RIP

The second of 2 doctors who pleaded guilty in connection with Matthew Perry's death was sentenced Tuesday ... and the judge gave Dr. Mark Chavez a pretty light sentence.

United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced Chavez to eight months' home confinement and ordered him to complete 300 hours of community service.

In October 2024, Chavez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He quickly cut a deal with the feds after a slew of arrests were made in connection with Perry's death. Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, which was then sold to Perry weeks before the actor's fatal overdose.

Prosecutors said Chavez obtained the ketamine fraudulently by submitting a prescription in the name of a patient without the patient's knowledge or consent.

Earlier this month, Plasencia was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to 4 counts of distributing ketamine.

As Nick Reiner prepares to make his first court appearance ... TMZ has learned Rob and Michele had been dead for some time before their daughter made the grisly discovery Sunday.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... When police arrived on the scene Sunday afternoon around 3:40 PM, rigor mortis appeared to have set in Rob and Michele’s bodies -- meaning they had been deceased for hours before their daughter Romy arrived.

Romy arrived at the house and found the bodies ... then called police, before calling longtime family friend Billy Crystal.

Police interviewed Romy at the scene, who by then was joined by a female friend ... and we hear she told officers her brother Nick was "dangerous." We're told she also said that Nick was living at the house -- but he was not there when she arrived, insinuating he fled the scene.

Sources tell us ... the scene was something out of a nightmare -- with the bodies butchered … the devastation was described as the actions of a "mad man."

Joe Ely, a country-music singer-songwriter widely admired by artists across a spectrum of genres, has died.

Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico, on Monday after suffering complications from Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia, according to a statement on his Facebook account. His wife Sharon and their daughter Marie were by his side when he died.

Ely was born in Amarillo, Texas, and he later moved to Lubbock, where he spent his formative years and began his musical career. He formed The Flatlanders alongside Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and they released a single album in 1972 before disbanding the following year.

Popular business influencer Aline Cristina Dalmolin has tragically died after a horrific Porsche crash ... with the driver allegedly drunk and bolting from the scene.

The 41-year-old internet personality was riding as a passenger when the car slammed into a utility pole at high speed in the early hours of Monday morning in Balneário Camboriú, Brazil ... leaving her with catastrophic injuries -- including a severed arm and severe head injuries.

Aline didn’t make it to the hospital ... she suffered multiple cardiac arrests on the way and was pronounced dead en route.

The 57-year-old driver reportedly walked away without a scratch -- apparently drunk -- before taking off on foot. Cops say they later tracked him down hiding in a nearby mangrove area, where a police spokesperson noted he was showing "clear signs of intoxication, such as slurred speech, difficulty walking, the smell of alcohol, and disorientation."

Beloved TikTok star Tucker Genal tragically passed away at the age of 31 by suicide.

Tucker's brothers, Carson and Connor, confirmed the news Monday with a collab post on their Instagram, saying, "I don’t even know where to begin, You were my best friend and an even better big brother, my entire life I’ve spent looking up to you and trying to follow in your footsteps because you were always my hero."

The brothers continue to say ... "I know one thing is for certain and that is that I will continue to spend the rest of my life looking up to you until we meet again. You were the kindest person I’ve ever met and the greatest brother that anyone could have ever asked for."

12/16 10:37 AM PT -- A rep for Billy Crystal denies that Billy and his wife saw the bodies of their friends ... the rep says Billy and his wife were not even allowed to get that close to the house.

Billy Crystal and his wife Janice saw the slain bodies of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele ... because TMZ has learned they arrived at the scene in a flash after a family member called them about the horrific discovery.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Rob and Michele's daughter Romy called Crystal and his wife not long after she called police to report finding her parents brutally murdered inside their Brentwood home Sunday.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Billy and his wife raced over to the house -- and were there so quickly, one source tells us, that the couple actually saw their slain friends ... and wanted to say their goodbyes.

Nick Reiner -- the son of Rob and Michele Reiner, who's been arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents -- stuck out like a sore thumb at Conan O'Brien's Christmas party ... and he was acting out of place.

Sources at the party, which went down Saturday night at Conan's, tell TMZ ... Nick seemed out of place based on how he was dressed and how he was carrying himself.

We're told Nick showed up to the very formal party in a hoodie, while everyone else was wearing nice suits and dresses.

Our sources say Nick roamed around in his sweatshirt, didn't interact with people, kept to himself, and was very reserved ... all of which made some folks feel his behavior was odd.

Tanya Brown -- whose sister, Nicole Brown, was slain in 1994 -- opened up to TMZ about the eerie similarities between Rob and Michele Reiner's killings and the brutal murder of her sister, which sparked the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial.

Tanya tells TMZ ... she saw the words "murder in Brentwood" posted on social media Sunday night, which understandably conjured up old, terrible memories.

As we reported ... Rob and his wife were found Sunday with their throats slit inside their Brentwood, California home.

Tanya said, "The story is very triggering -- beyond triggering. I’ve shed a lot of tears ... it’s very personal to me."

Nick Reiner -- the son of Rob and Michele Reiner, who's been arrested on suspicion of murdering them -- was missing for hours after his parents were found with their throats slit inside their Brentwood home ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources say ... after Rob and Michele's daughter Romy found their bodies, she noted to police Nick had been living there and was possibly behind the murders.

When police responded to a call for a death investigation around 3:40 PM Sunday, Nick was nowhere to be found. Romy was the one who called 911 and told police her brother was "dangerous" and should be considered a suspect.

Romy told police Nick was not there when she arrived, insinuating he fled the scene. Police finally located and arrested Nick at approximately 9:15 PM Sunday.

Nick is currently in police custody, held without bail.

Rob Reiner and his wife Michele’s deaths have sent shockwaves through Hollywood ... and Donnell Rawlings is opening up to TMZ about the tremendous impact Rob had on the entertainment industry, and how profound the loss of the couple is.

We caught up with the comedian at LAX Monday morning, and he told us that while it’ll be incredibly tough, he hopes Rob’s family and friends can eventually find some understanding of how this tragedy happened.

Catch the full clip -- Donnell looks back on Rob’s groundbreaking career, talking about how he embraced change when others wouldn’t and used his platform to open doors for people along the way.

Donald Trump is doubling down on his jaw-dropping claim that Rob Reiner might still be alive if he'd been nicer about him -- branding the acclaimed director a bad influence on the United States.

Asked Monday in the Oval Office about Republicans blasting his earlier remarks following their tragic deaths, Trump vehemently declared he was no fan of Reiner and re-upped his earlier jab, insisting RR was suffering from "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

Trump went on to claim Reiner made false statements about him -- including accusations of being controlled by Russia -- making it clear he’s well aware Reiner has long been politically opposed to him and, in Trump’s view, undermining his leadership.

Soledad O'Brien stopped by "TMZ Live" Monday, still reeling from the loss of her collaborator Rob Reiner and his wife Michele ... and Soledad had some choice words for Donald Trump's disparaging post about the late actor-director.

Soledad got to know Rob well while co-hosting the 10-part true-crime podcast series, "Who Killed JFK?"

She tells TMZ, Rob was kind to everyone ... "The person who was taking in the audio, the person who was shooting, the person who was producing, the person who was helping the person who was producing, the assistants ... absolutely the kindest human being."

In fact, Soledad described Rob and his wife as "two really wonderful, kind people," making their gruesome deaths all the more heartbreaking.

"It's so horrific," Soledad said. "I honestly cannot believe it."

Rob Reiner, his wife Michele, and their son Nick attended Conan O'Brien's Christmas party Saturday night. At the party, Rob and Nick got into a "very loud argument," loud enough for many others to hear ... Reiner family sources tell TMZ. We're told Rob and Michele then left the party. We do not know if Nick left as well.

TMZ is the first to report the argument between Rob and Nick before the murders.

Our family sources add … Michele had been anguishing to friends over the last few months that she and Rob were at their wits' end over Nick's mental illness and alleged substance abuse issues, and did not know what to do with their son Nick … saying, "We've tried everything."

As you know ... the legendary actor-director and his wife were found in their L.A.-area house Sunday with their throats slit. Nick was arrested Monday morning and booked for murder ... he's held on $4 million bail.

Anthony Geary, who famously played Luke Spencer on "General Hospital," is dead ... TMZ has confirmed.

The soap opera star died Sunday in Amsterdam ... according to a family member.

Anthony's official cause of death is unclear, but there are reports he died as a result of complications from a planned surgery in Amsterdam.

Rob Reiner and his wife Michele had their throats slit by a family member, possibly after an argument inside their Los Angeles home, leading to their tragic deaths ... TMZ has learned

It's unclear what exactly triggered the violence, which went down Sunday afternoon in Brentwood ... but we're told one of Rob's daughters found her parents dead and told police a family member had killed them. PEOPLE reports the couple's son, Nick, was questioned in connection with the murders. Nick has since been arrested for murder.

Our sources also say the daughter told police the family member "should be a suspect" because they're "dangerous."

TMZ broke the story ... Rob and Michele suffered lacerations consistent with knife wounds, and LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division is investigating the case.