Celebrity Death

Tom Sizemore's work on his last feature film before he died was much like a heavyweight champ giving it his all despite being past his prime ... so says his director on the project.

The late actor plays a police detective in Bruce Bellocchi's upcoming flick, "The Legend of Jack and Diane," in what turned out to be Tom's final movie role ... and TMZ got this behind-the-scenes footage of Tom on set.

As you can see in the clip, Tom's super engaged with the director and his costars as he prepares to shoot a scene as Detective Parker.

Tom was 60 when he filmed the movie, and Bruce says he looked much older than that, was often hunched over and looked very tired all the time. However, he adds ... "That being said, he was professional and I thought always gave his best."

The movie's about a young couple, Jack and Diane, in Indiana who are planning to move to L.A. when they suddenly discover secrets about the death of Diane's mother ... and once their worst fears are confirmed, they create a hit list to get revenge on everyone involved.

Tom's scenes were shot on location in and around L.A. and production wrapped in March 2022 ... about a year before Tom's death.

TMZ broke the stories ... Tom suffered a brain aneurysm at his home in February and was rushed to a hospital, where he was placed on life support. He never regained consciousness and his family ultimately made the difficult decision to remove him from life support.

He died on March 3.

The director says Tom called him a few months after production wrapped and apologized, saying he wasn't sure he gave his best work. But, Bruce says he assured Tom his performance was great.

Bruce summed up the experience with a vivid sports metaphor ... "It was like getting into the ring with the heavyweight champ and although you knew he was past his prime, it was still a surreal experience just to be able to share time together."

The director says he and Tom had a lot in common, telling us they "shared many nights in deep conversation about battling past demons and having the will to keep moving forward."

Bruce is upset the Academy omitted Tom from its 'In Memoriam' segment during the Oscars and believes they snubbed an actor who turned in some of the finest performances in modern cinema.

Chance the Rapper joined scores of artists mourning Bobby Caldwell Wednesday ... and his tribute included proof of the late singer's admiration for his music being sampled.

Last September, Caldwell apparently reached out to thank Chance for sampling one of his tracks, and the Chicago-born rapper thanked the blue-eyed soul singer for giving him career inspiration.

DJ Jazzy Jeff, whose music also benefitted from Caldwell interpolations, had a similar reaction of shock upon learning about his death.

Caldwell passed away Tuesday night at age 71 after long battles with neuropathy and a ruptured Achilles tendon -- and Chance says the news has left him broken, despite never actually meeting Caldwell in person.

Singer Bobby Caldwell, known for his smooth blue-eyed soul voice, is dead after battling illness for several years ... TMZ has confirmed.

Bobby, whose biggest hit is the classic "What You Won't Do for Love," died in his sleep Tuesday night at home in New Jersey, according to his rep.

The singer/songwriter hadn't been able to walk for about 5 years as he coped with painful bouts of neuropathy and a torn tendon in his ankle. Last year his team revealed Bobby had a bad reaction to a prescribed antibiotic in 2017 -- they say it caused his Achilles tendon to rupture, which led to the neuropathy.

Caldwell dropped his signature hit in 1978 ... when it reached the top 10 on Billboard, and made his self-titled debut album go double platinum.

If you're of a certain age, you know every line of 'Do for Love,' and the song is so enduring you hear someone sing it practically every season on "American Idol" and "The Voice."

It's also been covered by countless artists -- including Boyz II Men, Snoh Aalegra and Michael Bolton -- and Tupac Shakur heavily sampled it for his song, "Do For Love."

Bobby also wrote songs for the likes of Neil Diamond, Al Jarreau, Roberta Flack and Boz Scaggs. He even penned the 1986 #1 hit, "The Next Time I Fall" for Amy Grant and Peter Cetera.

Bobby was 71.

Jeff Thomas, a model with a big social media following, has died after cops received a call that he had taken his own life ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Thomas's body was discovered last Wednesday at a Miami apartment complex. We're told it appears he jumped from a balcony, but cops are still investigating.

For now ... we're told it's being viewed as an apparent suicide. Our sources say the autopsy has been completed, but officials haven't yet officially ruled on the cause of death.

Thomas was based in the 305, and boasted upwards of 120K+ followers on IG. He also founded a contemporary art consulting agency. He was repped by London's AMCK Models. The guy also rubbed shoulders with celebs, like Megan Fox and Nicole Scherzinger.

He did commercial shoots, art magazine shoots and runways ... and seemed to specialize in underwear fashion.

Jeff was 35. RIP

Stanley Wilson Jr.'s family claims the ex-NFL player didn't simply collapse and die while in police custody last month ... they believe he was actually beaten by law enforcement officials before he passed away.

The attorney representing Wilson Jr.'s family, John Carpenter, said at a news conference on Tuesday photos of Wilson Jr.'s body show the Detroit Lions cornerback was a victim of excessive force before he died suddenly at a Los Angeles County mental hospital on Feb. 1.

Carpenter said pictures of abrasions on Wilson Jr.'s head appear to show he was kicked or stomped. Images of markings on his wrist, meanwhile, seem to reveal he was cuffed at the time of the attack, Carpenter said.

Wilson Jr.'s mom, Dr. D. Pulane Lucas, said county officials had told her the former football player had collapsed and fallen out of a chair while going through the intake process at Metropolitan State Hospital before he died. But, Carpenter said the photos show a "stark contrast to what we've been hearing."

Carpenter filed three claims against L.A. County on Tuesday morning over it all -- one on behalf of Wilson Jr.'s mother, one on behalf of his father, and one on behalf of his estate -- asking for damages in excess of $45 million.

"The County has grossly misrepresented the cause and circumstances of Stanley Wilson Jr.'s death," the attorney said in the court filings.

Carpenter added during the news conference that he has yet to receive Wilson Jr.'s autopsy results.

As we reported, Wilson Jr. had been in custody following his vandalism arrest back in August ... but after he was declared incompetent to stand trial -- he was transferred from county jail to the Metropolitan State Hospital, where officials say he died.

Law enforcement sources told us at the time foul play was not suspected.

Robert Blake getting left out of the Oscars "In Memoriam" tribute was a big mistake on The Academy's part -- at least, according to the late actor's son, who's also pissed his dad's death was a punchline.

Noah Blake tells TMZ ... people are allowed to have their own opinion about his father -- which obviously many have -- but he says when it comes to an annually anticipated segment like the Oscars Memoriam, opinions shouldn't be a factor.

He also points out his dad wasn't the only one left out ... as you know, stars like Tom Sizemore, Anne Heche, and Paul Sorvino were excluded from the broadcast. It's something that seems to happen every year, and Noah thinks it once again wasn't handled well.

Noah also gave us his thoughts on Jimmy Kimmel's joke about whether or not to include Robert in the segment -- obviously, he found it to be in poor taste. He also says it landed flat, because he was confused if the "interactive portion" was legit or just a gag.

For what it's worth, the audience laughed ... clearly getting it was a gag.

He adds he doesn't usually believe in jokes being "too soon," but points out the fine line Jimmy was walking on when he poked fun at the actor.

Noah tells us he's going to go live on Instagram at 5:30 PM PST Tuesday to talk about his dad and his life.

South African rapper Costa Titch is dead after collapsing twice onstage, in quick succession, during a weekend performance.

Check out this footage showing Costa, in a white shirt, running on the stage Saturday night with mic in hand at the Ultra South Africa concert near Johannesburg -- he went right into one of his songs and seemed totally fine.

Then the video cuts to Costa belting out another tune later in the concert -- he seems to reach for one of his backup singers before tumbling to the ground. He got back up and finished the song, but soon fell down again.

His team and emergency responders attempted to resuscitate him, but they were unable to save him. His cause of death was not disclosed.

Costa's family released a statement thanking first responders ... while a rep for the Ultra South Africa venue says they're “devastated” by Costa's death and will remember him as a "talented rapper, dancer, singer, songwriter, collaborator and friend to the festival."

Costa was best known for his hit "Big Flexa," which has 45 million views on YouTube and featured Akon on the remix.

Akon, who signed Costa to his Konvict Muzik imprint, paid an emotional to his artist on IG ... praising him for being "hardworking" and noting he died doing what he loved the most.

"Costa Titch had a vision that I knew for sure would take over the music industry globally and was on his way to doing just that when god’s plan intervened, Akon wrote. "It’s been a sad day but what makes me feel better is that I know he died doing what he loved doing the most in this world. God bless you COSTA!!!!!"

Costa was 28.

Lisa Marie Presley's ex-husband Michael Lockwood has filed legal docs to allow him to represent the interests of their twins in an upcoming critical hearing that involves millions of dollars.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Lockwood is asking a judge to appoint him guardian ad litem -- giving him authority to speak for his 14-year-old girls in a hearing over Lisa Marie's trust.

TMZ broke the story ... that trust became flush with cash when Elvis's only child died January 12. As we reported, Lisa Marie had 2 life insurance policies -- one for $25 million and another for $10 million.

Sources connected to the family tell TMZ ... there's a lot of behind-the-scenes drama over who will administer and control the trust. As we reported, Priscilla Presley was a trustee but Lisa Marie booted her from that position several years before her death, and made her oldest daughter Riley the trustee in Priscilla's place.

Our sources tell us Priscilla is going to challenge the validity of the trust, claiming the change in trustees was not properly made. Riley, we're told, does not want Priscilla to take the reins, and this set up a family battle.

As we reported, the beneficiaries of the trust are Riley and the twins, Harper and Finley.

Robert Blake, the actor whose life was just as talked about off the screen as it was on, has died.

According to a statement released to the Associated Press on behalf of Blake's niece, Noreen Austin, Blake died Thursday from heart disease at home surrounded by loved ones.

Blake was infamously charged with the murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, after she was found dead outside Vitello's restaurant in Los Angeles in 2001. Bakley had been shot in the head while sitting in Blake's vehicle.

Blake told investigators he had gone back inside the restaurant to retrieve a pistol when Bakley was shot and killed. It was later determined his pistol was not the murder weapon.

Blake's trial lasted about three months, but he was eventually found not guilty of murder and not guilty of one of the two counts of solicitation of murder ... the second solicitation of murder charge was also eventually dropped.

Blake's career in Hollywood spanned more than 50 years, starring in movies like "In Cold Blood," "Lost Highway" and "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." He also played Tony Baretta in "Baretta" ... a role that won him an Emmy in 1975.

"Queer Eye" alum Tom Jackson, who appeared on the show's first season, has died of cancer ... and now fans are down a former hero.

According to his obituary, Tom died on March 3 at 11:49 PM ... after succumbing to stage 4 adenocarcinoma -- a glandular cancer, which doctors said had metastasized.

The show's official website shared the sad news Wednesday on Instagram, posting ... "It's with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to a member of our Queer Eye family. Rest in peace, Tom Jackson"

Fans will best remember Tom from season 1 of the Netflix reboot. He became a fan favorite after appearing in the premiere episode in 2018 alongside the Fab Five. He once dropped the iconic line, "You can't fix ugly."

Before his reality TV stardom he reportedly worked as a dump-truck driver in Georgia ... after he'd retired from FedEx.

Tom is survived by his 2 grandsons, 2 sisters and his daughter, who also appeared on the series.

His family said in a statement, "We will never forget our beloved Tom. He brought joy, humor, persistence, and love to our family. He is special to us, and we look forward to seeing him again one day."

They're also suggesting fans watch his episode of "Queer Eye" in his honor.

Tom was 63.

Gary Rossington, the last original member of legendary rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died.

The guitarist, behind such memorable songs as "Freebird" and "Sweet Home Alabama," passed away Sunday, according to a statement released by the band.

Although his cause of death was not disclosed, Rossington suffered from a series of heart-related issues over the years, including a heart attack in 2015. He also received an emergency heart procedure in 2019.

Members of Skynyrd paid homage to Rossington in their statement, "It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today."

They continued, "Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does."

As you may recall, Rossington was aboard a plane that crashed after it ran out of fuel over Mississippi in October 1977, killing three of his bandmates: lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines.

Three other passengers also died, including the group's assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick.

Rossington miraculously survived, but his arms, legs, ankles, and pelvis were shattered.

It took 10 years ... but the band got back together in 1987 and Rossington rejoined it with a new line-up. Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Rossington was 71.

Tom Sizemore -- famous for roles in "Saving Private Ryan," "Black Hawk Down" and several cult classic movies -- has died.

The actor passed away Friday in an L.A.-area hospital after his family made the difficult decision to remove him from life support. The actor had been receiving treatment after suffering a brain aneurysm at his home on February 18, which caused him to collapse and lose consciousness.

Tom's rep, Charles Lago, tells TMZ, "It is with great sadness and sorrow I have to announce that actor Thomas Edward Sizemore (“Tom Sizemore”) aged 61 passed away peacefully in his sleep today at St Joseph’s Hospital Burbank. His Brother Paul and twin boys Jayden and Jagger (17) were at his side."

TMZ broke the story ... Tom was rushed to the ER around 2 AM, and was listed in critical condition while doctors worked on him in the ICU. He never regained consciousness.

Tom's manager, Charles Lago, told us his condition still wasn't good a week after the incident ... remaining in a coma in the ICU with no signs of improvement. We were told the medical staff at his location recommended an end-of-life plan, laying out options for the family.

Lago also said Tom's aneurysm was the result of a stroke he suffered, causing him to collapse.

Sizemore's legacy is certainly mired in controversy -- especially in his later years -- but for a time, he was a sure thing in Hollywood, especially as he started to blow up following a string of career-changing roles throughout the '90s, like the one he landed in Spielberg's World War II epic.

In 'SPR,' TS played Sergeant Horvath opposite Tom Hanks and other big actors as they sought out Matt Damon's character to relieve him of duty. Sizemore's performance was a standout one, and it actually earned him a couple award nominations.

Even before 'Ryan' ... Sizemore had already racked up several notable roles in flicks like "Where Sleeping Dogs Lie," "Passenger 57," "True Romance," "Natural Born Killers," "Devil in a Blue Dress," "Heat," "Enemy of the State" and lots of others. By this point, he'd carved out a nice little archetype for himself, often playing a tough guy and/or a hardened criminal.

The 2000s and the decades thereafter weren't nearly as memorable for Sizemore, but he continued to act in a lot of films -- the most noteworthy of which include ... "Pearl Harbor," 'Black Hawk,' "Dreamcatcher," "Red Planet" and "Paparazzi."

The late 2000s and 2010s saw Tom padding his resume with a lot of B-movie-level flicks/shows. All in all, he had 230 acting credits to his name -- but the appeal he held some 30 years ago had largely faded. Of course, Sizemore also battled addiction throughout his career.

He had been arrested on a handful of occasions ... a couple of times for domestic violence, and frequently for substance abuse-related offenses. Sizemore had been in and out of rehab for his addictions.

He's survived by 2 sons. Sizemore was 61.

Ex-NBA star Matt Barnes says LeBron James has done enough in a Laker uniform to be forever enshrined outside Crypto.com Arena ... but tells TMZ Sports they gotta focus on getting Kobe Bryant's statue up before they even think about it.

We spoke with Barnes weeks after James became the NBA's all-time scoring leader ... and we asked if the record, plus his one NBA title in L.A., is enough to get a monument at 1111 S. Figueroa Street.

The former Lakers forward says he's with it ... but not before Kobe, who has yet to get the treatment since his retirement in 2016.

"S***, they gotta worry about getting that Kobe statue up first," Barnes said at LAX on Wednesday.

The Lakers retired both Bryant's #8 and #24 in 2017 ... but as of right now, no details have been announced regarding his statue outside "The House That Kobe Built" -- aside from the fact it will happen eventually.

Of course, Bryant has been honored in many ways since his death in January 2020, including murals and themed basketball courts across the world. Sculptor Dan Medina, also placed a temporary statue of Kobe and his daughter, Gigi, at the crash site on the anniversary of their death.

The NBA also renamed their All-Star Game MVP trophy in his honor.

As for James, Barnes believes a King James statue in L.A. will still happen -- 'cause let's face it, he's "an all-time great."

"I'm sure they'll find a way to honor him with a statue," Barnes said.

If it happens, LeBron and Kobe will join fellow Lakers greats like Jerry West, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and broadcaster Chick Hearn.

Aaron Carter's mom is not buying the notion he died of an overdose -- she's incensed the police aren't investigating his death as a homicide, and believes photos from the death scene contain some leads.

Jane Carter joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and shared her thoughts and suspicions about what really went down the day her son died back in January. As we reported, she just made the decision to release pics of his bathroom ... where he was found dead in the tub.

Jane tells us, while she knows Aaron was a drug addict, she doesn't believe he wanted to die ... nor does she think he would huff enough aerosols to kill him.

Instead, she's absolutely convinced someone was out to get him, and points out there were plenty of people -- including alleged drug dealers -- harassing Aaron online. Jane also claims cops did not do a thorough welfare check when they went to Aaron's home the night before his body was found.

Aaron's mom desperately wants investigators to take a much closer look at all possibilities of foul play, because, to her eyes, some things just don't add up ... especially when she sees how much water was left in the tub -- as seen in the photos -- after his body was removed.

Aaron Carter's mother believes he was the victim of a crime, not an overdose -- so, she's made the tough decision to let the world see where he died ... in order to make her point.

Jane Carter posted a series of pics Wednesday taken in Aaron's bathroom on the day he died. The shots include the bathtub where Aaron's body was found, you can see the water has a greenish tint -- that's because Aaron's body was there for several hours before his housekeeper discovered it.

There are also photos of towels on the floor and what appears to be contaminated water spilled on the bathroom tile.

Jane says she had the full support of Aaron's family and friends to post the images because she says she wants to bring attention back to his case. Jane says the photos weren't taken by law enforcement, and it's wrong cops allowed anyone in the house after Aaron's body was discovered before first doing a full investigation into what happened.

Jane says, "Because of my son's mental illness and prescription drug issues they (cops) just wanted it to be something easy that they didn't have the time or inclination to address."

Jane believes someone was out to harm Aaron, saying, "There are people who must be held accountable."

She also finds it suspicious Aaron was allegedly pulled out of the tub while someone performed CPR on the singer, yet the towels appear to be "perfectly placed."

TMZ broke the story ... the L.A. County Coroner's Office told Aaron's family his autopsy did not find any water in his lungs -- meaning he didn't drown -- and leading investigators to believe he died from an OD.

Vanessa Bryant just received a heck of a lot more money from L.A. County after her initial $15 million win last year ... another $13 mil or so, in fact, which now accounts for her kids.

Kobe Bryant's widow has settled with L.A. County, amounting to a total of $28.8 million -- this according to her lawyer, who says this resolves both Vanessa's original complaint and subsequent award ... as well as any potential future claims from her surviving daughters.

Unclear when, but it seems Vanessa amended her initial lawsuit to add 20-year-old Natalia, 6-year-old Bianka and 3-year-old Capri. The settlement resolves all claims.

Vanessa's lawyer, Luis Li, says, "Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct." He adds, "She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect. We hope her victory at trial and this settlement will put an end to this practice."

You'll recall ... Vanessa actually went to trial over this, taking the stand with emotional testimony about how the thought of those photos of Kobe and Gigi's remains possibly being leaked out publicly tortured her -- something a jury agreed with in the end.

They awarded her $16M ... but a mil got knocked down afterward due to a clerical error. Vanessa and her team had previously said she'd be donating the money from this to her Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation -- and in light of this, there's more to go around.