Celebrity Death

Dave Chappelle says Paul Mooney's legacy as one of the best comedians to ever do it will live forever ... and he's going to make sure it happens

We got Dave at the Soho Grand Hotel in New York City Wednesday and asked him about Paul's passing. The two were very tight, working closely together on "Chappelle's Show."

Dave says Paul's death is a tough one, and he's remembering him as one of the G.O.A.T.s of comedy ... rattling off Mooney's list of accomplishments with Richard Pryor and others.

As we reported ... Paul suffered a heart attack and died Wednesday morning at his home in Oakland after paramedics tried unsuccessfully to revive him.

Paul Mooney -- the longtime comedian, writer and actor known best for his work with Richard Pryor -- has died from a heart attack ... TMZ has learned.

According to his family ... Mooney died Wednesday morning at his home in Oakland. We're told the paramedics tried unsuccessfully to revive him after he suffered a heart attack.

Paul, who's been out of the public eye for a few years, had also reportedly been suffering from dementia for some time and was staying with a family member.

Though born in Louisiana, Mooney moved to Oakland and grew up there, and got his start in entertainment as a circus ringmaster ... which led to a passion for telling and writing jokes.

This led to his first professional gig in show business as a writer for Pryor, and the 2 would maintain a working relationship for years to come ... with Paul contributing to Richard's legendary stand-up performances such as 'Live on the Sunset Strip.'

Mooney was also the head writer on "The Richard Pryor Show" and wrote a few episodes of "Pryor's Place." His other notable writing credits include "Sanford and Son," "In Living Color" and "Chappelle's Show."

As an actor, Paul's best known for playing Sam Cooke in the 1978 film, "The Buddy Holly Story," and for his role as Junebug in Spike Lee's "Bamboozled" ... along with regular appearances on "Chappelle's Show."

Paul was 79.

Charles Grodin -- best known as the dad in "Beethoven" and Broadway shows like "Same Time, Next Year" -- has died following a battle with bone marrow cancer ... TMZ has confirmed.

The actor's son, Nicholas, tells TMZ ... Charles died peacefully Tuesday at his home in Wilton, Conn. where he was surrounded by family, including his wife, Elissa. It's unclear when Charles was diagnosed with cancer but we're told Charles' health had recently deteriorated.

At this point ... we're told the family has no plans for a funeral. The family asks that donations be made to the charity of your choice in Charles' memory.

Charles' career in showbiz spanned decades. He earned his first big break in 1962 after landing a part in the Broadway comedy "Tchin-Tchin." Just a couple of years later he appeared in the Broadway show "Absence of a Cello."

Charles, who also directed 2 Broadway shows, had his first breakout performance on Broadway in 1975 with "Same Time, Next Year" ... starring opposite Ellen Burstyn.

His other signature role came in 1988 when he played an accountant in "Midnight Run." He had been on the run after embezzling a ton of dough from the mob. The bounty hunter tasked with going after him was one, Robert De Niro.

Mainstream audiences learned to love his affable characters ... such as in the 1972 rom-com "The Heartbreak Kid" ... yup, the original film Ben Stiller remade in 2007.

Charles, who dropped out of the University of Miami to pursue acting, ingratiated himself with millennials with the 1992 comedy, "Beethoven" ... which had an $18 million budget but made nearly $150 million at the box office. Despite so many stage, big and small screen roles ... Charles never won any prestigious acting awards.

His only Emmy win was for writing a 1977 Paul Simon TV special. He shared the award with 7 others, including Simon.

Charles was 86.

New Jack a.k.a. Jerome Young -- former ECW pro wrestling star -- died at the age of 58 on Friday after suffering a heart attack, his family announced.

Young was multiple-time tag team champion during his days with Extreme Championship Wrestling in the mid-'90s... and was often celebrated for his reckless abandon inside the ring (and well, from the balcony).

As a result of his wild style -- getting hit with chairs, busting through tables, using weapons in the ring -- NJ dealt with a litany of injuries throughout his career.

While wrestling in ECW, "Natural Born Killaz" by Ice Cube and Dr. Dre famously played during his matches.

New Jack split from ECW when the promotion closed up shop in 2001 ... but the controversial wrestling star continued to occasionally wrestle over the years.

The pro wrestling world is weighing in on the loss ... with X-Pac sharing a photo with New Jack, and writing, "I couldn't help but love New Jack. #RIPNewJack"

New Jack is survived by his wife Jennifer ... with whom he lived in North Carolina.

A special moment for Kobe Bryant's family ... when Vanessa and their children visited the NBA legend's exhibit at the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday ... and it's a pretty emotional sight.

Bryant -- who is being inducted into the Hoops Hall on Saturday -- got his very own stand-alone tribute called "Kobe: A Basketball Life" in Springfield ... the first since Michael Jordan's exhibit in 2009.

The 600-ft. display -- co-designed by Vanessa -- features incredible memorabilia from Bryant's career ... including a piece of the Lower Merion H.S. basketball court, the shoes from his 81-point game, game-worn jerseys, and a video screen showing his Oscar-winning short film, "Dear Basketball."

The Bryant family got a personal tour of the exhibit minutes ago ... and Vanessa captured pics of 1-year-old Capri and 4-year-old Bianka smiling from ear to ear as they get to see their dad's accomplishments up close.

Vanessa also posted a snap alongside Kobe ... saying, "Love you always."

Of course, this year's induction is going to be incredibly tough following Bryant's death in January 2020 ... as fellow inductee Kevin Garnett told reporters earlier today, "I don't think I'm the only one in here that thinks that Kobe Bryant is fairly missed."

"Miss him everyday and what he brought not just to the game of basketball but to sports period."

The ceremony is set to kick off on Saturday at 2:30 PM PT ... with Kobe, Garnett and Tim Duncan receiving the honors.

Michael Jordan is slated to do the presentation honors for Kobe ... with Vanessa giving a speech.

Before Kobe Bryant's 33,643 points, 18 All-Star games and 5 NBA titles, he was a star high school hooper at Lower Merrion HS in Philly ... and now the jersey Mamba rocked just hit the block.

... and the auction house selling the threads believes it could sell for over $200K!!

Kobe was an absolute stud in high school in the mid-'90s ... playing varsity as a freshman, and winning just about every award for a high schooler as a senior -- including the Naismith and Gatorade player of the year awards, as well as earning a spot on the coveted McDonald's All-American team.

It's unclear which games Bryant actually wore the white and maroon, size 44 jersey.

Of course, Bryant -- who had offers from Duke and a bunch of other top schools -- followed Kevin Garnett's lead and made the jump from HS to the NBA.

Kobe was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft ... before being traded to the Lakers.

So, who's selling this piece of basketball treasure?? Leland Auctions -- the auction house behind the sale -- says the consignor is actually a former NBA player who got the jersey from Kobe's former sports agent.

We're told the player wishes to remain anonymous.

The jersey is currently on the auction block ... and the minimum bid is $50K.

The auction ends at the beginning of June.

Tawny Kitaen, the late actress who starred in "Bachelor Party," died of a broken heart ... so says her brother, who thinks losing their father was too much for Tawny to handle.

Jordan Kitaen tells TMZ ... police have spoken to the family, telling them there was nothing found at the scene suggesting drugs, pills or alcohol were a factor in her death ... and no signs she took her own life, either.

However, Jordan says Tawny was devastated by the recent death of her father, who passed away April 12 after a long battle with skin cancer. He believes the death was too much for Tawny's system to handle, especially because their dad's funeral was just days away when she died.

We're told Tawny, the oldest child, was extremely tight with their father, and Jordan describes their relationship as an "uncanny connection."

Jordan tells us he last spoke with Tawny Thursday, the night before she died, and she was in a good mood and excited about Mother's Day plans with her kids.

TMZ broke the story ... 59-year-old Tawny died Friday in Newport Beach, CA. The coroner has yet to determine the cause of death.

Tawny's substance abuse issues and arrest for drug possession and DUI were well-chronicled in the media, but her brother thinks she was in a good place before her sudden death.

Michael Jordan is still so torn up over losing Kobe Bryant ... he says he can't bring himself to erase the final text messages he received from the Lakers legend just days before his death.

The NBA's G.O.A.T. revealed this week his last talks with Bryant went down on Dec. 8, 2019 ... just 49 days before Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, were killed in a helicopter crash.

Jordan told ESPN's Jackie MacMullen the convo was simple ... Kobe complimented his new tequila, asked about his family, and commented on coaching Gianna's girl's basketball team.

"This tequila is awesome," Jordan said Kobe texted after he had sent over a bottle.

"Thank you, my brother," Jordan says he responded.

"Yes, sir. Family good?" Kobe replied.

"All good. Yours?"

"All good."

Jordan continued ... "Happy holidays, and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!"

"Ah, back at you, man," MJ says Kobe wrote back. "Hey, coach, I'm sitting on the bench right now, and we're blowing this team out. 45-8."

Jordan says the messages -- particularly the one about dominating with Gianna's team -- mean a lot to him -- explaining, "I just love that text because it shows Kobe's competitive nature."

Jordan added, "I don't know why, but I just can't delete it."

As we previously reported, Jordan was picked by Vanessa Bryant to present Kobe at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ceremonies this Saturday in Massachusetts.

Jordan says the honor is huge -- and he promised he'd be emotional remembering his good friend during the evening.

"It's like standing up for a family member," Jordan said. "He paid me the highest respect by trying to emulate certain things I did."

DMX fans going to his tribute show in Texas later this month are in for an even more special treat than expected because his family will be there ... and one of his daughters is going to take the mic.

We broke the story ... the late rapper was scheduled to perform at the Wildcatter Saloon in Katy, TX in late May, but after his death, the bar decided to throw a tribute concert.

Justin, owner of the Wildcatter, tells us he's been working hard to add acts to the event  -- and now, DMX's fiancee, Desiree, and their son, Exodus, will make an appearance.

We're told Desiree plans to take the stage at some point and deliver a short speech as part of the tribute.

Justin says X's 8-year-old daughter, Sonovah Hillman Jr., and her mother will be attending ... with Sonovah set to perform in honor of her daddy.

Sonovah wowed the crowd at DMX's memorial service in Brooklyn last month, and we're told she plans to do something similar -- a rendition of "Slippin'" -- at the Texas show.

Justin says Sonovah will likely be the second to the last act, with OG Ruff Ryder Drag-On closing the show.

The bar owner tells us it was really important to get family and close friends of X's participating in the tribute concert.

Colt Brennan -- a former NFL quarterback who was a superstar in college -- has died. He was only 37 years old.

TMZ Sports has confirmed Brennan was in Southern California at the time of his death -- though the cause has not been revealed. We're working on it. Hawaii News Now broke the story.

Brennan was a star QB in high school, backing up Matt Leinart at Mater Dei.

But, he really broke out at the University of Hawaii where he developed into one of the best college QBs in the country.

In fact, Brennan finished 3rd in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2007 -- when he completed 359 passes for more than 4,300 yards and 38 TDs.

Dude balled out that year.

Brennan was selected in the 6th round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Washington Football Team but never really caught on.

He had a quick stint with the Raiders before bouncing to the Canadian Football League ... followed by a short stint with the L.A. Kiss of the Arena Football League.

Just last month, Brennan wrote a detailed IG post reflecting on his life ... addressing a sexual misconduct allegation during his time at the University of Colorado (before he went to Hawaii).

Brennan was accused of exposing himself to a female student during a drunken bender.

Brennan denied the allegation -- though he was eventually convicted of felony burglary and trespassing and spent a week in jail.

Brennan was ordered to take a lie detector test about the sexual misconduct which he "passed."

He was also involved in a bad car accident (2010) and later arrested for DUI (2012 and 2019) -- all of which he addressed in his April 12 post.

"I’ve been through a lot in my life. I was a convicted felon for a crime I never committed, (passed polygraph and all). I captured every dream I had as a child."

"I was drafted into the league only to have 2 knee and 2 hip surgeries. I reached my 3rd year in the NFL, only to awake from a coma with traumatic brain injury as a passenger in a car accident."

Brennan continued, "I battled drug and alcohol abuse, and eventually developed blood clots years after the car accident."

"I spent 9 months in the hospital and for the last 2 1/2 years have been trying to learn how to walk again with a broken heart."

"I found redemption once, I will find it again. They say: 'Some people are just born to fight, and it’s not their born brave or born strong. It’s just that the Universe decided that this one, this one will have the grit and fire, and the steel in their blood. They will be tested this cosmic mettle of theirs. They will face trial after trial, be broken and damaged in countless ways, but this one was born to fight.'"

Tawny Kitaen, the actress who starred in "Bachelor Party" and whose personal life was filled with radical ups and downs, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Kitaen died in Newport Beach Friday. The coroner has yet to determine cause of death.

Kitaen, whose credits include 'The Perils of Gwendoline' and "After Midnight," was a precocious child who got the showbiz bug at 14, when she saw Peter Frampton at Balboa Stadium in San Diego. She got a backstage pass and saw the All-Access VIP treatment Peter's GF, Penny, received, and that was it. She was hooked.

Tawny started out on a game show back in 1976 -- "To Tell the Truth." She migrated into movies and achieved some success with her roles, especially "Bachelor Party."

And, Tawny famously was featured in some music videos, notably Whitesnake's "Is This Love," and "Here I Go Again."

Kitaen dated Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby while she was still in high school and even followed his band to L.A. in the late '70s. She was featured on the album cover of the band's album "Out of the Cellar" and their debut EP "Ratt."

Tawny's personal life was rocky. She married Whitesnake's lead singer, David Coverdale, back in 1989, but the marriage only lasted 2 years.  She went on to marry baseball star Chuck Finley -- with whom she had 2 daughters -- and the end of that relationship proved disastrous.  Finley claimed she repeatedly kicked him in the face with her high heels and she was charged with domestic violence. Those charges were later dismissed. He filed for divorce 3 days later.

She also had substance abuse issues and was arrested for drug possession and DUI ... which was well-chronicled in the media.

Tawny was 59.

RIP

Sam Ehlinger's younger brother -- Univ. of Texas linebacker Jake Ehlinger -- was found dead near campus on Thursday ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the Austin Police Department tells us cops received a call at around 12:18 PM, and a short time later, found Jake's body just blocks away from the university.

The spokesperson did not reveal a cause of death or any other details surrounding the tragedy ... but did note the department is considering it all "non-suspicious."

Jake walked onto the Longhorns' team in 2019 -- joining up with his older brother, Sam, who was a STAR quarterback for UT for the previous few seasons.

Jake did not log a snap in his first two years on the team.

Sam and Jake were very close ... in fact when Sam was picked by the Indianapolis Colts in the 6th round of the NFL Draft last week -- the two brothers shared a long embrace with other family members.

Jake was just 20 years old.

RIP

Robert Downey Jr.'s mourning the loss of his late assistant, Jimmy Rich ... and his Marvel co-stars are remembering Iron Man's right-hand man.

Downey Jr. says Jimmy was in a fatal car accident around 8 PM Wednesday night, calling it a "terrible and shocking tragedy." He says Jimmy was like a brother to him, an uncle to his kids and "beloved by all who experienced his singular character and wit."

RDJ's also thanking Jimmy for supporting him throughout his recovery from drug addiction, saying Jimmy stuck with him every step of the way.

Robert's not alone in mourning Jimmy ... his celebs pals, in and out of the MCU, are recalling what he meant to them.

Mark Ruffalo is thanking Jimmy "for always being real, always being there to lend a hand and showing the way of light forward to so many people."

Chris Pratt says Jimmy was "awesome" and Jack Black says he was a "good man" ... while Jeremy Renner called his death a "devastating loss" and Ryan Reynolds said it's "heartbreaking."

Rich was 52.

Johnny Depp's relationship with George Jung went far beyond their "Blow" connection ... and it's on display in a new docuseries about the late and infamous drug smuggler.

In this clip, obtained by TMZ, Depp calls Jung, AKA Boston George, "one of my favorite people instantly" ... describing their first meeting as the actor was preparing for his role in the film inspired by Jung's life.

Chris Chesson, Executive Producer of "Boston George: Famous Without the Fortune," says they began working on the 5-part series in December 2016, right as a parole violation sent Jung back behind bars for 8 months.

Chris says full production began in July 2017, and the crew filmed with Depp in May 2019. The rights to the completed documentary were purchased by 123 Go Films, which is shopping it to networks and streaming services.

Based on this exclusive clip, and the trailer, it seems like there should be some takers ... especially on the heels of Jung passing away.

George Jung -- the prolific cocaine smuggler portrayed by Johnny Depp in the movie "Blow" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... George died Wednesday morning at home in the Boston area. The cause of death is currently not known, though he had recently been experiencing liver and kidney failure.

We're told he had been in home hospice care since this past weekend and died with his girlfriend, Ronda, and friend, Roger, by his side. We're told he will be cremated.

George's Twitter account tweeted a quote from the film Wednesday, “May the wind always be at your back and the sun upon your face, and the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars. 1942-2021."

"Boston George," as he was known, served 20 years in prison for running drugs. He was released in 2014, but ultimately landed back behind bars just 2 years later for violating his parole by failing to inform his parole officer he would be hitting up San Diego.

He was famous for being part of the Medellin Cartel and helping Pablo Escobar smuggle planeloads of cocaine into the U.S. That was a big deal because, at the time, Escobar's cartel was responsible for distributing 80% of the world's cocaine -- and about 15 tons of blow reportedly came into the U.S. per day ... for a weekly haul of $420 million.

Prince Philip died of nothing more than just being an old-timer ... that's how his official longtime palace doctor is putting it anyway.

The Duke of Edinburgh's official cause of death has reportedly surfaced, and it's simply stated as "old age" ... this according to the Daily Telegraph, which says it obtained his death certificate.

Now, we know what you're thinking ... what the hell does that even mean??? Welp, according to experts from across the pond -- citing old age is acceptable for someone over 80 who had one doctor look over his care for years ... and if there's no other identifiable disease or injury responsible for the death.

So, the obvious issue is Queen Elizabeth's husband had a number of ailments in his later years ... including a heart scare just months before he passed. Still, "old age" is what Buckingham Palace is going with and they kinda make the rules.

As they say ... it's good to be the Queen.

Seriously, though, in the U.S. ... it seems like the kind of thing we'd list as "natural causes."

As we reported ... 99-year-old Philip died last month, and the Royal Family held a grand funeral procession for him. Prince Harry flew in from the States for the ceremony and got some face time in with his brother and father ... the first time he'd seen them since his and Meghan's bombshell interview with Oprah.

One last thing about Phil's death cert -- it lists his full name, which is a mouthful ... even for a Royal. It reads ... His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh formerly known as Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark formerly known as Philip Mountbatten.

His occupations were Naval Officer, and Prince of the United Kingdom.