Celebrity Death

Aaron Carter was heavily focused on making new music in recent weeks, and we're told he was even getting the jump on an album ... hoping it would mend fences with his brother, Nick Carter.

The singer's manager, Taylor Helgeson, tells TMZ ... Aaron started working with his team on "Love 2" -- a sequel to his 2018 album -- just a couple of weeks ago. We're told he was really excited about it, seeing it as some of his best work yet.

Taylor says Aaron was pouring his emotions into the album -- addressing a lot of personal topics, laying it all out for his fans ... so they'd finally understand him and his struggles.

We're told Aaron's other goal for the project was fixing his relationship with Nick and the rest of his family. He planned to use the music to tell them just how much he loves them, especially Nick.

As we reported, Aaron expressed his love for his bro just a couple of weeks before he died ... singing a Backstreet Boys song and telling him he'd always have his back.

TMZ broke the story, Aaron's housekeeper found him dead Saturday in the bathtub at his home.

Nick broke down in tears the next day while honoring his brother in London during a Backstreet Boys show.

Aaron Carter was very clearly struggling with an addiction to huffing compressed air, and investigators found evidence of that at the site of his death.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there were multiple cans of compressed air in Aaron's bathroom and bedroom, as well as prescription pills. It's not clear if that's what caused him to drown, but obviously, it's a big clue into what may have happened.

Our law enforcement sources say the last time anyone saw Aaron alive was 2 AM Friday. We're told Aaron's live-in housekeeper heard a knock at the door at 2 AM and answered ... she says cops had come to do a welfare check ... unclear who called them. Our sources say the housekeeper opened the door and when Aaron heard what was going on he told them to leave and ordered the housekeeper not to bother him.

We're told the housekeeper didn't see Aaron all day Friday, and Saturday morning she went to his bedroom door to see if he wanted coffee. She heard his dog inside the bedroom going crazy, so she opened the door and found Aaron's body in the tub.

Law enforcement believes Aaron's body was in the tub for a long time as there was a smell of decomposition and the water had turned an unnatural color. We're told the tub's jets were still running when Aaron's body was found.

TMZ broke the story, cops were called to Aaron's L.A. area home Saturday for a report of a drowning. Dispatch audio from the 911 call revealed a chaotic scene inside Aaron's home with dispatchers describing a "female yelling" for help. We're told that was the housekeeper.

Aaron's cause of death is currently deferred by the L.A. County Coroner's Office until toxicology results are returned ... which could take months. We're told no suicide note was found and there were no signs of foul play.

Of course, there's been an outpouring of love and tributes for Aaron since his death -- Hilary Duff said, "You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent…boy did my teenage self love you deeply. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy."

The Backstreet Boys also sang and paid tribute to Aaron, his brother Nick got emotional during the show in London.

Late Migos rapper Takeoff's funeral is set for this coming Friday, and much like his career, the homegoing will be big … going down at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The venue, which is home to the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, has the capacity to host more than 20,000 people.

Rev. Jesse Curney, III of New Mercies Christian Church will be officiating the services, which will begin at 1:00 PM … according to Atlanta radio station V-103.

In a statement, Rev. Curney said, "I was really sad to hear the news. Kirsnick has been a faithful member since he was ten years old. He and his family were active and avid supporters of the church and the community as a whole."

Emotions in the city have been heavy since Takeoff was shot and killed on November 1 in Houston.

Graffiti artist Armondo "Ape" Monoletti crafted a mural in Atlanta, just hours after the tragic news and friends and fam of Takeoff held a balloon sendoff over the weekend in his honor.

Aaron Carter's friends, family and even his fans believed the singer was in a dark place, and desperately needed help ... but clearly, it was too late.

In a video allegedly captured from a live stream the singer did in the days leading up to his death Aaron reads a message he says is from his fiancée Melanie which states, "You're going to die."

The words clearly upset Aaron, though we're told he only cherry-picked one part of her text to read to his fans. The text from Melanie was a cry to him to stop huffing on Instagram Live, which had been alleged by many fans. Melanie told him, "If it's true what you're doing, you're not going to end up alive. You're going to die. I love you, this is not safe. Please don't do this to yourself."

Aaron's fans were also very active in commenting on his live streams and social media posts, sometimes voicing their concern if he seemed to be out of it. After his death, one fan wrote, "I was watching his IG live the other day thinking the guy needed help asap."

TMZ broke the story, fans called the cops to Aaron's home for a welfare check in September after they believed he was huffing during a live-streaming session. First responders made contact with Aaron, who told them he'd been asleep, and they left as there was no additional cause for concern.

In another video from Aaron's live just a couple weeks before he died, Aaron expressed his love for his older brother and Backstreet Boys star, Nick Carter, during a live session -- letting Nick know he always would have his back.

Nick released a statement about Aaron Sunday, saying, "My heart is broken. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held on to the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed."

TMZ broke the story, Aaron was found dead inside his L.A. home Saturday -- cops responded to a call for a drowning ... and multiple sources tell us he was found in his tub.

Nick Carter says he's totally shattered by the death of his brother, Aaron, and proclaimed his love for his younger sibling despite their complicated and often rocky relationship.

In a lengthy tribute posted to Instagram, Nick poured out his heart, which he now says is "broken," sharing his deepest thoughts about Aaron's sad demise.

Nick's full statement reads, "My heart is broken. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held on to the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed. Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss, but the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here. I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz. Now you can finally have the peace you could never find here on earth….I love you baby brother."

As you may know, Nick and Aaron almost never saw eye to eye during their relationship, mainly in recent years. And, Nick publicly acknowledged this fact, pointing out his brother struggled with drug addiction and mental illness.

TMZ broke the story ... Aaron was found dead in his L.A. home Saturday morning after police received a 911 call of a man who drowned in a bathtub.

Authorities haven't confirmed an official cause of death, but we're told police will be doing a deep dive into his past drug use.

Aside from Nick's passionate words, Aaron's twin sister, Angel Carter, also honored her brother in an Instagram post ... vowing to hold onto their most cherished memories and sharing a series of throwback photos together.

Aaron Carter's death came as a shock not only to his family, but to the entertainment world ... and many celebs are now paying tribute to the late pop star.

Actress Hilary Duff took to Instagram to express her sadness over AC's death ... "For Aaron– I'm deeply sorry that life was so hard for you and that you had to struggle in front of the whole world. You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent…boy did my teenage self love you deeply. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy."

Reality star Paris Hilton weighed in on Twitter ... "Sad to hear about the news of @aaroncarter 😢 He was always kind to my family and I. He had a good heart. Gone way too soon. 😔Sending my thoughts and condolences to his loved ones and family.  RIP 🙏"

Grammy Award-winning songwriter Diane Warren gave some words of wisdom ... "fame at a young age is often more a curse than a blessing and Surviving it is not easy. RIP Aaron Carter🎤💔."

Singer Tyler Hilton -- no relation to Paris -- shared fond memories of Aaron ... "No….This news is heartbreaking… this kid had such a spark. Known him for years and always really liked him, he was warm and really funny. Loved putting on a show and he was good at it. Ill find some pics of us and post more later… damn RIP budddd #aaroncarter."

TMZ broke the story ... Aaron passed away Saturday ... police responded to his Lancaster home after receiving a 911 call at 11 AM Saturday that a male had drowned in the tub.

As of now, authorities have not released an official cause of death, but we're told police will be doing a deep dive into his past drug use.

Aaron Carter's death touched off a chaotic situation inside his L.A. home ... as his housekeeper was heard screaming over the police scanner after discovering his body.

TMZ has obtained a police audio clip of the moment the housekeeper found Aaron unresponsive inside his bathtub Saturday morning and frantically called 911.

The 911 operator stated on the audio clip FIRE/EMS units were needed at Aaron's home for a "female yelling" and made a cryptic reference to "in the tub."

By the time paramedics arrived on scene, Aaron was already dead. Authorities have not released an official cause of death, but law enforcement sources tell TMZ police will be doing a deep dive into his past drug use.

Investigators were seen wheeling Aaron's corpse in a body bag out of his home and loading him into the back of a truck labeled "Coroner."

TMZ broke the story of Aaron's passing ... police responded to his Lancaster home after receiving a 911 call at 11 AM Saturday that a male had drowned in the tub.

Aaron's fiancé, Melanie Martin, later told TMZ ... "My fiancé Aaron Carter has passed away. I love Aaron with all my heart and it’s going to be a journey to raise a son without a father. Please respect the privacy of my family as we come to terms with the loss of someone we love greatly. We are still in the process of accepting this unfortunate reality. Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated."

Aaron shot to fame back in the late 1990s as a pop singer, releasing four studio albums, starting with his self-titled debut album in 1997 when he was only 9 years old.

Aaron Carter has died ... TMZ has learned.

The singer-turned-rapper and actor was found dead Saturday at his house in Lancaster, CA ... multiple sources tell us Aaron's body was found in his bathtub. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they received a 911 call at 11 AM Saturday that a male had drowned in the tub.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... homicide detectives have been dispatched to the scene, but we have no information or evidence of foul play. It's standard operating procedure for homicide detectives to investigate such death scenes.

TMZ obtained a photo of sheriffs' cars and paramedics outside Aaron's home ... and the property is surrounded with caution tape.

Aaron shot to fame back in the late 1990s as a pop singer, releasing four studio albums, starting with his self-titled debut album in 1997 when he was only 9 years old.

After his first album sold a million copies, Aaron's second album, "Aaron's Party," tripled that number ... and from there he became a regular on Nickelodeon.

Aaron also used to tour with the Backstreet Boys during their heyday ... his older brother Nick was part of the hugely popular boy band.

AC transitioned into rap as his music career progressed ... and he also appeared on "Dancing With The Stars" and acted in the Broadway production "Seussical."

Aaron had tons of legal and substance abuse issues over the years ... infamously going on "The Doctors" a couple years ago and talking about all the pills he was taking. He also went to rehab numerous times.

AC is survived by his son, Prince.

He was only 34.

RIP

Boxing star Shakur Stevenson is back in the public eye for the first time since Takeoff's tragic murder ... but he did not speak about the events that went down that night.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Shakur was standing inches away from the Migos rapper just moments before he was fatally shot twice in Houston.

Stevenson went silent on social media in the days following the shooting -- aside from a tweet honoring his friend, saying, "R.I.P Takeoff 🙏🏾"

On Thursday, Shakur returned to his usual routine by joining the "Spit Bucket Podcast" to talk boxing ... and he seemed pretty composed throughout the interview.

The topic of Takeoff was not brought up ... probably for a couple reasons.

One, there is an active investigation into what went down that night ... and there may not be much Shakur can get really discuss at this time.

The other -- the incident literally happened just days ago ... and it's understandable to consider Shakur isn't mentally ready to talk about it.

The Washington Commanders and former star QB Joe Theismann are in mourning after one of their legends, David Butz, passed away.

He was 72.

The organization broke the news on Friday ... saying they're devastated over the death of the star defensive tackle who played for them from 1975 to 1988.

"We're heartbroken over the loss of Washington Legend Dave Butz," the team said ... "a 2x Super Bowl champion and member of our Ring of Fame and 90 Greatest list."

"Sending our deepest condolences to Dave's family and friends."

One of those friends is Theismann ... who's heartbroken over Dave's death. The men played together in D.C. for 9 seasons. They also won Super Bowl XVII together in 1983.

"Lost a dear friend today. Dave Butz. Dave Mark Mosley and I used to ride to games together," Theismann said.

"A true gentle giant. Rest In Peace my friend."

The Alabama native played college football for Purdue and was a 1972 finalist for the Lombardi Award.

DB was picked by the then-St. Louis Cardinals with the 5th overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft ... but played the majority of his 16-year NFL career in Washington where he won 2 Super Bowls.

One of his famous moments is when the 6'8" tackle checked himself out of the hospital (illness) so he could play against the New York Jets in 1987.

After making a game-saving tackle during that game, Butz checked himself back into the hospital.

Butz ranks third in the franchise for most sacks (59.5) and was named one of the organization's 70 greatest players.

Takeoff's shooting death shocked the world, but especially his hometown of Atlanta, where a graffiti artist was moved to honor the Migos rapper with a mural ... in little more than an instant.

TMZ Hip Hop spoke with Armondo Monoletti, the artist who painted Takeoff's likeness underneath the John Lewis Freedom Parkway bridge near downtown ATL.

Armondo says he couldn't sleep after hearing the Takeoff news and vigorously painted throughout the night ... using only the few paint cans he had in his arsenal, as all the stores were closed at the time.

He says he intentionally painted Takeoff without his signature sunglasses in order to humanize him, and he also wanted to show him smiling ... so fans could escape the grim reality surrounding his death.

Armondo -- whose "APE" graffiti tag stands for "Armondo Paints Everything" -- actually painted over the DMX mural he created back in 2021 to create the Takeoff tribute.

He says there was no disrespect intended -- just like he's done for Takeoff, he had painted the X tribute immediately after his passing.

Method Man isn't trying to hide his frustrations ... not only over Takeoff's death, but also over hip hop culture shouldering the blame for rap slayings.

We caught up with him Thursday in NYC and asked about escalated violence taking out so many more artists ... especially compared to his peak as an OG Wu-Tang Clan member.

Meth sarcastically scoffed at the question, suggesting it was the skinny jeans that changed the culture -- but then he got serious about the notion criminality is driving the culture.

In fact, he wasn't willing to even offer his two cents on potential solutions. Meth urged people to look closer at the circumstances in each case of violence ... instead of always blaming hip hop culture.

He adds ... it simply isn't always the artists' fault.

There were two other people shot in the gunfire that killed Takeoff -- and one of those people is Quavo's assistant -- TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Joshua "Wash" Washington is the 23-year-old male who was shot and rushed to a local hospital by someone at the scene in the minutes following the melee ... cops described his injuries as non-life threatening.

Wash has been close with Quavo for years, and describes himself as Quavo's assistant and part of operations management at Huncho Records on his social media profile.

As we reported, there was also a 24-year-old female who was shot ... she was also taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

While the shooter (or shooters) have yet to be publicly named, the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office says Takeoff was shot in both the head and torso early Monday morning.

In video obtained by TMZ from the scene, you can see Quavo in an argument and then start to walk away as shots ring out. There's also video showing one man holding a gun to his side ... police have named that man as a person of interest in Takeoff's death.

NFL Hall of Famer Ray Guy -- the most legendary punter of all time -- has passed away. He was 73 years old.

Guy became the first pure punter to ever be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft ... going 23rd overall to the Oakland Raiders in 1973 after a stellar career at the University of Southern Mississippi.

He went on to win three Super Bowls with the Raiders in 1977, 1981 and 1984.

Guy's résumé is as good as it gets -- he was a 6-time first-team All-Pro selection, 2-time second-team All-Pro, 7-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL's 75th and 100th Anniversary teams.

Guy was famous for his long-hanging punts ... which allowed the Raiders to run downfield in coverage before opposing teams were able to get off a return.

The Ray Guy Award -- named after the icon -- is presented to the best punter in college football every year.

Guy was enshrined in Canton in 2014 -- the first punter to receive the honor. During his speech, he famously said, "Now the Hall of Fame has a complete team."

DJ Akademiks is calling out anyone defending today's hip hop culture -- on the heels of Takeoff's slaying -- because he says the culture's adopted too many street ethos.

Ak went live on Twitch for over 3 hours Wednesday morning ... going over key facts in the Houston case, identifying people on the scene and venting his overall frustration with the culture.

He grew particularly emotional when folks in his chat floated the idea the streets might retaliate against him for his "research" into the killing. That set him OFF ... Ak screamed at the top of his lungs against what he feels hip hop culture has become.

Ak cited controversial blogger Charleston White ... agreeing that criminality in hip hop culture needed to be flushed and most rappers are doing dumb things with their spare time.

A particularly chilling moment on the broadcast came when Ak was connecting dots to the armed man police call a "person of interest' -- matching his clothing to an entourage member who had been hanging with Quavo and Jas Prince hours before they arrived at the bowling alley that night.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... new video we obtained shows a man with his hand on a gun in his pocket mere seconds before the shooting started.

The hypocrites continued to grow under Ak's skin as he continued to call them out for "cosplaying as street n*****."

He used incarcerated rappers YNW Melly, Kay Flock and Tay-K as examples ... citing fans' who wish for their freedom in spite of their looming murder charges and further railed against the fusion of Black culture and criminality.

Young Thug and Gunna's label head Kevin Liles is campaigning for their freedom, and he's also dismissing the notion hip hop culture played a part in Takeoff's death.

Kevin helped foster Migos' career with Coach K and Pee Thomas and Wednesday morning on "The Breakfast Club," he lamented Takeoff's slaying -- blaming it more on Black-on-Black conditioning and the "oppressive" U.S.A. for disillusioning Black people's values.

He cited several issues ... lack of education, poverty, racism and guns themselves as the culture's true killers, and chalked up rappers' explicit lyrics to simple education.

When pressed by Charlamagne about the content of rappers' lyrics and their potential psychological influence, Kevin deflected and cited Johnny Cash, Freddie Mercury and even Bob Marley's song "I Shot the Sheriff" as comparable cases.

Later in the interview, Kevin called Young Thug and Gunna "pillars" of the community amid their massive RICO case, and called out the justice system for having them sit behind bars for nearly a year ahead of the trial.

Kevin thinks their case will jeopardize the development of future Spike Lees or Steven Spielbergs -- as prosecuting rappers for select song lyrics could ultimately stifle creativity in all art forms.