Aubrey Plaza's Husband Jeff Baena's 'Woefully Too-Short Life' Honored in Obituary: 'He Had Lots More to Offer'

Mar. 15, 2025

Jeff Baena in Seattle on April 15, 2022.Photo:Mat Hayward/Getty

Mat Hayward/Getty

Jeff Baenais being remembered fondly after his “sudden and unexpected death.”

“Jeff left us too soon but despite his woefully too-short life, he left us with treasured memories of a gifted filmmaker, as well as a very special person on so many different levels,” it reads.

The obituary gives a description of the early and later life of Baena, who was also the husband ofAubrey Plaza, including his roots in Miami, education at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and eventual relocation to Los Angeles to pursue his movie-making dreams.

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Jeff Baena and Aubrey Plaza in Silver Lake, Los Angeles on May 21, 2016.David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty

David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty

The obituary concludes, “We shall always love and deeply miss Jeff. His presence, as well as his work, made the world feel better. He had lots more to offer. Alas, all that is gone. Sweet dreams, our Little Prince.”

Baena was a writer and director whose credits includeI Heart Huckabees(2004),Life After Beth(2014),Horse Girl(2020) andSpin Me Round(2022), his final film. He and Plaza, who starred in most of his films, began dating in 2011 andmarried in 2021.

Plaza and Baena’s family spoke out about his death in a statement to PEOPLE on Monday, Jan. 6, that read, “This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time."

Loved ones of Baena honored him at a funeral in Miami on Friday, Jan. 10. It is unknown whether Plaza, 40, was among them.

Jeff Baena and Aubrey Plaza in Los Angeles on Aug. 8, 2014.Mark Davis/Getty

Among those who paid tribute to Baena after his death wasJake Johnson, who costarred with Plaza in the 2012 indieSafety Not Guaranteedand in Baena’s 2016 filmJoshy.

“I love you Jeff. Hate your last move. But still love you,” Johnson, 46, captionedan Instagram postfeaturing two photos of Baena on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

Adam Pallyalso reflected on the life of Baena — his friend and frequent collaborator, whom we worked with onLife After Beth,Joshyand 2017’sThe Little Hours— in anInstagram tributeto the late filmmaker on Sunday, Jan. 5.

“He was a talented director with impeccable taste and vision, he was a connector of people, a fosterer of possibility, the guy who knows where the best restaurant was no matter where you were,” wrote Pally, 42. “An overly gracious host with an almost disturbing open door policy, a film encyclopedia, andmost importantly to me a friend.”

source: people.com