In a somber twist of fate, Rob Reiner finds himself facing a situation eerily reminiscent of his former co-star Carroll O’Connor’s past. Both actors from the iconic show “All in the Family” have encountered public battles with their sons’ struggles with addiction.

Currently, attention is focused on Rob Reiner’s personal life, as his son Nick Reiner, 32, has been charged with first-degree murder concerning the tragic deaths of Rob, 78, and Michele, 70. The couple was found dead in their Brentwood, California home on December 14. This devastating event has sparked a closer look at the father-son dynamics in both Reiner’s and O’Connor’s lives.

Carroll O’Connor, who passed away at 76 in June 2001 due to a heart attack, faced his own heartrending battle with his son Hugh’s drug addiction. Despite his efforts to help his son, Hugh’s life ended in tragedy at the age of 32 in March 1995 when he took his own life.

On “All in the Family,” a show that remains one of television’s most impactful, O’Connor brought to life the character of the gruff Archie Bunker. Over the course of 207 episodes spanning nine seasons, Archie became a household name, representing a certain era and mindset in American culture.

Rob Reiner, on the other hand, played Michael ‘Meathead’ Stivic, Archie’s liberal son-in-law, appearing in 185 episodes. The show, created by Norman Lear, was renowned for its sharp dialogue and exploration of social issues, with Stivic often clashing with Archie over topics like race, politics, and social justice.

The two characters often had memorable dialogue amid their differing sensibilities during a time of social change in the U.S. – with Stivic tangling with his father-in-law over social, racial and political topics. 

In a tragic coincidence, Rob Reiner’s All In the Family costar Carroll O’Connor also dealt publicly with his son’s addiction battles. Pictured in 1975 with Sally Struthers

Daily Mail is examining the troubled relationships in the wake of Rob’s son Nick Reiner being charged with first-degree murder in the December 14 murders of his parents. Pictured in 2016

Carroll O’Connor and his spouse Nancy adopted Hugh while they were making the 1963 motion picture Cleopatra in Rome, Italy. He would be the couple’s only child.

Following All in the Family, O’Connor reprised his signature role on the spinoff Archie Bunker’s Place from 1979–1983 before finding success on the small screen with the police drama In the Heat of the Night.

O’Connor’s son Hugh played Officer Lonnie Jamison alongside him on the procedural drama.

Hugh’s acting came amid an ongoing battle with depression and drug addiction that resulted in his tragic suicide via gunshot on March 28, 1995.

Prior to taking his own life, Hugh contacted his father in a phone call informing him of his plans, according to People. 

Carroll contacted the local authorities in Pacific Palisades, California, but Hugh was deceased by the time they arrived.

Carroll later said Hugh son was ‘sitting on the sofa’ and tragically ended his life with ‘one shot to the head,’ according to the outlet.

Hugh had been dealing with marital problems on the third anniversary of his wedding to wardrobe assistant Angela Clayton, who he shared a two-year-old son with that Carroll and his wife had been caring for.

Carroll O’Connor, who died in June of 2001, had fought hard to help his son Hugh amid his own drug battle until his tragic suicide in 1995. Pictured 1999 in LA 

O’Connor’s son Hugh played Officer Lonnie Jamison alongside him on the procedural drama In the Heat of the Night

Authority subsequently said that Hugh had large amounts of cocaine in his bloodstream when he had died.

Carroll O’Connor later said that addiction was the ultimate reason for his son taking his own life.

‘He had that monkey on his back, and he couldn’t get rid of it,’ the TV legend said, according to People. 

Carroll O’Connor and wife Nancy subsequently told People that Hugh’s battle with substance abuse began after a Hodgkin’s disease diagnosis when he was 16.

After he had a malignant lump removed from his neck, Hugh began smoking marijuana to deal with side effects from radiation. 

That led into alcoholism and abuse of quaaludes prior to escalating his drug use to substances such as amphetamines, cocaine and prescription medication.

Carroll O’Connor said that his son Hugh had stints in rehab facilities on three separate occasions.

In the wake of his son’s tragic suicide, Carroll O’Connor got more involved with politics to prevent kids from using drugs.

Nick is accused of fatally stabbing his parents Rob and Michele in their Brentwood, California home. Pictured in LA in September 

(L-R) Rob Reiner, Michele Singer, Romy Reiner, Nick Reiner, Maria Gilfillan and Jake Reiner posed at an event in LA in September 

In 1997, the state of California passed a law O’Connor campaign for enabling families to sue drug dealers for financial costs stemming from complications linked to medical treatment and rehab rehabilitation. States including Florida, Hawaii, Illinois and Michigan adopted similar laws.

The man who was convicted of selling Hugh cocaine, Harry Thomas Perzigian, was sentenced to a year in jail in connection with possession of the illegal narcotic, as well as selling it to Hugh.

‘Hugh was an addict, probably without hope,’ O’Connor said, according to People. ‘Harry kept feeding him this stuff. We feel this guy indirectly was the cause of our loss.’

Carroll O’Connor spoke with People magazine about the deep sense of grief he felt, a year after his son’s death in a 1996 interview.

‘I think of Hugh every day, but I don’t think of him sadly every day,’ Carroll said. ‘Most of my thoughts of him are very joyful.

‘But then there are the times – thank God, not too many – when something makes me very sad.

He added, ‘Nancy will look at me and say, “You look bad. Well, I was having a bad time an hour ago too.” And we put our arms around each other and say, “It’ll be alright soon.”‘

(L-R) Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, Carroll O’Connor and Sally Struthers pictured on the set of All in the Family

Nick Reiner had past been candid about his issues with substance abuse, which led to homelessness and repeated rehab stints. He and his father explored their complicated relationship in the 2016 film Being Charlie.

Rob Reiner told the AP in a 2016 interview that making the motion picture with Nick ‘forced us to understand ourselves better than we had.’

The filmmaker added, ‘I told Nick while we were making it, I said, “You know it doesn’t matter, whatever happens to this thing, we won already. This has already been good.” We’ve worked through a lot of stuff.’

Nick told People in 2016 interview that he had been to rehab on 17 occasions at that time, when he was 22-years-old.

Nick said that he had been confronted by family with the ultimatum of entering rehab or hitting the streets on multiple occasions – at times, choosing the latter.

‘If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting, then I had to be homeless,’ Nick said. ‘I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun.’

Nick said that he had experienced homelessness in states including Texas, New Jersey and Maine.

‘If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting, then I had to be homeless,’ he said. ‘I’ve been home for a really long time, and I’ve sort of gotten acclimated back to being in LA and being around my family.’

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.