RIP

The female coworker who was with Johnny Wactor the night he was fatally shot is speaking out and calling his killer a "coward" while also claiming the "General Hospital" star died in her arms.

In a lengthy message posted Wednesday to Instagram, Anita Joy opened by saying she needed a few days to collect herself before sharing Johnny's story.

Joy then described the murderer as a "coward who reacted without care of the gorgeous life he was taking." She said she's angry and sad, but most of all she wants justice for Johnny – her friend of 8 years.

KTLA weatherman Mark Kriski is recovering from a medical emergency -- as the beloved broadcaster suffered a mild stroke ... according to his wife, reporter Jennifer Gould.

Jennifer tells TMZ ... Mark suffered the stroke early Monday morning at their L.A. home. He was hospitalized, but she says he's on the road to recovery.

While he's still hospitalized, she says Mark is communicative, joking around and, generally, in good spirits. KTLA broke the news and just announced it on the air.

Boston radio host Fred Toucher delivered the worst on-air eulogy ever, calling Bill Walton a "phony hippie" and making a joke about his death, just a day after the legendary hooper-turned-broadcaster passed away ... and suffice it to say, many people are pissed!

Walton -- a College and Basketball Hall of Famer, and, when healthy, one of the most unstoppable big men to ever lace up a pair of sneakers -- died at the age of 71 after battling cancer.

Most people, especially in the cities where Walton played, were in the mood to remember Bill ... just not like this.

Johnny Wactor's ex-fiancée passionately spoke out against his murder -- and while her heart's in the right place, the actor's family thinks her mouth is elsewhere ... and not needed.

We talked to Johnny's mother, Scarlett, who tells TMZ that Johnny and Tessa Farrell dated years ago and haven't stayed in touch ... not having spoken in at least 2-3 years. She says his family also hasn't maintained contact with her, which is why she's peeved about her comments.

Tessa's emotional plea for stricter laws in L.A. rings hollow for Scarlett, who tells us she believes Tessa is just clout-chasing -- even though Tessa's tearful video certainly seemed genuine. In fact, we spoke to her to get more detail about what she'd like to see change in L.A's criminal justice system.

A billionaire is diving to Titanic depths in a deep-sea submersible to reassure those wary after last year's OceanGate incident the watercraft industry is safer than ever ... seriously.

Real estate investor Larry Connor -- from Dayton, OH -- is set to dive over 12,400 feet  -- that's 2.3 miles BTW -- to the infamous Titanic shipwreck site in a brand new $20 million two-person submersible ... alongside Triton Submarines co-founder Patrick Lahey.

While Connor hasn't disclosed the exact timing of the expedition, he assures the vessel, dubbed the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer, is designed for repeat voyages to the Titanic site.

Johnny Wactor's death was unjust and unnecessary -- something his ex-fiancée tearfully made clear in no uncertain terms ... with a direct plea to whoever shot and killed him.

Tessa Farrell -- an actress who used to be engaged to the slain "General Hospital" star -- hopped online Monday with a heartbreaking reaction to the news that Johnny had been murdered in Los Angeles during an attempted theft of his catalytic converter.

The video is hard to watch, as Tessa gets emotional throughout as she responds to Johnny's death ... saying it's just a microcosm of what's been happening in L.A. lately crime-wise.

The Boston Celtics paid tribute to the late Bill Walton right after securing their spot in the NBA Finals ... with team owner Wyc Grousbeck honoring the NBA great during their post-game celebration.

The Cs finished off the Indiana Pacers with a 105-102 victory in Game 4 on Monday ... and when Grousbeck received the Eastern Conference Finals championship trophy, he acknowledged the tragic loss that was announced hours prior to the matchup.

"All I can think about right now is we lost a great Celtic today," the entrepreneur said during the ceremony. "Bill Walton, one of the greatest Celtics of all time, this is dedicated to Bill."

Nicole Brown Simpson's 30-year death anniversary is coming up -- with her sisters saying they're still battling grief ... and O.J. Simpson's passing hasn't helped them move on.

Denise, Dominique and Tanya Brown sat for an interview with Diane Sawyer ahead of a new documentary that's coming out that looks back on Nicole's life and murder -- which they believe was carried out at the hands of O.J. ... even though he was criminally acquitted.

Despite that, the Brown siblings say there were warning signs in Nicole and O.J.'s relationship ... including domestic violence, which they reflect upon in this sit-down and in the doc.

Kellie Pickler has closed the chapter on a painful period of her life by selling her longtime Tennessee home -- where her husband, Kyle Jacobs, tragically took his own life.

According to property records, obtained by TMZ, the country singer closed on the 4-bed, 5-bath custom-built Nashville home on May 15 for $2.3 million.

The Tudor-style pad first hit the market back in November for $2.89 million. The price was then dropped to $2.6 million in March, and finally found a buyer after another price slash ... so Kellie didn't exactly hit the jackpot.

2:27 PM PT -- Tributes for Bill are pouring in from all over the world -- and, former President Barack Obama even posted in his honor -- remembering Bill as a grinder on the court and for his wonderful spirit off it.

Bill Walton -- the NBA legend who delighted fans for decades both on the court and in the commentary booth -- has died, according to the NBA.

The league put out a press release Monday morning announcing the sad news ... saying Bill passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was surrounded by family when he passed.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver remembers Bill as a dominant force on the court and a colorful personality off it ... while also lauding Bill for his positive, upbeat personality at league events.

Johnny Wactor -- an actor best known for appearing in nearly 200 episodes of "General Hospital" -- has died, TMZ has learned.

Wactor was shot and killed in downtown Los Angeles early Saturday morning, his mother Scarlett tells TMZ. She says Johnny was with a coworker when they saw three men messing with Johnny's car. While authorities haven't released his name, this matches the description of an incident where three suspects allegedly tried to steal a catalytic converter.

Scarlett says she was told Johnny didn't try to fight or stop them ... but, the men shot him anyway before taking off. According to police info, paramedics rushed to the scene just after 3 AM PT. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Grayson Murray's parents have released a statement about the death of their 30-year-old son ... revealing the PGA Tour golfer died by suicide.

Murray's parents, Eric and Terry, gave the update on Sunday ... a day after Grayson died following his abrupt withdrawal from the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge. At the time, he cited sudden illness as the cause.

"We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone," his parents said on Sunday.

Golf star Grayson Murray has died at 30 years old, the PGA Tour announced on Saturday ... just hours after withdrawing from a tournament with an illness.

Murray was in Fort Worth, Texas, where he was competing in the Charles Schwab Challenge ... but he pulled himself from the tourney during Friday's second round, citing an illness. No further information was given at the time.

Saturday morning, the Tour announced the young, talented golfer had passed away.

Richard M. Sherman -- half of the Sherman Brothers songwriting duo responsible for some of the biggest Disney hits ever -- has died ... according to the Walt Disney Company.

Sherman passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, the company posted on its website. The announcement cites age-related illness as the cause of death.

Richard and his brother Robert -- who died of natural causes in 2012 -- caught their first big break in Hollywood in 1959 when their song "Tall Paul" reached #7 on the charts.

A police officer in Missouri shot and killed a blind and deaf dog this week ... and while the department's saying the cop feared contracting rabies -- the community's calling BS.

Teddy -- a five-year-old, 13-pound shih tzu mix was killed in Sturgeon, Missouri after escaping his yard. The owner gave the dog some water and called the police ... who The Washington Post reports shot the dog twice within minutes of arriving.

Check out the body cam footage ... little Teddy's running around the field -- away from the officer at first before turning around and moving toward him, though not seemingly in an aggressive way.

Morgan Spurlock -- the filmmaker behind the famous "Super Size Me" documentary -- has died at 53 after complications of cancer.

His death was confirmed by his family Thursday who said, he "passed away peacefully in New York surrounded by family and friends."

His brother Craig Spurlock added, "It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan. Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas and generosity."