originally published on January 7, 2025 and has since been updated with new information.

Feature image: Getty.