Celebrity Death

Maggie Smith -- a legendary actress who worked professionally for more than 70 years -- has died ... according to a statement from her family.

Her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, released a statement ... saying Smith passed away in the hospital peacefully early Friday morning. They did not give a cause of death.

Smith's family thanked the staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and support during their mother's final days ... and asked for privacy during this trying time.

Memphis jurors took several hours to reach a verdict Thursday, ultimately delivering a guilty verdict to Justin Johnson ... one of the men prosecutors claim murdered Young Dolph back in 2021.

The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts to the charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm -- and Judge Jennifer Mitchell immediately threw the book at him with a life sentence!!!

Closing arguments were delivered Wednesday. Johnson never took the stand but Cornelius Smith testified during the trial Yo Gotti's slain brother Big Jook and suspect Hernandez Govan orchestrated for them to kill any Paper Route Empire rappers they could find.

Fatman Scoop passed away after collapsing onstage in Connecticut last month ... and, now the medical examiner has revealed his official cause of death.

A rep for the Connecticut M.E.'s office tells TMZ ... Scoop -- born Isaac Freeman III -- passed away from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

We're told they consider this cause of death to be natural ... no foul play suspected.

Cat Glover — best known for her work with Prince during his 1980s pop-rock heyday — has died.

Glover's passing was made public Tuesday on her Facebook page ... “It’s with great sadness that we formally announce the passing of Catherine Vernice Glover- AKA ‘Cat.’ Please allow her children, family and friends privacy at this difficult time."

A cause of death was not disclosed.

Crazy Town singer Shifty Shellshock's manager nailed his cause of death as an overdose ... but the medical examiner's now revealing it was a mix of several different narcotics.

According to the L.A. County M.E. Shifty -- whose real name was Seth Binzer -- died back in June from the effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine ... and the manner of his death is accidental.

As we reported at the time of his death, Seth's manager told us the singer had suffered an OD after mixing prescription drugs and street drugs.

Donald Trump seems to have missed the memo on Johnny Carson's death ... calling for the late-night legend to return to 'The Tonight Show' 19 years after dying.

The former prez addressed his supporters at a rally in Pennsylvania Monday, where he took a moment to take shots at late-night TV. Specifically, Trump appeared to take an issue with Jimmy Fallon and his version of 'The Tonight Show,' which he described as "dying."

During this tangent in his address, the Republican nominee called on Carson to return to the long-running talk show and asked the crowd ... "Where's Johnny Carson???"

The man found guilty of murdering rapper PnB Rock learned his fate in court today ... and it will be a long time before he has any chance of getting out of prison.

Freddie Trone, who was convicted on one count of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and two counts of second-degree robbery, was in a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday where a judge sentenced him to 31 years to life in prison.

Another man, Tremont Jones, was found guilty of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy and sentenced to 12 years behind bars. Trone was painted as the murder mastermind by prosecutors ... prosecutors said he sent his teenage son inside the Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurant to rob PnB Rock and drove the getaway car after the deadly burglary.

The trial of Young Dolph's alleged murderers is off to a bombshell start, as one of the accused shooters confessed on the stand, and even implicated his co-defendant.

While testifying Monday, Cornelius Smith admitted he was indeed the man seen firing the semi-automatic weapon in the November 2021 surveillance footage that captured the Memphis rap superstar's murder.

According to Smith, he had no emotions at the time he took Dolph's life, he was simply attempting to line his pockets with cash -- $100,000 to be exact, paid by Yo Gotti's now deceased brother Big Jook, who, himself was murdered in January.

The 3 men charged with murdering Young Dolph are now on trial, and it kicked off with a bombshell allegation about who was behind the 2021 shooting.

During the opening statements, Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman accused the late Big Jook -- brother of Young Dolph's rival, Yo Gotti -- of being responsible after he offered $100,000 to anyone who would kill Dolph to end their ongoing rap feud.

Hernandez Govan, Justin Johnson, and Cornelius Smith are all charged with first-degree murder where they plead not guilty.

Renowned voice actor David Graham, who is best known for voicing Grandpa Pig on the beloved children's series "Peppa Pig," has died ... a former colleague confirmed.

The X account for Gerry Anderson, the creator of "Thunderbirds" -- in which Graham voiced various characters for the British science fiction series and its spinoffs -- broke the sad news to fans on Friday.

The message read ... "We're incredibly sad to confirm the passing of the legendary David Graham. The voice [of] Parker, Gordon Tracy, Brains and so many more. David was always a wonderful friend to us here at Anderson Entertainment. We will miss you dearly, David. Our thoughts are with David's friends and family."

Rich Homie Quan fans have been feeling some type of way since his abrupt death on September 5 -- and they let the support show in their streams!!!

On Tuesday, mourners flocked to World Changers Church International in Atlanta suburb College Park to pay their respects to the late platinum-selling rapper.

On the inside of the church, there were glowing pillars documenting his life. The family has also posted his obituary online.

Shelley Duvall's fans are livid about her being snubbed when she was left off the 2024 Emmys' "In Memoriam" segment, calling it downright disrespectful ... but her longtime partner isn’t sweating it.

Dan Gilroy tells TMZ he’s not upset over Shelley’s omission from the segment ... he's giving the Emmy producers the benefit of the doubt, saying it may have been an oversight -- noting segments like these are planned way in advance.

Dan also tells us, in the grand scheme of things, Shelley being left out of the segment is small potatoes compared to what he and Duvall dealt with over the past few years ... considering she suffered greatly while battling diabetes, which ultimately led to her death in July.

Tito Jackson, the brother of Michael Jackson and co-founder of the Jackson 5, has died.

Tito's 3 three sons -- Taj, TJ and Taryll -- confirmed his passing in a joint Instagram statement ... saying they were all shocked and saddened, while describing their dad as someone who cared about everyone and will be deeply missed. An official cause of death has not been released.

Tito, the older brother of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson, was born Toriano Adaryll Jackson to Joe Jackson and Katherine Jackson in Gary, Indiana. Tito went on to form the famous family’s pop group alongside brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, and, of course, Michael.

Matthew Perry went to rehab scores of times but it never stuck, and a new TMZ documentary explores how some of these facilities can do addicts way more harm than good.

TMZ Studios has a new documentary -- "TMZ Investigates Matthew Perry and the Secret Celebrity Drug Ring" -- which airs on FOX Monday night at 9 PM ET and drops Tuesday on Hulu.

The documentary exposes how a ring of doctors, enablers and rehab centers fuel the addiction of celebs, who pay them all a fortune for services that are the opposite of helpful.

Shelley Duvall returned to acting for the last time after two decades away as her health rapidly declined ... 'cause she knew it would offer her unique solace, TMZ has learned.

As we reported, the trailer for the gory indie flick "The Forest Hills" dropped on Friday ... and fans were both psyched and bummed -- seeing the iconic actress in one last flick after her July death.

Her longtime partner Dan Gilroy tells TMZ ... she stepped in front of the camera again because she wanted to feel like an actress a final time -- knowing it would help lift her spirits amid her health battle.

Michaela Mabinty DePrince -- a ballerina who went from war-torn Sierra Leone to international dancing fame -- has died ... according to a statement posted to her Instagram.

A black and white pic of the star was posted to the account ... with a long caption focused on Michaela's "grace, purpose and strength" -- adding she poured her efforts into both her dancing and her humanitarian efforts.

Her team notes how she was only alive for a short time ... but, her legacy will continue to live on with all those who knew her. No cause of death was noted in the post.