Celebrity Death

Dave Loggins, a country singer and songwriter who wrote the theme song for the Masters golf tournament, is dead.

Dave died Wednesday in Nashville ... according to an obituary in The Tennessean.

The cause of death is unclear, but Dave was said to be in hospice care when he passed.

Shelley Duvall, who famously co-starred in "The Shining," is dead after a painful battle with diabetes.

Dan Gilroy, Shelley's life partner for decades, tells TMZ ... he found Shelley unresponsive in their home in Texas at 7 AM Thursday. He says Shelley had been under hospice care, and bedridden, for the last few months while dealing with complications from diabetes. He says she died in her sleep.

Shelley had the unforgettable role of Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" -- she was on the other side of the door when Jack Nicholson smashes through the door with an ax, yelling ... "Here's Johnny!"

Benji Gregory -- best known as the child star on the sitcom "Alf" -- has passed away ... TMZ can reveal.

The actor's sister Rebecca tells TMZ her brother was found dead in his car at a Chase Bank parking lot in Peoria, AZ, on June 13.

His death certificate confirms that date, and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office tells us Benji's cause of death is still pending.

Sam Rubin had a massive blockage of his coronary artery ... according to the L.A. County Medical Examiner's report on his death.

The M.E.'s Office says it determined KTLA's famed entertainment reporter officially died of ischemic heart disease due to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Translation: Sam suffered a heart attack due to the blockage.

As TMZ first reported ... Sam was rushed to UCLA West Hills Hospital back in May, and we were told he had gone into full cardiac arrest while at home.

Joe Bonsall, the longtime tenor for the iconic country/gospel group The Oak Ridge Boys, is dead.

Joe died Tuesday as a result of complications from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) ... according to a statement from his band.

He had been battling ALS -- also known as Lou Gehrig's disease -- for more than 4 years ... and in January he announced he was dropping out of the group's farewell tour.

Joan Benedict -- known for TV favorites like "General Hospital" and "Candid Camera" -- has died.

A family spokesperson announced Monday that Joan, who was the widow of actor Rod Steiger, died on June 24 at L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center due to complications from a stroke.

Joan had a remarkable career, kicking things off in the 1950s with "Candid Camera" ... where one of her most famous moments was playfully tickling men with her feathered hat as they sat next to her.

Sam Worthington's showing love for the late, great producer Jon Landau ... lauding his leadership abilities -- and, referring to their hit movie "Avatar."

The actor shared a statement with Deadline early Sunday in honor of producer Jon Landau who passed away Saturday ... saying JL was a passionate producer who led with humor, strength and compassion.

And, Worthington's honoring him through what they made together too ... writing, "The People say all energy is borrowed and someday you have to give it back. I see you, Jon.” The Na’vi -- the main alien tribe from their hit movies "Avatar" and "Avatar: The Way of Water" -- are also known as "The People."

Judy Belushi-Pisano -- an actress and producer who was married to legendary comedian John Belushi -- has died ... according to posts on John's official social media.

A Facebook and Instagram post shared early Saturday morning announced the tragic news ... saying Judy recently passed away while lauding her for her creative genius and for honoring John in the decades following his overdose death.

The social media posts also mention Judy's involvement with "The Blues Brothers" -- the iconic musical-comedy film starring JB and Dan Aykroyd which Judy was helping to make into a television series, according to IMDb. No cause of death has been revealed.

A piece of Willie Mays' historic career is hitting the auction block ... and the winning bid could end up being a fortune!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Mays' game-worn and autographed threads from the 1969 All-Star Game -- when Mays played for the San Francisco Giants -- are up for grabs via Heritage Auctions.

The No. 24 gray, orange and black jersey features the SF name on the front ... with a sweet John Hancock from the "Say Hey Kid" himself. It also has "Mays 42/3 1969" and the "W.A. Goodman & Sons" label on the front tail.

Shocking new video makes it clear Florida rapper Julio Foolio had almost no time to react when gunmen approached him outside a hotel and fired into his car, killing him.

The shooting went down in Tampa on June 23 just -- 2 days after the Jacksonville native's 26th birthday -- and this surveillance video from the shared parking lot of a Hilton and a Holiday Inn shows the gunman waiting for Foolio's black car.

Foolio had been in town celebrating with friends when the party moved from an Airbnb to the hotel ... a move he chronicled all over his IG shortly before the shooting.

KeKe Jabbar, famous for starring on OWN's "Love & Marriage: Huntsville," is dead.

The reality TV star's death was announced Tuesday by blogger Marcella Speaks during a YouTube live stream, where she read a statement she said was from Keke's family.

In the statement, her fam says Keke died "peacefully at home surrounded in love." They did not mention a cause of death.

Robert Towne, a super-famous screenwriter who won an Oscar for his script for "Chinatown," is dead.

Robert died Monday at his L.A. home, according to a statement Tuesday from his publicist, Carrie McClure. The cause of death was not revealed.

In addition to winning an Academy Award for 1974's classic movie "Chinatown," Robert also wrote two other big movies in the 70s ... "The Last Detail" and "Shampoo."

Andrew Jury -- famous for being one of the grooms on the first season of "Married at First Sight New Zealand" -- is dead.

Andrew died Thursday while he was in custody at Mt Eden Corrections Facility in Auckland, New Zealand ... his father, Roy Jury, told The New Zealand Herald.

The cause of death is unclear ... and prison officials reportedly rushed to save Andrew's life.

O.J. Simpson was included in the 2024 BET Awards' "In Memoriam" segment ...

Check out the clip from the ceremony -- the audience was enthusiastically applauding Sunday as photos of the departed flashed onscreen ... but when O.J.'s picture appeared, labeling him  "Former NFL Player," an awkward silence enveloped the room.

As the shock wore off, a few hesitant claps could be heard ... but the atmosphere remained uneasy.

Jimmy Rollins says he wouldn't mind it if an MLB player never wore the No. 24 again ... telling TMZ Sports he'd be down to see Rob Manfred retire Willie Mays' famous number league-wide.

The possibility of the honor has been floated by baseball fans all over the country the past few days ... after Mays sadly died at 93 years old on June 18.

Seamheads have argued that due to his impact on the league, Mays' old number should get the same treatment that only Jackie Robinson's No. 42 has previously earned from the MLB.

Renuald White -- a soap opera star who broke down barriers for Black people in modeling -- has died ... according to one of his longtime friends.

Fashion designer Jeffrey Banks revealed the news to Women's Wear Daily -- a popular fashion magazine -- Friday sharing that White died last week while under hospice care in Manhattan. He did not provide a cause of death.

White rose to prominence via modeling in the 1970s ... becoming just the second Black model to appear on the cover of GQ in 1979 -- two years after Urs Althaus.