RIP

Maggie Smith may be gone, but she'll live on forever in the Wizarding World ... 'cause "Harry Potter" fans have been tributing her ever since her death was announced yesterday.

The legendary actress -- who played Professor McGonagall is seven of the eight films -- inspired several "Harry Potter" related tributes with one of the largest taking place outside Hogwarts ... the replica at Universal Orlando, that is.

Check out the clip ... a group of fans congregated outside the castle -- which houses a popular ride in the theme park -- wands raised to the sky. It's an homage to the sixth 'HP' movie after Professor Dumbledore dies to ward off the darkness ... led by Maggie, of course.

Chino XL's family has broken their silence around his sudden death in July ... revealing the veteran rapper died of suicide.

His family is hoping to turn the tragedy into a healing and preventable moment for anyone battling mental illness, and released a statement Friday.

The statement reads ... “With the most profound sadness imaginable, we share the news that our beloved father decided to end his own Life. It’s been the most painful and personal experience of our lives but in honor of Suicide Awareness Month, we decided to share this truth. Dad would hope that this news may help someone else stay alive.”

Barbara Leigh-Hunt, a legendary actress of the stage and screen, has died ... her family has confirmed.

The British star, who was best known for appearing in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 thriller, "Frenzy," died peacefully in her home in Warwickshire, England on Monday, Sept. 16.

She leaves behind a 7-decade-long acting legacy, which includes one of Hitchcock's most controversial movie scenes.

Maggie Smith -- a legendary actress who worked professionally for more than 70 years -- has died ... according to a statement from her family.

Her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, released a statement ... saying Smith passed away in the hospital peacefully early Friday morning. They did not give a cause of death.

Smith's family thanked the staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and support during their mother's final days ... and asked for privacy during this trying time.

Madonna's family is in mourning ... because her stepmother has died.

The "Like a Virgin" singer's stepmom, Joan Ciccone, died Tuesday after a battle with a very aggressive cancer ... according to her obituary.

Joan was Madonna's housekeeper growing up in Michigan ... and a couple years after Madonna's mother died at age 30 -- also from cancer -- Joan married Madonna's father, Silvio Ciccone.

Memphis jurors took several hours to reach a verdict Thursday, ultimately delivering a guilty verdict to Justin Johnson ... one of the men prosecutors claim murdered Young Dolph back in 2021.

The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts to the charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm -- and Judge Jennifer Mitchell immediately threw the book at him with a life sentence!!!

Closing arguments were delivered Wednesday. Johnson never took the stand but Cornelius Smith testified during the trial Yo Gotti's slain brother Big Jook and suspect Hernandez Govan orchestrated for them to kill any Paper Route Empire rappers they could find.

Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon is opening up on his brother's tragic death ... crediting his teammates for their support "every step of the way" -- even attending the funeral services.

Gordon spoke with the media on Thursday -- the first time since Drew's passing in May -- and he praised the players for being there for him as he grieved the unthinkable loss.

Gordon admitted he didn't have the strongest relationships outside of his family prior to the fatal car accident ... but now, he cherishes all his connections -- and he considers the players his "brothers."

Fatman Scoop passed away after collapsing onstage in Connecticut last month ... and, now the medical examiner has revealed his official cause of death.

A rep for the Connecticut M.E.'s office tells TMZ ... Scoop -- born Isaac Freeman III -- passed away from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

We're told they consider this cause of death to be natural ... no foul play suspected.

Wrestling star Alan Vera -- who just narrowly missed qualifying for Team USA's Olympic roster earlier this year -- has sadly died at 33 years old ... after he suffered a medical emergency while playing soccer earlier this summer.

USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender announced the tragic news on Wednesday ... revealing Vera had been in the hospital fighting to recover from a July 29 cardiac arrest when he passed away.

"The wrestling community mourns the loss of a great champion, whose incredible life impacted so many within USA Wrestling and around the world," Bender said.

A man was shot and killed by officers after police say he was seen repeatedly stabbing his mother on a SoCal residential street ... with the whole chaotic scene caught on video.

The Irvine Police Department released body cam footage of an officer-involved shooting last month ... when they say they shot and killed a 37-year-old man named Paul Montazer.

In the video, two officers arrive on scene -- guns pointed at a man crouched over the body of a woman on a sidewalk. One of the officers says into his radio the man's actively stabbing her ... before yelling at him to put his knife down.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" star Eduardo Xol has passed away a week after being stabbed ... TMZ has learned.

The Riverside County coroner tells TMZ ... Xol, a resident of Palm Springs, Calif., died Thursday afternoon, Sept. 19, at Desert Regional Medical Center. Xol's mother also confirmed his death to TMZ.

His family tells TMZ ... "We are heartbroken at the tragic loss of our beloved Eduardo Xol. As his family, we know that his kindness has touched the lives of so many. We ask for that kindness returned now allowing our privacy to be respected as we process our grief. In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be made in Eduardo’s name to the Lupus Foundation of America as he spent so much of his life in the service of others."

Cat Glover — best known for her work with Prince during his 1980s pop-rock heyday — has died.

Glover's passing was made public Tuesday on her Facebook page ... “It’s with great sadness that we formally announce the passing of Catherine Vernice Glover- AKA ‘Cat.’ Please allow her children, family and friends privacy at this difficult time."

A cause of death was not disclosed.

Crazy Town singer Shifty Shellshock's manager nailed his cause of death as an overdose ... but the medical examiner's now revealing it was a mix of several different narcotics.

According to the L.A. County M.E. Shifty -- whose real name was Seth Binzer -- died back in June from the effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine ... and the manner of his death is accidental.

As we reported at the time of his death, Seth's manager told us the singer had suffered an OD after mixing prescription drugs and street drugs.

Donald Trump seems to have missed the memo on Johnny Carson's death ... calling for the late-night legend to return to 'The Tonight Show' 19 years after dying.

The former prez addressed his supporters at a rally in Pennsylvania Monday, where he took a moment to take shots at late-night TV. Specifically, Trump appeared to take an issue with Jimmy Fallon and his version of 'The Tonight Show,' which he described as "dying."

During this tangent in his address, the Republican nominee called on Carson to return to the long-running talk show and asked the crowd ... "Where's Johnny Carson???"

The assisted suicide debate is heating up on the heels of a U.S. citizen going to Switzerland to use a company's suicide pod to end her life -- and her death has police investigating the company.

The Last Resort, creators of the Sarco suicide pod, confirmed a 64-year-old Midwestern woman died Monday using its device -- noting the company's co-president Florian Willet was the only other person present, despite a contrary report from the police.

Local police in Northern Switzerland have confirmed multiple people were detained after the death -- the first using the Sarco pod -- with prosecutors opening an investigation into suspicion of incitement and accessory to suicide.

The man found guilty of murdering rapper PnB Rock learned his fate in court today ... and it will be a long time before he has any chance of getting out of prison.

Freddie Trone, who was convicted on one count of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and two counts of second-degree robbery, was in a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday where a judge sentenced him to 31 years to life in prison.

Another man, Tremont Jones, was found guilty of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy and sentenced to 12 years behind bars. Trone was painted as the murder mastermind by prosecutors ... prosecutors said he sent his teenage son inside the Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurant to rob PnB Rock and drove the getaway car after the deadly burglary.