Jerry O'Connell Reacts to Rob Reiner's Death In Interview: 'Sad, Shocking Day'

Celebrities have expressed their sorrows and reactions, including Stand By Me star Jerry O'Connell.

The actor, who starred in Reiner's 1986 coming of age classic at just 11-years-old, appeared on CBS Mornings on Monday to share more about the late director. 

O'Connell – joining the morning show from the West Coast – was still processing everything, telling Gayle King, "Yeah, it's just shock ... The whole weekend seemed completely surreal, Gayle, but this one was really shocking and how the news sort of trickled out."

"When I wake up, I sort of like try to get my thoughts together, and I don't mean this as any offense to my parents who are still with us and breathing the cold in New York right now — Hi, mom and dad. Rob was like a father to me," O'Connell continued.

O'Connell proceeded to get emotional, telling the talk show hosts how he felt truly seen by Reiner at just 11, because, "at that point in my life, I wasn't getting in trouble criminally, but I was always getting in trouble for speaking out loud in class and not being able to keep my mouth shut." 

He recalled how his mother would commonly tell him to, "Sit on your hands and shut up," while Reiner told him the exact opposite.

"And I got to that set of Stand by Me, and I remember I ad-libbed a scene one day early on in shooting, and he was like, 'Cut, Jerry,' and I thought, 'Oh boy, here we go. He’s gonna – Why didn’t I sit on my hands and shut up?'" O'Connell recalled. "And he went, 'Hey, Jerry, keep going man. That’s what I am talking about right there, go, more.'"

The actor explained how that moment of encouragement was pivotal moment in his life, solemnly sharing, "I'm not making a joke. I know my house is dark. I have everything, everything I have is because of Rob Reiner ... It's really a sad, shocking day." 

King, Nate Burleson and O'Connell then went on to praise Reiner's character, specifically his work ethic. O'Connell acknowledged that while Reiner was a nepo baby, as the son of Hollywood star Carl Reiner, he "did the work." 

Stand by Me was a defining 1980s adventure thriller that followed four adolescents in rural Oregon. In the film, adapted from one of Stephen King's short stories, the group decides travels through the wilderness for find the dead body of a local boy who had been killed.

The film was O'Connell's first major film role, and he's talked positively about it all throughout his career. He told People in 2017 that it was "one of the best experiences of my life," adding that, "Rob was really good at rehearing us. We didn't even know we were rehearsing. We thought we were playing games."

Costar Kiefer Sutherland also reacted to Reiner's death on social media, writing, "Like so many my heart was broken when I heard the news about Rob Reiner and his wonderful wife, Michele. Rob was one of the kindest gentleman I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. When I was very young he gave me an opportunity that changed my life, and I will forever be grateful."

Stand By Me's Corey Feldman, meanwhile, wrote, "OMG THIS IS HORRIBLE NEWS! IM SO SORRY 4 ROB & HIS WIFE, & THEIR CHILDREN & THE WHOLE REINER FAMILY! ALL I CAN SAY IS IM SHOCKED & SADDENED, BUT I #LOVE U ROB! U WILL B 4EVER MISSED! #RIPROBREINER."