Celebrity Death

Annie Wersching -- famous for roles in a number of hit TV shows over the years -- has died.

Her publicist confirmed the news to Deadline -- and her husband, Stephen Full, issued a statement. He writes, "There is a cavernous hole in the soul of this family today. But she left us the tools to fill it. She found wonder in the simplest moment. She didn’t require music to dance. She taught us not to wait for adventure to find you. ‘Go find it. It’s everywhere.’ And find it we shall."

Full adds, "As I drove our boys, the true loves of her life, down the winding driveway and street, she would yell BYE! until we were out of earshot and into the world. I can still hear it ringing. Bye my Buddie. ‘I love you little family…’"

Wersching was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, and continued to act thereafter. It's unclear what sort of cancer she was battling ... she kept her diagnosis private for a while.

She'll perhaps be best remembered as Renee Walker on "24," for which she appeared in 35 episodes. Wersching has starred in several other TV series, though -- including "Timeless," "Runaways," "The Vampire Diaries," "Bosch," "General Hospital," "Dallas," "Extant," and more.

Other famous shows she's had guest spots on include "Charmed," "Frasier," "Angel," "Boston Legal," "Supernatural," "CSI," "NCIS," "Hawaii Five-0," "Revolution," "Blue Bloods" and others. She also voiced Tess in "The Last of Us" video game ... which just got made into a series.

More recently, she had acted in "The Rookie" and "Star Trek: Picard" -- that last show is bitter sweet, as "Star Trek: Enterprise" is noted as her first acting gig on IMDb.

She had 48 credits to her name dating back to 2002. She survived by her husband, her 3 children and extended family. A GoFundMe has been started for her loved ones.

Wersching was just 45.

Tom Verlaine -- the frontman and lead guitarist for the band Television -- has died.

His former partner's daughter, Jesse Smith, confirmed his death to the New York Times Saturday, saying he'd passed away in Manhattan after a brief illness. No other details were shared.

Verlaine and co. were a majorly influential group in the rock era of the '70s, carving out a whole new sound that came to be known as mainstream punk and alt rock today. They got their start as a mainstay act CBGB club in New York ... which was a music Mecca.

Television's debut album, 'Marquee Moon,' is considered a masterpiece and their defining contribution to pop culture ... having gone on to shape the sound of bands after them.

The band broke up a bit after the '70s, and Verlaine went ventured on with a solid solo career through the '80s and '90s ... cranking out a whopping 9 albums all on his own. He and Television got back together in '92 for their third and final album. They've toured together on and off over the years as well.

Verlaine is considered one of the greatest guitarists of the 20th century ... with savants putting up there with other G.O.A.T.S. like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen and so forth.

He was 73.

Things have gotten almost immediately contentious in the wake of Lisa Marie Presley's death. Turns out there's apparent beef between Lisa's mom and her oldest daughter.

Priscilla Presley has filed legal docs, asking a judge to set aside an amendment to Lisa's 2010 trust, and money is on the line. Priscilla was named trustee, along with Lisa's former business manager, Barry Siegel, to run things.

Priscilla says she discovered what appears to be an amendment to the trust, eliminating both her and Siegel as trustees and appointing Riley and Benjamin Keough as trustees.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Priscilla is questioning the validity and authenticity of the amendment, claiming it was never delivered to Priscilla, the date on the document is suspicious, the document misspells Priscilla's name, and Lisa Marie's signature "appears inconsistent with her usual and customary signature."

As you know, Benjamin died by suicide in 2020, and Lisa broke ties with Siegel after claiming he gutted her assets. Since Benjamin has passed, the amendment would leave Riley as the sole trustee.

Friends of the late Stephen "tWitch" Boss are calling out his "pal" Todrick Hall ... after he suggested the pressure around Ellen DeGeneres' workplace scandal might have been a factor in tWitch's suicide.

For those unaware, Todrick made the implication this week while promoting a new reality show he's doing ... telling Page Six he believed the public calling on the DJ to stop supporting Ellen took too big of a toll.

Referring to tWitch opting to take his life, Todrick added, "I don’t know what was going on in his life that may [have led] him to make that decision but I do understand."

A source close to tWitch tells TMZ ... it's extremely negligent and self-serving of Todrick to assume he knows what led to tWitch's death. The source also found it unfortunate he would speculate, especially while promoting his own project.

We're told tWitch loved his time on "Ellen," and had a ton of respect while working on the series ... pointing out he was even named co-executive producer in the final season.

As we reported, tWitch left a suicide note behind when he passed, which we're told referenced past challenges ... without going into specifics.

You'll recall, Ellen was accused of creating a toxic work environment while the show was running, as several former employees alleged racism and intimidation. tWitch, however, stood by the talk show host.

Ellen also expressed her intense heartbreak after his death ... telling people to love each other as she continued to mourn in late December.

Jessie Lemonier -- a former outside linebacker for the Detroit Lions -- has passed away, the team announced Thursday morning. He was only 25 years old.

Details surrounding Lemonier's death are not yet known.

The Lions broke the sad news with a statement, saying they're "shocked and saddened" by Lemonier's death.

"Jessie was a model teammate and wonderful young man who is gone far too soon," the team said on social media.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time."

Many paid their respects to the late Lions player in the comments ... including Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson who shared the post with praying hand emojis.

Lemonier was an undrafted free agent out of Liberty University ... where he became the third player in Flames history to record 10 or more sacks in a season.

The Los Angeles Chargers picked him up after the 2020 NFL Draft and Lemonier played in 6 games before he was waived in August 2021.

He then signed with the Lions' practice squad a month later and was promoted to the active roster. He appeared in 7 games and had 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Lemonier also had a short stint with the Arizona Cardinals.

It seems like Lemonier was positioning for a career in the United States Football League as he recently signed with the Houston Gamblers in December 2022.

He was traded to the USFL's defending champions Birmingham Stallions and their season was scheduled to start this April.

Randy Gonzalez, the father in the popular TikTok duo Enkyboys, has died ... following a battle with cancer.

A source close to the family tells TMZ, Randy passed Wednesday morning in hospice after his struggles with colon cancer ... a health battle he provided updates about throughout his fight.

Randy broke the news about his condition back in April, telling fans he was diagnosed about 6 months prior, and given 2-3 years to live. He said chemotherapy could extend things a possible 5 more years.

The viral star created a GoFundMe to help pay for his treatments -- after he claimed he was denied at a cancer center at the University of Texas -- stating they didn't take his insurance.

He and his son, Brice, used their social media platform to spread awareness about colon cancer ... and continued to gain serious popularity from their radiant father-and-son dynamic.

Randy gave his followers another update in November, detailing everything he'd gone through in only a few months ... hoping to be a great example in a year's time, "when I beat it."

For those unaware, Brice landed a spot on NBC's "Lopez vs Lopez" ... cracking audiences up with his hilarious character, Chance.

Randy was only 35.

Sesame Workshop co-founder Lloyd Morrisett, who famously got the ball rolling on "Sesame Street," is dead.

Lloyd died Monday, according to Sesame Workshop, but a cause of death has not been revealed.

Back in 1968, Lloyd and Joan Ganz Cooney created Children's Television Workshop, the organization that created the revolutionary TV show, "Sesame Street." CTW has since rebranded to Sesame Workshop.

Cooney says there would be no "Sesame Street" without Lloyd, because ... "It was he who first came up with the notion of using television to teach preschoolers basic skills, such as letters and numbers."

The idea started in December 1965, when Lloyd noticed how engaged his 3-year-old daughter Sarah was with the family TV set ... causing him to wonder if the medium could be used to educate kids. He posed the question to Cooney at a dinner party a few months later and they ultimately found the answer with "Sesame Street."

Sesame Workshop is remembering Lloyd as "a wise, thoughtful, and above all kind leader" ... who was "fascinated by the power of technology and constantly thinking about new ways it could be used to educate."

Lloyd was 93.

Austin Butler is celebrating his first Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Elvis Presley ... but the honor comes on the heels of tragedy.

The 31-year-old actor snagged his Academy Award nomination for best actor Tuesday for his performance of Elvis in the Baz Luhrmann movie "Elvis." Austin plays the King of Rock n' Roll from a teen up until his death.

Obviously, the nomination marks a huge accomplishment for the actor, and you have to imagine Lisa Marie would be thrilled ... so it's even more tragic she's not around to celebrate.

As you know, Elvis' famed daughter died January 12, after going into cardiac arrest ... first, at her California home, and then later the same day while she was in the hospital.

Lisa's family members, friends and countless Elvis fans just gathered Sunday at Graceland for a public memorial. The Memphis, TN estate is also where Elvis is also buried along with Lisa Marie's son, Benjamin, who she's buried next to.

A week before she passed away, Lisa Marie attended the Golden Globe Awards with her mom, Priscilla Presley, where Austin Butler won for best actor in a drama for his portrayal of the music legend.

Amazing gesture from AEW ... the wrestling org. is now selling Jay Briscoe shirts following the wrestler's tragic death, noting that all of the tee's sales will go toward his family.

The shirts officially launched this week -- just days after Briscoe, real name Jamin Pugh, was killed in a car crash in Delaware.

The black-and-red threads feature an image of Briscoe with a championship belt, as well as the words "Reach for the sky." They also have his name and the years of his birth and death on them.

Each tee costs $24.99 -- money the AEW, which purchased the Ring of Honor promotion that Briscoe wrestled for last March, says will go entirely "to benefit the Pugh family."

"The Pugh family lost a husband, a father, a brother, a son," the wrestling org. said in a statement Monday, "and in an effort to both honor Jay's memory as well as support those left behind, we are offering this 'Reach For The Sky' t-shirt with 100% of the proceeds going to benefit the Pugh family as they cope with this tragic loss."

As we reported, Briscoe was killed on Jan. 17 after a car suddenly veered into his lane and collided with his 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 head-on. He was just 38 years old.

Briscoe's two daughters were in the car at the time of the wreck, but, thankfully, survived. The wrester's wife asked for prayers for the two girls in a social media post following the crash.

Lisa Marie Presley's celebration of life at Graceland took place today, as her family members, friends and countless Elvis Presley fans gathered to honor her.

Priscilla Presley arrived with her family, including son Navarone Garibaldi, daughter Riley Keough and Lisa Marie’s ex-husband, Michael Lockwood.

It's unclear if Lisa's daughters Harper and Finley were in attendance for the public service ... or if the twins only attended the private family memorial that took place earlier this weekend.

Lisa's close friend Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, arrived a few minutes before the Presley family.

Austin Butler, who played Elvis in the new movie, arrived with Kaia Gerber. Austin's sister Ashley Butler is said to have joined him to pay respects as well.

Lisa's father Elvis' solemn song, "He Touched Me" played while the memorial live stream waited to begin, as well as a touching duet of Lisa and her father singing “Where No One Stands Alone.”

The memorial started with a performance of "Amazing Grace," sung by Jason Clark & the Tennessee Mass Choir.

Producer Joel Weinshanker then gave the opening remarks. He said Lisa Marie left instructions on her wishes for her memorial, and stated "don't make it sad."

During a tribute, former Mayor of Memphis AC Wharton listed off a lot of the famous children born after Lisa Marie, and spoke of Lisa as being the one that came before them all ... calling her a bright light and, "the image of a king."

Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins then performed his band's 1998 song "To Sheila."

Sarah Ferguson spoke of her friendship with Lisa, and reminisced on how they called each other "Sissy."

Alanis Morissette performed her 2021 song "Rest" in honor of Lisa.

Talent manager Jerry Schilling spoke of an 18-year-old Lisa telling him, "I need to have a meeting with you. I need a job, I know people don’t think I’m responsible, but I really am."

He says they then went to an exclusive place to have a meeting, "The Hamburger Hamlet." He and the audience chuckled.

He continued, "She became my secretary, and every time I would say that she would correct me and say “I’m your ASSISTANT,” which made the crowd laugh again.

Priscilla then read a beautiful personal poem titled, "The Old Soul," saying "... a broken heart was the doing of her death, now she is home where she always belonged, but my heart is missing her love.”

Riley Keough was listed to speak, but instead, a note she wrote, titled "A Letter to My Mama," was read on stage by her husband, Ben Smith-Petersen.

Lisa Marie Presley's final resting place will be an above-ground tomb -- similar to what her late son was buried in ... which can now be in seen in full view ahead of her memorial.

Photos surfaced Saturday from Graceland, where LMP's stone sarcophagus was revealed lying right next to Benjamin Keough's. It appears to be in the same design and made with the same material. However, her actual tombstone name plate doesn't seem quite complete.

As you can see, there's a tarp over her side of the burial ground ... obscuring where one might see on the left, Ben's remembrance. In any case, the final preparations are underway.

Check out the rest of the property -- a stage has been built, which we'd reported was in the works. Indeed, it sounds like there'll be some performances from there ... and certainly some public remarks too, we imagine. Construction crews have been at it since Tuesday.

Flower arrangements have been steadily assembled over the past several days as well, and now ... there are full-blown makeshift memorials outside the gates of Graceland, including one beautiful one that reads LMP -- made in red lettering with a white heart behind it.

In other words, the memorial/celebration of life tomorrow is just about ready. We've been told her family is expected to gather for a private funeral at some point this weekend ... it's unclear if that's happening Saturday or on Sunday before the doors open for the public.

There's word of lots of celebs that are expected to be in attendance, including Austin Butler ... who won a Golden Globe for his role as Elvis just a few days before Lisa Marie passed.

An official cause of death is pending ... Lisa was only 54.

The path is now clear for Lisa Marie Presley's ex-husband, Michael Lockwood, to get full custody of their twins following the death of Lisa Marie, despite the former couple's contentious divorce ... sources connected to the family tell TMZ.

Sources tell TMZ ... 14-year-olds Finley and Harper have made it clear ... they want to live full-time with Michael following their mother's death. We're told the twins have been living with Michael since Lisa Marie died, and they are comfortable with the new arrangement.

There had been talk among the family over the last week ... Danny Keough, Lisa Marie's ex who is Riley's dad, might make a play for custody. Fact is ... since their son Benjamin took his life more than 2 years ago, Danny moved back into Lisa Marie's house to support her and has been there full-time with the twins.

Under California law, however, Danny wouldn't be in a position to obtain custody. Michael already had joint custody with Lisa Marie, and the only way he could be denied full custody is if there were a finding of unfitness on his part. Since the judge already found him fit enough for joint custody, that chapter is essentially closed.

We're told the family is good with Michael having custody, and the intention is that Riley will continue to have a relationship with her half-sisters. We're also told Priscilla Presley has been spending time with the twins since Lisa Marie's death, so it appears she will also have a presence in their lives.

Our sources also confirm Michael will be going to Graceland for Lisa Marie's small, private service -- for close friends and family -- before the public funeral on Sunday.

A source connected to Michael told us days after Lisa Marie's death, "It'll be a cold day in hell before he gives up custody of those children" ... but it seems like there won't be a battle.

The wrestling community is stepping up to help Ring of Honor star Jay Briscoe's loved ones after his tragic death ... with some of the biggest names in the sport making donations to the Pugh family.

A GiveSendGo page was set up following Tuesday's fatal car accident ... and more than $194,000 has been raised so far to assist the Pugh family with unforeseen expenses.

All-Elite Wrestling superstar Chris Jericho -- who also made a charitable contribution for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin after his medical emergency last month -- posted $15,000 for the cause, according to the page.

The Young Bucks -- Nick and Matt Jackson -- contributed $10,000 each.

Adam Cole, Jim Cornette and more also added significant amounts to the fund ... as well as numerous anonymous donations.

As we previously reported, police in Delaware say the driver of a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 entered Briscoe's lane and slammed head-on into his 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500.

Briscoe -- real name Jamin Pugh -- and the other driver were pronounced dead at the scene ... and his two young daughters who were in the car with him were taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition.

Lisa Marie Presley's family and closest friends will get their chance to give her a personal goodbye before the public descends on Graceland to pay respects this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Lisa Marie's 3 daughters, her mother Priscilla Presley, exes Danny Keough and Michael Lockwood will all be a part of a small group gathering at Graceland before Sunday to mourn her loss.

We're told the ceremony will be extremely private, and those attending will be asked to sign an NDA to prevent details about the service leaking.

Our sources say in addition to the private memorial, the family will also attend Sunday's public service at Graceland. We're told the family is assuming Austin Butler -- who played Elvis in the new Oscar-buzz-worthy film -- will attend Sunday, but he has not yet confirmed.

As for Lisa Marie's twin 14-year-old daughters, Harper and Finley Lockwood, our sources say they've been staying with their dad, Michael, at his home since Lisa Marie died.

TMZ broke the story -- crews at Graceland got to work earlier this week preparing Lisa Marie's plot ... across from her dad, and next to her son, Benjamin, who died by suicide in 2020.

The L.A. County Coroner has not yet determined Lisa Marie's official cause of death ... and toxicology test results will take several months.

David Crosby, the singer, songwriter and guitarist and member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, has died.

His wife, Jan Dance, told Variety Thursday, "It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away. He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us."

She continues, "His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music. Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to deal with our profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers.”

Born in Los Angeles, David founded the band The Byrds in 1964, finding their first number one hit ... only a year later thanks to a cover of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man."

It was in 1968 when Crosby formed Crosby, Stills & Nash with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. The group won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1969.

Over the years, members of the group were able to collab with other artists freely -- and did so with the likes of Neil Young at Woodstock.

Crosby was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as both a member of The Byrds and for his efforts with Crosby, Stills & Nash.

David Crosby was 81.

Leslie Jordan was not killed as the result of a car accident, instead, he suffered a "sudden cardiac dysfunction" which resulted in his death and caused him to crash.

The L.A. County Coroner's Office just released its findings from the October 24 incident. TMZ broke the story -- first responders raced to the scene after Jordan had crashed his BMW into the side of a building in Hollywood.

At the time, investigators told us they believed Jordan suffered some sort of medical emergency before the crash ... and now that has been confirmed.

The coroner's report states Leslie was taking heart medication at the time of his death -- and his heart was in really bad shape -- with one of his arteries 80% blocked, and another 50% blocked.

We were first to report Leslie had complained of shortness of breath in the weeks leading up to his death, and had an appointment with a heart doctor scheduled in the near future.

Leslie's death left Hollywood stunned, including his costars on "Call Me Kat" -- the show he was driving to when he died.