RIP

Aaron Carter's housekeeper -- who discovered his body -- is a homeless woman he'd taken in ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar tell us ... Aaron and his fiancée, Melanie Miller, went down to Orange County last month for a few nights to visit their son, Prince ... who's currently under the care of Melanie's mom, as neither parent had physical custody of the child.

While they were in the OC, we're told Aaron and Melanie got word of a possible break-in at their house ... their front door was open and someone left behind cigarette butts.

Our sources say when they got back to Lancaster, a friend urged them ... to get someone to house-sit for them if/when they left. Turns out, the friend had a woman in mind from his church ... who happened to be homeless.

We're told Melanie and Aaron met her, and they felt she was a good fit ... so they brokered a deal where they'd offer her a free place to stay in exchange for keeping an eye on the place. She'd also do odd jobs around the property.

As we reported ... it was this same woman who found Aaron dead in his bathtub over the weekend, and who called 911. She's only been living there for 2-3 weeks.

Offset was consoling mourners and they were consoling him after the incredibly emotional memorial service for Takeoff.

Offset was in a parking garage outside the State Farm Arena in Atlanta Friday, hugging friends and receiving it right back as they absorbed the tragedy of their dear friend.

The service was packed with friends, family and fans ... among them, Cardi B.

Cardi has not spoken about the death of her husband's compadre and her dear friend, until now. She posted this ... "Takeoff your untimely passing has brought a great deal of pain and sorrow to so many lives. The impact you had in this world was so considerable and we have struggled to grasp this tragedy. I am heartbroken but I am grateful for all the precious memories we got to share while you were here with us."

She went on ... "This has truly been a nightmare and the pain is incomparable. The emptiness your brothers are feeling is unbearable and I pray that you give Offset ,Quavo, and your friends and family the strength to keep going as they are trying to cope with this loss. I believe that angels send signs and beautiful dreams to loved ones to assure them that they’re watching them and they’re okay and happy…send your mom some of those 🙏🏽."

Cardi made it clear ... she's not just a close friend of the Migos member who was gunned down nearly 2 weeks ago ... "As a Migos fan it hurts me to look at pictures and videos of y’all together, and hearing y’all songs that changed the music industry and moved the culture and had the clubs lit 🔥. It hurts because I know it will never be the same again—but I know your bros and y’all fans will make sure the world never forgets the impact you made."

Takeoff's memorial service in Atlanta just ended, and his sendoff was marked by several emotional moments ... especially speeches from his Migos family and Drake.

The service started shortly after noon, and lasted several hours Friday from State Farm Arena ... which was packed with mourning fans, as well as the celebs who worked with Takeoff and loved him.

Justin Bieber, Chloe Bailey and Yolanda Adams all performed during the ceremony, and Takeoff's family members -- including his mother, brother and sister -- addressed the crowd.

His close friend Drake spoke about the great times he and Migos all shared while touring together. He compared their brotherhood to the famed Rat Pack -- Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford -- which he grew up watching on TV.

Of course, Offset and Quavo spoke not only about Takeoff as their groupmate, but as family. Their speeches, especially Offset's, really had the audience in tears.

All the free tickets to the event were gone almost instantly, and folks in attendance weren't allowed to use their phones -- ushers locked them in pouches during the service.

The venue, where the NBA's Atlanta Hawks play, lit up a big sign out front that read "Celebrating the life of Takeoff."

As we reported ... Cardi B and Offset were dressed in all black Thursday evening in Atlanta, looking somber during a gathering with close friends.

Comedian Gallagher, famously known for smashing watermelons as part of his legendary act, has died ... his longtime manager tells TMZ.

Gallagher died while under hospice care in the Palm Springs area early Friday morning, TMZ has learned. His manager tells TMZ Gallagher died of massive organ failure. He had been in ill health for a while, suffering numerous heart attacks over the years.

The rep tells TMZ, "Gallagher stayed on the road touring America for decades. He was pretty sure he held a record for the most stand-up dates, by attrition alone," adding, "While Gallagher had his detractors, he was an undeniable talent and an American success story."

Gallagher started working as a comedian after college ... getting his big break after appearing on Johnny Carson's 'Tonight Show' back in 1975 ... showing off his prop humor and quickly becoming one of the most popular and recognizable comedians in America.

His trademark bit was the "Sledge-O-Matic," where he'd use a large mallet to destroy a bunch of foods and objects -- always ending with a watermelon. While it started as a parody of the Veg-O-Matic commercials, it would go on to be what millions would remember him for.

Gallagher's since become a pop culture phenomenon, getting parodied and referenced over the years for his act ... most recently being played by fellow comedian Paul F. Tompkins in "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story."

The comedian had 17 specials spanning decades of his work ... with his first special, "An Uncensored Evening," debuting in 1980. He appeared in episodes of "Hollywood Squares," "WTF with Marc Maron," "Tosh.0" and "Celebrity Big Brother."

He had a health scare back in 2011, as we reported, he collapsed onstage during a performance in Minnesota. He also suffered a heart attack the following year in Texas, moments before he was supposed to perform.

We last saw the comedian back in 2014 ... and he offered us some fantastic advice for those looking to get someone a gift while stuck on a budget -- and it's as hilarious as you'd expect.

Gallagher, who was retired, is survived by his daughter, Aimee, and his son, Barnaby.

He was 76.

Kevin Conroy, known as the voice of animated Batman for decades, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Kevin passed away Thursday, according to his rep Gary Miereanu ... following a short battle with cancer.

The actor moved out to California in 1980, first getting cast in the soap opera "Another World" ... before working in theater and television for a number of years.

Many remember Kevin as the titular voice of Batman for decades, first playing the dark knight in "Batman: The Animated Series" from 1992 to 1995.

Since first breaking out as the comic book hero, Kevin's played the character on TV, in movies and even in video games countless times -- including "Batman Beyond," 2001's 'Justice League' series, "Batman: The Killing Joke" and every Batman 'Arkham' series video game.

He took home 7 awards over the years for his voice acting ... including Best Actor for his video game work in 2015.

Kevin wrote a story called "Finding Batman" as part of DC Comics' Pride anthology in 2022 ... going over his experiences in his life as a gay man.

Fellow voice actor Diane Pershing, known for playing villain Poison Ivy alongside Kevin, shared her pain following Kevin's passing ... writing, "He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world."

Kevin is survived by his husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy, and brother Tom Conroy.

He was 66.

Uvalde voters turning out in droves to reelect Texas Governor Greg Abbott -- despite the town's recent school massacre -- is not sitting well with some of the families whose children were murdered.

Kimberly Mata Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was among the 21 victims in May's deadly school shooting, tells TMZ ... she's disturbed more than 60% of the vote in Uvalde County went to Abbott.

The way Kimberly sees it ... Abbott hasn't done anything to curb gun violence or prevent another school shooting from happening in Texas in the 6 months since the Uvalde elementary school shooting ... so she's not sure why folks there keep supporting Abbott at the ballot box.

While Kimberly says she's not surprised Abbott won reelection in Texas, a traditionally red state, she's disgusted to see so much support for Abbott in a community mourning 19 children killed by guns.

Abbott was running against Beto O'Rourke, who confronted Abbott after the Uvalde shooting, telling the governor his apathy towards gun control made the attack "totally predictable." Texas voters didn't buy O'Rourke's message ... he got trounced in a landslide.

Alfred Garza III, whose daughter Amerie died in the Uvalde shooting, echoed some of Kimberly's feelings about the election, telling TMZ ... he's outraged to see so many people voting for a gun advocate.

"Survivor" contestant Roger Sexton has passed away ... after fighting a lengthy battle with dementia.

Family members confirmed that Roger passed away at his daughter and son-in-law's home at the end of October, surrounded by family and caretakers in Walla Walla, Washington.

His obituary states his death follows "a valiant and courageous battle with Lewy Body Dementia" -- the 2nd most common form of the disease, following Alzheimer's.

Fans of the show remember Roger from the 6th season of the reality competition series -- he was on the Tambaqui tribe, and became a leader for his team fairly quickly.

Roger lasted a total of 21 days out in the Amazon ... eventually getting blindsided by the opposing tribe, which got several members of his own team to turn against him.

Roger was a retired Marine -- he served in the Vietnam war in the '60s. He tragically lost his daughter Heather in 1992 when she died of viral pneumonia.

Roger was 76.

Takeoff’s life is being celebrated in the exact Houston location where he was shot and killed.

The memorial for the Migos rapper -- complete with flowers, photos, heart-shaped balloons, and a sign that reads "R.I.P Takeoff" -- was set up outside of 810 Billiards & Bowling, right in the hallway where someone opened fire last week following an argument with Quavo.

As we reported, the hail of gunfire struck Takeoff and 2 other people, who survived their injuries.

Fans are flocking there to pay their respects by leaving lit candles. They've also removed petals from flowers and placed them on the ground in a line to symbolize Takeoff resting in peace.

Let It Slide -- a nonprofit anti-violence organization -- traveled from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to the memorial site to spread their message ... stopping the bloodshed and choosing peace.

As we reported, Takeoff's funeral will be held Friday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Alicia Keys is performing at Takeoff's memorial service this week ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge of the event tell us AK is scheduled to take the stage Friday at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta for the Migos rapper's sendoff. It's unclear how long Alicia will perform, or what exactly she might be singing ... but we do know she'll be there and mic'd up to sing.

Alicia doesn't have any solo tracks with Takeoff specifically, but she and Migos were all featured on Kanye West's last 'Donda' album -- so there is a connection there.

She also posted a tribute to Takeoff after his shooting death, saying ... "This is too much. It's like every day. RIP Takeoff. Sending light to your family and loved ones. We are losing too many too soon!!"

Tickets for Takeoff's memorial are already sold out ... and as we first told you, Justin Bieber is also set to perform at the service.

Longtime Pennsylvania state representative Anthony "Tony" DeLuca won in an Election Day landslide -- which has to sting for his opponent, because DeLuca's no longer living.

The late state rep. received 85% of the votes in Wednesday's midterm election -- despite dying in October from a battle with lymphoma.

The timing of DeLuca's death reportedly made it too late to pick a different Democrat candidate, or to reprint updated ballots.

The Pennsylvania House Democratic campaign committee addressed the issue online Tuesday evening -- saying a special election will come soon to fix the error -- but also thanked supporters, presumably for voting him in posthumously.

Aaron Carter's fans -- at least some of them -- have a growing suspicion the singer may have taken his own life ... but those closest to him couldn't disagree more.

Family sources connected to Aaron tell TMZ the singer had a lot he was looking forward to, and for the first time in a while, he and his ex, Melanie Martin, were in a really good place with their relationship.

Fans have thrown theories around on social media that Aaron may have died by suicide -- pointing to a recent post that read, "LOVE YALL STAY BLESSED STAY SAFE. ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS." Some fans believe Aaron knew he wasn't going to make it to the holidays and was planning on taking his own life -- even appearing out of it on live streams.

Our family sources say if anything, Aaron couldn't wait for the holidays, and was even planning on spending time with both Melanie and their young son, Prince. He also had set up appointments with a family counselor and social worker -- which he knew would help his chances of being a more involved parent.

Law enforcement sources told us they did not find a suicide note at the scene of Aaron's death -- and that there were cans of compressed air and prescription pills in the singer's bathroom and bedroom. Although not conclusive, that evidence suggests he died by accident.

TMZ broke the story, Aaron was found in his L.A. home, having drowned in his bathtub sometime Friday.

We're told the last time he was seen alive was about 2 AM Friday morning after cops were called for a welfare check, which pissed the singer off, and he sent them away.

At this time, an official cause of death for Aaron has been deferred pending toxicology results.

Aaron Carter was working on a sitcom before he passed away ... and we're told the production is going to honor him by moving forward, dedicating the project to his memory.

Brian Farmer, writer and director of "Group," tells TMZ ... Aaron and co. wrapped on the pilot episode of the show a month ago -- and he's since gotten a blessing from Aaron's camp to complete the project and dedicate it to him.

He says the show revolves around group therapy and pushes for mental health advocacy -- something we're told Aaron was eager to open up about, playing a fictionalized version of himself.

Brian tells us he was a kind soul that was a true pleasure to work with -- adding being a part of the show gave Aaron something positive to work toward.

The pilot's currently in post-production, and will be shopped around to networks once completed ... alongside Aaron on the show -- "Freaks and Geeks" star Samm Levine, Anne Judson-Yager from "Bring It On Again," and Mike Starr from "Dumb and Dumber" & "Goodfellas."

Olive Chiacchia, who played his love interest on the show, posted about losing her costar over the weekend ... saying, " I wish the world saw you the way I do, and saw your side of the story."

Aaron Carter was in and out of rehab therapy sessions up until his death, and we're told his last scheduled appointment -- which he missed -- was supposed to happen Friday night.

Sources close to Melanie Martin, Aaron's fiancée, tell TMZ ... she was desperately trying to get him help during their off-and-on relationship -- although he mostly kept her in the dark about any recent addiction struggles.

Our sources say Melanie signed up Aaron for outpatient rehab after confronting him back in September. As we reported, he got a welfare check around that time when fans got worried he was huffing compressed air off-camera.

We're told Aaron agreed to go through the program, with the idea that it would go a long way in helping him regain some custody of their son, Prince -- who's currently under the care of Melanie's mom.

Sources say he stopped the program briefly, but was reinstated last week -- Aaron was supposed to have an online session Friday evening, but was a no-show. When the facility reached out to tell Melanie, she broke the tragic news to them.

Keep in mind, it's possible -- if not likely -- Aaron missed that appointment because he'd already died.

TMZ broke the story ... cops were called to Aaron's Lancaster, CA home Saturday morning for a report of a drowning -- the housekeeper found his body in the bathtub, and the last known contact with him was 2 AM Friday. Aaron's cause of death is currently deferred by the L.A. County Coroner's Office until toxicology results are returned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ there were multiple cans of compressed air in his bathroom and bedroom ... as well as prescription pills.

Leslie Phillips -- a prolific British actor who was part of the 'Harry Potter' franchise -- has died.

His team confirmed he passed away Monday peacefully in his sleep, this according to the BBC. No other details were released.

Phillips is perhaps best known by this generation as the voice of the Sorting Hat in the 'HP' flicks -- he starred in 3 of them ... "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets" and the final movie, "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2."

Before any wizarding work, though, LP already had quite a career on his hands ... having starred in dozens of projects between radio, film and TV. He has a whopping 174 acting credits to his name, many of which date back to the 1950s.

For starters, Phillips made several appearances in the famed "Carry On" slapstick comedy movies and TV show in Great Britain.

Other notable movies he's been in over the years ... "Empire of the Sun," "Is Anybody There?," "August," "Venus," and "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider."

When it comes to TV series ... he'd been in countless. 'Casanova '73' and 'Chancer' come to mind -- as does 'Our Man at St. Marks' and 'Honey for Tea,' among others.

The dude was known for his comedy chops and well-timed catchphrases -- definitely a big deal in British circles, especially those who consumed media in the '50s, '60s and '70s.

Aaron Carter was very clearly struggling with an addiction to huffing compressed air, and investigators found evidence of that at the site of his death.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there were multiple cans of compressed air in Aaron's bathroom and bedroom, as well as prescription pills. It's not clear if that's what caused him to drown, but obviously, it's a big clue into what may have happened.

Our law enforcement sources say the last time anyone saw Aaron alive was 2 AM Friday. We're told Aaron's live-in housekeeper heard a knock at the door at 2 AM and answered ... she says cops had come to do a welfare check ... unclear who called them. Our sources say the housekeeper opened the door and when Aaron heard what was going on he told them to leave and ordered the housekeeper not to bother him.

We're told the housekeeper didn't see Aaron all day Friday, and Saturday morning she went to his bedroom door to see if he wanted coffee. She heard his dog inside the bedroom going crazy, so she opened the door and found Aaron's body in the tub.

Law enforcement believes Aaron's body was in the tub for a long time as there was a smell of decomposition and the water had turned an unnatural color. We're told the tub's jets were still running when Aaron's body was found.

TMZ broke the story, cops were called to Aaron's L.A. area home Saturday for a report of a drowning. Dispatch audio from the 911 call revealed a chaotic scene inside Aaron's home with dispatchers describing a "female yelling" for help. We're told that was the housekeeper.

Aaron's cause of death is currently deferred by the L.A. County Coroner's Office until toxicology results are returned ... which could take months. We're told no suicide note was found and there were no signs of foul play.

Of course, there's been an outpouring of love and tributes for Aaron since his death -- Hilary Duff said, "You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent…boy did my teenage self love you deeply. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy."

The Backstreet Boys also sang and paid tribute to Aaron, his brother Nick got emotional during the show in London.

Late Migos rapper Takeoff's funeral is set for this coming Friday, and much like his career, the homegoing will be big … going down at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The venue, which is home to the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, has the capacity to host more than 20,000 people.

Rev. Jesse Curney, III of New Mercies Christian Church will be officiating the services, which will begin at 1:00 PM … according to Atlanta radio station V-103.

In a statement, Rev. Curney said, "I was really sad to hear the news. Kirsnick has been a faithful member since he was ten years old. He and his family were active and avid supporters of the church and the community as a whole."

Emotions in the city have been heavy since Takeoff was shot and killed on November 1 in Houston.

Graffiti artist Armondo "Ape" Monoletti crafted a mural in Atlanta, just hours after the tragic news and friends and fam of Takeoff held a balloon sendoff over the weekend in his honor.