Celebrity Death

It was an emotional home opener for the Columbus Blue Jackets ... as the team honored the life of Johnny Gaudreau with a touching tribute before the action kicked off -- and there wasn't a dry eye in the arena.

During pregame warmups, the entire team wore #13 jerseys as they took the ice ... which will be put up for auction with proceeds going to the John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation.

The tribute to Johnny didn't stop there. The team welcomed Johnny's wife Meredith -- and their two kids -- to the ice as they raised a banner to the rafters "In his memory and the legacy of number 13."

Ka, the Brooklyn-bred rapper with a penchant for letting his elaborate cinematic noir albums do the talking for him -- not public engagements -- died suddenly over the weekend.

On Monday, his IG account broke the bombshell news he died on October 12 in NYC -- the place where he dedicated his livelihood. He is survived by his wife, mother and sister.

No cause of death has been revealed.

Late "American Pickers" star Frank Fritz died from a stroke, TMZ has learned ... this according to officials.

According to Frank's death certificate, obtained by TMZ, the immediate cause of death is "late sequela of cerebral infarction" ... medical jargon for a stroke.

The document says Frank's fatal stroke was a result of cerebral vascular disease ... a condition that affects blood flow and blood vessels in the brain.

El Taiger -- the Reggaeton star who was found shot in the head in Miami last week -- has died ... according to a statement posted to his Instagram.

According to the IG post, written in Spanish, El Taiger -- born José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar -- passed away Thursday afternoon. The announcement thanked fans for their prayers over the last week as they all hoped for a miracle.

The statement says that El Taiger is now reunited with his mother in heaven ... and, the rest of his family thanks the medical staff at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami for doing everything they could to save the star.

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy Sr., is dead.

Ethel died Thursday morning as a result of complications related to the stroke she suffered last week ... the famous family just announced.

As we reported ... Ethel had been hospitalized after suffering a stroke in her sleep.

"Days of Our Lives" actor Drake Hogestyn's official cause of death has been confirmed as pancreatic cancer.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, the L.A. Medical Examiner's report states pancreatic cancer was the immediate cause of his death. Other significant conditions contributing to his death, but not directly causing it, included vomiting, dehydration, and whole-body toxicity.

The report also reveals that Drake was cremated at the Rose Family Funeral Home in Simi Valley.

NHL writer Frank Seravalli is facing a ton of backlash over an insensitive comment he made regarding Johnny Gaudreau's death ... and it's gotten to the point where he was forced to apologize over it all.

Seravalli wrote up an article that included 32 bold predictions for the upcoming season on Monday -- and predicted the Columbus Blue Jackets would win the lottery "with a little help from Gaudreau."

Fans online were quick to call him out  -- and even though he revised the piece multiple times, people were still calling it "disgusting."

Lisa Marie Presley was so heartbroken over her son Benjamin Keough's death she kept his body at home for two months, according to her new memoir, which was completed by her daughter, Riley Keough, after her own death in 2023.

In a segment from the memoir "From Here to the Great Unknown," Lisa Marie revealed she fought to stay alive for her kids, including her twin daughters Harper and Finley Lockwood, now 16 -- and that’s why she couldn’t bring herself to say goodbye to Benjamin right away.

While Lisa Marie wrestled with the decision of whether to bury Benjamin in Hawaii or at Graceland, in Tennessee -- where Elvis is buried -- she kept him in a separate casita at her home in Calabasas, California. It worked out since California doesn’t have laws requiring immediate burial.

Cissy Houston, a Grammy-winning singer and the mother of late singer and actress Whitney Houston, is dead.

Cissy died Monday surrounded by family in her New Jersey home, where she was under hospice care as a result of Alzheimer's disease ... her daughter-in-law Pat Houston confirmed to TMZ.

She's being remembered by Pat as "a strong and towering figure" and "a woman of deep faith and conviction."

TikTok star Taylor Rousseau Grigg, who's amassed over 1.4 million followers on the platform, has died ... this according to her husband.

Cameron Grigg, the 25-year-old influencer's husband, shared the news on his social media Saturday ... saying her passing was, "so sudden and unexpected" -- adding, "This past year Taylor has dealt with more pain and suffering than most people do in a lifetime."

Taylor's husband didn't provide a cause of death, but noted the plan is for her organs to be donated. He signed off by saying they weren't able to financially prepare for the hardship that would come with her passing -- linking to a GoFundMe for fans who are able to help.

Richard Simmons is up in heaven with his trademark tank top and shorts, working up a sweat ... at least that's what his brother said at Richard's celebration of life.

The late fitness guru was remembered Saturday in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana ... and his brother, Leonard, compared him to Clark Kent during a touching eulogy at St. Louis Cathedral.

Leonard says Richard was like Superman in that he always had his tank top and shorts on under his outfit -- like Clark keeping his superhero getup under his civilian clothes.

LeVar Burton is paying tribute to John Amos following news of the actor's death ... crediting the late star for making history in Hollywood.

We caught up with the actor outside ABC Studios in NYC Friday, where LB had nothing but good things to say about the late TV legend. As LeVar put it ... John's legacy is to be celebrated, especially regarding his work as James Evans on "Good Times."

He noted ... "For me, personally, John's legacy will be that he changed the way Black men were perceived on television in America. James Evans was a householder and, prior to that, Black men were really portrayed as absentee fathers, deadbeat dads, that sort of thing. Only good for prison and jail. John Amos changed that."

Rich Homie Quan's first posthumous album, "Forever Going In," was released Friday -- a month after his death ... the day the star rapper would have turned 35.

The album looks to capitalize on RHQ's growing streaming numbers while also memorializing his life -- it clocks in at 35 songs!!!

2 Chainz, Lil Tjay, Sukihana, Skilla Baby and more help round out the guest list -- RHQ's family dedicated the project to all the supporters.

John Amos' daughter Shannon is claiming her brother, K.C., colluded with 2 others to take advantage of the declining actor ... alleging his will was changed before his death.

Shannon appeared on "TMZ Live" Thursday, where she was joined by John's former business manager, Paul Baldassarre, her daughter Quiera Colston, and John's God-daughter Amy Goudy ... to sound the alarm over their unanswered questions about the shocking circumstances surrounding the "Good Times" star's death.

According to Shannon, John was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in 2016, prompting K.C. to move in with their dad -- and she says K.C. then proceeded to isolate the TV legend from his other loved ones ... even monitoring his phone calls.

Ron Hale, the actor arguably best known to soap fans as Mike Corbin on "General Hospital," has died, TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Ron died of natural causes at his home in St. George, South Carolina on August 27. A specific cause of death was not disclosed.

Throughout his decades-long career, the veteran actor appeared in several TV series ... including starring in the popular '70s soap "Ryan's Hope" -- in which he played Dr. Roger Coleridge.

John Amos' death is exposing a family rift ... and it sounds pretty messy.

The late actor's family is now accusing John's son, Kelly Christopher Amos, AKA K.C., of isolating the "Good Times" star from his loved ones before his death.

In a family statement, John's relatives say ... "Over the past year, John Amos was isolated from his family and close friends by Kelly "KC" Amos, Eugene Brummet and Belinda Foster."