RIP

Sonja Christopher -- the first person ever voted off the show "Survivor"  -- has died ... this according to a current contestant on the show.

Liz Wilcox -- who stars in season 46 of "Survivor," which is underway right now -- announced the sad news on X Friday ... saying she met Sonja over Christmas and shared a photo of the two talking on FaceTime on her account.

She writes, "Today, the legend herself Sonja Christopher of Season One passed away. I had the pleasure of meeting her on Christmas. She had so much spunk + love for Survivor and what the show brought to her life. I hope you’re singing + playing your heart out somewhere beautiful, Sonja."

Governor Kristi Noem's got social media users howling with rage -- 'cause she admitted to shooting and killing her own dog ... something she says had to be done.

South Dakota's political leader tells the harrowing story in her upcoming memoir, "No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward" ... discussing farm life and detailing exactly why she says her young wirehaired pointer had to die.

The Guardian reviewed the book and rehashed this sad chapter. KN owned a 14-month-old pup named Cricket with an untrainable and aggressive personality, and didn't turn out to be the best hunter either. After an attempted hunt, she says she started driving back with Cricket ... only to make a stop at a local family's home, with the dog attacking their chickens.

Bob Barker's historic estate was listed for $2.9 million -- but whoever snapped it up ended up spending even more to buy it ... going well over asking.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... interior designer Julia Dempster sealed the deal Thursday by plunking down a whopping $3,788,000 on the 6-bedroom, 6-bath Spanish Colonial Revival-style Hollywood Hills estate, this just a month after it hit the market.

We're told the estate had a staggering 250 showings, so it was clearly in high demand ... hence why Julia had to dig deep into her pockets to snag it. Now, she gets to sit back, relax and enjoy her new home, which is a true slice of L.A. history.

2:35 PM PT -- Ryan just addressed Ray's passing himself, writing ... "RIP Ray Chan. Words are pretty inadequate in comparison to this loss."

He adds, "There's an incomparable reservoir of skill, tender grit and talent no longer with us. As Production Designer, he was as important a creative force on Deadpool & Wolverine as the writers, director and stars. I don't pretend to know every chapter of Ray's heart, but I know it's unusual to encounter someone with that level of artistry, who simultaneously moved through the world with such an indelible humanity."

Ryan says he last saw Ray 2 weeks ago, and the two of them shared a lot of playful banter. Sounds like RR was able to share fond memories with the guy -- something Ryan cherishes.

Former Giants offensive tackle Korey Cunningham -- who also played for the Cardinals and Patriots -- was found dead in a New Jersey home on Thursday. He was only 28.

The NYG confirmed the passing on Friday, the morning after the first round of the NFL Draft, saying they're heartbroken over the death of their former player.

"We are saddened to hear of the passing of Korey Cunningham," the G-Men said in a statement.

Tupac Shakur's estate is laying down the law on Drake ... threatening to drag him to court for using an AI-generated version of the late rapper's voice for a diss track aimed at Kendrick Lamar.

TMZ has obtained the cease-and-desist letter fired off by the attorney for Tupac's estate, Howard King, and it calls out Drake for the AI verse on "Taylor Made Freestyle" ... saying, "Not only is the record a flagrant violation of Tupac's publicity and the estate's legal rights, it is also a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time."

The estate goes on to say it would never have given approval for this -- and it issues an ultimatum: take down the track in less than 24 hours, and explain how it was made ... or else.

Ariana Biermann is cringing hard after her mom, Kim Zolciak, implied her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, had died ... and yeah, we'll admit, it's pretty embarrassing.

For those who missed it, the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' alum posted an old black-and-white pic this week showing her and Kroy together, dropping a "#RIP" in the caption. The reason, it seems ... to promote an old, outdated article from 2023.

As fans blasted Kim for the faux death announcement, her daughter -- who Kroy adopted in 2013 -- also weighed in ... sharing she too thinks the social media upload was messed up.

Anne Heche's estate is having difficulty paying off its outstanding debts -- this according to court docs filed by the late actress' son.

Homer Laffoon is the administrator of his late mom's estate, and he filed docs with the court saying the probate case isn't ready to close yet because it is still dealing with claims from several creditors.

He says her estate has a "modest bank account, royalty payments, and other residual income from pre-death projects" -- such as money from her posthumous memoir "Call Me Anne" -- but, apparently, it's not enough to cover all the claims.

TikToker Eva Evans appears to have died by suicide ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us a friend found Eva's body late Saturday night after having seen her alive Friday morning. We're told the friend had a key to Eva's NYC apartment and when they went to check on her ... they found her hanging inside.

We're told the friend called 911, and when police arrived ... they told police they didn't know Eva to be depressed or emotionally disturbed -- so it's safe to say it took them by surprise.

Justin Bieber, Machine Gun Kelly, Ty Dolla $ign y varios otros artistas enormes se están tomando la pérdida del rapero Chris King muy en serio, después de que el nativo de Nashville fue asesinado a tiros el 20 de abril.

Según el informe del Departamento de Policía Metropolitana de Nashville, Chris se encontraba en un callejón con un grupo de amigos alrededor de las 2:30 AM del sábado cuando otro grupo de personas intentó robarles.

Los disparos estallaron, golpeando a Chris y otra persona... finalmente ambos hombres huyeron de la escena en direcciones separadas.

The Southern California home Anne Heche destroyed in the car accident that claimed her life has been fully restored -- and it's on the market too ... going for a bundle.

The 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom Los Angeles residence looks strikingly different from the last time we saw it -- as it was previously a scorched wreck from the fiery collision that led to Anne's untimely passing in 2022.

These days, the house boasts a fresh coat of white paint with a black trim along the side. A small, but sunny front porch juts out into a modest front yard. The front of the structure is completely rebuilt too ... and looks nothing like it did a couple years ago.

Justin Bieber, Machine Gun Kelly, Ty Dolla $ign and several other huge artists are taking the loss of rapper Chris King hard, after the Nashville native was gunned down on April 20.

According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department's report, Chris was standing in an alleyway with a group of friends around 2:30 AM Saturday when another group of people attempted to rob them.

Gunfire erupted, striking Chris and another man ... and both men fled the scene in separate directions.

La TikToker Eva Evans parece haber muerto por suicidio... TMZ ha indagado.

Fuentes policiales nos dicen que un amigo encontró el cuerpo de Eva la noche del sábado después de haberla visto con vida el viernes por la mañana. Nos dicen que el amigo tenía una llave del apartamento de Eva, y cuando fueron a ver cómo estaba, la encontraron colganda en el interior.

Nuestras fuentes dicen que ella parece haberse colgado del techo en su sala de estar.

Dwight Howard is vowing to help Taiwan after the country was hit with a major earthquake earlier this month -- and dozens of smaller tremors since -- with the hoops star promising to return to the island.

The former NBA superstar, who signed with Taiwan's Taoquan Leopards in 2022, made a video message on Monday expressing concern for the Taiwanese people.

"I know a lot of people are still shaken up by just being in an earthquake," Howard said.

La Reina Elizabeth II ha sido inmortalizada en metal en el Reino Unido junto a sus famosos corgis.

La estatua de bronce de dos metros fue inaugurada el fin de semana y representa una versión joven de la Reina con unos perritos a sus pies, algo por lo que era conocida en vida. Como ustedes saben, Liz amaba a sus corgis y tuvo más de 30 a lo largo de su vida.

Esa tradición se refleja en esta obra de arte -que ahora se encuentra fuera de una biblioteca en Rutland- el condado más pequeño de Inglaterra.

Queen Elizabeth II has been memorialized in metal in the UK -- and so have her famous corgis -- a couple of which were added to this new statue of her ... which is pretty spot-on.

The 7-foot bronze statue was unveiled over the weekend ... depicting a young QE2 with a few pooches at her feet, something she was known for while she was alive. As you may know, Liz loved her corgis ... and owned upwards of 30 throughout her lifetime.

That tradition comes through in the artwork here -- which now stands outside a library in Rutland ... the smallest county in England.