Celebrity Death

Rico Wade -- a top Atlanta-based producer and former collaborator with OutKast and TLC -- has died ... according to rap legend Killer Mike.

Killer Mike shared a couple pics of the Atlanta rap game mainstay to his Instagram early Saturday morning ... sending prayers to Wade's family and thanking him for bringing him into musical collective The Dungeon Family back in the day.

Mike didn't provide a cause of death ... and, fellow hip hop legends -- like CeeLo Green and Three 6 Mafia -- shared their condolences on the post.

O.J. Simpson's acquittal in his 1994 murder trial remains one of the most controversial verdicts to date, but a member of his defense -- the so-called Dream Team -- stands by the strategies they used to get him off.

Perhaps the most controversial of their strategies was playing the "race card" during the trial ... a decision attorney Carl Douglas defends, claiming both sides knew race would play a factor in the case.

He tells TMZ ... "The prosecution played the race card as well when they brought on a Black prosecutor (Christopher Darden) for the first time when the jury was all assembled on the first day of trial."

Sales of O.J. Simpson's "If I Did It" book have exploded since the infamous star's death, with the publication skyrocketing to the top of the charts.

76-year-old O.J. died on Wednesday -- a day before the public found out -- when the Simpson family announced the news ... and reignited interest in the grizzly, 1994 double murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

According to Amazon.com, the world's largest bookseller, "If I Did It" sits in the number 1, 2, and 4 spots (different versions of the book -- audio, abridged, unabridged) in the entire Criminology section. It's also number 8 in the Murder/True Crime section.

Tina Turner's getting a huge honor in the place where she was born, as local leaders have approved a bronze Tina statue -- about a year after the mayor first promised to erect one.

Bill Rawls, Jr. the mayor of Brownsville, Tennessee tells TMZ ... the city has decided to fund a six-foot-tall bronze statue that will be placed in the city's Heritage Park, which is located right near the high school Turner attended.

We're told the statue's gonna cost around $150k with the city making the initial deposit before public/private funds cover the rest. The fundraising is starting ASAP, but Rawls says he's not worried about puttin' together the cash.

Eleanor Coppola -- the filmmaker and wife of famed director Francis Ford Coppola -- has died ... according to a statement made by her family.

The matriarch of the famous film family passed away Friday at her home in Rutherford, CA ... a small town in Napa Valley. They did not give a cause of death.

Eleanor met Francis in 1962 while working as an assistant art director on his first movie, "Dementia 13" ... and the couple started dating.

Eleanor got pregnant shortly thereafter, married Coppola in Las Vegas and gave birth to their first son, Gian-Carlo.

La hermana de Kris Jenner, Karen Houghton, falleció debido a problemas al corazón, de acuerdo con su certificado de defunción.

TMZ obtuvo una copia del documento que señala como causa oficial de muerte de Karen un paro cardíaco y una arritmia cardíaca repentina. También señala la diabetes tipo 2 como una causa secundaria subyacente.

Los documentos también dicen que Karen tenía trastorno bipolar y que fue incinerada después de su muerte el 19 de marzo. Ella tenía 65 años.

Kris Jenner's sister, Karen Houghton, passed away due to heart issues ... according to her death certificate.

TMZ obtained a copy of the document which lists Karen's official cause of death as cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac arrhythmia. It also notes Type 2 diabetes as a secondary underlying cause.

The docs also say Karen had bipolar disorder, and was cremated following her death on March 19. She was 65.

K-pop star Park Boram is dead, and multiple media outlets in Korea are reporting her death came after a night of heavy drinking with friends.

According to the Korea Herald, Park died Thursday at a hospital, but she had first collapsed while at a friend's house ... and might have suffered a cardiac arrest -- but the exact cause of death is still under investigation.

Another report, from AllKPop, says one of Park's friends found her unconscious and slouched over a bathroom sink -- and one of her friends then performed CPR, attempting to revive her.

La estrella del K-pop Park Boram ha muerto y varios medios de comunicación coreanos informan que su fallecimiento se produjo tras una noche de copas con sus amigos.

Según el Korea Herald, la cantante murió el jueves en un hospital, pero primero se habría derrumbado mientras estaba en la casa de un amigo y podría haber sufrido un paro cardíaco, aunque la causa exacta de muerte aún está bajo investigación.

Otro informe, de AllKPop, dice que uno de los amigos de Park la encontró inconsciente y encorvada sobre el lavabo de un baño y uno de sus amigos le realizó una reanimación cardiopulmonar (RCP) para tratar de revivirla.

O. J. Simpson habló con muchos amigos cercanos y miembros de la familia en sus últimos días, pero no hizo ninguna confesión sobre los asesinatos antes de dar su último respiro.

Por supuesto, apenas se supo la noticia de su muerte la gente empezó a especular si había hablado sobre los asesinatos de su ex mujer Nicole Brown Simpson y Ron Goldman. Habría sido la escena perfecta de una película, lo que claramente ayudó a alimentar el rumor, pero una fuente con conocimiento directo nos dice que es solo eso ... Un rumor.

Preguntamos si había pasado algo así y una fuente lo calificó de "totalmente falso".

Roberto Cavalli, el famoso diseñador de moda italiano, ha muerto, de acuerdo con un post compartido por la propia empresa que fundó en sus redes sociales.

La compañía del mismo nombre anunció su muerte a través de Instagram el viernes, con gran tristeza y declaraciones del CEO de la compañía y su director creativo.

Roberto nació en Florencia, Italia, en 1940 y fundó su empresa de moda Roberto Cavalli en 1975, cuando su patentado estilo animal print realmente despegó. A lo largo de los años, ha vestido a innumerables celebridades.

O.J. Simpson spoke to many close friends and family members in his last days, but he did not make any confessions about the murders before succumbing to cancer.

Of course, almost as soon as news broke of his death, people wondered if he'd spoken at all about the slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. It does play like the perfect movie scene, which clearly helped fuel the rumor -- but a source with direct knowledge tells us it's just that ... a rumor.

We asked if anything like that happened, and one source called it "totally false."

Roberto Cavalli -- the famous Italian fashion designer -- has died ... according to a social media post by the company he founded.

Cavalli's self-titled company posted on Instagram Friday ... announcing his passing with great sadness, and shared statements from the company's CEO and its creative director.

Roberto was born in Florence, Italy in 1940 and founded his fashion company Roberto Cavalli in 1975 ... when his patented animal print styling really took off. Over the years, he's clothed myriad celebs in the style.

Caitlyn Jenner is refusing to apologize for her blunt statement regarding O.J. Simpson's death, and she's calling out those who say she's just like him ... due to a deadly car wreck.

The Olympian faced a barrage of negative comments after she celebrated O.J.'s passing ... writing "Good Riddance" in a curt statement on X. In response, many slammed Caitlyn -- and compared her to Simpson by calling her a killer for her involvement in a 2015 fatal car accident.

Caitlyn responded to the criticism Friday, defending she is nothing like the controversial NFL star -- who was found liable in a 1996 civil trial for the killing of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

Caitlyn Jenner se niega a disculparse por su contundente declaración sobre la muerte de O.J. Simpson, y está criticando a los que dicen que es igual a él, debido a un trágico accidente vehicular en el que estuvo involucrada hace algunos años.

La atleta olímpica se enfrentó a un aluvión de comentarios negativos después de que comentara el fallecimiento de O.J., con el mensaje: "Good Riddance" / "Buen viaje" en X. En respuesta a ello, muchos criticaron a Caitlyn y la compararon con Simpson llamándola asesina por su participación en un fatal accidente automovilístico en 2015.

Caitlyn respondió a las críticas el viernes, defendiendo que no se parece en nada a la controvertida estrella de la NFL, quien fue declarado responsable en un juicio civil de 1996 por el asesinato de Nicole Brown Simpson y Ron Goldman.

O.J. Simpson estuvo rodeado de su familia en los últimos días y eso incluye a todos sus hijos, incluso los 2 más jóvenes que tuvo con Nicole Brown Simpson.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que todos los que vinieron a visitar a O.J. a su casa los días previos a su muerte tuvieron que firmar acuerdos de confidencialidad para resguardar su privacidad. Eso corrió para sus amigos, familiares e incluso para el personal médico que estaba en contacto con él mientras estaba bajo cuidados paliativos.

Nos dicen que el viernes, un profesional médico revisó a O.J. y notificó a sus cercanos que estaba empezando su transición... y fue entonces cuando todo el mundo acudió a verlo.