Debby Ryan pays tribute to Aubrey Plaza's late husband Jeff Baena on his birthday
Debby Ryan poured her heart out in an emotional tribute to Aubrey Plaza 's late husband Jeff Baena on what would have been his 48th birthday.
The screenwriter's body was discovered in early January after he committed suicide.
Ryan, 32, used Instagram to remember her friend on Sunday, sharing a collection of photos and adding a lengthy, heartfelt caption that illustrated their close bond.
The note began, 'Happy birthday Jeff ✨Bear with me, I've never been a public griever, and have a hard time sharing fragile feelings with strangers. Meanwhile I've thought about him every day for the past six months.'
She added, 'At the beginning of the year, I lost a dear friend, cherished collaborator and mentor in Jeff Baena. It's been very hard and heavy, and a lot of people lost him, because he was like the nucleus of this whole Jeff universe.'
Ryan's carousel post was filled with memorable images featuring celebrity friends including Fred Armisen, Zach Woods, Ayden Mayer, Matthew Gray Gubler, and her husband Josh Dun.
In her caption, the actress added, 'Today on his birthday, I want you to know a few things about Jeff— he was generous. Warm while principled. Intentional with a casual lilt. Usually right about stuff we have no way of knowing about. Spirited in debate.'
She appeared in two of Baena's projects, 2020's Horse Girl and 2022's Spin Me Round.
Touching on their professional relationship, she said, 'He believed in me. I feel really proud to be able to say that.
'Jeff was a rare person in the world who gave me the dignity of introducing myself, of being taken at my present. And I liked who he saw. Like good friendship helps you love yourself, good collaboration gives you the chance to be the best evolution of yourself.'
The sentimental note continued, 'From the moment we met, Jeff was an active person in my life- personally and professionally. He somehow saw me, trusted me, and vouched for me from jump.
'He brought me to my first film festival, after putting me in his and Alison Brie's film Horse Girl, a film largely improvised based on an outline— which is a process he was accustomed to working but was a big leap for me. He never doubted me.'
The former Disney star also reflected on her non-linear journey of grief.
The note began, 'Happy birthday Jeff ✨Bear with me, I've never been a public griever, and have a hard time sharing fragile feelings with strangers. Meanwhile I've thought about him every day for the past six months'
She added, 'At the beginning of the year, I lost a dear friend, cherished collaborator and mentor in Jeff Baena. It's been very hard and heavy, and a lot of people lost him, because he was like the nucleus of this whole Jeff universe'
'Six months of trying to make sense of this, oscillating between heavy grief and clamoring for acceptance, trying to wade through for some better feelings — trying to adjust to past tense,' she continued her caption in the comments.
'Trying to absolve guilt for not being able to save my friend. Trying to forgive my friend for taking my friend.'
Debby echoed the refrain: 'Six months of things happening that Jeff will never know about, that's so crazy.
'Six months of trying to accept the new impossibility of the things we were gonna make together. Months of discoveries of the things he left behind; and the gifts he continues to give me and those who he shone his light on. Thanks for all of it, Jeff. Love you dude. ✨ and happy birthday.'
Plaza and Baena had been separated since September 2024, an LA County Medical Examiner's autopsy report obtained by DailyMail.com revealed.
She was living in New York when his body was discovered on January 3.
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