Celebrity Death

Legendary game show host Chuck Woolery -- best known for being the first host of "Wheel of Fortune" -- has passed away ... TMZ has confirmed.

Chuck was also the host of the wildly successful dating show, "Love Connection," for a dozen years.

Chuck's longtime friend and podcast cohost Mark Young tells TMZ ... Chuck was home in Texas with his wife when she said he wasn't feeling well and went to lie down.

Zayn Malik's tribute to Liam Payne left the crowd at his concert a mess ... sharing a powerful message to his deceased One Direction bandmate -- and, the sobs were audible.

The singer-songwriter took the stage in Leeds, England Saturday ... his first show since Liam passed away after falling from his balcony at a hotel in Argentina in mid-October.

While most of the show seems to have been a pretty standard Zayn concert, it ended with a huge blue screen adorned with Liam's name, year of birth and death, followed by "Love You Bro" and a red heart emoji.

One of the three men charged with selling the drugs that killed rapper Mac Miller has been released from federal prison, TMZ has learned.

According to a rep for the Bureau of Prisons ... Cameron James Pettit was sprung from the Federal Correctional Institution Mendota, California, on October 11 after he was arrested in 2019 and charged with conspiring to distribute controlled substances resulting in death. His two co-defendants, Stephen Walter, and Ryan Reavis, were also busted and indicted on the same federal charges.

Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Walter and Reavis each copped to one count of distribution of fentanyl and were sentenced to around 17 years and 11 years behind bars, respectively.

Juice WRLD fans are ready to start a riot over their late hero's new album cover ... and not in a good way!!!

On Tuesday, Juice WRLD's label unveiled the cover art for his third posthumous project, "The Party Never Ends," through a collaboration with the massive audience of "Fortnite."

The cover is said to be drawn by renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami of Kanye West's "Graduation" fame ... but fans wondered if they were they were being trolled after first review.

The album kicked off last week with Nicki Minaj and Juice's newest collab and there was also a special listening at ComplexCon.

The 999 generation would hear none of it ... accusing the alien-looking Juice of being a disrespect to his legacy, saying he would have never approved of the shoddy art.

Of course, Juice WRLD's breakout debut album "Goodbye & Good Riddance" also featured cartoony artwork, so there's a chance fans are just being touchy.

Ron Ely -- star of the 1960s TV show -- "Tarzan" died from a heart issue ... TMZ has learned.

According to the death certificate, obtained by TMZ, Ron's official cause of death is listed as "end-stage heart disease."

End-stage heart disease is the most severe form of heart disease, occurring when the heart is too weak to pump blood effectively, and patients with the disease generally only live 6 to 12 months ... according to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Harry Styles and members of One Direction arrived at a London-area church on Wednesday to say their goodbyes to Liam Payne ... just over a month after the singer's death.

The private service is taking place at St. Mary's Church in Amersham -- not far from Wolverhampton, the city near Birmingham where he was born.

Liam's coffin arrived in a horse-drawn carriage carrying floral tributes spelling out "Daddy" and "Son." Another floral display showed a bowling ball crashing through pins ... reportedly a nod to the star's love of the game.

Dan Hennessey, a veteran Canadian voice actor behind many iconic cartoon characters, has died, TMZ has learned.

Dan's family tells TMZ ... he died Wednesday at home in his sleep from complications associated with Parkinson's disease.

You’ve definitely heard his voice at some point -- he voiced Chief Quimby on "Inspector Gadget," George Raccoon on "The Raccoons," Father Bear on "Little Bear" and Braveheart on "The Care Bears."

Gene Wilder’s Bel Air home just had its price slashed by $3.5M, now sitting at a still-eye-watering $9.5M ... with a requirement that the future buyer must preserve the property's legacy.

The listing agent, Drew Meyers of Westside Estate Agency, tells TMZ the previous owner -- Elon Musk -- tacked on a restrictive covenant to the sale to preserve the historic nature of the property ... meaning the house that was originally listed in August for just under $13M can't be torn down.

Drew adds ... "A house of this significance should never be torn down. It should be restored and brought back to life while maintaining its beautiful soul. We want to make sure it’s sold to someone who appreciates its timelessness.”

Trailblazing West Coast rapper Saafir has died, according to his former groupmate Xzibit, who carried the weight of the world breaking the tough news to fans on Tuesday.

Xzibit says Saafir passed away at 8:45 AM today, and our sources tell us he died in his Oakland hometown.

The Bay Area staple had been pestered by health problems for years -- he even had a cancerous tumor removed from his spine -- and he eventually started using a wheelchair.

Late Boston Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield's Florida estate is up for sale ... TMZ has learned.

Tim's waterfront mansion hit the market Friday ... and it's listed for $3.3 million.

Tim lived in the 4-bedroom home in Indian Harbour Beach, FL when he died from brain cancer.

Paul Teal, famous for his work on "One Tree Hill," died 7 months after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer ... TMZ has learned.

The actor's fiancée, Emilia Torello, tells TMZ ... Paul was diagnosed back in April with stage 4 neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer.

Paul died Friday in a hospital in Raleigh, NC, and Emilia tells us ... "He was the most talented man I’ve ever met. When he set his mind to something, there was no stopping him. He was the most diligent and dedicated person. I truly believed with all of my heart that he would come out the other side of this because of those traits. That’s what makes this loss even more tragic."

Mike Newman -- the star of “Baywatch” who passed away last month after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease -- received a touching send-off from those close to him ... a paddle out held in his honor.

Matthew Felker -- the director behind the Hulu docuseries “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun” -- helped make the event happen ... and, check out the photo. It’s a fitting tribute to someone who spent so long acting near the water.

We’re told Newman’s costar David Chokachi -- the actor who played Cody Madison in more than 80 episodes of the show during the later ‘90s -- also came to pay his respects to Mike.

Jim Carrey's older sister Rita has died ... this according to her husband of 16 years, Alex.

Rita's husband posted the update on Facebook Friday morning, where he shared the radio personality passed away "peacefully and quietly" on Thursday.

As he continued, Rita's husband remembered her as his "bestest friend," "lover" and "beautiful wife."

Liam Payne sought out the hotel employee accused of delivering him drugs very shortly before his death ... and their interaction is captured in this newly discovered surveillance footage.

TMZ exclusively obtained the video showing Liam briefly stepping out of an elevator in the basement of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires... chatting with one of the 3 people charged in connection with his death.

Our sources at the hotel tell us the staffer who shakes hands and chats with Liam in the video is Ezequiel David Pereyra ... a bellboy at the hotel who police say delivered drugs to Liam in a soap box. While police have not yet confirmed it's Pereyra in this video, we know they have the footage.

Piff the Magic Dragon is confirming he actually spent almost $60K to clone his late dog, Mr. Piffles ... telling TMZ he's "so glad" he did.

We caught up with the magician after the sad news his longtime performing companion and beloved Chihuahua had died ... with the "America's Got Talent" alum revealing he created a contingency plan for this inevitable day back when his pup first started getting older.

Though word of Piff's decision to clone the pup broke a while back, the British comedian assured us he "genuinely cloned" Piffles ... and even had Mr. Piffles 2.0 join him on camera for a quick hello.