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

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.

Aubrey Plaza'sSafety Not GuaranteedCostar Jake Johnson Mourns Her Husband Jeff Baena: 'I Love You'

Aubrey Plaza; Jake Johnson; Jeff Baena.Photo:Taylor Hill/WireImage; David Livingston/Getty; Michael Tran/FilmMagic Taylor Hill/WireImage; David Livingston/Getty; Michael Tran/FilmMagic Jake Johnsonis mourning the death ofJeff Baena. “I love you Jeff. Hate your last move. But still love you,” Johnson wrote in his caption. Baena was a writer and director whose credits include 2004’sI Heart Huckabees, 2014’sLife After Beth, 2020’sHorse Girland 2022’sSpin Me Round. He and Plaza, 40, began dating in 2011 andmarriedin 2021.

Audra McDonald Makes History with Powerhouse Performance in Broadway Revival ofGypsy

Audra McDonald in ‘Gypsy’ on Broadway.Photo:Julieta Cervantes Julieta Cervantes Some people ain’tAudra McDonald, alright. Anyone who has heard the actress’ signature sweet soprano voice knows she’s in a league of her own — and with six Tony Awards to her name, more decorations than any stage performer, she’s already cemented her name in the history books. But with the new Broadway revival ofGypsythat opened on Thursday, Dec. 19 at the Majestic Theatre in New York City, McDonald achieves another first, showing audiences on the Great White Way, as it were, something they’ve never seen before: a Black Mama Rose.

Audra McDonald Says She Was a 'Hyperactive Child' and Her Parents Put Her in Theater Instead of Giving Her Ritalin

Audra McDonald at the 77th Annual Tony Awards on June 16, 2024.Photo:Jamie McCarthy/WireImage Jamie McCarthy/WireImage Audra McDonaldgot her start in theater as a way to manage her hyperactivity without medication, the Broadway star says. Theater was meant “to be therapy for me,” McDonald, 54, told host Michael Schulman during an appearance onThe New Yorker Radio Houron Dec. 9. “I was hyperactive child who was having a lot of problems in school, not socializing well, considered very overdramatic, and … not functioning well,” McDonald, who is currently starring in Broadway’sGypsy, said of her childhood in Fresno, Calif.

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Says Will Smith Had Intense Work Ethic onKing Richard: ‘Index Cards All Over the Place’ (Exclusive)

Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor in 2022.Photo:Mike Coppola/Getty Mike Coppola/Getty ForAunjanue Ellis-Taylor, costars don’t get much better thanWill Smith. On the set of the 2021 sports biopicKing Richard, about a youngVenusandSerena Williamsand their father and tennis coachRichard Williams, Ellis-Taylor, 55, recalls an intense work ethic from her onscreen husband. “I’ve heard him talk about his work ethic and his feeling like he may not be the best actor,” she says. “But he’s like, ‘Nobody is going to beat me working hard.