Jeffrey Baena was an American screenwriter and film director. He had written and directed Life After Beth, Joshy, The Little Hours, Horse Girl, and Spin Me Round, and co-written I Heart Huckabees. He was known for his collaborations with actresses Alison Brie, with whom he co-wrote Horse Girl and Spin Me Round, Molly Shannon, and his wife, Aubrey Plaza.
On 3rd January, Friday, Jeff Baena passed away at the age of 47. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, his body was found at a Los Angeles residence. The cause of his death was not immediately available. According to Los Angeles medical examiner records, the 47-year-old died by suicide. The Los Angeles County medical examiner reported the cause of death as suicide by hanging.
Jeff had been in a relationship with actress Aubrey Plaza since 2011. Following this, in 2021, on their tenth anniversary of being together, they were married in a small ceremony in their backyard.
In an interview, Aubrey had revealed about her marriage and said, “I just said, 'Hey it's our 10-year anniversary. We should do something, get an ice cream cone and do something special.' And then I joked about getting married and he's like, 'Well, we probably couldn't get married that fast.' And I said, 'Well, wouldn't it be nice to get married on our actual anniversary?
Aubrey talked about the benefits of having a partner in the entertainment industry and said, “I think that when you’re with someone that is in your field, they understand what you’re dealing with on a deeper level. So obviously you are able to support each other and really understand kind of the journey that we’re both on. But, you know, working with your partner can always be challenging. There’s a lot of things we do separately and I think that it’s all about balance.”
Jeff had graduated from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in film and moved to Los Angeles in order to pursue directing.