Celebrity Death

Chadwick Boseman was doing more than just putting on a brave face during his 4-year battle with cancer -- the guy was actively visiting and inspiring kids while privately suffering from the same disease.

St. Jude Children's Hospital paid tribute to the fallen star, reminding folks he popped into their facility in 2018 to meet with patients ... bringing gifts and words of inspiration for the kids.

They write, "We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our friend Chadwick Boseman. Two years ago, Chadwick visited the St. Jude campus and brought with him not only toys for our patients but also joy, courage and inspiration." The organization sang his praises, adding ... "He was an incredible role model for our patients and children from all around the world. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time."

At the time, St. Jude's posted more photos from the face-to-face ... and it's clear the guy made the rounds and met with a bunch of kids who couldn't have looked more overjoyed to meet a Marvel superhero. The fact he was right in the thick of his own cancer battle just makes this gesture all the more heartbreaking, especially considering he didn't utter a word about his battle.

Chadwick discussed meeting some of these kids and how much of an impact it had on him -- he even broke down during the Sirius XM interview while talking about two terminally ill children who passed before the next Marvel movie could come out. Dude was a true saint.

As we reported ... Chadwick succumbed to his illness and died Friday, shocking the entertainment world -- scratch that, shocking the entire world. He was just 43 years old.

Chadwick Boseman, the iconic "Black Panther" star, has died at age 43 after a 4-year battle with colon cancer.

His family released a statement, saying "It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman. Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV."

They continue that "it was the honor of his career to bring King T'Challa to life in Black Panther."

"He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side"

Chadwick, who most famously brought the first black Marvel superhero to life in "Black Panther" along with a string of 'Avengers' movies was no stranger to giving life to iconic roles. He portrayed Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall in "Marshall."

Recently, Chadwick had sparked concern amongst his fans, as he appeared very thin in videos on social media. This worry nearly overshadowed the impactful words he wanted to share with the world about Jackie Robinson and the pandemic.

Born in South Carolina, he always had an affinity for theater, and wrote his first play in high school. He attended the famous HBCU, Howard University, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Fine arts.

He started his career in writing and directing, but clearly, he was meant to be on the other side of the camera. He took the world by storm in 2013 in the role of Jackie Robinson in "42." On playing that role, Chadwick said, "The story is relevant because we still stand on his shoulders. He started something - I would even say maybe he didn't even start it, it started before him. But he carried the torch. And he carried it alone for a period of time before other people could help him." Clearly, he forwarded the narrative of that, as he moved on to play one of the most influential roles of a generation in the portrayal of T'Challa, aka Black Panther.

The impact he had on Hollywood, while too short, was phenomenal. He hosted 'SNL' in a very memorable episode, and was slated to star in 'Black Panther 2' which was meant to be released in 2022

As outstanding of an actor as he was, Chadwick was also an incredibly effective activist and role model ... he had a unique and powerful voice that resonated with kids and adults, showing them anything was possible.

And, there's this. Today is Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball, honoring the first black player in the league. All players wear the number 42.

Cliff Robinson, the longtime NBA player who also appeared on "Survivor" has died.

The cause of death was not revealed, but in 2017 Cliff suffered a brain hemorrhage. We don't know if that was a factor in his death.

Cliff played in the NBA for 18 seasons. He first joined the Portland Trailblazers back in 1989 where he stayed for 8 seasons. From there he went to Phoenix where he played for the Suns. He also played for the Detroit Pistons and the New Jersey Nets.

After retiring, Cliff was a competitor on season 28 of "Survivor" back in 2014. He finished in 14th place.

Cliff was a star during his college days at the University of Connecticut. The school broke the news, saying, 'The UConn Basketball family mourns the loss of a legendary player and person, Clifford Robinson. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cliff’s family at this difficult time. Rest in Peace, Cliff'

Cliff is survived by his wife, Heather Lufkins, and his son, Isaiah.

Pro wrestling legend "Bullet" Bob Armstrong -- a WWE Hall of Famer -- has passed away Thursday after battling bone cancer, his family announced.

He was 80 years old.

Armstong is a true legend in the sport -- he started wrestling back in 1960 and became famous for his signature move, the Georgia Jawbreaker.

He became a fan favorite back when pro wrestling was split into territories throughout the U.S. -- and was particularly beloved in his home state of Georgia.

He initially "retired" in 1988 -- but never really hung up biz boots ... staying involved in the sport for decades in one way or another.

Armstrong famously teamed up with Dusty Rhodes and Larry Zbyszko back in the early 2000s and continued to perform until 2019!!

Many huge wrestlers also looked up to Armstrong as a mentor -- including CM Punk, who posted a tribute on social media.

"Bullet Bob. Always so nice to me. I’d like to think he saw how thrilled I was whenever I got to speak with him, which fortunately for me was often."

Armstrong has 4 sons who all became pro wrestlers -- notably Scott Armstrong (who became a famous referee) and Brian, known as WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg.

Armstrong was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011, alongside "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and Shawn Michaels.

Lute Olson -- one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time -- has died, his family confirms. He was 85.

The University of Arizona legend passed away Thursday while in hospice care in Tucson.

Olson led the men's hoops program for U of A for 25 years -- from 1983 to 2008 ... bringing home a national championship in 1997.

That team featured future NBA stars like Mike Bibby and Jason Terry.

He was a 7-time PAC-10 Coach of the Year and brought 5 different teams to the Final Four.

And, get this ... starting in his 2nd year at Arizona, Olson's teams made the NCAA tourney in 23 straight seasons!!!

Olson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 -- while he was still coaching! He retired 6 years later.

His record at U of A is insane -- 589 wins and only 187 losses.

In the years after his retirement, Olson became a fixture at all Arizona home basketball games and often traveled to road games in California.

On April 12, 2018, The University of Arizona honored Olson with a statue outside the McKale Center on campus.

Some of the stars who played under Olson include ... Steve Kerr, Damon Stoudamire, Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, Luke Walton and Channing Frye.

He also coached Kenny Lofton -- who went on to become a big MLB star.

Olson is survived by his wife, children and several grandchildren.

Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Fred and Daphne are in mourning ... 'Scooby-Doo' co-creator Joe Ruby has died.

The animation writer and TV executive who co-created the famous cartoon series "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" died Wednesday in Westlake Village, CA of natural causes ... according to his family.

Joe, along with his animation partner Ken Spears, worked wonders for Hanna-Barbera over the years ... the duo also created popular series "Dynomutt" and "Jabberjaw" but they're most famous for 'Scooby.'

The gang started solving mysteries when 'Scooby-Doo' first aired on CBS way back in 1969, with Joe and Ken writing the animated series' first 5 episodes, plus story editing and supervising for the rest of the inaugural series.

The OG 'Scooby-Doo' aired until 1976 and, as you know, it's given rise to tons of spin-off series, reboots and movies.

Joe, who also served in the Navy, got his start in the biz as an inbetweener with Walt Disney Productions, then moved on to Hanna-Barbera Productions, where he met Ken.

Once 'Scooby-Doo' became TV gold, Joe and Ken were hired to oversee Saturday morning cartoons on CBS. They eventually left for ABC, and in 1977 set up their own studio, Ruby-Spears Productions, producing series like "Mister T," "Superman" and "Alvin and The Chipmunks."

Joe also worked as an executive producer on animated adaptions of live-action movies and TV shows, including "Police Academy: The Animated Series," "Rambo" and "Punky Brewster."

Ruby is survived by his wife, Carole, and their 4 children and 10 grandchildren.

He was 87.

The 11th time was not a charm for Mark David Chapman, the man who murdered John Lennon ... his request for parole was once again rejected.

The infamous killer had another interview with the Board of Parole last week in New York, and just like his 10 previous attempts ... the Board was unmoved.

Chapman will now have to wait 2 years before he can get another hearing with the Board ... he's scheduled to appear again in August 2022.

He was last denied parole in 2018 because the Board determined his release would be "incompatible with the welfare and safety of society."

He was given nearly the same reason in 2016 and 2014, but his requests to get out of prison date back to 2000. There was no explanation this time around .. at least, so far.

Lennon was shot and killed by Chapman on December 8, 1980, as he was walking into The Dakota by Central Park, where he lived. Earlier in the evening, Lennon had signed a book for Chapman.

"Ink Master" star Daniel Silva has just been sentenced in his criminal case involving the death of his friend, YouTube star Corey La Barrie, but he won't be spending much longer behind bars.

Silva was sentenced Tuesday to 4 years in state prison but that sentence is suspended. He did, however, get 365 days in county jail with 216 days of credit. He's also getting 5 years of probation and 250 hours of community service.

His attorney, Mike Cavalluzzi, tells TMZ ... Daniel believes the sentence is fair, and in serving the probation there is a chance the charge can be reduced to a misdemeanor in the future. Cavalluzzi added, "It's important to Daniel to work with Corey's family to make sure the memory of his friend is never forgotten."

As we first reported ... Silva pled no contest to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence last month. As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to drop the 2nd-degree murder charge ... this according to the L.A. County D.A.'s Office. Cavalluzzi was confident Daniel would beat the murder charge following the fatal crash of a McLaren sports car back in May.

TMZ broke the story ... Daniel was busted and charged with 2nd-degree murder after Corey died from injuries in a car wreck just hours after they left Corey's 25th birthday party. Corey was a passenger in the car. We were told Daniel was seen drinking before getting behind the wheel of the car.

Island Express, the company that operated the helicopter that killed Kobe Bryant and 8 others, is suing the 2 air traffic controllers who they claim caused the crash.

The helicopter company claims the 2 air traffic controllers who were guiding the pilot to the Mamba Academy, The controllers were asked by the pilot for radar guidance, presumably because of the heavy fog. According to the lawsuit, one of the controllers responded by saying, "I'm going to lose radar and comms [communications] probably pretty shortly so you can just squawk V-F-R [visual flight rules] and when you get closer go to Camarillo tower."

The company claims the controller denied the pilot the use of what it believes is life-saving radar, despite the fact that radar guidance had not yet been lost.

Another controller then relieved the first and according to the suit, less than 2 minutes later the pilot radioed in, but the new controller was unhelpful and uninformed.

According to the suit, the pilot believed he was still operating on radar because the tower operators did not clearly say it was being terminated. Nevertheless, the company claims the helicopter did suddenly lose radio and radar contact in the fog.

The suit claims at some point -- presumably when the pilot was in the fog -- radio contact came back, and the controller tried reaching the pilot repeatedly, and that caused the pilot additional stress. What's unclear ... it would seem the controller was calling to guide the pilot.

Allan Rich -- a longtime character actor in Hollywood, who bounced back from being blacklisted -- has died.

The thespian passed away in New Jersey over the weekend due to complications from progressive dementia ... this according to his family. He was residing at an assisted-living facility called the Lillian Booth Actors Home, which houses people who were in the biz.

Allan hardly played the leading man in his filmography, but he did a helluva job with smaller roles in a number of huge hit films and shows dating back to the '60s and '70s. Perhaps most notably, he starred in flicks like "Serpico," "The Gambler" and "The Happy Hooker."

He also acted in TV series like "Hawaii Five-O," "All in the Family," "Kojak," "Little House on the Prairie," "Baretta," "Happy Days," "CHiPS," "The Incredible Hulk," "Alice," "Magnum PI," "Hill Street Blue" and countless others staples throughout the decades.

His acting career saw a nice steady rise in the '90s, with notable appearances in films like "Disclosure," "Amistad," "Quiz Show," "Jack," and many others. He often played a judge or a lawman of some sort -- Allan had a deep, authoritative voice ... and fit the part well.

What's crazy is that back in the '40s and '50 -- when he was doing more traditional acting in theater -- he was branded as a communist and blacklisted in Hollywood for a while as a result. He later said he got put on the "Red Channels" list because he tried helping free a Black man who had been wrongly convicted of rape.

Fortunately, he overcame that hard time in his life and went on to rack up well over 100 acting credits. He's survived by his children, step-children and grandchildren.

Allan was 94.

NBA superstar Damian Lillard is paying tribute to Kobe Bryant in the booth ... by dropping a Mamba-inspired track for NBA 2K21 -- and SNOOP DOGG is on it!!!

The Trail Blazers guard teased the song featuring the hip-hop legend and rapper Derrick Milano on Kobe Bryant Day (8/24) ... officially announcing "Kobe" will be released when the game comes out September 4.

The teaser starts off with a post-game interview from 2013 when Kobe was asked about Dame's rookie performance ... and famously said, "that boy's serious, man."

The lyrics are all about the Lakers legend -- including lines like, "ever since a young boy, I been getting buckets ... pull it back, Kobe," and "I don't even gotta look, I take the shot and hear it swish ... I don't even touch the rim, when I pull up it's just swish."

Of course, Lillard is no stranger to rapping under the name Dame D.O.L.L.A. ... and used some pull as being one of the 2K21 cover athletes to get the song on the game's soundtrack.

"When I found out I was gonna be on the @NBA2K cover the same year Kobe was on the legends cover, I decided to use my access to the 2K soundtrack to pay tribute to Kobe through music," Dame said of the track.

MLB superstar Bryce Harper went all out to honor Kobe Bryant on what would have been the Mamba's 42nd birthday ... rockin' cleats, a wristband and even a Lakers jersey for the tribute.

Bryce wore all the KB swag for the Phillies' game against the Braves on Sunday ... and afterward, he showed off up-close images of it all and praised the hell out of the L.A. legend.

"Kobe Bryant was my hero growing up," Harper said of the tribute. "It was him and my pops. If Kobe was playing I was watching."

"The way he went about it was something that nobody else had. He was fiery, smart, clutch, and just better than everybody I believed."

Harper says he always respected the way Kobe played on the court ... but added it was Bryant's off-court demeanor that really touched him as well.

"Thank you so much for the amazing ride you took us all on and sharing your talent and love for the sport with all of us," Harper said. "We are so lucky to have watched such greatness for so long."

Of course, Harper is an Under Armour athlete ... so the Nike-themed tribute is truly a special gesture from the Philly outfielder.

"Kobe Happy Birthday brotha and Happy Mamba Day," Harper said. "You are missed by so many. 8 and 24 will live on forever!!"

Seems the Kobe gear brought the Phils good luck ... while Harper didn't have his best day at the plate -- Philly won the game 5-4 with a thrilling play at the plate.

Drake is paying tribute to Kobe Bryant on 8/24 by showing off his huge Black Mamba shoe collection ... and his closet  legit looks like a real-life Foot Locker!!!

The shoe closet at Drake's Toronto compound is legendary -- it's the same place where he's got an entire basketball court with Kobe's #8 and #24 displayed on the walls.

So, on Kobe Bryant Day, Drake treated his fans to a tour of his Kobe shoe collection -- with appears to include 90 pairs of KB kicks.

Drake's Kobe collection isn't just cool -- it's wildly expensive. His Kobe 5 Preludes alone are fetching around $1,200 on resale sites.

He also has multiple versions of the Kobe 8s ... including the Venice Beach, Python and the WTKs, with the latter currently valued at more than $1,000 a pair.

We noticed there weren't any kicks from Kobe's Adidas days on Drake's shelf. Remember, the Kobe 2 was widely panned by shoe critics back in the day -- and the shoe played a major role in Bryant leaving Adidas for Nike.

Kobe would have turned 42 on Sunday.

Kobe Bryant would have turned 42 Sunday ... and there's literally a worldwide celebration of his life on TV, online and on walls across the world.

Murals honoring Kobe have popped up all over the globe, especially in the hometown of the Lakers ... in downtown L.A. near the Convention Center, as well as the Shoe Palace in the Fairfax District, a super-large mural in the San Fernando Valley ... and on and on.

The way it breaks down ... 331 murals around the world. There are 208 in SoCal, 267 in the U.S. and 64 internationally.

One mural in mid-City pays homage to Kobe, his daughter Gianna and the 7 others who perished in the helicopter crash last January.

Vanessa Bryant posted a loving and sad message about how much she misses Kobe and Gigi and how she wishes she could celebrate his big day.

Natalia, Kobe and Vanessa's 17-year-old daughter, took to Instagram to share a loving message about her favorite memories with her father.

On Saturday Vanessa posted images showing how various people are honoring Kobe on his birthday. She posted photos of flowers, comfort food and messages written in the sand.

Nike has created its own tribute on video, narrated by Kendrick Lamar, and it's both emotional and inspiring. It speaks to the legacy Kobe left behind.

Nike is dubbing this week "Mamba Week," and today is "Mamba Day." Nike is donating $1 million to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, along with a promise to support the Mamba League.

As for the Lakers, well they have a playoff game Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers, and they'll wear their "Black Mamba" uniforms.

John Travolta paid homage to his late wife, Kelly Preston, Friday, with the help of their daughter.

John and 20-year-old Ella hit the dance floor ... something John says was Kelly's favorite thing ... dancing with him.

As we reported, Kelly died last month after a 2-year, very private battle with breast cancer. She was only 57 when she passed away. She and John were married for nearly 29 years.

John posted, "My daughter @ella.travolta and I dancing in memory of momma. One of Kelly's favorite things, dancing with me."

John and Kelly had 3 kids together ... Jett, Ella Blue and Benjamin. Jett died tragically in 2009, after suffering a seizure.

The SoCal lake where Naya Rivera was found dead after drowning is open to the public again, but her tragedy is having an impact on operations there.

TMZ's learned Lake Piru reopened Thursday, 43 days after the "Glee" star went out for a day of boating and swimming with her son. The man-made reservoir had been off-limits since Naya went missing. After authorities recovered her body, the lake remained closed as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified in L.A. County.

Now that the public can return there are restrictions. For starters, swimming is absolutely banned. Lake officials say that's due to COVID-19, but locals tell us they believe the ban is really about Naya's drowning.

As we reported ... more than 12,000 people signed a petition demanding more effective warnings to swimmers about debris under the water's surface.

As for boating on the lake ... that's back in full swing, along with picnicking, hiking and fishing.

However, the pontoon Naya rented on the night she went missing has been taken out of the fleet and it's been placed in storage.

Remember ... locals had reason to be concerned. Naya's drowning is the 9th death at Lake Piru since 1994.