RIP

Oprah Winfrey paid a heartfelt tribute to her late brother Jeffrey Lee ... marking 35 years since he passed away from AIDS during the height of the country's HIV epidemic.

In a clip shared to Oprah Daily's IG Tuesday in honor of Pride Month, Oprah revealed Jeffrey passed away at just 29 in 1989 -- a time she described as an "extremely cruel place, not just for people suffering from AIDS, but also for LGBTQ people in general."

Oprah poignantly reflected if her brother had lived, he'd be amazed at how much the world has changed -- especially with Pride Month and the progress in legalizing gay marriage.

One of Norway's most famous scenic spots is now connected to a tragic death -- a man fell nearly 2,000 feet off the cliff featured in a 'Mission Impossible' flick.

Law enforcement in the Scandinavian nation confirms the victim -- who was in his 40s -- died Monday after falling from Preikestolen ... the name of the iconic bluff overlooking the town of Lysefjord.

Police officials told CNN they're investigating the death as an accidental fall, and say they "have no assumptions that anything criminal has happened."

Halyna Hutchins' family's attorney is pissed about Alec Baldwin's new reality show ... side-eyeing the timing of the announcement and referring to it as a public relations stunt.

Gloria Allred -- who's repping members of the late cinematographer's family -- tells TMZ ... she's not buying any sort of coincidence in the announcement's release coming just a month before his involuntary manslaughter criminal trial begins.

She says, "This appears to me, to be a calculated and cynical public relations move to try to influence the jury pool in New Mexico to think of him as a sympathetic family man rather than as the killer of Halyna Hutchins, who was the beloved daughter of our clients Olga Solovey, Halyna’s mother, Anatolii Androsovych, Halyna’s father, and Svetlana Zemko, Halyna’s sister."

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."