Aubrey Plaza Had Been Separated from Husband Jeff Baena for 4 Months Before His Death, Medical Examiner Report Confirms
Plaza, 40, and Baena, 47, separated in September 2024, and a month later, Baena made "concerning remarks" to Plaza that "prompted her to call a friend to perform a welfare check on her husband," according to a report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, which was obtained by PEOPLE.
Following the welfare check in October 2024, Baena had been going to therapy. The documents detail how Baena had been "experiencing recent marital difficulties" with Plaza. The writer-director died by suicide on Friday, Jan. 3.
Plaza last received a text message from Baena on the day of his death at 10:36 a.m. ET. The report stated that Baena's body was found by his dogwalker, who entered the residence and discovered Baena's body.
Following Baena's death, Plaza and the family of her late husband called his passing as an "unimaginable tragedy."
'We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time," a statement to PEOPLE read.
Related: Aubrey Plaza and Her 'Darling Husband' Jeff Baena Were Together 13 Years Before His Death: Their Relationship Timeline
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Baena had more than a dozen directing and film credits to his name. Notably, he made his directorial debut by writing and directing Life After Beth, a zombie comedy starring Plaza, and then created an anthology series titled Cinema Toast, which aired on Showtime in 2021 and marked Plaza's own directorial debut.
He met and started dating Plaza in 2011. Fans learned that the two had tied the knot in May 2021, when Plaza, 40, referred to Baena as her "darling husband" in an Instagram post.
A rep later confirmed to PEOPLE that the couple had tied the knot.
'I think that one of the great things about our careers is that we are forced to be independent, take little breaks, go off and do our things and come back," Plaza said about their relationship in a 2019 interview with PEOPLE. "So it's kind of fun. Nothing is ever the same. You don't want to spend too much time a part. But I think that there's a way that it can work and there's a balance in that.'
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
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