RIP

Al parecer, Alec Baldwin no quería pasar por el circo de Zoom en Nuevo México para hacerle frente a los nuevos cargos en su contra, así que está dando una declaración desde una distancia aún mayor.

El actor renunció a su aparición que se fijó para el jueves por la mañana, donde estaba previsto que se presentara en un tribunal en el condado de Santa Fe para decirle a la corte cómo se siente acerca de la acusación de homicidio involuntario que se volvió a presentar en su contra en las últimas semanas.

En su lugar, acaba de presentar una declaración de no culpabilidad a través de sus abogados, optando hacerlo de manera virtual. Tiene sentido, ya que ha señalado a través de sus abogados que quiere que todo esto se haga rápidamente y fuera del centro de atención.

Recordemos que Alec dejó claro la semana pasada que tiene derecho a un juicio rápido, haciendo hincapié en el hecho de que no quiere alargar esto más de lo necesario. Hay algunas condiciones de liberación que tiene que cumplir, no consumir alcohol, no sustancias ilegales y no armas de fuego y no salir de los EE.UU. sin permiso por escrito... lo de siempre.

Ahora que se ha declarado inocente, el caso puede continuar, y finalmente tendrá que venir a la corte para el juicio. Teniendo en cuenta que Alec ha negado cualquier delito desde el principio, todos apunta a que la lucha contra final será frente a un jurado.

Alec ha recibido apoyo últimamente, en concreto, de SAG-AFTRA, que emitió un comunicado diciendo que no es el trabajo de un actor comprobar las armas de fuego en el set.

Recuerde, la oficina del fiscal allí ya intentó procesarlo una vez - pero retiró los cargos ... solo para resucitar de nuevo a través de un gran jurado, presumiblemente en nuevas pruebas que piensan que hace que su caso sólido.

Alec Baldwin apparently didn't want to go through the circus of Zooming into New Mexico to face the renewed charges against him -- so, he's skipping it, and entering a plea from an even further distance.

The actor waived his appearance that was set for Thursday morning, where he was due to beam into a courthouse in Santa Fe County and tell the court how he feels about the involuntary manslaughter charge that was re-filed against him in recent weeks.

Instead, he just submitted a not-guilty plea through his attorneys ... opting to pass on a virtual pop-in. Makes sense -- he's already telegraphed his game plan, signaling through lawyers that he wants this all done quickly and out of the spotlight.

Remember, Alec made clear last week that he has the right to a speedy trial ... emphasizing the fact he does NOT want to drag this out any longer than it needs to be. There are some conditions of release he has to abide by too -- no consuming booze, no illegal substances and no firearms and no leaving the U.S. without written permission ... the usual.

Now, that he's pled not guilty ... the case can continue, and he'll eventually have to come to court for the trial itself. Considering Alec has been denying any wrongdoing from the start -- all signs point to him fighting this thing to the very end, in front of a jury.

Alec has gotten some support lately on this front -- specifically, from SAG-AFTRA ... which put out a statement saying it's not an actor's job to check firearms on set.

Remember, the D.A.'s office there already tried prosecuting him once -- but dropped the charges ... only to resurrect them again through a grand jury, presumably on newer evidence they think makes their case solid.

El hombre que organizó la fiesta para apoyar a los Chiefs y que terminó con tres personas muertas está buscando ayuda para lidiar con las adicciones, y TMZ ha averiguado más información sobre los fallecidos que podrían dar algunas pistas de lo que pasó.

Jordan Willis, quien invitó a varios amigos a su casa en el área de Kansas City para ver a los Chiefs a principios de enero, ahora está buscando tratamiento para superar el abuso de sustancias. Su abogado dice que este "reconoció que tenía un problema con la adicción", después de que sus tres amigos aparecieran muertos en su patio trasero tras una noche viendo fútbol, según informa Fox News.

Recuerden, las familias de estos tres hombres levantaron las alertas luego de varios días sin tener noticias de sus seres queridos. La policía se presentó en casa de Willis el 9 de enero y lo esposó cuando solo estaba en ropa interior, aunque no fue detenido.

Allí encontraron a David Harrington, Ricky Johnson y Clayton McGeeney sin vida en su casa. Un quinto hombre, Alex Waemer-Lee, también asistió al evento, pero al parecer abandonó la fiesta un poco antes.

Ahora, es interesante que Willis vaya a ingresar a rehabilitación porque TMZ ha hecho algunas investigaciones que coinciden con la idea de que esta tragedia podría estar relacionada con las drogas después de todo.

Por ejemplo, hemos averiguado que uno de los hombres, Clayton, tenía conexiones con productos farmacéuticos que podrían arrojar algo de luz: McGeeney tenía una licencia farmacéutica activa que fue emitida el año pasado y que expira a fines de mayo de 2024.

Aunque no sabemos si estaba trabajando en alguna farmacia en particular o practicando la farmacología de alguna manera al momento de su muerte, sí sabemos que la licencia le permitía trabajar como técnico de farmacia si lo deseaba.

Otro hecho interesante es que David Harrington, otro de los hombres que falleció, fue detenido en Colorado en 2011 por posesión de una sustancia controlada de la Lista II aunque parece que terminó con un año de libertad condicional y pagando algunas multas.

No sabemos a ciencia cierta cuál fue la sustancia que dio lugar a la detención de Harrington, pero las drogas que están dentro de la Lista II en Colorado incluyen los opiáceos como la oxicodona y el fentanilo, y otros narcóticos similares.

A primera vista, algunos de estos hechos parecen alinearse con lo que la policía ha mantenido desde el principio, es decir, que no hay evidencia de juego sucio y que por ahora tampoco sospechan de homicidio, aunque la investigación sigue en curso.

Alex Caprariello, un reportero de NewsNation que ha estado cubriendo la historia desde el principio, informó que las familias de las víctimas se están reuniendo con el fiscal del condado de Platte para "discutir la investigación y la posibilidad de un proceso penal".

The man who hosted the ill-fated Kansas City Chiefs watch party that ended with three deaths is reportedly seeking addiction help in rehab -- and TMZ has learned more info about the deceased that could provide clues about what might've happened.

Jordan Willis -- who invited several friends to his K.C.-area home to watch the Chiefs play in early January -- is now seeking treatment for substance abuse -- with his attorney saying he "recognized that he had a problem with addiction" ... this in the aftermath of his three friends turning up dead in his backyard after a night of watching football ... according to Fox News.

Remember ... families of the three men raised the alarm after they hadn't heard from their loved ones for several days. Police showed up at Willis' house on January 9 and placed JW in handcuffs while he was just in his underwear -- though he was not arrested.

They found David Harrington, Ricky Johnson, and Clayton McGeeney dead at his home. A fifth man, Alex Waemer-Lee, attended the event but reportedly left the party early.

Now, it's interesting that Willis is heading to rehab -- because TMZ has done some digging that jibes with the notion that this tragedy may, perhaps, be drug-related after all.

For instance, we've learned that one of the men, Clayton, had a connection to pharmaceuticals which might shed some light. We've uncovered that McGeeney had an active pharmacist license which was issued last year and set to expire at the end of May 2024.

While we don't know if he was working at any pharmacy in particular or practicing pharmacology in any way at the time of his death ... we do know the license would allow him to work as a pharmacy technician if he so desired.

Another interesting fact ... David Harrington -- another one of the men who died -- was arrested back in Colorado in 2011 for possession of a Schedule II controlled substance ... although it seems he ended up with just a year of probation and paying some fines.

We don't know for certain what the substance was that resulted in Harrington's arrest, but Schedule II drugs in Colorado include opiates such as oxycodone and fentanyl, and other similar narcotics.

On the face of things, some of these facts appear to line up with what police have maintained since the beginning ... namely, that there's no evidence of foul play, and that for now, they don't suspect homicide either -- though, the investigation remains ongoing.

Alex Caprariello, a NewsNation reporter who's been chasing the story since the beginning, reported the families of the victims are meeting with the Platte County prosecutor to "discuss the ongoing investigation and possibility of criminal prosecution."

Los padres de la modelo de OnlyFans Courtney Clenney, la mujer acusada de asesinar a su novio, estaban obsesionados con tratar de acceder a la computadora del hombre que falleció y accedieron ilegalmente a él, por lo que afirman los fiscales en el caso.

TMZ dio a conocer la historia, Kim y Deborah Clenney fueron detenidos el martes por cargos de delito grave por acceso no autorizado o acceso excesivo a un computador. Su hija, Courtney, también fue acusada del delito.

Según la declaración jurada de la policía, el padre de Courtney, Kim, entró en posesión del computador portátil de Christian Obumseli poco después de que Courtney lo apuñalara hasta la muerte en abril de 2022.

Los fiscales obtuvieron una serie de mensajes de texto entre los padres de Courtney y sus abogados, que hacen referencia repetidamente a la necesidad de averiguar la contraseña de Christian. Había más de 4.200 textos en los chats de grupo entre los padres y los abogados.

Al parecer, Courtney había proporcionado una lista de posibles contraseñas y, mediante ensayo y error durante una semana, lograron descifrarla. La contraseña terminó siendo su cumpleaños ... 0412.

El abogado de Courtney le dijo al grupo que no accediera al computador, pero Kim le dijo al abogado que ya había accedido y estaba "empezando a husmear". Dijo que no había abierto ningún archivo y que no había visto nada.

Como informamos, lo único que había en el disco duro era un balance de criptodivisas. Los fiscales no han alegado, al menos por ahora, que Kim o Deborah borraran algún contenido.

The parents of OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney, the woman accused of murdering her boyfriend, were obsessed with trying to gain access to the dead man's computer and unlawfully accessed it ... so claim prosecutors in the murder case.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim and Deborah Clenney were arrested Tuesday on felony charges of unauthorized access or excessive access to a computer. Their daughter, Courtney, was also charged with the crime.

According to the police affidavit, Courtney's dad, Kim, came into possession of Christian Obumseli's laptop shortly after Courtney stabbed him to death in April 2022.

Prosecutors obtained a series of text messages between Courtney's parents and her lawyers, which repeatedly reference the need to figure out Christian's password. There were more than 4,200 texts in the group chats between the parents and the lawyers.

Courtney had apparently provided a list of potential passwords and through trial and error over a week's time, they were able to figure it out. The password ended up being his birthday ... 0412.

Courtney's lawyer told the group not to actually access the computer, but Kim told the lawyer he had already accessed it and was "starting to poke around." He said he had not opened a file and didn't see anything.

As we reported, the only thing on the hard drive was a cryptocurrency balance sheet. Prosecutors have not alleged -- at least not yet -- that Kim or Deborah deleted any content.

Both Deborah and Kim will appear in Miami court via zoom Wednesday morning. They are living in Austin, TX and prosecutors are trying to extradite them to Miami, where their daughter sits in jail awaiting her murder trial.

Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson says his heart is broken ... because his wife of 28 years has tragically died.

Brian just announced the death of his spouse, Melinda Kae Ledbetter Wilson ... and their kids say she died peacefully Monday at home. An official cause of death is unknown... and the exact circumstances surrounding her death haven't been revealed either.

In a heartfelt Instagram post, Brian says ... "Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career."

Brian continues ... "She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us."

The couple adopted five children together and Brian says they are all in tears and are lost.

Brian and Melinda first met way back in 1986 when she sold him a Cadillac ... dating on and off for a couple years until rekindling their romance in 1992 and getting hitched in 1995 at Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

Their relationship even inspired a biopic ... 2014's "Love & Mercy" starring John Cusack as Brian and Elizabeth Banks as Melinda.

Briana and Melinda's kids are remembering her as "a force of nature and one of the strongest women you could come by. She was not only a model, our fathers savior, and a mother, she was a woman empowered by her spirit with a mission to better everyone she touched."

They say she taught them lasting lessons, like ... "How to take care of the person next to you with out expecting anything in return, how to find beauty in the darkest of places, and how to live life as your truest self with honesty and pride."

Melinda was 77.

Megan Thee Stallion's beef with Nicki Minaj has taken an ugly turn -- cops are getting involved to protect her late mother's gravesite, this after doxxing by her arch-rival's fandom.

The Texas cemetery where Megan's mom, Holly Thomas, was laid to rest after passing away from brain cancer in 2019 -- tells TMZ ... they've notified local authorities and increased security personnel at their facility in light of the escalating feud.

What's more ... we're told PSC will continue to monitor the situation as they take all matters regarding safety and security seriously -- and lately, things have been getting too real.

They do add ... as of yet, thankfully nothing has happened to the gravesite, but they emphasize they're on high alert regardless.

The extra precautions come after some of Nicki's "Barbz" -- AKA, her army of fiercely loyal supporters -- first leaked the location of Holly's burial site on social media ... encouraging others to go and desecrate her grave as a way to get back at MTS for her OG diss.

It all kicked off last week when Nicki distastefully cracked a joke about MTS' mother on the streaming platform Stationhead. Her exact line at the time was ... "You better go conjure up your mother and apologize. That's disgusting." It seems some of her fans took that to heart.

No doubt, ya gotta figure that was particularly heartbreaking for Megan to hear ... as she's been super candid and emotional over the years about her mother's influence in her life.

Megan has also been very open about what the loss of her mom has meant to her -- and by all accounts, it's been very difficult ... something that's been well-documented and discussed.

Now, Nicki did later explain that she only took the shot at Meg's mom cause MTS was coming after her own family. In particular, MTS seemed to reference Nicki's husband, Kenneth Petty, in her new track "Hiss" -- making a "Megan's Law" reference that many interpreted as shade toward Petty's legal trouble.

So, tit for tat really ... many felt Nicki had just gone too far, and doubly so for any one of her supporters who was seriously considering heading over to Holly's grave.

Riley Keough está tratando de luchar contra un cobrador de deudas del otro lado del charco que quiere que suelte un montón de dinero por una casa que su difunta madre poseía.

La hija mayor de Lisa Marie Presley -que ahora está a cargo tras la muerte de su madre el año pasado- acaba de presentar nuevos documentos legales que le pidien a un juez que declare que ella no está de acuerdo con pagar ningún tipo de deuda.

En la presentación -obtenida por TMZ- Riley señala que todo esto tiene que ver con una finca en Rotherfield llamada Coes Hall, una propiedad de 11 dormitorios que Lisa Marie aseguró con un préstamo del Banco Barclays el 2010.

Barclays está reclamando que Lisa debía un saldo pendiente de alrededor de $1.6 millones a Coes Hall y el banco afirma que Lisa garantizó el pago personalmente cuando tomó el préstamo. A raíz de su muerte, Barclays espera que paguen la cuenta de la garantía personal.

Riley dice que esto es falso. en su papeleo, dice que hay al menos dos razones por las que debería tener que pagar la deuda, para empezar, dice que ha prescrito un plazo clave.

Riley afirma que Barclays tenía un plazo para presentar cualquier tipo de reclamación hasta el 12 de enero 2024, el primer aniversario de la muerte de Lisa, que ha llegado y se ha ido sin ninguna novedad para el banco. Ella también afirma que Lisa solo garantiza el pago de intereses sobre el préstamo entre 2010 y 2015, por lo que la confianza no debería tener que pagar el capital pendiente.

Riley Keough is trying to fight off a debt collector from across the pond, which she claims wants her to cough up a lot of money for a house her late mother owned ... but Riley's pushing back.

Lisa Marie Presley's eldest child -- who's now in charge of the trust left behind after her mom's death last year -- just filed new legal docs asking for a judge to declare she's not on the hook for a fat tab that a bank is attempting to collect from the trust.

In the filing, obtained by TMZ, Riley notes this all has to do with an estate in Rotherfield called Coes Hall -- an 11-bedroom property that LMP brought back in 2010 ... and which she secured with a loan from Barclays Bank.

To make it simple ... Barclays is claiming Lisa owed an outstanding balance of about $1.6 million on Coes Hall -- and the bank claims Lisa personally guaranteed payment when she took out the loan. In the wake of her death, though, Barclays is trying to have the trust pick up the tab for the personal guarantee.

But RK is calling BS ... in her paperwork, she says there are at least 2 reasons why she shouldn't have to pay the debt -- for starters, she says a key statute of limitations has run.

Riley claims Barclays had a deadline to file any kind of claim on this -- namely, Jan. 12, 2024 ... the 1-year anniversary of Lisa's death ... which has come and gone without the bank filing legal papers. She also claims Lisa only guaranteed interest payments on the loan between 2010 and 2015, so the trust shouldn't have to pay down the outstanding principal.

Chita Rivera -- a pioneering Tony-winning Broadway star and the first Latina recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor -- has died.

The tragic news was confirmed by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, who said she passed away in New York following a brief illness.

Born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson, Chita famously forged a path for Latina artists ... becoming the first person to play Anita in "West Side Story" in 1957 and Velma Kelly in "Chicago."

She earned a staggering 10 Tony nominations during six decades on stage ... bagging the Best Actress in a Musical award for both "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and "The Rink."

Chita also starred in Broadway productions of "Threepenny Opera," "Kiss Me Kate," and "Sweet Charity," among many others.

Most recently, she was dancing onstage in the 2015 production of "The Visit" ... telling AP at the time she didn't know what she'd do if she wasn't moving, telling a story, or singing a song -- adding performance was "the spirit of my life."

Chita was also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and became a NY Times bestseller in 2023 with the release of her book, "Chita: A Memoir."

She's survived by her daughter Lisa Mordente, siblings Julio, Armando, and Lola del Rivero, and her many nieces and nephews.

Her rep, Merle Frimark, revealed in a statement her funeral would be private and a memorial service would be announced in due course.

Chita was 91.

Chita Rivera, estrella pionera de Broadway, ganadora de un Tony y primera latina galardonada con el prestigioso Kennedy Center Honor, ha fallecido.

La trágica noticia fue confirmada por su hija Lisa Mordente, quien dijo que Chita falleció en Nueva York tras una breve enfermedad.

Nacida bajo el nombre de Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson, Chita es famosa por haber forjado un camino para los artistas latinos, convirtiéndose en la primera persona en interpretar Anita en "West Side Story" en 1957 y Velma Kelly en "Chicago".

Durante sus 60 años sobre los escenarios obtuvo 10 nominaciones a los premios Tony y se llevó el galardón a Mejor Actriz en un musical por "Kiss of the Spider Woman" y "The Rink".

Chita también protagonizó producciones de Broadway como de "Threepenny Opera", "Kiss Me Kate" y "Sweet Charity", entre muchas otras.

Más recientemente, estuvo bailando en la producción de 2015 de "The Visit". En ese momento le dijo a AP que no sabía qué haría si no se pudiera moverse, contar una historia o cantar, añadiendo que la actuación era "el espíritu de su vida."

Chita también recibió la Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad y se convirtió en un bestseller del New York Times en 2023 con el lanzamiento de su libro, "Chita: A Memoir".

Le sobreviven su hija Lisa Mordente, sus hermanos Julio, Armando y Lola del Rivero, y sus numerosas sobrinas y sobrinos.

Su representante Merle Frimark reveló a través de un comunicado que su funeral sería privado y que se anunciaría un servicio conmemorativo a su debido tiempo.

There's a new video game where Batman gets a final sayonara from his worst foes -- and fans of the late Kevin Conroy are absolutely fuming over it ... calling it a terrible send-off.

The game's called 'Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League' -- due out in a few days -- and some of the footage from a particular scene involving the Dark Knight (voiced by Conroy) is already making the rounds online ... which depicts this version of Batman's brutal death.

Indeed, in this universe ... Harley Quinn fires a bullet into Batman at close range, officially killing him off -- and people who grew up watching Conroy's Batman are kinda losing it.

There's a number of reasons why folks are mad -- but the biggest one, it seems, is that some feel this is a disrespectful way to leave Conroy's legacy as the Caped Crusader. It is, in fact, the last time he played Batman before tragically passing in 2022 from cancer.

While this game's developer/distributor (Rocksteady/WB) likely didn't foresee Conroy dying so suddenly -- diehards of his character and the superhero at large are still dragging these companies through the coals for the decision to off Batman like this ... very wham bam.

However, others are actually pushing back against the outrage ... for two good reasons. One ... it's a freaking video game/fictional character -- and all this is pretty damn silly, TBH.

More importantly, though, many are rightly pointing out that Conroy himself signed up for this story when taking the job -- and considering how closely he cherished the role/character of Batman for as long as he did it ... some think the angry mob should respect his decision.

"Poltergeist" star Dominique Dunne's death at the hands of her boyfriend enraged a very famous actor so much ... he told her family he could have the guy murdered.

Dominique, the daughter of famed writer/producer Dominick Dunne and sister of actor/producer Griffin Dunne, was strangled to death by BF John Sweeney, a famed L.A. chef, back in 1980. Sweeney was charged with murder but, in what almost everyone involved says was a gross miscarriage of justice, he was convicted of manslaughter and only served several years in prison.

Griffin, Dominick and family friend/Oscar-winning producer Charles Wessler went on a mission to haunt Sweeney, getting him fired from at least 7 jobs after his release from prison.

In a new TMZ documentary on FOX Monday night at 9/8 Central, Wessler tells the story at Dominique's funeral, where a very famous actor -- an actor who everyone knows -- came up to him and said he knew "people" who could take care of Sweeney for good -- i.e., kill him.

Wessler made it clear ... it wasn't something the family wanted, but it shows the level of outrage.

As the wheels of justice began to grind, it became apparent the legal process had gone horribly wrong. The judge would not allow the jury to hear from Sweeney's prior girlfriend who had an horrific story of how he repeatedly brutalized her to the point she ended up in the hospital several times. The woman broke her silence for the first time in our documentary.

As for the offer to perform a hit on Sweeney, judging from the way Wessler tells the story, the actor may have had mob ties.

You can hear the pain Dominique's family and friends experienced, for never being able to properly avenge Dominique's death -- something we examine in detail in our new doc -- "Killing a Movie Star: A Grave Injustice."

La muerte de la estrella de "Poltergeist" Dominique Dunne a manos de su novio enfureció tanto a un actor muy famoso, que le dijo a su familia que podía hacer que lo mataran.

Dominique, hija del famoso escritor y productor Dominick Dunne y hermana del actor y productor Griffin Dunne, murió estrangulada por su novio, John Sweeney, un famoso chef de Los Ángeles, en 1980. Sweeney fue acusado de asesinato, pero, en lo que casi todos los implicados dicen que fue un grave error judicial, fue condenado por homicidio involuntario y solo cumplió varios años de prisión.

Griffin, Dominick y Charles Wessler, amigo de la familia y productor ganador de un Oscar, se dedicaron a perseguir a Sweeney, consiguiendo que lo despidieran de al menos siete trabajos tras salir de la cárcel.

En un nuevo documental de TMZ en FOX el lunes por la noche a las 9/8 Central, Wessler cuenta una historia que transcurre en el funeral de Dominique, donde un actor muy famoso -alguien que todo el mundo conoce- se acercó a él y le dijo que conocía a "gente" que podría encargarse de Sweeney para siempre, es decir, matarlo.

Wessler dejó claro que no era lo que la familia quería, pero muestra el nivel de indignación.

Cuando las ruedas de la justicia empezaron a girar, se hizo evidente que el proceso legal había ido terriblemente mal. El juez no permitió que el jurado escuchara a la anterior novia de Sweeney, que tenía una historia horrible de cómo él la maltrató repetidamente hasta el punto de que acabó en el hospital varias veces. La mujer rompió su silencio por primera vez en nuestro documental.

En cuanto a la oferta de realizar un golpe contra Sweeney, a juzgar por la forma en que Wessler cuenta la historia, el actor podría haber tenido vínculos con la mafia.

Se puede oír el dolor que experimentó la familia y los amigos de Dominique por no haber podido vengar nunca adecuadamente la muerte de Dominique, algo que examinamos en detalle en nuestro nuevo doc. "Matar a una estrella de cine: Una Grave Injusticia".

Tyler Christopher died under sad circumstances -- according to officials, he suffocated to death ... and it appears to have been partially caused by him being drunk.

According to the Medical Examiner Office's report, obtained by TMZ, the "General Hospital" star's official cause of death is being listed as positional asphyxia due to acute alcohol intoxication. There's a contributing condition cited ... coronary artery atherosclerosis.

In layman's terms, Tyler suffocated to death because of how he was positioned when he died -- and the ME here is saying booze played in a part in him ending up that way. The latter description is basically plaque build-up in his arteries. His death was accidental.

We broke the story ... Tyler's friend found him deceased at his San Diego apartment -- this after trying and failing to get a hold of him for a while. His pal discovered his body in his bedroom ... and called 911 shortly thereafter.

Tyler's one-time costar, Maurice Benard, broke the news about his passing ... calling him a "truly talented individual that lit up the screen in every scene he performed and relished bringing joy to his loyal fans through his acting."

He'd been on 'General Hospital' for a very long time, starring in over 1,100 episodes. TC was only 50.