Celebrity Death

12:09 PM PT -- Susan's husband, Harvey Swindall tells TMZ ... Susan passed away from heart attack Saturday morning. He recalls her as the most amazing person he'd ever met, adding he'll miss her very much.

Susan Backlinie, who played one of the most memorable roles in "Jaws," has died ... TMZ has learned.

The longtime actress and stuntwoman passed away at her home Saturday morning in Ventura, CA ... according to Matthew Templeton, the agent who handled her convention bookings. He says the cause of death has not been determined yet.

SB got her start in the acting world in 1975 with the role of Chrissie Watkins in Steven Spielberg's shark flick. She's the woman who goes skinny dipping in the ocean in the opening scene ... and gets savagely yanked back and forth by the shark before she's eaten.

Roger Corman, the legendary filmmaker of low budget horror flicks who launched the Hollywood careers of Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and many others, has died.

The so-called "King of the B-Movies" passed away Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, CA with his family surrounding him. His daughter Catherine confirmed his death, but did not disclose a cause.

In a statement posted to Instagram Saturday night, Roger's family described him as "generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him," as well as a "devoted and selfless father."

Comedian James Gregory -- known for dubbing himself "The Funniest Man in America" -- has died ... according to a post from his family.

The post -- made on Gregory's official Facebook -- says James passed away Thursday from cardiac complications.

James took up comedy in the early '80s when he was 36 after years of working as a salesman ... and, he became the first comedian to take the stage at the legendary Punchline club in Atlanta. While he was known as a Southern comedian, he traveled all across the country performing shows for the next four decades.

Rudy Moreno -- the longtime comedian who was huge in the Latin community -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The comedy vet passed away after a stint in a Los Angeles ICU his agent Mark Scroggs confirmed. He did not provide a cause of death.

As we reported ... he ended up in the ICU while battling pneumonia and receiving dialysis treatment -- and his wife, Arlene, couldn't find him, claiming the hospital told her he wasn't in the system.

1:17 PM PT -- Sam Rubin's station KTLA just paid tribute to their late employee -- offering up a moving tribute both online and on the air.

On X, KTLA's account posted a photo of Sam and wrote ... "KTLA 5 is profoundly saddened to report the death of Sam Rubin. Sam was a giant in the local news industry and the entertainment world, and a fixture of Los Angeles morning television for decades."

They added, "His laugh, charm and caring personality touched all who knew him. Sam was a loving husband and father: the roles he cherished the most. Our thoughts are with Sam’s family during this difficult time."

On TV, KTLA anchor Frank Buckley broke down in tears remembering his colleague -- and it made for an incredibly emotional moment. KTLA says Sam called in sick into work Friday before they learned about his sudden passing.

Indie rocker Steve Albini, who was best known for being the front man for the rock bands Big Black and Shellac, has died.

His employees at his Chicago-based studio, Electronic Audio, confirmed the sad news Wednesday ... sharing that the musician's cause of death was a heart attack.

Albini rose to fame in the '80s with his punk rock band, Big Black, which he started alongside guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati. The group was known for controversial lyrics ... and for choosing to use a drum machine over a drum kit. They released 2 studio albums before disbanding in 1987.

Bob Saget's widow Kelly Rizzo is getting serious once again in the love department ... 'cause she's now gone Instagram official with boyfriend Breckin Meyer.

On Tuesday, Rizzo took to her IG account, posting the first photo of her with Meyer on the social media platform, which showed the smiling couple at the F1 Grand Prix in Miami this past weekend.

In the caption, Rizzo wished Meyer a happy birthday as he turned the big 5-0 and gushed over how he's so "kind, sweet, silly, thoughtful, completely hilarious, handsome, understanding, charming, forever curious, compassionate, witty, warm & wonderful." Sounds like true love!

Susan Buckner -que interpretó a la amiga de Olivia Newton-John en "Grease", ha muerto... TMZ ha confirmado.

El representante de la actriz anunció la triste noticia el martes, diciendo: "Susan murió en paz el 2 de mayo rodeada de sus seres queridos". No se proporcionaron otros detalles en torno a su muerte, incluyendo una posible causa.

Susan es más famosa por interpretar a Patty Simcox en la exitosa película musical de 1978, dejando una marca como la amiga de Sandy, la cual tenía un aspecto llamativo gracias a sus grandes gafas.

Apareció en casi todas las grandes secuencias musicales, incluso en "Noches de verano", donde se acurrucaba junto a Olivia.

Susan también tuvo un momento memorable en la escena del baile de la escuela, donde su personaje estaba dando un espectáculo, solo para que los chicos la molesten levantando su vestido.

Aunque "Grease" fue sin duda el mayor éxito de Susan, en realidad actuó en un puñado de otras películas y programas de televisión a lo largo de los años, incluyendo papeles en "The Love Boat", "Starsky y Hutch", "The Amazing Howard Hughes", "Switch", "Deadly Blessing" y más.

Tras dejar de actuar en los años 80, Susan continuó dirigiendo y enseñando teatro a nivel local, así como danza. Le sobreviven su hijo, su hija, sus nietos y otros familiares.

Susan tenía 72 años.

Susan Buckner -- who played Olivia Newton-John's preppy friend in "Grease" -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The actress's rep announced the sad news Tuesday, saying ... "Susan died peacefully on May 2 surrounded by loved ones." No other details surrounding her death were provided, including a possible cause.

Susan is most famous for playing Patty Simcox in the 1978 hit musical film -- leaving a mark as Sandy's girly-girl pal ... who had a striking appearance thanks to her big glasses.

Chance Perdomo will forever be the only Andre Anderson for "Gen V" ... producers announced Sunday they won't cast another actor in the role after his untimely death.

The team behind the popular "The Boys" spin-off announced the news on the show's official Instagram account ... penning an emotional tribute to the late star who died earlier this year.

Basically, the post says the team's looking for the best way to honor Chance's memory ... and, ultimately they say they've decided casting a new actor in the part isn't going to work.

Bernard Hill -- a character actor known for his roles in some of the biggest late-‘90s and early-2000s flicks -- has died ... according to reports.

Multiple outlets are reporting Hill passed away early Sunday morning, saying they the news confirmed with Hill's agent Lou Coulson. Some of Hill's friends and former costars -- like actress Barbara Dickson -- also spread the news on social media.

Hill got his start in the film and TV industry back in the early 1970s via appearances on popular British shows like “Rooms,” “Village Hall,” and “Crown Court.”

Bernard Hill, actor conocido por sus papeles en algunas de las películas más importantes de finales de los 90 y principios de los 2000, ha muerto... según los informes.

Múltiples medios de comunicación informan de que Hill falleció la madrugada del domingo, diciendo que la noticia fue confirmada con el agente de Hill, Lou Coulson. Algunos de los amigos de Hill y ex compañeros de reparto -como la actriz Barbara Dickson- también difundieron la noticia en redes sociales.

Hill se inició en la industria del cine y la televisión a principios de la década de 1970 con apariciones en populares programas británicos como "Rooms", "Village Hall" y "Crown Court".

The former Kermit the Frog actor says he's not hurt he's excluded from the upcoming Jim Henson documentary ... he's hurt 'cause he thinks Jim's spirit within The Muppets is dying.

Steve Whitmire -- who took up the role in 1990 after Henson's untimely death -- tells TMZ ... producers contacted him about the forthcoming documentary "Jim Henson Idea Man" all about the iconic puppeteer a few years ago for home movies he shot dating back to 1978.

Whitmire says he happily handed over the tapes and expected the team to come back around when they were ready to interview him -- after all, he voiced the franchise's most iconic character from '90 until his firing in 2017 -- but, he says no one followed up.

El ex actor de la Rana René dice que no está dolido por haber sido excluido del próximo documental de Jim Henson, dice que está dolido porque cree que el espíritu de Jim dentro de Los Muppets se está muriendo.

Steve Whitmire, quien asumió el papel en 1990 después de la muerte prematura de Henson, le dice a TMZ que los productores se pusieron en contacto con él por el próximo documental "Jim Henson Idea Man", sobre el icónico titiritero, particularmente por unas películas caseras que filmó que se remontan a 1978.

Whitmire dice que felizmente entregó las cintas y esperaba que el equipo volviera para entrevistarlo, después de todo, dio voz al personaje más icónico de la franquicia desde el 90 hasta su despido en 2017, pero dice que nadie lo llamó.

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Darius Morris died this week, TMZ Sports has confirmed. He was just 33 years old.

"With great sadness we announce the passing of our dearly beloved son, Darius Aaron Morris," the former NBA player's family said in a statement to us on Saturday morning. "During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace."

Details surrounding his passing have not been revealed at this time ... although we can confirm his body was discovered on Thursday in the Los Angeles area.

Anna Nicole Smith's daughter Dannielynn Birkhead's all grown up ... rocking an outfit previously worn by Janet Jackson and attending Kentucky Derby events with her dad, Larry.

The 17-year-old appeared in Larry's recent Instagram post ... smiling in a couple cute father-daughter pics on the way to the Barnstable-Brown Gala -- a star-studded lead-up to Saturday's big race.

Check out the pic ... Dannielynn's in a full black get-up here, covered in zippers Larry said he bought from Julien's -- a popular auction house.