Alex Ross Perry pays heartfelt tribute to late filmmaker Jeff Baena: 'We are all better for having known Jeff'

Alex Ross Perry is paying tribute to his late friend and fellow independent filmmaker Jeff Baena, who died by suicide last week at 47.

In a heartfelt Instagram post Wednesday, Perry wrote, "I've struggled for days on how to summarize my friendship with Jeff Baena into just a few paragraphs. I could write more. I should. But Jeff wouldn't write that much: he'd want a concise outline with the basic idea, and then to riff and expand upon it in the moment later."

Perry, a writer, director, and actor known for films like Listen Up Philip and Her Smell, added that Baena "believed in me more than most people. It's hard to think about the totality of support and enthusiasm you receive from a friend over a decade. From putting me in Joshy to making sure I had an episode of his experimental, pandemic show Cinema Toast (the reason I am in the DGA), he always wanted me to be working, and for us to be working together."

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Baena was a screenwriter and director who often worked with a close circle of collaborators, including his wife, Aubrey Plaza, who starred in his projects Life After Beth, The Little Hours, Spin Me Round, and Joshy.

Perry said in his Instagram post that he stayed with Baena and Plaza at their home in Los Angeles "countless time," and that Baena "fed me. He made amazing smoothies. Ordered delivery from places he knew I liked, but wouldn't have time to go to."

Perry had also been looking forward to his friend's future work. "I loved all of the ideas he has been telling me about upcoming movies and stories he wanted to make and share," he wrote. "They were weird. They were unusual. And they were typical Jeff. Jeff brought me together with a lot of wonderful talented people, because that is what he loved doing. I hope my connections to them endure, and that we always talk about him. We are all better for having known Jeff."

Baena died Jan. 3, prompting an outpouring of grief from his loved ones and the indie film community. Plaza and Baena's family said of his death, "This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time."

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New Girl actor Jake Johnson, who appeared in the 2013 comedy Safety Not Guaranteed with Plaza and in Baena's Horse Girl, also shared a series of photos commemorating Baena's life on Instagram. "I love you Jeff," he wrote in the caption. "Hate your last move. But still love you."

Several friends and collaborators of Baena's and Perry's also left comments on Perry's Instagram tribute. Adam Pally, who appeared in The Little Hours and Joshy, wrote, "I love you ya big goof, always will."

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