RIP

Gena Rowlands, who famously played Allie in "The Notebook," is dead ... TMZ has learned.

The retired actress died Wednesday afternoon at her home in Indian Wells, CA ... where she was surrounded by family, including her husband, Robert, and her daughter Alexandra Cassavetes.

We're told her son, director Nick Cassavetes, had also been at the home frequently this week.

Wally Amos, the founder of the Famous Amos Cookies brand, has died ... his children, Shawn and Sarah Amos, confirmed.

According to the cookie king's children, Wally passed away in his home in Honolulu, Hawaii on Tuesday after suffering from complications from dementia.

Wally became a prominent name in the food world after he turned a $25K loan into the Famous Amos Cookies empire. WA shook up the baked goods game by using a recipe from his aunt, which included real ingredients -- no added chemicals or coloring.

Disney's playing a stunning wild card in its face-off against a man suing over the death of his wife ... claiming the guy's Disney+ subscription prevents him from taking the Mouse House to court.

According to new court documents obtained by TMZ ... Disney has asked for the wrongful death lawsuit to be kicked out of court, because the plaintiff, Jeffrey Piccolo, agreed to arbitrate all disputes against Disney when he signed up, back in 2019, for a one-month trial to its streaming service.

What the hell does TV streaming have to do with Piccolo's wife, Kanokporn Tangsuan, dying in 2023 from a food allergy reaction at Disney World? Disney says the answer's in their fine print.

Ángel Salazar -- famous for playing Al Pacino's trusted sidekick "Chi Chi" in "Scarface" -- was filming an indie spin-off of the iconic gangster movie when he died ... and we've got the first look at him in action.

Director Eric Spade Rivas tells TMZ … Ángel seemed fatigued when shooting scenes in New Jersey back in April, but he was still getting ready to film more scenes later this year in Miami.

The movie is called "The Brooklyn Premiere" ... and it also features Steven Bauer, who plays Manny Ribera in the OG "Scarface." The film's about a Brooklyn film director facing a midlife crisis who sets out to make a "Scarface" parody comedy to revive his career.

Rachael Lillis, the voice actor best known for voicing Misty, Jessie and Jigglypuff in the "Pokémon" franchise, has died ... her sister, Laurie Orr, confirmed.

The veteran performer passed away peacefully in her sleep Saturday evening ... after battling breast cancer. Laurie -- who shared the news on the GoFundMe launched for her sister's care -- said she was unable to be by Rachael's side when she passed, but assured fans RL died "without pain."

She added ... "It was just this past week that she was starting to decline. This was unexpected and we are completely grief-stricken. We ask for peace, for now, as her family grieves this loss."

Ángel Salazar -- best known as Al Pacino's trusted sidekick "Chi Chi" in the iconic gangster film "Scarface" -- has died, TMZ has learned.

Salazar's rep and closest friend, Ann Wingsong, tells TMZ ... the actor passed away in his sleep at his friend's Brooklyn home over the weekend.

On Sunday morning, Wingsong said, the friend went to check on Salazar in a room and found his body in bed. A cause of death was not disclosed, but the rep said Salazar suffered from heart issues.

Early in his acting career, Salazar landed the role of Chi Chi, the devoted henchman of Pacino's famous Tony Montana character in the 1983 Brian DePalma-directed film "Scarface."

Fans of the legendary movie will never forget Chi Chi saving Tony's life during the so-called "chainsaw scene." They will also never forget Chi Chi's bloody demise at the end of the flick when his back gets riddled with bullets from a hit squad hired by drug kingpin Alejandro Sosa.

Of course, Tony Montana also goes down in hail of bullets at the hands of Sosa's gun-wielding assassins.

Horrifying scene down in Brazil ... a passenger plane crashed in the middle of a residential neighborhood Friday ... and the crash and fiery aftermath was all caught on video.

Incredible footage from Brazil's Sao Paulo state shows Friday's plane crash ... you see a huge commercial airliner in free-fall, spiraling out of the sky and crashing to the ground as locals look on in horror.

A huge smoke plume rises into the air just seconds after the crash, and additional videos show the burning wreckage on the ground.

Legendary golfer Juan "Chi Chi" Rodriguez -- famous for the way he dazzled fans with his iconic sword dance around greens -- has sadly died.

The PGA Tour confirmed his passing on Thursday ... with commissioner Jay Monahan writing in a statement that Chi Chi was "a vibrant, colorful personality both on and off the golf course" who "will be missed dearly by the PGA Tour and those whose lives he touched in his mission to give back."

"The PGA Tour sends its deepest condolences to the entire Rodriguez family during this difficult time," Monahan added.

8:41 AM PT -- Friday's events started with a moment of silence for Lazar Dukic ... as well as a standing ovation from those in the crowd.

Video tributes from other athletes were also shown on the scoreboard, according to people present at the competition.

CrossFit has made a decision on the status of its 2024 Games after Lazar Dukic tragically drowned during the run-swim event on Thursday ... announcing the remainder of the competition will continue as scheduled in honor of the Serbian athlete.

Wrestling legend Kevin Sullivan -- who was famously one of Hulk Hogan's biggest rivals in the 1990s -- has sadly passed away.

The WWE confirmed his death on Friday morning ... writing in a statement that Sullivan was "a unique and influential figure in sports-entertainment history."

"Sullivan found success both in the ring and behind the scenes with his penchant for far out ideas that pushed creative boundaries," the org. added.

The CrossFit community is coming together to support Serbian athlete Lazar Dukic's family after he drowned at the 2024 CrossFit Games ... with hundreds of people donating tens of thousands of dollars in wake of the tragedy.

FITAID -- a drink company who was one of Dukic's business partners -- started a GoFundMe on Thursday ... with an initial goal of raising $30K.

But, the contributions are pouring in by the minute ... with more than $75,000 raised at the time of this post. The new goal has been set at $100,000.

The man charged with felony murder in the shooting death of rapper PnB Rock has just been found guilty.

A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday convicted Freddie Lee Trone on one count of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and two counts of second-degree robbery ... stemming from PnB Rock's September 2022 slaying.

TMZ broke the story ... PnB was gunned down inside a Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurant in Los Angeles as he sat and ate with his girlfriend.

Governor Josh Shapiro's actions while Pennsylvania Attorney General stirred up outrage among a dead woman's family -- and may have derailed his VP candidacy.

CBS News reported several of Shapiro's actions while serving as PA AG are receiving renewed attention, including the death investigation of Ellen Greenberg -- a Philadelphia teacher stabbed 20 times -- 10 times in the back -- in 2011.

While first ruled a homicide, local police scoffed at the conclusion ... arguing it couldn't be murder because the door was locked from the inside and her fiancé -- who said he broke down the door to find her -- had no defensive wounds. The medical examiner ultimately changed his determination and called it a suicide.

Reese Witherspoon is mourning a loss in her family ... as the actress has confirmed the passing of her beloved dog, Hank.

The A-lister took to her Instagram Stories Tuesday, where she announced the death of her pet Chocolate Labrador ... who she has had for over a decade.

Alongside a photo of the sweet pup sitting on a welcome mat, Reese praised the animal as the "best family pet and pack leader."

Former MLB player Billy Bean has died at the age of 60 ... Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.

Bean -- who served as the league's senior VP for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Commissioner -- passed away after a year-long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Bean -- one of the first openly gay players in MLB -- was first diagnosed with the disease in September 2023 ... but only went public with the news during the MLB Winter Meetings in December. At the meetings, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo got emotional when talking about his long-time friend ... saying it was time to help "take care of you."

Jacoby Jones' cause of death has been revealed ... TMZ Sports has learned the Super Bowl champion died from Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease.

The medical examiner released details behind the shocking death on Tuesday ... stating the 40-year-old died from a heart disease caused by long-term high blood pressure.

The manner of death was listed as natural.