'Little House on the Prairie' Star Patrick Labyorteaux Shares Poignant Tribute to Rob Reiner
- - 'Little House on the Prairie' Star Patrick Labyorteaux Shares Poignant Tribute to Rob Reiner
Michelle SteinDecember 15, 2025 at 8:40 PM
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Jesse Grant/Getty Images for TCM
Little House on the Prairie star Patrick Labyorteaux shared a poignant tribute to Rob Reiner in the wake of the iconic director's death.
On Monday, Dec. 15, Labyorteaux took to Instagram with a video sharing his personal connections to Rob and his father, Carl Reiner.
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"So I was working with the director who was an absolute love of a man, and he adored his children," he began. "And so one day he comes to the set, he goes, 'You gotta go see my son's movie. You gotta go see Robby's movie. And the movie that he was talking about was Stand by Me. And Robby, his son, was Rob Reiner."
At the time, Labyorteaux was working on the 1987 film Summer School, directed by Carl.
"Because of who Carl Reiner was, it was always very much... It didn't feel like Rob Reiner. It felt like Carl's son, Robby. Like, he was just his kid"
Labyorteaux then acknowledged, "We lost him last night," of Rob. "And it really hit me hard, and I'm sure it hit a lot of people hard because of how sudden it was and how out of nowhere it was."
Additionally, the actor who played Andy Garvey—a friend of the Ingalls family on Little House on the Prairie—recalled meeting Rob once while auditioning for his movie LBJ.
"He was super complimentary," Labyorteaux said of Rob's feedback. "It was so nice to have somebody of Rob's stature compliment my acting. And he made it feel really, really warm and accepting."
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Related: Little House on the Prairie Actress Dead at 89
After reading for the part, Labyorteaux explained to Rob the "weird connections" he had to him, detailing that he worked with his father.
"For me, I started on a TV show called JAG, which is not subtle about that it's a blatant ripoff of Top Gun and A Few Good Men, which is a Rob Reiner film," he noted.
Labyorteaux continued, "I explained to him, I said, 'Look, I really wouldn't have a career here, if it wasn't for you, Mr. Reiner. And I just wanted to thank you for that.' Trying to be respectful of his time, but he says, 'No, no. You're a wonderful actor. That was a wonderful show. We did our movie, but you guys did a really wonderful show.'"
To conclude his thoughts on Rob, he shared, "But my brief interaction with him, it just, this news really hit hard because he just seemed to be a good fella."
Rob, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 68, were found dead by their daughter, Romy Reiner, in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, Dec. 14, after a family member allegedly slit their throats. Their son, Nick Reiner, has since been arrested as a suspect.
Next: Little House on the Prairie’s Melissa Gilbert Sends Unmistakable Message After Rob Reiner’s Death
This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
