Aubrey Plaza's husband Jeff Baena's obituary is released days after his tragic suicide at 47

A heartbreaking obituary for Aubrey Plaza's husband Jeff Baena has been released days after his tragic suicide.

Baena was found dead aged 47 on Friday, January 3 at a Los Angeles home, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, with his death being ruled a suicide.

Baena and Plaza, 40 - who broke her silence on the shock death last week - began dating in 2011 and wed in 2021.

The obituary published in The Miami Herald remembers Baena as a 'beloved son, husband, brother, uncle and friend to many' and a 'gifted filmmaker.'

It reads: '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.

'Jeff was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He attended Killian High School in Kendall, Florida. He graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 1999. Upon graduation, Jeff relocated to Los Angeles to pursue writing and directing movies. He began as a production assistant for Robert Zemeckis. 

'He then became an assistant editor for writer-director David O. Russell, with whom he collaborated on I Heart Huckabees, and uncredited revisions to Meet the Fockers. Beginning in 2004, Jeff routinely received credit for writing and directing the films with which he was associated; however, on occasion he collaborated with others.

'Jeff fell in love with film at 11 years old watching A Clockwork Orange and Felini's 8 1/2, elements of which influenced his own movies decades later. His body of work is testimony to his keen intellect. Each of his films reflects a carefully crafted balance of the logical and the implausible. 

'His juxtaposition of intellect and creativity challenged us. He embraced independent film making because of his unalterable distaste for institutional guardrails on creativity. Those who worked with him praise his vision, taste, technical competence, and ability to coalesce actors into an ensemble that performs in perfect harmony. A family atmosphere always ensued. He loved nature and highlighted it cinema-graphically in his films whenever and wherever possible.

'Jeff's body of work includes: I Heart Huckabees which was nominated for the 2004 Gotham Award for Best Feature; Life After Beth which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize; Joshy which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize; The Little Hours which was nominated for the Audience Award at the 2017 Edinburgh International Film Festival; Horse Girl which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival; and, Spin Me Round which premiered at the 2022 South by Southwest Film Festival. Jeff's wife, Aubrey Plaza, starred in most of his movies.

'On television, Jeff created, wrote, directed and executive produced the Showtime series, Cinema Toast, to fill the void left by the suspension of moviemaking during the COVID lockdown.

'As much as anything else, Jeff loved the company of his friends, some from as far back as elementary school, and he most often was the organizer of game nights, poker nights, pool parties, basketball games and get-togethers. Jeff was a true relationship builder with a gift for bringing people together on and off the movie set. His magic sauce was ensuring everyone was having fun and no one ever left his get-togethers as a stranger.

'When he was a boy, Jeff loved reading The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Ironically, in it, the Little Prince exclaims, "I haven't much time. I have friends to find and so many things to learn." And so it was for Jeff.

'Jeff is survived by his wife, Aubrey Plaza; parents, Barbara Stern (Roger) and Scott Baena (Michele); brother, Brad (Ivette); step-sister Bianca Gabay (Maurice); step-brother Jed Fluxman(Nicole); nephews Jake Baena and Leo Fluxman; nieces Brielle Baena, Ava and Olivia Gabay. Jeff joins his beloved Stevie.

'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.'

Loved ones were urged to plant a tree in memory of Baena. 

Plaza was flooded with condolences following her spouse's passing, as colleagues such as Julia Fox and Selma Blair have been among the people to offer the actress-producer comforting words in the wake of the family tragedy.

'No words can touch this painful time,' Blair, 52, said in an Instagram comment thread adjacent to Plaza's most recent post December 24.

Fox, 34, wrote in the thread, 'Sending you so much love' with an emoji of a dove.

Actress Alison Brie, 42, shared a series of images of Baena on her Instagram Stories, adding an emoji of a broken heart.

She also reposted a statement from actor-comedian Adam Pally, 42, a friend and collaborator of Baena's who lauded him on a personal and professional level.

'He was a collaborator, a mentor, the scrappiest basketball player with the ugliest jump shot you ever saw,' said Pally. '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.

'An overly gracious host with an almost disturbing open door policy, a film encyclopedia, and most importantly to me a friend.'

Pally wrapped up in saying, 'My heart breaks for my friend Aubrey and the Baena family and for all of us who spent time on his sets or at his house or in or in his orbit. Thanks for believing in me Jeff, may your memory be a blessing.' 

In a short statement obtained by DailyMail, a rep for Plaza said: 'This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.'

Baena, a native of Miami, studied his craft at New York University prior to his career in entertainment. Speaking with podcaster Marc Maron in 2017, Baena cited Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange and Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 as highly-influential in his decision to pursue a career as a creative.

Baena in his career had directed five independent movies - with four of them debuting at Sundance - also including 2020's Horse Girl and 2016's Joshy. He was also at the helm for a 2021 episode of the TV series Cinema Toast.

In addition to writing all of his movies, he shared a writing credit with David O. Russell for the 2004 movie I Heart Huckabees. Also that year, he had uncredited writing on the motion picture Meet the Fockers.

Joshy, which featured Plaza and starred Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally and Alex Ross Perry, dealt with tragic topic matter, telling the story of a man recovering from the suicide of his fiancée with the help of friends.

Plaza, who played April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation from 2009–2015, has seen her career skyrocket in recent years since her Emmy-nominated turn on The White Lotus in 2023.

She has a number of upcoming projects in various phases; it was not immediately clear how the family tragedy would impact her forthcoming professional endeavors moving forward.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.