Celebrity Death

Mike Newman -- the star of “Baywatch” who passed away last month after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease -- received a touching send-off from those close to him ... a paddle out held in his honor.

Matthew Felker -- the director behind the Hulu docuseries “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun” -- helped make the event happen ... and, check out the photo. It’s a fitting tribute to someone who spent so long acting near the water.

We’re told Newman’s costar David Chokachi -- the actor who played Cody Madison in more than 80 episodes of the show during the later ‘90s -- also came to pay his respects to Mike.

Jim Carrey's older sister Rita has died ... this according to her husband of 16 years, Alex.

Rita's husband posted the update on Facebook Friday morning, where he shared the radio personality passed away "peacefully and quietly" on Thursday.

As he continued, Rita's husband remembered her as his "bestest friend," "lover" and "beautiful wife."

Liam Payne sought out the hotel employee accused of delivering him drugs very shortly before his death ... and their interaction is captured in this newly discovered surveillance footage.

TMZ exclusively obtained the video showing Liam briefly stepping out of an elevator in the basement of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires... chatting with one of the 3 people charged in connection with his death.

Our sources at the hotel tell us the staffer who shakes hands and chats with Liam in the video is Ezequiel David Pereyra ... a bellboy at the hotel who police say delivered drugs to Liam in a soap box. While police have not yet confirmed it's Pereyra in this video, we know they have the footage.

Piff the Magic Dragon is confirming he actually spent almost $60K to clone his late dog, Mr. Piffles ... telling TMZ he's "so glad" he did.

We caught up with the magician after the sad news his longtime performing companion and beloved Chihuahua had died ... with the "America's Got Talent" alum revealing he created a contingency plan for this inevitable day back when his pup first started getting older.

Though word of Piff's decision to clone the pup broke a while back, the British comedian assured us he "genuinely cloned" Piffles ... and even had Mr. Piffles 2.0 join him on camera for a quick hello.

George Lemore, who starred in the 1995 film "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh," doesn't think anyone should pick up the villain's famous hook in the aftermath of Tony Todd's death.

We caught up with the actor a week after his former costar died of natural causes at the age of 69, prompting George to advocate to the powers that be to leave the 'Candyman' franchise alone.

As George put it ... the horror series, which dropped its first film back in 1992, should be left as a classic and shouldn't be rebooted again ... declaring it's comparable to other greats in the popular genre.

Quincy Jones' cause of death has been revealed ... the legendary music producer died from cancer, TMZ has learned.

According to the death certificate released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, obtained by TMZ ... the official cause of death is pancreatic cancer -- which happens to be the 4th leading cause of cancer deaths in the country.

According to the doc, there were no other contributing factors to his death.

Sergio Mendes' cause of death has been revealed -- the Brazilian musician died from respiratory failure.

According to the death certificate, obtained by TMZ, the official cause of death is acute hypoxemic respiratory failure ... a condition that occurs when there's not enough oxygen in the body.

The condition can be brought on by pneumonia ... and Sergio's death certificate says aspiration pneumonia is an underlying cause here. This specific type of pneumonia is a lung infection resulting from food, liquid or other substances being inhaled into the lungs.

Fernando Valenzuela's cause of death has been revealed -- the Los Angeles Dodgers legend died of septic shock.

TMZ Sports has obtained the 1981 World Series champion's death certificate ... which listed decompensated alcoholic cirrhosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis as underlying causes.

The medical examiner also suspects Valenzuela suffered from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease ... a rare brain disorder.

Marco Angulo -- an up-and-coming midfielder in the MLS -- has passed away from injuries he suffered in a car crash in his home country of Ecuador last month.

Angulo's club, FC Cincinnati, addressed the heartbreaking news on Tuesday ... saying, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Marco -- a husband and father, a brother and son, a friend and teammate."

"He was a joyful, kind young man who lit up every room he entered. Our entire club grieves this tragedy, and we are thinking of and praying for his family."

One of Liam Payne’s homes in South Florida, where he was living before his death, is back on the rental market.

Real estate sources tell TMZ, a massive 5-bed, 6-bath mansion in Wellington, FL went back up for rent at the end of October for $9,950 per month. The former 1D star had signed a short-term lease for the property before ultimately moving out in July.

We’re told the place got a refresh with new paint, décor, and more since the original listing pics were taken -- so it's rocking a much fresher, renovated vibe.

9:53 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources in Buenos Aires confirm to TMZ ... Liam Payne's father, Geoff, asked for the missing Rolex watch after he was given Liam's possessions when he flew to the city last month, saying the watch has sentimental value. Police confirmed the Rolex has disappeared.

Security camera video reportedly shows the watch on Liam's wrist hours before he died -- but authorities say Liam was not wearing the watch when he fell from the balcony, and they officially state it was not stolen after he fell.

Police in Argentina are trying to locate Liam Payne's Rolex watch after his drug-fueled fatal fall from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room, TMZ has confirmed.

One of the 3 people charged in Liam Payne's death probe is speaking out for the first time, saying he did nothing wrong in connection with the singer’s tragic death last month.

Braian Nahuel Paiz, who has been accused by Argentinian authorities of allegedly supplying drugs to the 1D star, spoke to local news outlet Telefe Notifica -- admitting to having 2 hotel meetings with the singer -- but he denies ever supplying Payne with drugs or receiving any money from him.

Paiz told the outlet he first met Liam at the restaurant where he worked as a waiter on October 2. He claimed Liam didn’t eat anything because he was already under the influence of drugs, and says Liam later invited Paiz to his Buenos Aires hotel room, where they took a few whiskey shots together.

Rita Ora could barely contain her grief while tributing Liam Payne at MTV's European Music Awards Sunday ... choking up as she lauded her late pal for his positive personality.

The singer-songwriter -- who hosted the show in Manchester, England -- took the stage during one break and highlighted Liam, who passed away after falling from a hotel balcony last month.

Rita starts out by saying the team behind the EMAs just wanted to take a minute to remember Liam ... a great friend to MTV and her personally.

7:37 PM PT -- Virginia Madsen, who starred in the 1992 "Candyman" film with Tony Todd, has shared her grief amid the news of the actor's passing ... revealing she was at a loss for words.

In a video posted to Instagram, the actress remembered Tony as her "beloved" costar ... fighting back tears while thanking fans for their "kind wishes."

She expressed a similar sentiment in the caption, adding ... "The great actor Tony Todd has left us and now is an angel. As he was in life. More later but I can’t right now. I love you."

Tony Todd -- best known for his title role in the "Candyman" horror film franchise -- has died, TMZ has confirmed.

His rep, Jeffrey Goldberg, tells us ... Tony died of natural causes at his Marina del Rey home in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. Goldberg did not disclose an exact cause of death.

Todd was a longtime actor with an impressive list of credits, landing parts in movies such as "The Crow," "The Rock," "Final Destination," "Platoon and "Night of the Living Dead."

Liam Payne did not commit suicide, according to the prosecutor in charge of the case in Argentina ... a law enforcement source in Buenos Aires tells TMZ.

We're told the prosecutor in the case has officially ruled Liam did not die by suicide, stating the effects of the drugs the One Direction alum took caused him to fall to his death from the balcony of his suite at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel back on October 16.

As we told you Thursday, 3 people have been arrested in the case -- a housekeeper at the hotel, a friend of Liam's, and an alleged drug dealer ... this after multiple raids conducted by local police.

Big break in Liam Payne's death investigation -- Buenos Aires authorities have charged 3 people they believe were involved ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the 3 people were charged Thursday, and at least one of the suspects worked at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, where Liam died.

We're told one suspect is described as a "friend" who was in Liam's hotel room with him, but left him there at some point before he died. That suspect has been charged with abandonment of a person before death.