"American Idol" alum Doug Kiker -- who was known by the moniker "The Singing Garbage Man" -- died from an opioid overdose, TMZ has learned.
According to the City and County of Denver Medical Examiner's report obtained by TMZ, Doug died from the combined toxic effects of fentanyl, methadone, and amphetamines, with recent cocaine use -- and his death has been ruled an accident.
Kiker died last month, as confirmed to TMZ by his brother William and mother Joyce -- with his ex-fiancée, Valerie Cook, telling us she hates that her kids lost their father.
Three people tragically died in a boating accident at a Major League Fishing event Wednesday, officials announced.
The crash occurred during the second day of the org.'s Tackle Warehouse Invitational -- which was taking place at Lewis Smith Lake in Alabama.
A bass fishing boat collided with another vessel while out on the water, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said, killing three ... and leaving multiple others with injuries.
Michelle Trachtenberg's cause of death is official ... with NYC authorities saying she died from complications of diabetes.
The actress -- who passed away in February -- died from "complications of diabetes mellitus" according to the medical examiner, who cited lab results. Diabetes mellitus is the more technical name for diabetes. It doesn't denote whether Michelle had type 1 or type 2.
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The ME is classifying Michelle's death as "natural" ... meaning the investigation into Michelle's death is pretty much closed at this point.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa were still madly in love right up until their tragic deaths -- a stack of love notes found on their property makes that heartbreakingly clear.
Santa Fe authorities released the touching notes -- in one, Hackman sweetly thanked Betsy, who had been caring for him through his advanced Alzheimer’s, for helping him make her own birthday dinner, and signing it off with, "Love you and the guys, G."
It was clear the pair -- who married in 1991 -- loved the old-school way of showing affection ... with Gene calling Betsy a "lovely girl," and in another note saying he was thinking of her.
Former MLS star Aaron Boupendza -- who helped FC Cincinnati win the Supporters' Shield in 2023 -- has tragically passed away after falling from a balcony. He was just 28 years old.
The pro footballer, who was playing for Zhejiang FC, died on Wednesday at his apartment building in China.
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Local police have launched an investigation into Boupendza's death, reportedly treating it as "suspicious."
Gene Hackman's New Mexico property won't have a tough time selling despite some tough circumstances ... at least according to real estate agents in the area.
Gene, his wife Betsy Arakawa and one of their dogs were found dead in their secluded Santa Fe estate earlier this year, and the place was infested with dead rodents and rats' nests ... but realtors say neither instance should be a dealbreaker when it comes time for the property to hit the open market.
Ken Martinez of Keller Williams Realty, Jer Collins of Exp Realty and Shak Bani from Santa Fe Properties all agreed ... the rodent problems will be cleaned up, and the home's secluded location is going to be the big selling point.
Police just released body cam video from the Gene Hackmandeath case ... and you see officers searching his New Mexico home before ultimately finding his and his wife's bodies ... with one of their live dogs lying next to Betsy Arakawa.
TMZ obtained the footage Tuesday and you see cops scouring the Santa Fe home in search of Gene and Betsy.
Police find Betsy's body first -- she's on the floor near a locked exterior door, with one of their dogs by her side ... and Gene's body is later found near the kitchen.
Gene Hackman's handyman and caretaker talked to cops after claiming he spied the late actor's wife's dead body inside their secluded New Mexico home ... telling them to keep things on the down low.
New police body cam footage released Tuesday shows the interaction between cops and Gene's handyman ... and he tells them he went to check on the couple because he hadn't heard from them in nearly 3 weeks.
The guy claims he was trying to get a wellness check and stumbled upon Betsy Arakawa's body. He says it's Gene's house and the couple valued privacy and to keep the incident on the hush.
Wink Martindale is high rolling with God now ... the iconic TV game show host died Tuesday following a cancer battle.
Wink's publicists say the host of "High Rollers," "Tic-Tac-Dough" and "Gambit" passed away in the SoCal desert city of Rancho Mirage, and was surrounded by family ... including his wife Sandra Martindale.
He'd been battling lymphoma for about a year, and was doing well, according to his rep Brian Mayes ... but about 2 weeks ago, Wink took a turn for the worst, and was in a hospital getting treatment when he died.
Wink, whose birth name was Winston Conrad, got his start down South as a radio DJ in the early '50s in Memphis.
He was actually working at WHBQ when the station became the first to play Elvis Presley's debut hit, "That's All Right" in 1954 -- and he reportedly invited Elvis down to the station for his very first interview.
Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, was searching online for answers about symptoms Gene was experiencing just days before dying from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a new investigation shows.
The new report released by New Mexico officials, obtained by TMZ, revealed Betsy had bookmarks open on her computer from Feb. 8 and the morning of Feb. 12 -- the day she died -- showing she was searching whether COVID could cause symptoms like dizziness or nosebleeds.
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An email to her masseuse revealed Gene woke up on Feb. 11 with flu or cold-like symptoms. His COVID test came back negative, but Betsy said she’d reschedule her appointment "out of an abundance of caution."
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been laid to rest -- weeks after their remains had been unclaimed for more than a month after their deaths in New Mexico -- in a private memorial ceremony.
PEOPLE reported Tuesday a funeral was recently held for the couple, with family and close friends attending the memorial. As TMZ reported ... as of March 27, the couple's bodies had not been formally claimed, according to New Mexico's Office of the Medical Investigator.
Hackman's three children -- Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie -- were reportedly at the recent private Santa Fe event.
LSU football coach Brian Kelly is speaking out for the first time following the tragic death of his former player Kyren Lacy ... remembering the wide receiver as a "bright star" and a good person.
Kelly talked with the media after the Tigers' practice on Tuesday ... revealing the players wouldn't be available for interviews as they continue to mourn Lacy, who passed away over the weekend after an apparent suicide.
Coach explained his decision to limit player availability ... saying he wanted to "give them a few more days to collect their thoughts."
Patrick Vettori -- the brother to current UFC middleweight fighter Marvin Vettori -- has passed away at the age of 30 following a house fire in Mezzocorona, Italy.
According to reports, emergency personnel were called after neighbors spotted smoke from Patrick's apartment. Sadly, by the time they arrived, he had already died due to smoke inhalation.
Dead rodents and their nests were scattered across eight detached outbuildings on Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s property in Santa Fe, New Mexico ... a health report obtained by TMZ reveals.
The New Mexico Department of Public Health conducted an environmental assessment back in March, one week after Gene Hackman was found dead in the same house as his wife Betsy, who died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), caused by hantavirus.
Jed Gould, AKA "Jed The Fish" -- a longtime DJ at renowned L.A. rock radio station KROQ -- has died, TMZ has learned.
Jed's death was announced on his Instagram account this morning, in a post noting he died at 6 AM today at his home. Megan Holiday, a current DJ at KROQ-FM, tells TMZ ... Jed died from lung cancer. He had recently been diagnosed with the disease, and unfortunately, he experienced a very rapid decline.
Jed joined KROQ way back in 1978 ... the station has long been known as a big-time outlet for alternative rock, new wave, and punk rock. Jed last spun records on the air there in 2012, when he left his afternoon slot, and later returned as host of a 1980s-music-themed satellite show ... and he's worked a couple other station gigs around California, before and after his KROQ tenure.
