Nothing can prepare you for what it feels like to lose both parents instantly at the same time,” he wrote. “It’s too devastating to comprehend. I still wake up every morning having to convince myself that, no, it’s not a dream. This truly is my living nightmare.”
And indeed, Jake added that one element of the situation he keeps returning to his how “frightened they must have been.”
“They were the last people in the world to deserve what happened to them,” he continued. “They deserved to be loved, they deserved to be respected, and above all they deserved to be appreciated for how much they gave to all three of us and to the world.”
Further into the essay, Jake reflected on his relationship with his parents. With Michele, he highlighted their shared love of musicals, her bringing the extended family together for every Thanksgiving and that she was never more than a phone call away.
As for his father, Jake wrote of their mutual love for baseball, and how they made sure to attend countless Dodgers games together over the years—a trait inherited from his grandfather Carl Reiner. And when Jake confessed he wanted to leave his career as a broadcaster to pursue acting, Rob’s support was boundless.
