RIP

Sean Higgins -- the man accused of killing NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his little brother, Matthew -- made his first appearance in a New Jersey courtroom on Friday ... and he looked upset to hear he'll be spending his upcoming long holiday weekend in jail.

The 43-year-old appeared virtually before a judge ... after he was hit with two charges of death by auto following allegations he drunkenly slammed his Jeep Grand Cherokee into the backs of the Gaudreaus on Thursday night while they were biking on a small roadway in Oldmans Township.

Wearing an anti-suicide smock -- Higgins initially didn't speak much at the hearing ... although when he was informed he would remain behind bars until at least next Thursday -- he seemed dejected.

The tragic deaths of the Gaudreau brothers keeps getting more and more heartbreaking ... Matthew's wife is apparently expecting to deliver the couple's first baby in just a few months.

According to an online registry, Madeline Gaudreau is currently pregnant ... and has been given a due date of Dec. 31, 2024.

In the registry, the couple had been asking family and friends for all kinds of newborn items -- from clothes to dishware -- to help prepare them for their first foray into parenthood.

The man accused of killing NHL superstar Johnny Gaudreau and his little brother with his car on Thursday night admitted to authorities he drank "5-6 beers" before getting behind the wheel ... this according to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, cops say 43-year-old Sean Higgins admitted to officers he slammed his Jeep Grand Cherokee into the backs of the Gaudreau brothers -- who were on bicycles -- on a rural road in Salem County, New Jersey at around 8 PM.

Cops say Higgins told them he was attempting to get around an SUV on its left ... but when he thought the vehicle made a move to block him from passing -- he pivoted to try to get by it on its right. Seconds later, he collided with the brothers ... causing fatal injuries.

7:17 AM PT -- A church official tells TMZ Sports ... Katie Gaudreau and Devin Joyce's wedding has been canceled in wake of the tragedy.

NHL superstar Johnny Gaudreau and his little brother, Matthew, died just hours before their sister was set to get married.

Katie Gaudreau and Devin Joyce were scheduled to the tie the knot at a ceremony at 1:45 PM on Friday at a church in New Jersey. According to Katie's Instagram page, the couple had actually rehearsed the event on Thursday night -- just before the Gaudreau brothers were tragically killed.

5:45 AM PT -- New Jersey State Police tell TMZ ... "Troopers responded to a motor vehicle crash at 8:19 PM on County Route 551 North, milepost 11.1 Oldmans Township, Salem County. Based on a preliminary investigation, two pedalcyclists, John M. Gaudreau, a 31-year-old male from Carneys Point, N.J., and Matthew R. Gaudreau, a 29-year-old male from Pedricktown, N.J., were traveling north on County Route 551, close to the fog line of the roadway. Sean M. Higgins, a 43-year-old male from Woodstown, N.J., was traveling north on CR 551 in a Jeep Grand Cherokee behind a sedan and SUV."

"Higgins attempted to pass the slower-moving sedan and SUV, entered the southbound lanes of travel, passed the slower-moving sedan, and attempted to re-enter the northbound lanes of travel when the SUV in front of Higgins moved to the middle of the roadway, splitting the north and south lanes to safely pass the two pedalcyclist traveling north on the right side of the roadway. Higgins then attempted to pass the SUV on the right and struck the two pedalcyclists in the rear. As a result of the collision, the two pedalcyclists sustained fatal injuries."

They concluded ... "Through further investigation, Higgins was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, charged with two counts of death by auto, and lodged in the Salem County Correctional Facility. This crash remains an active investigation, and no additional information is available."

It's been nearly 5 months since "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Lauri Peterson announced the passing of her son, Josh Waring ... and TMZ has learned what caused his death.

California's Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department tells TMZ ... the Bravo personality's late son died from the combined effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine and olanzapine -- with the death officially ruled "accidental."

Lauri hinted drugs may have played a factor in Josh's death when she disclosed his passing on Instagram back in April.

Mirko Marweg, the Delta Air Lines worker who was among the casualties in a deadly tire explosion at the Atlanta airport this week, was oh so close to retiring before his tragic death.

Mirko's widow, Scottie Ann Marweg, says her late husband was planning on retiring next June ... after working his paint shop job with Delta for two decades.

His wife of 28 years also told WANF News in Georgia she was still having a hard time processing Mirko's death ... explaining she is still in "disbelief."

Julian Ortega -- star of the viral Netflix show "Elite" -- has died ... after collapsing on a beach in Spain, despite lifeguards' best efforts to save him.

The actor passed away Sunday afternoon, according to officials in Spain.

Initial reports indicated the actor drowned -- but authorities tell TMZ the 41-year-old actually went into cardiac arrest on the shore.

Spain's Directorate-General of the Civil Guard tells us he died predictably due to a heart attack in Barbate, a town on the Atlantic Coast.

Allison Holker has found love again ... nearly 2 years after the tragic death of her husband, Stephen "tWitch" Boss.

The "So You Think You Can Dance" alum took to Instagram Wednesday to soft-launch her new relationship ... with a photo of her shadow holding the hand of an unnamed man.

While it's clear Allison isn't ready to go fully public with her new romance, she's showing she's moving past her loss ... putting a heart emoji in the IG caption.

Mirko Marweg, one of 2 workers to perish in a plane-tire explosion at a Delta Air Lines maintenance facility at Atlanta's international airport Tuesday, was unrecognizable after the blast ... his son, Andre Coleman, has revealed.

Following the tragedy, which left 2 dead and another seriously injured, Andre spoke with 11Alive News about the severe state of his father's remains after the incident that killed Marweg.

Per Andre, he requested to see his father's body after the explosion ... as he couldn't believe his dad was actually dead. But the medical examiner told Andre and his relatives Mirko's body was "unrecognizable." Officials used tattoos and a Mississippi State lanyard around Mirko's neck to identify him.

Soccer player Juan Izquierdo -- a defender for the Nacional team -- has tragically passed away less than a week after he collapsed on the pitch during a game, his team confirmed.

Izquierdo was only 27.

The Uruguayan professional sports club announced the devastating news Tuesday evening ... Izquierdo died following his collapse during the August 22nd game.

Mariah Carey did NOT have any contact with her sister before she died ... because an alleged drug addiction drove a massive wedge between the two siblings.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Mariah never once contacted her sister, Alison, before she passed ... and instead spent the past week with their dying mother, Patricia.

Mariah was estranged from Alison ... and our sources say it's all because Alison suffered for many years from addiction. We're told Mariah tried supporting Alison, both emotionally and financially, but it wasn't enough to get Alison back on the straight and narrow.

Two people are dead and a third is seriously injured after a Delta flight's tire blew up while it was being removed from the plane in Atlanta.

The explosion rocked an airport maintenance area Tuesday ... with firefighters and police officers rushing to the Delta TechOps hangar near the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson, just after 5 AM.

The victims haven't been publicly identified ... but the company confirmed one person killed was a Delta employee and the other person killed was a contractor. There’s no update yet on the injured person’s condition.

Mariah Carey is facing double the heartbreak -- her mom, Patricia, and her sister, Alison, both died on the same day over the weekend, TMZ has confirmed.

The singer said in a statement to TMZ, "My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day."

Mariah added, "I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed."

Scott Thorson -- who dished on his romance with Liberace in his 1988 memoir "Behind the Candelabra" just a year after the famed pianist’s death -- has died.

Thorson died on August 16 -- he'd been a patient at an L.A. healthcare facility, where he had been dealing with cancer and a heart condition.

Thorson was hired as Liberace's personal friend and companion when he was 18 and the icon was 57 -- which kicked off their 5-year romance.

Rob "The Rabbit" Pitts -- star of Netflix’s "Tex Mex Motors" --  has died after a battle with stomach cancer ... TMZ has confirmed.

The car salesman said farewell in a YouTube video titled "This Is Goodbye (RIP 7/27/79 - 8/25/24)" ... and his videographer confirmed his death in the comments, writing, "I am with him now in Hospice. He just passed at 21:45 on 08/25/2024. He will be missed and we will never forget him!"

In his text-based farewell video, Rob shared he felt "off," and started experiencing symptoms like weight loss and acid reflux while filming "Tex Mex Motors" season 2 ... which his doctors finally diagnosed as stomach cancer.