RIP

NBA legend Bill Walton -- arguably the biggest Grateful Dead fan on the planet -- received a huge tribute at the Dead & Company Sphere show Thursday night ... three days after he tragically passed away.

The band -- which consists of John Mayer and Bob Weir, plus other former Grateful Dead members -- projected images of Walton behind them throughout their hourslong concert at the must-see attraction in Las Vegas.

Some of the pics displayed on the building's massive screens included Walton with Weir and Mickey Hart. They also featured the former Celtics center's No. 32 jersey number, rose petals ... and a whole bunch of tie-dye colors.

10:56 AM PT -- Officials say Drew Gordon was driving a three-wheel Vanderhall Carmel when he crashed with a GMC Sierra pickup around 1 PM on Thursday.

Gordon died at the scene, while the 25-year-old driver of the GMC and a passenger were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials say the preliminary investigation indicates Gordon's vehicle crossed the center line and made contact with the GMC ... and impairment does not appear to have played a role in the accident.

Former NBA player Drew Gordon -- the brother of Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon -- died in a car accident in Portland on Thursday. He was just 33 years old.

Gordon was a star athlete growing up in California ... earning All-American honors at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose.

He went on to play college ball at UCLA and the University of New Mexico for two seasons each ... and later signed with numerous professional clubs in Europe, before making his NBA debut with the Philadelphia 76ers in November 2014.

Kris Jenner and Faye Resnick are remembering their late friend Nicole Brown Simpson ... detailing their last interactions with her before she was tragically murdered.

The two women opened up about their last words with Nicole for the new Lifetime documentary, "The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson" ... revealing she was focused on helping Faye get sober rather than her own problems in 1994.

The way Faye tells it, she relapsed just two days before Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman were killed ... and, it was actually NBS who worked on putting Resnick into rehab.

William H. Macy's taking a strong stance against violence -- in movies and television, that is ... claiming it's negatively impacting the entire world, and being pretty dang earnest too.

The actor discussed his feelings about violent cinema during his appearance on fellow actor Brett Goldstein's "Films To Be Buried With" podcast ... saying he thinks the senseless violence in film cheapens each death and downplays human life in general.

Macy says, "I swear to God, you kill one person, there's nothing more dramatic than that. You kill 18 people, it's just porn. The only thing you can do to make that more dramatic is kill 18 more."

A mayoral candidate in Mexico was assassinated at point-blank range -- and the murderous act was caught on camera ... with the killer himself being gunned down too.

Be warned, this video is extremely graphic -- Alfredo Cabrera is seen smiling and greeting supporters in the middle of his final campaign rally stop in Coyuca de Benitez, Guerrero, Wednesday ... just moments before he's brutally shot, which was being filmed.

The perpetrator isn't fully visible in the clip ... but you can see a gun in their hand, boldly pointed at the back of Cabrera's head just as he's about to address 300 supporters -- and then they fire.

A golfer at the U.S. Women's Open hit a birdie on Thursday ... but not one she was hoping for -- 'cause a winged creature is now dead after it got absolutely rocked by a ball.

The sad moment went down on the 12th hole at Lancaster Country Club ... when cameras captured the participant's approach shot.

As the ball came down from the sky, a bird was just chilling on the green ... and unfortunately, it was the worst case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

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.