Celebrity Death

Chad McQueen, who famously played Dutch in the 'Karate Kid' movie franchise, is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Chad died Wednesday at his ranch in Palm Desert, CA as a result of organ failure ... according to his longtime attorney, Arthur Barens.

We're told he had an injury a few years ago which led to progressive organ failure and ultimately killed him.

Johnny Wactor's mom is devastated over the potential 5-year sentence one of the suspects in her son's murder case is facing ... telling TMZ she believes he's got zero remorse for his alleged role in the crime.

Scarlett Wactor tells TMZ she fears Leonel Gutierrez, 18 -- who pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and grand theft charges in connection with the case -- was merely charged with whatever was available for his alleged participation. But, she thinks that's not good enough.

Scarlett believes he'll probably only end up serving 1-2 years due to prison overcrowding ... and then will walk free to live a full life -- something Johnny will never get the chance to do.

Detroit Lions legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Schmidt passed away on Wednesday, the team announced. He was 92 years old.

"Joe Schmidt had the heart of a Lion," team owner Martha Firestone Ford said on Thursday ... "which made it appropriate that he was also the heart of our team."

"Joe was a key part of our Championship seasons and continued to be an important part of our organization until his passing."

Illia "Golem" Yefimchyk -- known by many as "The Mutant," and dubbed the "Most Monstrous Bodybuilder" -- has sadly died following a heart attack.

According to local media in Belarus, "Golem" suffered a heart attack on September 6 while at home with his wife, who tried all she could to save her husband ... performing chest compressions while waiting for first responders to arrive.

Yefimchyk was flown to the hospital by helicopter, where he slipped into a coma. His death was confirmed on Wednesday on social media by @whoisthebestbb.

One of 4 suspects charged in the Johnny Wactor murder case has pled guilty to attempted robbery and grand theft charges.

Leonel Gutierrez, 18, is free on bond while he awaits sentencing in November ... and faces up to 5 years in prison.

The "General Hospital" actor was shot and killed back in May after leaving his job as a bartender in downtown L.A. Prosecutors say he was shot by one of the suspects, Robert Barceleau, in the chest after confronting a group of men allegedly trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car.

Frankie Beverly, the legendary soul singer and founder of the funk band Maze, has died.

The singer’s family announced his death on Facebook Wednesday ... keeping the cause of death private and asking for space as they grieve.

Beverly's said in their statement, "He lived his life with pure soul, as one would say, and for us, no one did it better. He lived for his music, family and friends. Love one another as he would want that for us all."

Peter Renaday -- best known as the original voice of Master Splinter on the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" animated TV show -- has died, TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement tells TMZ cops did a welfare check at Peter’s Burbank home Sunday after receiving a call, and they found him dead inside. The death appears to be natural and isn’t being handled as a medical examiner case.

Peter's niece, Mindy Zachary tells TMZ his cause of death is unclear, but she notes Peter's air conditioning had been out, and with Los Angeles’ recent heatwave, temperatures inside his home in the Valley had reached the 90s.

WWE's Monday Night Raw went down live in Calgary on Monday ... and the wrestling promotion and one of its Superstars paid tribute to the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, after an alleged drunk driver tragically killed the brothers.

The emotional tribute in Calgary -- where Johnny spent the first seven years of his NHL career -- started off with Sami Zayn rockin' a Flames jersey with Gaudreau's number 13 as fans in the arena sang along to his music.

It didn't stop there ... after a segment involving Zayn, WWE kicked it to reporters outside the arena, showing off a massive display fans created outside the arena in honor of the brothers.

Chester Bennington's son Jaime says he's getting death threats from Linkin Park fans after criticizing the band’s controversial lead singer, Emily Armstrong.

Jaime claimed in an IG vid Monday people have been sending him nasty messages, including some telling him to kill himself and questioning whether he truly understands what his dad would want if Chester were alive today.

Jaime highlighted the hypocrisy in their messages, saying if they really understood how his dad died, they’d realize their trolling comments are inappropriate, and way off. Chester died by suicide in 2017.

James Earl Jones, one of Hollywood's most instantly recognizable voices for his roles in the 'Star Wars' movies and "The Lion King" ... is dead.

The actor's reps say he passed away Monday morning at his home in upstate New York, surrounded by family members.

James was widely respected for his decades-long career in stage, TV and film productions -- most notably, perhaps, he delivered the booming and menacing voice of Darth Vader in multiple movies in the 'Star Wars' franchise.

Diondre Overton -- a former college football standout at Clemson who helped them win two national championships -- has died after an early morning shooting, cops say.

The Guilford County Sheriff's Office released a statement minutes ago ... saying officers responded to a call about a disturbance at around 2:30 AM in Greensboro, North Carolina Saturday.

When they arrived at the scene, they say they found a shooting victim, identified as Overton. Officers administered medical aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Matt LeBlanc has been MIA, at least in public, for months ... but he was seen out and about Friday in L.A.

The 57-year-old Friends star looked chill in a t-shirt and jeans as he hit up a car showroom in the San Fernando Valley.

Matt hasn't been seen publicly since December ... 2 months after the death of Matthew Perry.

KeKe Jabbar's cause of death has been revealed ... TMZ has learned she died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

TMZ has obtained the autopsy report from the Alabama medical examiner ... and it shows the reality star had 64% carboxyhemoglobin in her blood.

Carboxyhemoglobin is what forms in red blood cells when carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin ... which sticks 200 times more tightly than oxygen.

Dave Castro -- the creator and director of the CrossFit Games -- is apologizing to Luka Đukić and his family following the death of his brother, Lazar ... admitting he made a mistake with comments he made after the tragedy.

Castro released the statement Thursday night on his Instagram page ... responding to Luka's lengthy statement about how things played out in the hours after Lazar drowned during an event -- specifically how Castro claimed the Games would continue with the Đukić family's blessing.

"I should never have said that the decision to continue the CrossFit Games in August was 'blessed' by their family," Castro said. "At the time, the decision was made to continue the Games and allow our athletes to compete -- and we respected those athletes who decided to withdraw."

Big Sean is confident he released the best rap album of 2024 ... but news of Rich Homie Quan's death is weighing heavy on his heart, like so many others in the hip hop community.

The Detroit-bred MC caught up with TMZ Hip Hop at his "Better Me Than You" album pop-up event in Hollywood Thursday, where he told us he'll be cherishing the various sessions he and Quan shared over the years inside L.A.'s famed Treehouse Studios.

We confirmed Rich Homie's death, which happened suddenly Thursday morning. Sean remembers the Atlanta rapper as a good-hearted, unique talent.

Rich Homie Quan fans lucky enough to be at his final performance can remember the late rapper full of energy he displayed just a few days before he passed away.

Check out this video obtained by TMZ ... the platinum-selling rapper was onstage for a car and bike show Sunday night in El Dorado, Arkansas ... belting out his hits while fans crowded around, snapping up close pics.

At one point, the "Type Of Way" rapper had a drink in his hand as he kept jamming out into the night ... he, and his fans, totally unaware it would be his final time doing what he did best.