Celebrity Death

Kevin Costner was determined to give Whitney Houston a proper sendoff after her death ... and nothing was going to get in his way, not even a major TV network.

The actor recalled his "The Bodyguard" costar's 2012 funeral during an appearance on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, revealing an unfortunate moment he had while preparing for his friend's farewell.

Costner, who was one of 8 people to speak at the singer's funeral, was asked ahead of the ceremony to shorten his speech ... so CNN and other networks could air commercials during the broadcast.

"American Idol" alum and Grammy-winning singer Mandisa died earlier this year -- and now, we know how ... as we've obtained her autopsy report.

TMZ obtained a copy of the document which lists Mandisa's official cause of death as "complications of class III obesity," with the medical examiner noting she weighed 488 pounds at the time of her death.

Per the report, the singer's friends found her in a state of decomposition in her residence on April 18. Emergency medical services arrived at the scene, where she was pronounced dead.

A man who attended a recent comic convention in China wore a Kobe Bryant helicopter crash costume to the event ... and, as you can imagine, it's sparked a ton of outrage here in the States.

The unidentified person created the crass and offensive ensemble for the festival in Hangzhou ... using plastic bottles, cardboard and a No. 24 Bryant Lakers uniform for the piece. He also capped it off with a Kobe Bryant mask.

Somehow, as he walked through the venue with it all strapped to his person ... other attendees seemed OK with it.

Actor Erich Anderson, best known for his roles in "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" and "Felicity," has died.

Erich's devastated wife, Saxon Trainor, confirmed the tragic news over the weekend ... revealing in a social media post, he had passed away Friday following a brutal struggle with cancer.

She wrote, "I am sharing my brother-in-law Michael O'Malley's words as I am too bereft now to write anything."

Brother Marquis -- a longtime member of 2 Live Crew -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper passed away Monday -- this according to the group's official social media accounts ... which noted he "went to the upper room." 2LC's manager confirmed his death to us, but didn't have any further details on the cause or manner.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ however that the death appears to be natural, and there isn't foul play suspected.

Jay Leno is railing against the light punishment for most perps caught stealing catalytic converters as the L.A. crime wave is turning deadly ... specifically with the recent murder of "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor.

The stand-up comic and renowned car guru tells TMZ ... it's outrageous the penalty for ripping off converters -- usually a $1,000 fine amounting to just a misdemeanor charge -- isn’t vastly harsher.

JL adds ... The slap on the wrist most thieves receive -- if they even get nabbed -- is the reason they're so brazen.

"General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor's employer is addressing his death -- and the internal outrage over alleged safety concerns  ... meanwhile, we got a big update on the criminal case itself.

Level 8 -- the bar where Johnny worked in downtown Los Angeles before he was shot and killed this weekend following a shift -- posted to Instagram Friday ... remembering him as a beloved coworker and cherished team member who was lost to a senseless act of violence.

Right after this tribute, though, Level 8 went on to tackle a growing chorus of employees and associates who've been blasting them over Johnny's death -- with claims that the bar hadn't done enough to protect their workers -- and they say they're going to delve into this issue.

The woman who was with Johnny Wactor the night he died just went on camera to describe exactly how his murder went down -- and it sounds tragic ... not to mention dramatic.

Anita Joy -- Wactor's coworker who was walking to his car with him Saturday morning in DTLA before he was shot and killed -- went on 'GMA' Friday to break down what happened ... including the moments right before his death, and the moments after he was gunned down.

Check it out ... she says they approached his vehicle, which was partially up on a jack -- they came upon a group of guys whom they thought were tow people taking the car.

NBA legend Bill Walton -- arguably the biggest Grateful Dead fan on the planet -- received a huge tribute at the Dead & Company Sphere show Thursday night ... three days after he tragically passed away.

The band -- which consists of John Mayer and Bob Weir, plus other former Grateful Dead members -- projected images of Walton behind them throughout their hourslong concert at the must-see attraction in Las Vegas.

Some of the pics displayed on the building's massive screens included Walton with Weir and Mickey Hart. They also featured the former Celtics center's No. 32 jersey number, rose petals ... and a whole bunch of tie-dye colors.

10:56 AM PT -- Officials say Drew Gordon was driving a three-wheel Vanderhall Carmel when he crashed with a GMC Sierra pickup around 1 PM on Thursday.

Gordon died at the scene, while the 25-year-old driver of the GMC and a passenger were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials say the preliminary investigation indicates Gordon's vehicle crossed the center line and made contact with the GMC ... and impairment does not appear to have played a role in the accident.

Former NBA player Drew Gordon -- the brother of Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon -- died in a car accident in Portland on Thursday. He was just 33 years old.

Gordon was a star athlete growing up in California ... earning All-American honors at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose.

He went on to play college ball at UCLA and the University of New Mexico for two seasons each ... and later signed with numerous professional clubs in Europe, before making his NBA debut with the Philadelphia 76ers in November 2014.

The female coworker who was with Johnny Wactor the night he was fatally shot is speaking out and calling his killer a "coward" while also claiming the "General Hospital" star died in her arms.

In a lengthy message posted Wednesday to Instagram, Anita Joy opened by saying she needed a few days to collect herself before sharing Johnny's story.

Joy then described the murderer as a "coward who reacted without care of the gorgeous life he was taking." She said she's angry and sad, but most of all she wants justice for Johnny – her friend of 8 years.

Nicole Brown Simpson made some troubling claims against O.J. Simpson before her death ... so says Faye Resnick, who claims O.J. would lurk in bushes to keep an eye on her.

Faye -- who was a close confidant of Nicole's before her murder -- shed light on NBS and O.J.'s dynamic following their split in a sneak peek from Lifetime's docuseries, "The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson" ... saying her late friend was scared of the NFL star.

As FR puts it ... O.J. had allegedly taken to stalking Nicole in the aftermath of their breakup -- with the American athlete even creeping on her from the bushes at one point.

Boston radio host Fred Toucher delivered the worst on-air eulogy ever, calling Bill Walton a "phony hippie" and making a joke about his death, just a day after the legendary hooper-turned-broadcaster passed away ... and suffice it to say, many people are pissed!

Walton -- a College and Basketball Hall of Famer, and, when healthy, one of the most unstoppable big men to ever lace up a pair of sneakers -- died at the age of 71 after battling cancer.

Most people, especially in the cities where Walton played, were in the mood to remember Bill ... just not like this.

Johnny Wactor's death was unjust and unnecessary -- something his ex-fiancée tearfully made clear in no uncertain terms ... with a direct plea to whoever shot and killed him.

Tessa Farrell -- an actress who used to be engaged to the slain "General Hospital" star -- hopped online Monday with a heartbreaking reaction to the news that Johnny had been murdered in Los Angeles during an attempted theft of his catalytic converter.

The video is hard to watch, as Tessa gets emotional throughout as she responds to Johnny's death ... saying it's just a microcosm of what's been happening in L.A. lately crime-wise.

Nicole Brown Simpson's 30-year death anniversary is coming up -- with her sisters saying they're still battling grief ... and O.J. Simpson's passing hasn't helped them move on.

Denise, Dominique and Tanya Brown sat for an interview with Diane Sawyer ahead of a new documentary that's coming out that looks back on Nicole's life and murder -- which they believe was carried out at the hands of O.J. ... even though he was criminally acquitted.

Despite that, the Brown siblings say there were warning signs in Nicole and O.J.'s relationship ... including domestic violence, which they reflect upon in this sit-down and in the doc.

Johnny Wactor -- an actor best known for appearing in nearly 200 episodes of "General Hospital" -- has died, TMZ has learned.

Wactor was shot and killed in downtown Los Angeles early Saturday morning, his mother Scarlett tells TMZ. She says Johnny was with a coworker when they saw three men messing with Johnny's car. While authorities haven't released his name, this matches the description of an incident where three suspects allegedly tried to steal a catalytic converter.

Scarlett says she was told Johnny didn't try to fight or stop them ... but, the men shot him anyway before taking off. According to police info, paramedics rushed to the scene just after 3 AM PT. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.