The longtime music supervisor on “American Idol” and her husband were found dead Monday of gunshot wounds at their home in Encino.
Robin Kaye, who worked on the show for 15 years, was married to Thomas Deluca. Both were 70 years old, according to public records.
LAPD officers were called to the San Fernando Valley home in the 4700 block of White Oak Avenue for a “welfare check” at 2:33 p.m. on Monday, said Officer Rosario Cervantes. They found two victims, a man and a woman, dead of gunshot wounds, she said. The LAPD did not confirm their identities, but TMZ was first to identify them as the victims of a double homicide.
A spokesperson for “American Idol” also confirmed Tuesday that Kaye and Deluca had been killed.
“We are devastated to hear of Robin and her dear husband, Tom’s, passing,” the spokesperson said. “Robin has been a cornerstone of the Idol family since 2009 and was truly loved and respected by all who came in contact with her. Robin will remain in our hearts forever and we share our deepest sympathy with her family and friends during this difficult time.”
At this point, there is no known motive and no information on a potential suspect, Cervantes said. The Valley Homicide Bureau is investigating.
Police were called on Thursday after a suspicious person was seen scaling a wall at the couple’s home, a neighbor told Variety.
The police came to the location after the call around 4 p.m., but did not find evidence of a crime, said Officer Charles Miller. It was unclear if that call was related to the homicides, he said.
Police were called again on Monday after the couple’s relatives had not heard for them for several days, the neighbor said.
Several burglaries have been reported in the area, the neighbor said. But the police also told another neighbor that they do not believe there is a threat to the broader community.
Property records show that Kaye and Deluca bought their home on White Oak in 2023 for $4.5 million.
Kaye also worked on the NAACP Image Awards and “Lip Sync Battle,” among other shows. She also served as vice president of the Guild of Music Supervisors.
Variety spotlighted her in a 2019 article on “music supervisors to watch.”
“The general public assumes that music supervision is a glamorous and exciting job — being paid to work with one of everyone’s favorite pastimes, music,” she was quoted as saying. “[But] in most films and scripted television … the music is usually the very last thing that happens, and sometimes there is not enough budget left to fill all the music needs. Music supervisors are often expected to work fast and pull miracles creatively and financially to complete the project.”
Deluca was a songwriter and musician.
