The wife of Hollywood icon Dick Van Dyke has revealed she is being stalked near their Malibu home, a distressing situation compounded by the recent brutal murder of her husband's lifelong friend, director Rob Reiner, and his wife.
Stalker Prevents Daily Routine
In a candid Instagram video posted on Tuesday, Arlene Silver, 54, explained that fear had forced her to skip her daily yoga class. She described a man who has been "hanging around all the Dick Van Dyke stuff" for several months. The situation escalated to the point where she confronted him on Monday, but he pretended to be confused by her approach.
"I don't feel comfortable going out, on top of everything else," Silver said, alluding to the wider tragedy. She expressed her frustration, noting that her yoga session was the one hour of the day she dedicates to herself for mental and physical wellbeing.
A Shadow Over a Milestone Celebration
The stalker incident casts a further pall over what should have been a joyous period for the family. Van Dyke, the beloved star of Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, celebrated his 100th birthday with a lavish party in Malibu on Saturday. The festivities, which included a surprise flash mob, were described as "over-the-top beautiful" by Silver.
However, the celebration was utterly overshadowed when the bodies of Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele were discovered in their Brentwood home on Sunday. The couple's son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, was arrested on Monday and charged with two counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday. The Los Angeles County District Attorney confirmed the suspect could face life without parole or the death penalty.
Deep Personal Loss and Sleepless Nights
In an earlier emotional video, Silver shared that her husband was "devastated" and struggling to sleep after learning of his friend's death. Van Dyke had known Rob Reiner since the latter was a teenager, through Rob's father and Van Dyke's collaborator, legendary comedian Carl Reiner.
"We talked to Rob two weeks ago on the phone," Silver revealed, adding that congratulatory messages from the Reiners were among the birthday wishes Van Dyke received. She described the Reiners as among the first friends she met when she began dating Van Dyke nearly two decades ago and said they always treated her like family.
Silver also noted the Reiners "did everything they could" for their son Nick, who has a known history of drug addiction and mental health struggles.
Confronting the Threat and a Troubling History
Back to the immediate threat, Silver warned the stalker directly in her video: "Dude, you know what you're doing. Don't mess with me but I will crack you." She revealed that Van Dyke had offered to accompany her to class for protection, but she fears that is precisely what the individual wants—a chance to encounter the famed actor.
This is not the first time the Van Dyke family has been targeted. In 2022, actor Pierce Brosnan filed for a restraining order against a woman he claimed was stalking his family. Court documents revealed the woman, who had a tattoo of Van Dyke on her arm, was allegedly searching for Van Dyke's home and instead began lingering outside Brosnan's property.
Silver vowed to "figure out" the situation, which may necessitate hiring a bodyguard to escort her to yoga. "It's unfortunate, on top of everything else," she concluded, summarising a week of extreme highs and profound lows for the legendary actor and his wife.
