RIP

Kevin Costner was determined to give Whitney Houston a proper sendoff after her death ... and nothing was going to get in his way, not even a major TV network.

The actor recalled his "The Bodyguard" costar's 2012 funeral during an appearance on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, revealing an unfortunate moment he had while preparing for his friend's farewell.

Costner, who was one of 8 people to speak at the singer's funeral, was asked ahead of the ceremony to shorten his speech ... so CNN and other networks could air commercials during the broadcast.

A neighborhood dispute turned deadly in Costa Rica after a man opened fire on another guy ... and the horrific moment was caught on video, which shows the killing.

In the harrowing surveillance footage from earlier this week that's making the rounds, 2 neighbors and their respective wives are seen getting into an argument, yelling at one another from their adjoining homes in the city of Escazú. The disagreement moves to the front yard, where the 2 parties continue to hurl words back and forth.

As the argument heats up, Otoniel Orozco Mendoza -- the man who ended up getting shot, and later identified by local media -- makes the quarrel a physical one ... throwing punches at his neighbor, Eduardo Ramírez Zamora. Unfortunately, Zamora pulled a gun out in response.

"American Idol" alum and Grammy-winning singer Mandisa died earlier this year -- and now, we know how ... as we've obtained her autopsy report.

TMZ obtained a copy of the document which lists Mandisa's official cause of death as "complications of class III obesity," with the medical examiner noting she weighed 488 pounds at the time of her death.

Per the report, the singer's friends found her in a state of decomposition in her residence on April 18. Emergency medical services arrived at the scene, where she was pronounced dead.

A man who attended a recent comic convention in China wore a Kobe Bryant helicopter crash costume to the event ... and, as you can imagine, it's sparked a ton of outrage here in the States.

The unidentified person created the crass and offensive ensemble for the festival in Hangzhou ... using plastic bottles, cardboard and a No. 24 Bryant Lakers uniform for the piece. He also capped it off with a Kobe Bryant mask.

Somehow, as he walked through the venue with it all strapped to his person ... other attendees seemed OK with it.

World Cup Skier Jean Daniel Pession, along with girlfriend Elisa Arlian, tragically died after the couple fell 2,300 feet off of a mountain in Italy.

The Italian Winter Sports Federation confirmed the awful incident happened June 1 on Mount Zerbion, a popular peak for skiers in Aosta Valley ... where the couple went for a hike.

When Pession, 28, and Arlian, 27, did not return, their families panicked and contacted authorities who sent three helicopters to search for them.

Actor Erich Anderson, best known for his roles in "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" and "Felicity," has died.

Erich's devastated wife, Saxon Trainor, confirmed the tragic news over the weekend ... revealing in a social media post, he had passed away Friday following a brutal struggle with cancer.

She wrote, "I am sharing my brother-in-law Michael O'Malley's words as I am too bereft now to write anything."

Rodeo star Spencer Wright's three-year-old son tragically passed away on Sunday ... two weeks after he was left in critical condition following a toy tractor accident.

A friend of the Wright family confirmed the heartbreaking news to People ... saying they had to make the impossible decision to let Levi go.

Wright's wife, Kallie, said on Sunday the family spoke with the top neurologists and came to the conclusion he would not survive the accident ... and it was time to face their biggest fear.

Jayla Allen -- the daughter of Dallas Cowboys legend Larry Allen -- said in a social media post Monday night she's stunned over her dad's death ... writing in an emotional message, "I feel like this is a nightmare and I can't [wake] up."

Larry -- a Pro Football Hall of Famer and one of the greatest interior offensive linemen the NFL's ever seen -- died on Sunday while on vacation in Mexico ... and his daughter seemed to indicate he had shown no signs of being in poor health prior to the tragedy.

Jayla said Larry's death left her "in complete shock," and now, she's not quite sure how she's going to pick up the pieces he left behind.

Brother Marquis -- a longtime member of 2 Live Crew -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper passed away Monday -- this according to the group's official social media accounts ... which noted he "went to the upper room." 2LC's manager confirmed his death to us, but didn't have any further details on the cause or manner.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ however that the death appears to be natural, and there isn't foul play suspected.

Emmitt Smith was devastated to learn of the passing of his former teammate Larry Allen on Monday ... saying in an emotional video he's at "a loss for words right now."

Smith, through tears, remembered Allen as a "good dude," a "great player," and a "super person" in a clip he posted to his Instagram page just minutes after the Dallas Cowboys revealed the former offensive lineman had died Sunday while on vacation in Mexico.

Smith played with Allen from 1994 to 2002 ... and while he said he hadn't been able to see much of the Hall of Famer following his retirement, he was still obviously shaken.

Dallas Cowboys legend Larry Allen -- arguably the best interior offensive lineman in NFL history -- has tragically died.

The team announced on Monday that Allen passed away on Sunday while on vacation with his family in Mexico. No further details surrounding his death were released.

"The Jones family and the Cowboys extend their deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to the Allen family," the Cowboys said in a statement, "and grieve along with the many other friends and Cowboys teammates that also loved Larry."

Jay Leno is railing against the light punishment for most perps caught stealing catalytic converters as the L.A. crime wave is turning deadly ... specifically with the recent murder of "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor.

The stand-up comic and renowned car guru tells TMZ ... it's outrageous the penalty for ripping off converters -- usually a $1,000 fine amounting to just a misdemeanor charge -- isn’t vastly harsher.

JL adds ... The slap on the wrist most thieves receive -- if they even get nabbed -- is the reason they're so brazen.

Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, has died ... this according to the former First Lady.

The family broke the news together Friday, saying Marian passed away Friday morning -- with them adding ... "She passed peacefully this morning, and right now, none of us are quite sure how exactly we’ll move on without her."

Michelle herself issued some remarks as well, saying ... "My mom Marian Robinson was my rock, always there for whatever I needed. She was the same steady backstop for our entire family, and we are heartbroken to share she passed away today."

"Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin may've died almost 2 decades ago ... but his widow Terri has no interest in dating.

The conservationist made this point very clear during the annual Steve Irwin Gala, telling Us Weekly she isn't dating at the moment ... nor does she plan to in the future.

She added ... "I totally got my happily ever after. And while there are a lot of wonderful men in the world, can you see another Steve Irwin? I just can’t. I’d be like, ‘I love that you’re a librarian and the Dewey Decimal System is cool, but I got to go jump a crocodile and do that.’ Forget that."

"General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor's employer is addressing his death -- and the internal outrage over alleged safety concerns  ... meanwhile, we got a big update on the criminal case itself.

Level 8 -- the bar where Johnny worked in downtown Los Angeles before he was shot and killed this weekend following a shift -- posted to Instagram Friday ... remembering him as a beloved coworker and cherished team member who was lost to a senseless act of violence.

Right after this tribute, though, Level 8 went on to tackle a growing chorus of employees and associates who've been blasting them over Johnny's death -- with claims that the bar hadn't done enough to protect their workers -- and they say they're going to delve into this issue.

The woman who was with Johnny Wactor the night he died just went on camera to describe exactly how his murder went down -- and it sounds tragic ... not to mention dramatic.

Anita Joy -- Wactor's coworker who was walking to his car with him Saturday morning in DTLA before he was shot and killed -- went on 'GMA' Friday to break down what happened ... including the moments right before his death, and the moments after he was gunned down.

Check it out ... she says they approached his vehicle, which was partially up on a jack -- they came upon a group of guys whom they thought were tow people taking the car.