Aubrey Plaza’s husband Jeff Baena honored in obituary following his death by suicide at age 47

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

Jeff Baena, Aubrey Plaza’s husband, has been honored in an obituary following his tragic and 'unexpected' death by suicide.

Baena was found dead by one of his assistants in his Los Angeles home on Friday, January 3.

The 47-year-old was tragically pronounced dead at the scene when emergency services raced to his and Aubrey Plaza's Los Feliz property.

Now, a new obituary has been published in the Miami Herald for the late filmmaker.

Jeff died by suicide at the start of the year (Mat Hayward/Getty Images)

The notice starts: "It is with profound sadness and grief that we announce the sudden and unexpected death of Jeff Baena, a beloved son, husband, brother, uncle and friend to many.

"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."

Baena, was born in Miami, Florida, before he graduated from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 1999.

He then moved to LA to pursue a career in Hollywood where he first came under the wing of Robert Zemeckis as a production assistant and then an assistant editor for writer-director, David O Russell.

The obituary adds Baena collaborated on the films I Heart Hucakabees and Meet the Fockers.

Jeff and his wife, Aubrey Plaza, worked together on various films (Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

"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", the eulogy continues, "Those who worked with him praise his vision, taste, technical competence, and ability to coalesce actors into an ensemble that performs in perfect harmony."

In his career, he directed six films, the first being Life After Beth in 2014, which he wrote himself and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. In fact, all of the films he directed he also wrote the screenplay for.

The zombie comedy featured his wife Plaza, who at the time he'd been dating for a few years.

Years later in 2021, the actress revealed the two had tied the knot in a small wedding in 2020, by referring to him as her husband in an Instagram post.

The couple worked together on numerous titles, including Cinema Toast, in which Plaza made her directorial debut.

Beyond his film work, the memorial notes he 'loved the company if his friends' and had 'a gift of bringing people together'.

He has been remembered for his passion in the industry (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival)

It adds: "His magic sauce was ensuring everyone was having fun and no one ever left his get-togethers as a stranger."

The notice also reveals Baena loved reading The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery as a child, adding: "Ironically, it 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."

Baena is survived by wife, Aubrey Plaza, parents, Barbara Stern and Scott Baena, step-father, Roger Stern, stepmother, Michele Baena, brother Brad, step-sister, Bianca Gabay and step-brother Jed Fluxman, as well a nephes and nieces.

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."

If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.