RIP

James Earl Jones, one of Hollywood's most instantly recognizable voices for his roles in the 'Star Wars' movies and "The Lion King" ... is dead.

The actor's reps say he passed away Monday morning at his home in upstate New York, surrounded by family members.

James was widely respected for his decades-long career in stage, TV and film productions -- most notably, perhaps, he delivered the booming and menacing voice of Darth Vader in multiple movies in the 'Star Wars' franchise.

New York Mets Hall of Famer Ed Kranepool died on Sunday after suffering from cardiac arrest in Florida, the team announced. He was 79 years old.

The team shared the sad news in a statement on Monday ... with Steve and Alex Cohen saying they were "heartbroken" to learn of his passing.

"He was an original Met, who debuted at age 17 in 1962," the owners said. "After starring at James Monroe High School in the Bronx, he would go on to play for his hometown team for the next 18 years, the longest-tenured player in franchise history, appearing in 1,853 games with the Mets."

Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau -- the wives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau -- just gave eulogies to their husbands a little over a week after they were tragically killed by a suspected drunk driver ... and the two speeches were heartbreaking.

The funeral for the NHL superstar and his little bro took place at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Pennsylvania -- the same venue where the brothers' sister was set to tie the knot just before the two passed away.

Madeline took to the podium first ... and thanked everyone for their outpouring of support -- before she spoke about when she first met Matthew.

Mariah Carey's back rehearsing ... belting out a few notes in a new Instagram post -- and referencing her recent difficult weeks.

The singer-songwriter shared the clip to IG early Sunday morning ... marking her first post since announcing her mother and sister passed away on the same day.

In it, MC sings "It's Like That" in the clip ... singing out the notes while a pianist accompanies her. She flashes a bright white smile at the camera during her mini performance.

The new Netflix documentary on Steve McNair's murder has left fans with more questions than answers ... and a former cop tells TMZ Sports that in order to fully get to the bottom of it all, police should now reopen the case.

The man who's desperately trying to figure out what actually happened to the ex-NFL star is Vincent Hill -- who briefly appeared in "Untold: The Murder of Air McNair," a Netflix doc that explored the life and death of McNair.

In the program, Hill -- a former Nashville Police Dept. officer who's since become a private investigator -- made a case that McNair might have been gunned down in his Tennessee condo by a male assailant ... not his mistress, Sahel "Jenni" Kazemi.

Mr. Greedy -- an African penguin at the Maryland Zoo -- has died at 33 ... after fathering more than 200 descendants during his lifetime.

The busy penguin passed away in late August ... when zoo officials made the difficult decision to put him down for age-related health reasons, the Maryland Zoo bird curator Jen Kottyan told the Baltimore Banner.

Mr. Greedy was moved to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore in 1992 and matched with his mate -- affectionately called Mrs. Greedy -- after about two years there, according to the Banner.

Diondre Overton -- a former college football standout at Clemson who helped them win two national championships -- has died after an early morning shooting, cops say.

The Guilford County Sheriff's Office released a statement minutes ago ... saying officers responded to a call about a disturbance at around 2:30 AM in Greensboro, North Carolina Saturday.

When they arrived at the scene, they say they found a shooting victim, identified as Overton. Officers administered medical aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nicole Kidman's dealing with a tragedy in the family ... leaving the Venice Film Festival abruptly after her mother's death.

Halina Reijn -- director of Nicole's new movie "Babygirl" -- accepted the festival's best actress award on NK's behalf ... reading a prepared statement from the star.

Nicole's statement starts by revealing the tragic news about her mom, Janelle -- causing members of the audience to gasp -- and saying she needs to head home to be with her family.

The father of the alleged Georgia school shooter reportedly took only his most precious possessions when the family was evicted -- his guns ... abandoning the dogs and family photos.

Colin Gray, dad of 14-year-old suspect Colt Gray, allegedly forced his way back into their rented home by kicking in the door for only his firearms ... their ex-landlord claimed to The Independent.

Among possessions left following the eviction were their two German Shepherds, a golf bag, an archery set, assorted tools, and wedding photos, per the outlet.

Matt LeBlanc has been MIA, at least in public, for months ... but he was seen out and about Friday in L.A.

The 57-year-old Friends star looked chill in a t-shirt and jeans as he hit up a car showroom in the San Fernando Valley.

Matt hasn't been seen publicly since December ... 2 months after the death of Matthew Perry.

KeKe Jabbar's cause of death has been revealed ... TMZ has learned she died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

TMZ has obtained the autopsy report from the Alabama medical examiner ... and it shows the reality star had 64% carboxyhemoglobin in her blood.

Carboxyhemoglobin is what forms in red blood cells when carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin ... which sticks 200 times more tightly than oxygen.

Dave Castro -- the creator and director of the CrossFit Games -- is apologizing to Luka Đukić and his family following the death of his brother, Lazar ... admitting he made a mistake with comments he made after the tragedy.

Castro released the statement Thursday night on his Instagram page ... responding to Luka's lengthy statement about how things played out in the hours after Lazar drowned during an event -- specifically how Castro claimed the Games would continue with the Đukić family's blessing.

"I should never have said that the decision to continue the CrossFit Games in August was 'blessed' by their family," Castro said. "At the time, the decision was made to continue the Games and allow our athletes to compete -- and we respected those athletes who decided to withdraw."

Big Sean is confident he released the best rap album of 2024 ... but news of Rich Homie Quan's death is weighing heavy on his heart, like so many others in the hip hop community.

The Detroit-bred MC caught up with TMZ Hip Hop at his "Better Me Than You" album pop-up event in Hollywood Thursday, where he told us he'll be cherishing the various sessions he and Quan shared over the years inside L.A.'s famed Treehouse Studios.

We confirmed Rich Homie's death, which happened suddenly Thursday morning. Sean remembers the Atlanta rapper as a good-hearted, unique talent.

Rich Homie Quan fans lucky enough to be at his final performance can remember the late rapper full of energy he displayed just a few days before he passed away.

Check out this video obtained by TMZ ... the platinum-selling rapper was onstage for a car and bike show Sunday night in El Dorado, Arkansas ... belting out his hits while fans crowded around, snapping up close pics.

At one point, the "Type Of Way" rapper had a drink in his hand as he kept jamming out into the night ... he, and his fans, totally unaware it would be his final time doing what he did best.

9:09 AM PT -- Sergio Mendes' family issued a statement ... telling TMZ his wife of 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, and their children were by his side when he died peacefully.

They shared Mendes last performed in November 2023 and had been struggling with long-term COVID. The family is processing the loss and will share more details about the funeral and memorial services later.

Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes has died, TMZ has learned. He died in Los Angeles.

Mendes was a world-famous Brazilian musician who collaborated with jazz greats like Herb Alpert and Cannonball Adderley over his nearly 60-year career.

He won 1 Grammy Award, 2 Latin Grammys, and was nominated for an Oscar in 2012 for the song "Real in Rio" featured in the animated movie "Rio."

Popular YouTuber Paul Harrell shared a grim message to all of his fans ... He's dead!

Harrell's manager, Brad Nelson, posted a prerecorded YT video from December 2023, showing Harrell in a wooded area explaining why he's no longer among the living.

As he stared into the camera, Harrell said his pancreatic cancer had spread throughout his body, getting into his bones.