Celebrity Death

Suzzanne Douglas -- best known as the matriarch in the WB sitcom "The Parent 'Hood" and who recently appeared in the Netflix series "When They See Us" -- has died, TMZ has confirmed.

The veteran actress' husband tells TMZ ... Suzzanne died Wednesday at her home in Martha's Vineyard from complications of cancer. Her husband said, "Her energy and creativity will be missed by all."

Suzzanne's cousin Angie Tee posted a heartwarming tribute to her on Facebook. Angie said, "She warmed our hearts on movie screens and television sets all over the world."

She added, "I can remember growing up, there weren't very many black actresses who had starring roles but there was my cousin with the lead role in "Tap" starring alongside great dancers such as Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr."

Angie said Suzzanne "also performed with Angela Bassett and Whoopi Goldberg in 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back.' 'The Inkwell,' 'Jason's Lyric' and so much more the list goes on. The world will miss your talent but your soul will live on forever Rest in Paradise my beautiful cousin Suzzane you will be missed RIP."

Suzzanne starred as Jerri Peterson opposite Robert Townsend on "The Parent 'Hood" ... which ran from 1995 to 1999 on the WB.

She earned an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture in 1989 for her lead role in "Tap."

Richard Donner -- one of the most famed and prolific directors of all time, known for flicks like "Superman," "Lethal Weapon," "The Goonies" and countless others -- has reportedly died.

The legendary filmmaker recently passed away -- this according to his production company, The Donner's Company, who confirmed the news to Variety. No word on when exactly he passed, or under what circumstances -- we've got calls in to his reps to figure it out.

At any rate ... it's a tragic update, as the guy was absolutely beloved in Hollywood -- and rightly so. He's responsible for some of the most iconic films to grace the big screen over the years -- including an incredible run of pictures from the late '70s throughout the '80s.

Donner got his first big directing break with the cult classic horror film "The Omen" (the original one), which catapulted him into stardom and led to his next major studio film, "Superman" (also the original) ... which paved the path for countless other flicks, including 'Goonies,' and ALL of the "Lethal Weapon" movies, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

Other notable film directing credits of his include staple movies, such as "Scrooged," "The Toy," "Maverick," "Ladyhawke," "Assassins," "16 Blocks," "Timeline" and more. His EP credits are even more impressive.

Donner shepherded films like "The Lost Boys," "Free Willy," "X-Men" ... this list goes on. His death is actually quite shocking, and seemingly sudden -- just last year, he announced a desire to direct the 5th installment of "Lethal Weapon," and it seemed that was in the works.

We even congratulated Rich on that news a full year ago, when we ran into him out and about in Hollywood ... and chatted him up about the controversy (at the time) surrounding Amazon's new show, "Hunters," which was catching flak for its portrayal of the holocaust and the fallout that followed. In his mind, he said producers were to blame ... not directors.

At any rate ... very sad to hear. Donner is survived by his wife, Lauren. He was 91.

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died Sunday night at the age of 24 after being struck in the chest by a firework at a July 4th celebration, according to local authorities.

Kivlenieks -- who was born in Latvia -- signed with the Blue Jackets in 2019 ... and appeared in 2 games for Columbus this season.

Matiss was at an Independence Day party at a private residence in Novi, Michigan when the deadly accident occurred.

Officials in Michigan say a mortar style firework was inadvertently fired in the direction of a group of people in a hot tub ... striking Kivlenieks.

Rescue workers rushed to the scene around 10 PM and transported Matiss to the hospital ... but doctors were unable to save the goalies life.

Law enforcement is still investigating ... but doesn't believe there was any foul play involved.

"At the moment, we're pretty certain this was a tragic accident," a police spokesperson said.

Authorities originally believed Matiss died of a subsequent slip and fall after the blast ... but on Monday morning, a medical examiner in Michigan said that wasn't true -- clarifying the firework caused the fatal injury.

The Blue Jackets issued a statement on social media, writing ... "It's with a very heavy heart that we share the news that goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks passed away last night at the age of 24."

"We are heartbroken. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. Rest in peace, Kivi."

The teams General Manager, Jarmo Kekalainen, also weighed in on the horrific loss ... "Life is so precious and can be so fragile. Hug your loved ones today. RIP Matiss, you will be dearly missed."

George Jung -- the prolific cocaine smuggler portrayed by Johnny Depp in the film "Blow" -- died of kidney failure due to advanced liver disease, and as you'd probably imagine ... his hard-living played a major role.

According to George's death certificate ... George's immediate cause of death is listed as hepatorenal failure due to alcoholic cirrhosis. In other words, his organs succumbed to his chronic alcohol abuse. The manner of death is listed as natural causes.

George died on May 5 in Lowell, MA, and he was cremated 2 days later. Interestingly, his occupation is listed as storyteller/teacher/education. If you've seen the movie, that's not entirely inaccurate.

TMZ broke the story ... George had been experiencing kidney and liver problems before his death. He had been in home hospice care and died with his wife, Ronda, and friend, Roger, by his side.

George served 20 years in prison for running drugs for the Medellin Cartel. He was known as "Boston George" and infamously helped notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar smuggle planeloads of coke into the U.S.

At the time, Escobar's cartel was reportedly responsible for 80% of the world's cocaine.

Former Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who served under President George W. Bush when America was attacked on 9/11, has died.

Rumsfeld's family says he died surrounded by loved ones in Taos, New Mexico. The family released a statement saying, "History may remember him for his extraordinary accomplishments over six decades of public service, but for those who knew him best and whose lives were forever changed as a result, we will remember his unwavering love for his wife Joyce, his family and friends, and the integrity he brought to a life dedicated to country."

Rumsfeld had the distinction of serving as the youngest Defense secretary under President Ford and the oldest under President Bush. He was inside the Pentagon having breakfast on 9/11 when the highjacked plane struck the building.

Immediately following the attack, Rumsfeld was seen outside helping with rescue efforts ... before officials finally convinced him to find shelter.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Rumsfeld spearheaded the attack on al-Qaida in Afghanistan. Then, in 2003, Rumsfeld shifted his focus to Iraq ... invading the country in search of weapons of mass destruction -- there were none -- and the subsequent ousting of Saddam Hussein.

Rumsfeld will also be remembered as a controversial figure who was largely held responsible for the Abu Ghraib torture scandal for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

Rumsfeld, a Chicago native, attended Princeton before he was commissioned as a U.S. Navy aviator and flight instructor. He was on active duty for 3 years in the mid to late 1950s.

He was a congressman from Illinois before serving under presidents Richard Nixon and Ford. He'd spend more than 2 decades in the private sector before returning to his old position under Bush.

Tyler Skaggs' widow has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Los Angeles Angels ... claiming the team is to blame for her husband's tragic passing in 2019.

It's all spelled out in new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which Carli Skaggs says the Angels could have prevented the pitcher's death with several simple steps ... but did not.

In the suit, Carli says it all boils down to the team's handling of Eric Kay ... the Angels team employee who was criminally charged with distributing the drugs that ultimately killed Skaggs in his hotel room while on the road for an away game in Texas on July 1, 2019.

Carli says the team knew Kay was giving Skaggs and other players drugs ... but did not do anything about it.

In fact, in the suit, Carli claims Kay was a known drug abuser ... and says despite the team being well-aware of it -- it still gave Kay "complete access to players, day and night both off the field and on the field."

"This was a fatal mistake," Carli said in the suit.

Carli claims if the team had taken steps to restrict Kay's access to players, her husband would still be alive today.

"The Angels failed Tyler," Carli said in the suit. "And because of this failure, Tyler, who was on the brink of achieving certain and substantial success as a pitcher in MLB, had his life cut short."

Carli is suing for damages.

We've reached out to the Angels, but so far, no word back yet.

Ray MacDonnell -- one of the original cast members of "All My Children" -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

According to the Westchester County Medical Examiner ... the veteran stage and TV actor died on June 9 while in hospice care at his home in Chappaqua, NY. The cause of death is unknown.

Ray's long run on TV started after having already established a distinguished career for himself in stage productions. He attended London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts as a Fulbright Scholar.

His TV career kicked off in 1953, and he would appear on programs like "Robert Montgomery Presents," "The Jack Benny Program," "Producers' Showcase" and "Armstrong Circle Theatre."

Then he landed his first soap role in 1961 as Phillip Capice on "The Edge of Night" -- and in 1970 he found his TV home at "All My Children," playing Joe Martin, a patriarch for one of the show's central families.

Talk about longevity ... Ray remained on 'AMC' until 2013, and he received a Daytime Emmy for Lifetime Achievement in 2004.

While he was primarily a soap star, Ray still made time for Broadway -- from 1966 to 1979 he appeared opposite Angela Lansbury and Ann Miller in the Tony-winning musical "Mame."

He's survived by his wife, Patricia, and his children Kyle, Daniel and Sarah.

Ray was 93.

Ex-Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is getting dogged in death by a huge bill ... and it's all over a very strange unique piece of art.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tony's estate just got hit with a $40,000 bill for the delivery and installation of a custom sculpture of a human brain at Hsieh's Park City, Utah mansion.

In the docs, a Las Vegas company claims it hauled the huge piece of art to the mountains and installed it above a ceiling fan inside Tony's crib back in July 2020 -- but the company claims Hsieh never paid. Now, they're going after his estate for the $40k, plus interest.

As we reported ... Tony was only 46 when he died in November after sustaining injuries suffered during a house fire in Connecticut.

John Langley, the creator of the hit TV show "Cops" has died.

Langley's reps confirmed the news to Variety, saying he passed away Saturday in Baja, Mexico of an apparent heart attack -- this while the guy was involved in an off-road race ... and was actually on the track himself. Word is, he was with his son, Zak, at the time.

He's obviously best remembered as the brains behind the long-running, real-life, crime-fighting reality show on FOX ... which aired 32 seasons and over a thousand episodes between 1989 and 2020. The series was canceled last year amid social unrest after George Floyd's murder.

Prior to that though ... "Cops" was a cultural hit, and some say it served as a giant blueprint for reality TV shows to come. Crazy as that sounds -- it IS reality TV ... just not in the way we're used to seeing it now. All the same, Langley was a trailblazer in the subgenre.

There were other law enforcement-type shows and projects JL was involved in over the years as well -- including EP titles for series like "Jail," "Vegas Strip," "Undercover Stings," "Las Vegas Jailhouse," "The Tony Rock Project" and pretty much all of the "The Amazing Video Collection" spin-offs that surfaced in the late '90s.

He also had a hand in movies and made-for-TV documentaries -- such as "Brooklyn's Finest," "Leaves of Grass," "Tiptoes," "Hollywood Vice," "Wildside," "American Expose: Who Murdered JFK?" and his first on-camera project from '83, "Cocaine Blues."

Langley was well decorated as a TV vet -- having won the American Television Award and four Emmys for his work on "Cops." He's survived by his wife, Maggie, and their children.

He was 78.

Johnny Solinger, the former singer of Skid Row, has died.

Johnny passed on Saturday, a month after he disclosed he was battling liver failure.

Members of the rock band announced Solinger’s death, saying, “We are saddened to hear the news of our brother Johnny Solinger. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and fans. Godspeed Singo. Say hello to Scrappy for us.”

Solinger started a GoFundMe account last month to help pay for his treatments. He wrote: “It is with a heavy heart I must let everyone know what’s going on with me and my health. I have been hospitalised for over the last month. I have been diagnosed with liver failure. And prognosis is not so good. As with most musicians I do not have health insurance and it’s very difficult to get proper care without it.”

Skid Row hit pretty big in the late 80s and 90s with its first two albums – "Skid Row" and "Slave To The Grind." Its biggest hits ... "Youth Gone Wild," and "18 and Life" together sold 20 million albums.

Solinger became a member of Skid Row back in '99, replacing Sebastian Bach. He stayed until 2015 when he was replaced with former TNT singer Tony Harnell.

He's on several Skid Row albums, including the "Thickskin," "Revolutions Per Minute." "United World Rebellion" and "Rise Of The Damnation Army."

Solinger is survived by his wife, Paula Marcenaro Solinger.

He was 55.

RIP

Rapper Gift of Gab -- one half of the famed Bay Area duo Blackalicious -- has died.

The rapper -- whose real name was Timothy J. Parker -- died last Friday ... according to the hip-hop collective Quannum Projects, which first told Rolling Stone. "Tim peacefully departed this earth to be with our ancestors on Friday, June 18, 2021."

The statement from the collective added, "He is survived by two brothers, one sister, many nieces and nephews, countless friends, and fans across the globe. We ask that the family's privacy is respected as we mourn the tremendous loss of our dear brother."

Gab had battled kidney failure in 2014 caused by type 1 diabetes ... forcing him to undergo dialysis several times a week. He reportedly got a kidney transplant in January 2020.

Xavier "Chief Xcel" Mosley -- Gab's partner and co-founder of the Bay Area group -- said, "Our brother was an MC's MC who dedicated his life to his craft. One of the greatest to ever do it. He's the most prolific person I've ever known."

He added, "He was all about pushing the boundaries of his art form in the most authentic way possible. He truly believed in the healing power of music. He viewed himself as a vessel used by a higher power whose purpose was to give positive contributions to humanity through Rhyme."

Xcel and Gab teamed up while studying at the University of California Davis. They released several EPs in the mid-90s but it was their 1999 full-length album "Nia" that brought them critical acclaim.

That same album included their iconic hit "Alphabet Aerobics" ... with Gab taking the spotlight thanks to his linguistic mastery of the alphabet with deft speed.

Daniel Radcliffe was a fan of the group ... and proved it with one helluva performance of 'Alphabet' in 2015 as a guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."

It was so well received ... Gab himself reportedly said Daniel "killed it." He went on to release 3 solo albums. He reportedly has almost 100 tracks for future releases.

Gift of Gab was 50.

Travis Scott's releasing another collab outside of the music biz ... but this one includes a tribute to his friend and fallen hip-hop star, Pop Smoke.

The rapper's Cactus Jack brand has entered a partnership with the popular French fashion house, Dior -- which is also the name of a popular Smoke track -- and Travis revealed the first item in the collection is all about Pop.

It's a t-shirt with the late rapper's face emblazoned a little off-center on the front ... with lyrics from his song on the back. Travis wrote, "U CANT SAY POP AND FORGET THE SMOKE. NOW U IN ALL THE STORES 4 EVER."

Rumors began circulating that Scott and Dior were teaming up on something after he was seen wearing a brown, heavy-duty work jacket with a large Dior logo fused with his Cactus Jack logo, and sure enough ... the rumors are true.

Dior announced a joint Spring-Summer 2022 collection will be revealed in full on Friday at one of Paris Fashion Week's few in-person runway shows.

As you know ... Pop Smoke was shot and killed by 4 masked gunmen back in February 2020 in what appeared to be a home invasion robbery at a rental pad in the Hollywood Hills.

Henry "Nacho" Laun -- the extreme eating star of "Wahlburgers" and one of Mark Wahlberg's OG entourage members -- died after a cocaine overdose ... according to his death certificate.

TMZ has obtained the doc from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and it lists "complications of acute cocaine intoxication" as the immediate cause of death. The manner of his death is listed as accidental.

Nacho died on June 1 at 2:33 PM at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth, MA. He's listed as never married and his occupation as "TV Personality/Entertainment." The death certificate also shows Nacho was cremated on June 19.

TMZ broke the story ... Nacho was found unconscious in his vehicle at a gas station while on a road trip from Boston to Cape Cod in mid-May. While at the hospital he had been placed on life support because he couldn't breathe on his own.

Family and friends were holding on to hope he'd pull through after showing some signs of recovery ... but unfortunately, Nacho passed away.

Nacho was a fan favorite on the hit A&E show, known for never shying away from an eating challenge. In fact, Mark once brought Nacho with him to an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" ... where he drank Tabasco sauce and ate wasabi, to everyone's horror and delight.

John McAfee -- the software mogul behind the famous antivirus software -- has died by suicide ... according to reports out of Spain.

McAfee was found dead in his jail cell in Barcelona ... just hours after the Spanish High Court ruled he could be extradited to the U.S. to face tax evasion charges.

McAfee's lawyer, Andrew Gordon, confirmed to TMZ he passed away. He had no information about the cause of death.

According to the Spanish outlet El País, McAfee was pulled from his cell and police are investigating the cause of death -- but McAfee's lawyer told Reuters the software tycoon hung himself.

McAfee had been busted in Spain back in October after years of allegedly failing to pay income taxes. A grand jury had slapped him with a 10-count federal indictment for ducking taxes from 2014 to 2018.

And, just a few months ago, McAfee was reportedly charged in Manhattan federal court for his role in a cryptocurrency scheme in which he's alleged to have bilked investors out of more than $10 million.

McAfee's death comes about a year and a half after he tweeted he was "getting subtle messages from U.S. officials saying, in effect: 'We're coming for you McAfee! We're going to kill yourself.'" He posted a photo of a "$WHACKD" tattoo he says he got on his arm, just in case. As McAfee said, "If I suicide myself, I didn't. I was whackd."

A little context here ... McAfee showed off that tat a little over 3 months after convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide also while behind bars.

McAfee was briefly back on U.S. soil in 2012 after he was booted from Guatemala. He had sought asylum there after fleeing Belize ... the place he had called home since 2008. Authorities in Belize had wanted to talk to him about his neighbor's murder.

McAfee founded his antivirus software company in 1987 and he left in 1994. Intel eventually bought it in 2011 for $7.7 billion.

Three years after Intel bought the software company ... McAfee created a parody video telling users how to uninstall the software.

He founded several other tech companies, but he was always known for his self-titled antivirus software.

Vanessa Bryant has settled her wrongful death lawsuit against the company that owned the doomed helicopter in the crash that killed Kobe, Gigi and 7 others.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Vanessa's legal team filed a notice of settlement with the court ... but the terms of the settlement are confidential. The court still needs to sign off.

TMZ broke the story ... Vanessa sued Island Express back in February 2020, blaming the helicopter company for the fatal crash that killed her husband and daughter.

In her suit, Vanessa claimed the weather conditions -- an extremely low, blinding fog -- were not conducive to flying ... and she claimed the pilot, Ara George Zobayan, failed to properly assess and monitor the weather before takeoff and during flight.

As you know ... the crash tragically killed Kobe, Gianna, Alyssa Altobelli, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser and the pilot.

After DMX gave it to us for the better part of 3 decades, the late rapper's label returned the favor and covered his funeral expenses.

According to X's probate docs, obtained by TMZ, Def Jam Recordings paid the bill Brooks Memorial Home Inc. in Yonkers, NY sent to the family. The receipt, dated May 5, 2021, covered the services of Earl Simmons ... X's full government name.

According to the document, those costs included the transfer of remains to the funeral home, embalming ... plus the hearse and flowers.

There's no specific mention of the awesome monster truck that carried DMX's casket to Barclays Center celebration of life in Brooklyn.

Speaking of which, that customized red casket went for $7,450, according to the docs. The total tab Def Jam paid came to $35,228.13.

As we reported ... DMX died at the age of 50, following an overdose back in April.

His kids and famous friends like Nas, Eve and the original Ruff Ryders delivered powerful words at his service.