Celebrity Death

Stephen "tWitch" Boss' wife, Allison Holker, is paying tribute to her late husband just one day after he was laid to rest in a private funeral with friends and family.

Holker took to Instagram Friday, posting a video montage of tWitch with his Allison and his family while Rihanna's song "Lift Me Up" played in the background.

Allison writes, "To my husband, best friend, babe, Chee-chalker, Superman and father of my children I LOVE YOU FOREVER and ALWAYS! We will forever remember you as the true beacon of light that you were and we will continue to cast your light and love throughout the world. Thank you for our incredible memories and our beautiful life shared together."

TMZ broke the story, Allison and Stephen's closest loved ones gathered Friday in Los Angeles for a private funeral. We're told a more public tribute will happen at a later date.

It was almost a month ago when tWitch died by suicide in a Los Angeles motel. Law enforcement sources told us he took an Uber to the location less than a mile from his home and turned off his phone so no one could contact him.

Earl Boen, best known for his reoccurring role in the 'Terminator' franchise, has died.

A family member tells TMZ the veteran actor passed away Thursday in Hawaii, but wouldn't disclose a cause or the specifics of his death.

Earl is best remembered for his role as Dr. Peter Silberman the 'Terminator' series. However, he racked up other film credits in the '80s such as ... "Battle Beyond the Stars," "The Man with Two Brains" and "Alien Nation."

He also appeared in "Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult" in 1994, and "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" in 2000.

Earl is survived by his wife, Cathy. His first wife, Carole, passed away in 2001.

He was 81.

Marcio Freire -- a big wave surfer whose career was so iconic it was featured in the popular 2016 "Mad Dogs" documentary -- is dead after a tragic accident in the water in Portugal.

The Brazilian surfing veteran had been hitting the massive waves at Praia do Norte beach in Nazare on Thursday, practicing his tow-in ... when authorities say he fell off his board.

According to the Portuguese National Maritime Authority, rescuers found the 47-year-old in cardio-respiratory arrest ... and immediately started "resuscitation maneuvers on the sand."

However, Freire didn't make it despite the life-saving attempts.

The surfing world was rocked by the news ... with Nic von Rupp mourning the loss in an emotional social media post.

"We surfed all day, it was perfect, clean, barrels, Márcio was stoked had that huge smile. With that smile is how I’m going to remember him."

Added Hawaiian surfing star Matt Meola in an Instagram post of his own, "Man what a sad day for surfing. Hard to imagine somebody who seemed so big and invincible is gone."

Freire -- one of the three "Mad Dogs" surfers who victoriously rode the "Jaws" wave in Hawaii -- had been seen just moments before his death smiling and enjoying the waves.

Quavo broke weeks of silence today via his Takeoff tribute song, "Without You" ... an act of therapy French Montana says he got to witness leading up to the track's release!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with French Thursday in Queens, where he revealed he was privy to Quavo's new track before it dropped, and shared a recap from the star-studded NYE blowout in St. Barts.

French says he did his best in cheering up Quavo and even gave him advice from the heart ... which he says was, basically, don't wallow in depression for the rest of your life.

Drake, Diddy, Yung Miami, Lil Baby and Meek Mill were among the celebs partying last weekend on the Caribbean island, and French pretty much confirmed what fans' speculated based on pics of Quavo down there -- that he's still reeling from Takeoff's death.

French thinks Takeoff would want Quavo to keep grinding, and he's happy to see him making music again ... but he isn't naive about the pain he's feeling.

FM actually dealt with the death of his best friend and Coke Boys artist Chinx during a pivotal time in his career.

Chinx was gunned down in May 2015 and his widow, Janelli Caceres-Pickens, recently compiled an album to keep his musical legacy alive, much like French says Diddy did for Biggie after his 1997 murder.

Quavo has honored his late nephew and Migos co-captain Takeoff on his new track … and it’s incredibly moving material.

For the new single "Without You," Quavo created a lyric visualizer featuring him sitting solemnly in the studio … as a giant blunt burned in his hand.

The lyrics are just as somber … Quavo laments over the good times he and Takeoff shared while also shedding light on the fact that the family took the loss hard this past Christmas.

The video concludes with Quavo’s lyrics being folded into a paper rocket ship and blasting off into space, a clear tribute to Takeoff’s rocket mantra.

The timing of the track's release doesn't appear to be a coincidence, either.

The suspect charged with murdering Migos rapper Takeoff is no longer behind bars.

Patrick Xavier Clark posted $1 million bond and walked out of Harris County Jail in Texas Wednesday night.

His initial bond was set at $2 million, but the court dropped the amount after his lawyers, Carl Moore and Letitia Quinones, argued it was excessive and, therefore, unconstitutional. Texas law requires that bond not be used to hold defendants (i.e. financially speaking) ... but rather to ensure their return to court. Clark surrendered his passport to the judge.

Now that Clark is out ... he must abide by the conditions of his release. According to court documents, he will submit to house arrest and have no contact with certain people connected to the case -- including Takeoff's family and music exec J Prince and his relatives. Clark is also barred from possessing deadly weapons and must wear a GPS monitor so law enforcement can track his movements.

As we reported ... Clark was arrested in December and charged with the murder of Takeoff. Police tied Clark to the crime mainly by using surveillance and cell phone footage to identify him.

TMZ broke the story ... Takeoff and his Migos collaborator, Quavo, were partying with about 30 people at a bowling alley in Houston on Nov. 1. Video shows some of the attendees getting into an altercation, which quickly escalated into violence.

Clark allegedly pulled a gun and squeezed off several shots ... Takeoff was fatally struck in the head and torso. What's worse ... the hip hop star was an unarmed innocent bystander, who had NO involvement in the initial argument.

Stephen "tWitch" Boss is getting an emotional goodbye from those closest to him this week ... with a larger gathering planned for the future to properly honor him en masse.

Sources within tWitch's inner circle tell TMZ ... the late media personality is being laid to rest Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles, in what we're told is going to be a small and intimate funeral attended by close family.

We're told there is going to be a larger celebration of life ceremony in the near future, which will be held for close friends and the people who Stephen considered his family.

Presumably, the larger celebration would include Ellen DeGeneres and staff members from her show -- on which tWitch served as the DJ for years. The folks from "So You Think You Can Dance" would also likely be on the extended list for the memorial down the road.

TMZ broke the story ... tWitch took his own life last month, leaving behind a suicide note alluding to past struggles. Despite issues he was obviously dealing with, there didn't seem to be any sign, outwardly, that something was wrong ... as his death took everyone by surprise.

There has been an outpouring of tributes made in his honor from the entertainment industry and beyond -- including heartfelt condolences sent by Ellen herself.

He was 40.

RIP

YSL rapper Lil Keed's died of natural causes stemming from a battle with eosinophilia ... according to officials.

As we reported, the 24-year-old died in May 2022, and on Tuesday, The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner revealed his death was linked to eosinophilia, a condition defined to be caused by "a parasitic infection, an allergic reaction or cancer," according to the Mayo Clinic.

Sources close to the "Trapped On Cleveland" rapper told TMZ Hip Hop at the time he had been complaining of excruciating stomach pain days before his death -- and was recently sober from drugs and alcohol. People first reported the ME's findings.

Keed's passing happened just as Young Thug, Gunna and several other YSL members were arrested on various RICO charges.

Since his death, Keed's brother Lil Gotit has been going the distance in keeping his sibling's name alive ... and free from disrespect.

Art McNally, a former NFL referee and the first official to ever be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has died, his family announced on Monday.

Art's son, Tom, shared that his father, an on-field official for nine seasons, passed away on Sunday due to natural causes. He was 97 years old.

McNally, born in Pennsylvania, served as a field judge and ref in the NFL from 1959-1967. In 1968, McNally pivoted, becoming the NFL's director of officiating.

McNally's NFL career spans several decades -- and he's most revered for his work as director of officiating, where he implemented a program for evaluating officials using game footage.

McNally left his role as director of officiating in 1990 ... but he returned to the NFL front office in 1996 as an assistant supervisor of officials, where he served in that role until 2007.

In 2008, the Philadelphia native transitioned to a role where he observed and trained officials after spending over a decade as an assistant supervisor.

Art was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022 and officially inducted in the summer.

"Art McNally was an extraordinary man, the epitome of integrity and class," commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday. "Throughout his distinguished officiating career, he earned the eternal respect of the entire football community. Fittingly, he was the first game official enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. But more importantly, he was a Hall of Fame person in absolutely every way."

"Our thoughts go out to his wife, Sharon, his children Marybeth, Tom, and Michael, and his grandchildren.”

Fred White, the drummer for Earth, Wind & Fire, is dead.

Fred died Sunday, according to his brother and bandmate, Verdine. The cause of death is unclear.

The fourth of the White brothers to perform in Earth, Wind & Fire, Fred was one of the famous band's early members ... joining EWF way back in 1974 when he was just 19 years old.

Fred played drums on 8 different Earth, Wind & Fire albums ... plus some of their biggest hit songs like "September," "Boogie Wonderland," "Saturday Night" and "Shining Star" ... and he's one of the 9 band members inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Verdine is remembering his late brother as an "amazing and talented family member" and a "child protégé." He added ... Fred's now with their other brother, and EWF founder, Maurice White in heaven.

Off stage, Verdine says Fred was "the wonderful bro that was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous! And we could always count on him to make a seemingly bad situation more light hearted!"

Fred was 67.

The Mississippi State football team will pay tribute to the late Mike Leach during its bowl game on Monday ... by wearing custom pirate helmets in honor of the legendary college coach.

The Bulldogs just unveiled the special lids to pay tribute to the coach's famous "Pirate" nickname ... hours before they play Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

The maroon and white helmets feature a flag with a skull and an eye patch ... with Leach's initials "ML" centered in between two swords.

Mississippi State released a hype video ahead of Monday's contest ... showing off the helmets with the caption, "Swing. Your. Sword."

The stadium's iconic pirate ship also has a memorial set up for Coach ... including flowers and a framed picture.

As we reported, the legendary head coach died in December ... due to complications from a heart condition. He was 61. The loss shocked the entire football community ... with former players, coaches and colleagues sharing their condolences.

The school is encouraging fans to arrive at the stadium early ... as officials plan to honor Leach's life and legacy throughout the game.

Boosie Badazz is offering a very unique -- but also uneducated and uninformed -- take on America's opioid epidemic ... urging drug users to revert back to crack, instead of fentanyl, which might be connected to rap's most recent loss.

The outspoken Louisiana rapper hopped on social media to urge addicts to stick to crack ... claiming they live longer and are even better comedians than your average junkie.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl helped increase drug overdoses by 22% in 2021, while also driving down the U.S. life expectancy to its lowest point since 1996.

Boosie didn't mention her by name, but posted his video shortly after it was confirmed Three 6 Mafia member Gangsta Boo died in Memphis.

Sources close to the trailblazing female rap legend told TMZ Hip Hop police are investigating a possible drug overdose related to a fentanyl-laced substance ... but can't be sure until an official autopsy is conducted.

Boosie's ridiculous video doesn't account for the fact many fentanyl overdoses occur when users don't even know it's been laced in a different drug.

Thousands of fans poured into Brazilian streets on Monday morning to pay their respects to Pele -- as the funeral for the late soccer legend got underway at a famed football stadium in Santos.

People decked out in #10 jerseys and clad in yellow and green attire lined up to get a glimpse of the former footballer's coffin at Urbano Caldeira Stadium ... and some camped out for hours to be the first allowed into the ceremony.

For the services, Pele's body was placed under a tent on the field at the venue -- the same place where he scored hundreds of goals for Santos FC for nearly two decades.

Early on, Pele's family members were seen standing by his casket -- hugging and kissing him.

Many soccer stars from across the globe are expected to attend the funeral later on.

The whole ceremony is being live streamed ... and is expected to last several hours before Pele is laid to rest at the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica cemetery.

As we reported, Pele died at a hospital in Sao Paolo on Thursday ... after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Lola Mitchell, AKA Gangsta Boo -- a former member of Three 6 Mafia and a pioneer of female rap -- has died.

The hip hop star's passing was confirmed by her former labelmate DJ Paul -- who threw up a photo of her on IG ... seemingly as a tribute. Several prominent artists commented with messages of condolences. The exact circumstances surrounding her death are unknown.

Gangsta Boo's career officially started in the '90s, when she linked up with Paul, Juicy J and other founding members of the rap group -- which included the likes of Lord Infamous, Crunchy Black, Koopsta Knicca and more. Gangsta Boo was one of the only female rappers with the crew, but she held her own and paved her own lane for years as part of T6M.

In addition to her own solo albums that she was cranking out at the time -- to much acclaim -- Gangsta was also featured on Three 6 Mafia's first 5 studio albums ... including their debut record in '95's "Mystic Stylez" ... as well as other notable projects like 'Chapter 1,' 'When the Smoke Clears' and even the 'Choices' album that served as the soundtrack to the movie.

Gangsta Boo left Three 6 in the early 2000s, but went on to have a notable career thereafter -- cranking out another solo studio album, and several mixtapes through the rest of the aughts and 2010s. This, of course, doesn't include the countless features she's been a part of -- working with rap titans like Gucci Mane, Lil Jon, OutKast, E-40, T.I., The Game and more.

She continued rapping into the 2020s as well ... often collaborating with Killer Mike and El-P in their hip hop duo Run The Jewels. Gangsta Boo was also continuing to partner up with different media outlets to put out music, such as UPROXX and others.

Gangsta Boo was a staple in the Memphis community and music scene -- and seems to have been beloved by the people there. She was active on social media quite recently.

She was 43.

RIP

Anita Pointer, one of the founders of the iconic group bearing her name, has died.

Anita's rep tells TMZ ... her death was the result of a "somewhat lengthy and heroic battle with cancer." We're told she died peacefully at home Saturday, surrounded by her family.

The Pointer Sisters formed in the late '60s after Anita quit her job as a secretary and formed the soon-to-be-famous group with her sisters Bonnie, June and Ruth.

They became one of the most popular groups in the '70s, with iconic hit after hit.

To name a few ... "I'm So Excited," "Jump," "Slow Hand," "Fire," "He's So Shy," and "Neutron Dance." If you haven't heard all these songs, you should take a listen, because they're awesome.

The group won Grammys and many other awards, and they were the first African American group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.

Anita's sister and group member Ruth, along with brothers Aaron and Fritz, said,  "While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter, Jada and her sisters June & Bonnie and at peace."

They went on ...  "She was the one that kept all of us close and together for so long. Her love of our family will live on in each of us. Please respect our privacy during this period of grief and loss. Heaven is a more loving beautiful place with Anita there."

Jeremiah Green, co-founder and drummer for Modest Mouse, has died just days after the band announced he was battling stage 4 cancer.

The group made the announcement on New Year's Eve, saying ... "I don’t know a way to ease into this: Today we lost our dear friend Jeremiah. He laid down to rest and simply faded out. I’d like to say a bunch of pretty words right now, but it just isn’t the time. These will come later, and from many people. Please appreciate all the love you give, get, have given, and will get. Above all, Jeremiah was about love. We love you."

As we reported, Jeremiah was in treatment for cancer and all indications were it was going well. The band had asked fans to think of Jeremiah because they felt the positive energy would work.

Jeremiah and Isaac Brock found the group in 1992 and for the most part -- except for a short break in 2003 -- Green stayed in the band.

He was listed as #37 of the top 50 best rock drummers by Stylus Mag.

The band had success ... it was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammys in 2005.

Modest Mouse released 7 albums, including "This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About." Music aside, it's one of the best titles ever! Some of their songs, including, "Lampshades on Fire," "Float On," "Ocean Breathes Salty," and "Dashboard" were especially popular.