Celebrity Death

Jane Withers -- one of the most famous child stars in Hollywood's history -- has died.

The legendary actress passed away Saturday in Burbank, CA ... surrounded by loved ones, this according to her daughter, Kendall Errair, who released a statement about her mother's death. A cause of death wasn't addressed.

She writes, "My mother was such a special lady. She lit up a room with her laughter, but she especially radiated joy and thankfulness when talking about the career she so loved and how lucky she was." Kendall also added that Jane's short first name was chosen by her mother with the idea and hope that one day, it'd be able to fit up onto a giant marquee.

Well, it certainly did ... and then some. Jane came through on that dream early and often.

JW got her start in showbiz at a very young age -- around 3 or so -- in Atlanta ... where she learned to tap dance, sing and even had her own radio program in which she interviewed celebs who came to town. From there, she was off to Hollywood, where her career took off.

After a number of uncredited roles in the early to mid-'30s, Jane got her big break starring opposite Shirley Temple in 'Bright Eyes' ... in which she played an older, spoiled girl who was pretty mean to little ST. There's a famous doll-taking scene everyone seems to remember.

From there, Jane started to land lead roles for herself ... including in pictures like "Ginger," "Paddy O'Day," "Little Miss Nobody," "This is the Life," "Rascals," "Checkers," "Wild and Wooly," "My Best Gal" and more. She kinda ran the table as far as kid actors went back in those days ... having a helluva run in the '30s. And, she wasn't done yet.

Jane went on to star in a number of films throughout the '40s as well, but she "retired" from acting at the young age of 21 in the 1947 as her child stardom had started to fade. Later in the '50s, she got back to work and had a memorable role opposite James Dean in 'Giant.'

She went on to act on and off in the decades that followed, and even gave voice acting a go in both radio and some Disney flicks. All-in-all, she has 71 acting credits to her name.

Jane is survived by her children. She was 95.

Bobby Bowden -- one of the greatest college football coaches ever -- died early Sunday morning at the age of 91 years old.

Bowden -- Florida State University's head coach from 1976 to 2009 -- was one of the most acclaimed football coaches of all-time. He won 2 National Championships ('93 & '99) and 377 games -- 2nd most all-time -- during his 40 years as a college football coach.

Bobby spent 34 seasons as FSU's head coach ... and was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Terry Bowden, Bobby's son, confirmed the news to the AP ... issuing the following statement about the passing of his dad.

"My father passed away peacefully early this morning with all six of his children and my mother here by his side."

"I couldn't have asked for a better personal mentor than my father. He was a wonderful husband and father, who relied on his strong Christian faith to provide the foundation for his life."

Terry continued ... "I also was fortunate to be raised by a football coach who had a reputation for coaching the right way his entire career. He was admired by everyone who played for him or coached against him."

FSU issued a statement on social media, writing ... "Today we lost a legend but you never lose a legacy. Rest In Peace Coach Bowden"

Bowden is known for his HOF coaching career ... but he also played ball back in the day. BB was a part of Alabama's football team as a freshman in 1948 ... before transferring to Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham.

Bobby -- who was born in Birmingham -- was a successful college quarterback.

It was just last month that Terry announced Bobby was battling a terminal illness. He later said that sickness was pancreatic cancer.

Deion Sanders, a 2x All-American under Bowden, reacted to his former coach passing, writing ... "God bless the Bowden Family, Friends & Loved ones. My Prayers are with u. I've lost 1 of the best coaches I've ever had."

Some of the top football coaches in the country also weighed in on Bobby's death ... including Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and Dabo Swinney.

On Twitter, Meyer wrote ... "Today, we lost a legend. Bobby was a great friend and mentor to me, and his impact transcended the coaching profession in so many ways. Sending love to Ann and the entire Bowden family. Rest In Peace Coach Bowden."

A public funeral service will be held for coach Saturday on FSU's campus.

Markie Post, who became a big star and household name with "Night Court," has died.

Markie passed on Saturday after battling cancer for nearly 4 years.

Post, who also starred in "The Fall Guy" and "Hearts Afire," has an Alex Trebek connection ... she was an associate producer on his show, "Double Dare." She also appeared as the card dealer on "Card Sharks."

"Night Court" was her breakout role, playing public defender Christine Sullivan on the hit show that ran from 1985 to 1992.

She later appeared on "The Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," "Cheers" and "The A-Team."

Markie pressed on with her career, even during her cancer battle. She did a Lifetime XMAS movie, "Four Christmases and a Wedding" in between chemo treatments.

Her family said, “But for us, our pride is in who she was in addition to acting; a person who made elaborate cakes for friends, sewed curtains for first apartments and showed us how to be kind, loving and forgiving in an often harsh world."

Markie is survived by her husband, Michael Ross, and daughters Kate Armstrong, an actress, and Daisy Schoenborn.

Markie was 70.

Dennis "D.T." Thomas -- Kool & The Gang's longtime saxophone player -- has died.

The band announced the news Saturday, saying he passed away peacefully at his home in New Jersey. No cause of death was revealed.

They had kind words for their dear friend, though, writing ... "An original member of Kool & The Gang, Dennis was known as the quintessential cool cat in the group, loved for his hip clothes and hats, and his laid-back demeanor."

K&TG added this ... "A huge personality while also an extremely private person, Dennis was the alto saxophone player, flutist, percussionist as well as master of ceremonies at the band’s shows." They went on to discuss some of his greatest moments with Kool and co., including his prologue solo on their '71 hit "Who's Gonna Take the Weight."

Another fun fact -- the dude was actually their stylist, so says the band. Apparently, he crunched numbers for them too -- they say, "In the band’s early days, Dennis also served as the 'budget hawk,' carrying the group’s earnings in a paper bag in the bell of his horn."

Like they mentioned, Dennis was a founding member ... having helped form the band in the '60s, and staying with them ever since. He's been along for the ride through five decades plus.

D.T. was one of three founding members still alive before today -- now, there are only 2. He was 70.

Barry, an owl in the Who's Who of Central Park residents, has tragically died.

The nocturnal creature was struck by a maintenance vehicle early Friday in the Park. It didn't have a chance. It was flying low to the ground, looking for food, when it was struck at around 2:30 AM.

Barry was a fixture in the Park, much to the delight of runners, bird watchers and others who meandered their way around.  Officials issued a sad statement ... "It's with a heavy heart we share that a barred owl, a beloved Central Park resident, passed away early this morning. The barred owl's presence in Central Park brought so much joy, reminding all of us that the Park is a vital greenspace for all New Yorkers, including the wildlife that call it home."

The bird watchers were devastated, issuing their own statement.

"We are saddened to learn that our beloved BARRED OWL died last night in an accidental collision with a @CentralParkNYC maintenance vehicle. We will miss her wondrous and beautiful presence in the park."

There will be a vigil for Barry Monday near the hemlock tree it called home. That would have been Barry's 10-month anniversary in Central Park.

People left messages on the ground in memory of Barry.

Shock G is being honored with a celebration of life in Oakland ... there's a day-long tribute coming up full of good deeds and good tunes.

Shock G's longtime manager, Atron Gregory, tells TMZ ... Oakland is celebrating the Digital Underground star with a city-wide event August 21, and the day kicks off with the late rapper's family and friends feeding about 2,000 unhoused community members.

We're told the late Shock had a passion for supporting those who have a hard time supporting themselves, and organizers wanted to honor his legacy by giving back.

From there, we're told there will be a motorcade traveling through Oakland en route to City Hall, which will play host to a Shock G tribute featuring live music, performances and speakers.

The celebration will wrap up with an afterparty at The New Parish in Oakland, with several DJs spinning tunes.

TMZ broke the story ... Shock G was found dead in a Tampa hotel room back in April from an accidental overdose.

Since his death, we're told surviving members of Digital Underground -- which was founded in Oakland -- and other musicians close to the group banded together to organize a celebration for Shock in Oakland ... working with Oakland City Council members and non-profits in the city to make it happen.

O.J. Simpson says he had such a tough battle with COVID last year, he was worried he was going to die ... explaining the virus made it nearly impossible for him to catch his breath.

The former NFL superstar went in-depth with The Athletic about his 2020 battle with coronavirus ... saying things at one point got so dire, death crossed his mind.

"When I had COVID, I almost couldn't get out of bed," Simpson said in a lengthy interview. "I made it to my balcony, trying to breathe. I couldn't catch my breath."

Simpson said his symptoms were so bad, he actually spoke with his children about final arrangements.

"I felt vulnerable," 74-year-old Simpson said, "and for the first time thought I might be near the end."

Simpson was able to recover ... and said he's grateful for it, explaining he's loving his life out of prison in Las Vegas.

Simpson said he golfs "four or five days a week" now, and bragged about how he's still treated like a celebrity.

"People want to buy me drinks," he said. "I'm always taking pictures with people. Ladies hug me."

"People truly care for me," he continued. "You don’t know who truly cares about you until you've gone through some serious stuff, and I've gone through serious stuff."

"The media won’t say it, but that is my life. I'm living a good life now."

Simpson, though, did say his life now includes far less trips to Los Angeles.

He explained he's troubled by being in the city because he's concerned Nicole Brown Simpson's killer could still be there.

NYPD has a 26-year-old man in custody for allegedly striking actor Lisa Banes with an electric scooter and fleeing the scene ... the incident that ultimately killed her.

According to cops, Brian Boyd was arrested Thursday and is facing 2 charges -- leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and failure to yield to a pedestrian.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops recognized Boyd from a wanted poster that had been circulating, and scooped him up.

As we reported ... Banes -- known for her roles in "Gone Girl" and "Cocktail" -- was hit in a crosswalk on the evening of June 4 in the Upper West Side near the Lincoln Center.

Police say she had the right of way when the scooter passed through a red traffic signal and the collision occurred. Lisa was knocked to the roadway and critically injured while the suspect fled the scene.

Sadly, she died from her injuries 10 days later at the age of 65.

Aaliyah fans who've been waiting years to be able to listen to her music on digital streaming platforms, are about to get it.

According to Blackground Records -- which owns the late singer's masters and is rebranding as Blackground Records 2.0 -- it's partnering with the independent label EMPIRE to bring her songs to streaming services worldwide ... along with catalog material from Timbaland & Magoo, Tank, Toni Braxton and JoJo.

The catalog will be released in near chronological order, starting with Aaliyah's "One in a Million" album on August 20 ... though physical vinyl and CD pre-orders, as well as digital pre-orders and pre-saves, are available now on Blackground's site.

In September, the late singer's self-titled album will be released to streaming, followed by "I Care 4 U" and the "Ultimate Aaliyah" compilation albums in October.

If you didn't know ... her songs have notoriously never been available to download or stream, except for her 1994 album "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number." But, now -- 20 years after Aaliyah tragically died in a plane crash -- her music finally will be available for fans to enjoy.

The big news isn't welcome from everyone, though. As you may know, the reason for the hold-out is a long-standing rift between Aaliyah's uncle, Barry Hankerson -- founder of Blackground Records who owns her masters -- and her mother, Diane Haughton, who controls the rest of her estate.

That contention is still there, as it seems Blackground Music is behind the digital streaming release of Aaliyah's music.

This resulted in the Estate of Aaliyah issuing this response -- "For 20 years we have battled behind the scenes, enduring shadowy tactics of deception with unauthorized projects targeted to tarnish." The Estate also calls the streaming deal an "unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah’s music without any transparency or full accounting to the estate."

Fetty Wap's daughter died as a result of a health issue she'd carried with her since birth ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper and his ex Lisa Pembroke's 4-year-old, Lauren, died from a fatal cardiac arrhythmia due to complications of congenital cardiac anomalies ... this according to the death certificate. Essentially, that means she'd had this heart problem since birth, and the resulting irregular heartbeat killed her.

According to the document, obtained by TMZ, Lauren passed on June 24, 2021 ... at her home in Riverdale, Georgia.

Both Fetty and Lisa have posted touching tributes to their daughter during the last week ... which was the first time they'd definitively shared the heartbreaking news with the public.

Fetty seemed to imply Lauren had passed away a couple weeks ago -- during his set at Rolling Loud, he dedicated the performance to her.

Bill Gates now deeply regrets having forged a relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein ... but says it was something he did with good intentions.

The recently-divorced billionaire told Anderson Cooper he initially had several dinners with Epstein in hopes of getting billions of dollars from Epstein's wealthy contacts steered towards his global philanthropy efforts.

The Microsoft founder admits that when he realized that was never going to happen ... he says he ended the relationship with Epstein, who would ultimately be accused of child sex trafficking. Gates called the period a "huge mistake." Epstein took his own life while behind bars in August 2019.

There had been reports Melinda Gates hired divorce attorneys around October 2019 -- when Bill's relationship with Epstein became public -- because she was pissed about the Epstein tie, as well as allegations Bill had come on to different women.

As we reported, Bill and Melinda finalized their divorce earlier this week. It was an acrimonious divorce ... for obvious reasons.

Biz Markie held a special place in Barack and Michelle Obama's hearts, as evidenced by the words they shared with his widow ... which touched on a long-forgotten moment they shared in the run-up to the 2008 election.

Mrs. Biz ... Tara Hall herself, provided this copy of the letter the Obamas sent ... and it's way more personal than perhaps people might've expected. The poignant correspondence -- on the Obamas' new official letterhead -- begins, "We want to extend our heartfelt condolences to you as you reflect on Biz Markie's life."

Check out the letter for yourself -- BO and MO say that although they didn't know Biz as well as Tara did, he'd left a great impression on the couple as "one of rap's most innovative stylists and as a great man."

They added, "Biz Markie brightened every room he was in, and we will always appreciate him for his early support in 2008, bringing people together to 'Party With a Purpose' and get out the vote." Looks like Barack actually posed with Biz at one of those events.

The former first couple finished by saying Biz's legacy in hip hop will span generations, just like it had for 4 decades prior to his passing.

Michelle and Barack told Tara, "We hope you take comfort in all the fond memories you have with him. Please know that we are holding you, Averi, and your entire family in our thoughts and prayers."

Biz Markie is being honored in the wake of his death -- with friends, family and loved ones coming out to speak on his behalf in a major celebration of life ... and TMZ's live streaming the event.

The rapper's funeral took place early Monday in the Big Apple, with a public memorial service to follow ... which you can watch in full here.

Al Sharpton is set to deliver the eulogy -- and other MCs are also expected to be on hand during the proceedings ... including Fat Joe, LL Cool J, Papoose, Big Daddy Kane, Al B. Sure!, Leland Robinson, among others. It's unclear if any of them will actually deliver remarks.

Word is ... Biz will be dressed to the nines, courtesy of the Harlem fashion designer, Dapper Dan.

It's sure to be an emotional moment for New Yorkers and hip-hop fans alike -- as you know, BM was a trailblazer in the genre ... and was loved by many before his untimely death.

TMZ broke the story ... he died last month at the age of 57.

Longtime soap opera actor Jay Pickett has died -- this while he was actually doing his job in front of the camera.

Jay passed Thursday on the set of a new film he was working on called "Treasure Valley" in Idaho -- so says his costar and co-producer for the flick, Jim Heffel, who shared the tragic news on Facebook ... explaining he actually died while they were preparing to shoot a scene.

He writes, "Jay died sitting on a horse ready to rope a steer in the movie Treasure Valley in Idaho. The way of a true cowboy." Not much more was discussed as to how he ended up toppling over, but it sounds like it was sudden ... and an official cause of death isn't out yet.

Another star from the movie, Travis Mills, took to his own FB page to speculate it appeared to be a heart attack of some sort, while also noting everyone around at the time tried hard to keep him alive ... going on to call it a shocking tragedy.

This is a project that Jay was all in on -- he was writing, producing and starring in it as the lead man. It sounds like a good old-fashioned Western movie ... and was due to be released next year.

Jay certainly has had some movie experience over the length of his long career, but he's definitely more famous for his TV work ... or daytime TV, we should say -- which he got started in the '90s with "Days of Our Lives," on which he played Dr. Chip Lakin.

He was only on 'Days' for about a year, but then moved on to even more legendary soaps ... where he had prolonged roles. Jay was in over 700 episodes of "Port Charles" for several years between the late '90s and early 2000s, playing Frank Scanlon to much fanfare.

After that, Jay went on to star in "General Hospital" for a couple years -- at which point, he was acting in a ton of different stuff ... like "Dexter," "Desperate Housewives," "Hot Line," "Saving Grace" ... and later, "NCIS," "The Mentalist" and other shows and movies up until very recently.

He's survived by his wife, Elena, and their children. Jay was only 60.

Thea Ruth White -- the voice of Muriel on "Courage the Cowardly Dog" -- has died.

Her family shared the sad news over the weekend, saying she'd passed Friday following a surgery to remove a cancerous mass from her liver ... which her nephew, Brad Zitzner, says resulted in her catching an infection shortly thereafter.

By all accounts, she fought hard ... but lost her battle to cancer. Right before going in for the procedure -- Thea's brother, John, posted a video of her asking for well-wishes from fans (young and old) which she said would help her in her recovery. She seemed to be talking in the Muriel voice, too, from the famed Cartoon Network show that she's most famous from.

John posted yet another video on Facebook, which seemed to indicate this is something Thea has been dealing with for a while -- apparently, she'd gone in for an initial surgery just a week ago ... and he has a video up of her talking following that procedure.

Her nephew writes, "Thanks Feefer for your leadership of your family. The role you have taken with my kids and all your family sadly can't be replaced. I can see hundreds of fan tributes already online so your love was shared far and wide."

Brad adds, "You loved life and even know I know the final outcome I love your decision to go for it and to try to win."

Thea hadn't gotten into acting until later in life -- it seems her first major role was on 'CTCD,' on which she starred for four years. She's also lent her talents for shows like "Pecola" and 'Scooby Doo' ... but it looks like she's been faithful to portraying Muriel in a variety of forms.

She was 81.

Here's the last time ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill performed with the band before his death ... and you can tell something's just not right with him.

TMZ obtained this video from ZZ Top's last concert with Dusty -- July 18 at the Iroquois Amphitheater in Louisville, KY -- and he's clearly having a tough time performing in what would ultimately be his final gig.

As you can see, Dusty is playing bass as he sits down on a large speaker ... and we're told he was sitting like this for the entire show and had to be helped off the stage because he couldn't walk on his own.

A few days after this video, ZZ Top announced Dusty was heading back to Texas due to a hip issue.

A source close to Dusty tells TMZ ... things had gotten so bad recently, he had to stop touring because of a hip injury, so he went home early to recover, and that's when he died.