Jeff Baena, writer-director married to Aubrey Plaza, dead at 47

Independent filmmaker Jeff Baena, best known for directing “Life After Beth” and co-writing “I Heart Huckabees,” died on Friday at his home in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. He was 47.

Baena had been married to actor Aubrey Plaza since 2021. The couple collaborated on several films, including in 2014’s “Life After Beth,” in which Plaza had a starring role.

The circumstances of Baena’s death are not known at this time.

The director graduated from New York University’s film school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career, according to Deadline. He worked as a production assistant before pivoting into an assistant editor role. It was in this role that he worked with director David O. Russell, Baena’s co-writer and the director of “I Heart Huckabees,” a 2004 dark comedy with an ensemble cast that included Mark Wahlberg, Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin.