Here it is ... the Michael Jackson death scene ... every single shocking photo taken, from the doll he slept with, Propofol bottles, Dr. Murray's mysterious medical bag, portentous writing on the wall, old costumes ... everything.

The photos were taken by LAPD investigators on June 25th, 2009, the day Michael died. A few of these photos trickled out during Dr. Murray's criminal trial, but now they're all here in one gallery ... ALL 155.

The gallery is a fascinating window into how Michael lived ... and how he died.

Reid Flair -- son of wrestling legend Ric Flair -- died from an accidental overdose of heroin and other drugs ... this according to an official autopsy report released today.

As TMZ previously reported ... 25-year-old Flair was pronounced dead on March 29 after his father discovered him out cold in a Charlotte, NC hotel room.

According to the autopsy report ... traces of the muscle relaxant clonazepam and Xanax (anti-anxiety medication) were also found in Reid's system.

Reid -- who had just returned from a wrestling stint in Japan -- had struggled with heroin in the past ... according to several reports, he overdosed 3 times in 2 years.

After the report was released this morning, Ric told the Charlotte Observer, "I loved him ... He should have been on top of the world, but he was fighting a battle he couldn’t win."

The historic Pennsylvania playhouse where Jean Stapleton honed her acting chops is rebooting its renovation project to memorialize the late "All in the Family" star ... TMZ has learned.

Totem Pole Playhouse in Fayetteville, PA had already been planning a $5,000 facelift for its 50-seat clubhouse -- the same wing the theater says it built back in the day because Jean's shows were consistently packing the house.

Jean's late husband William Putch took over in 1953 as director of Totem Pole, where the two met and worked closely on nearly 300 productions. The renovation was originally dedicated to him and 2 other people ... but the theater expanded those plans after Jean died last weekend at age 90.

New plans include framed photos of Jean, a written proclamation from the state noting her accomplishments and a tribute video to play before all performances. We're told the blueprints are already done ... and the theater provided TMZ with one mockup ...


Oh Archie! It's too much!

Brad Lesley -- who fashioned a sports-movie career out of a few seasons in Major League bullpens -- died of a heart attack ... NOT kidney failure, as previously believed ... according to the death certificate obtained by TMZ.

Leslie was 54 when he died in a Marina Del Rey hospital April 29, as TMZ first reported. His ex-wife said he'd been in a nursing home for months due to kidney problems that required dialysis ... and that he died of kidney failure.

But the death certificate says it was cardiac arrest that got him ... brought on by a case of coronary artery disease ... and he never had surgery for it.

Lesley spent 1982 to 1985 as a relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers ... in the '90s, the native Californian appeared in "Mr. Baseball" and "Little Big League."

The death of a monster like Richard Ramirez is a reason to CELEBRATE ... so says the Night Stalker's final attack victim ... who tells TMZ, he's gonna have himself a Mexican fiesta tonight.

We spoke with Bill Carns ... who was shot multiple times in the head by Ramirez back in 1985 during a terrifying home invasion. During the attack, Ramirez also raped Carns' then-girlfriend and forced her to pledge her allegiance to Satan.  Miraculously, both Carns and his GF survived ... though Carns is still partially paralyzed from the attack.

"I feel better already," Carns told us after learning about Ramirez's death ... "I feel like I lost 50 pounds, like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders."

"Saying that I’m happy he's dead is too simple ... I’m at peace with myself."

Still, Carns says he will celebrate Ramirez's demise by treating himself to a meal -- "I will go out and have Mexican food to celebrate."

The menu? "I'm going to eat a beef burrito ... chips and salsa too, of course ... and a Diet Cherry Coke.”

Carns adds, "I wish he would have died about 30 years earlier ... [but I'm] thankful it happened now."

Richard Ramirez -- aka The Night Stalker -- who went on a rape-murder spree in Los Angeles in the mid-80s and terrorized the entire city -- is dead at 53 ... but we're getting conflicting info on the cause.

Ramirez killed at least 13 people and attempted 5 more ... by climbing in the windows of homes.  He also committed 11 sexual assaults, and probably more.

Ramirez was convicted and sentenced to death in 1989, and sat on San Quentin's death row ever since. The death sentence was not carried out because of endless appeals.

A San Quentin spokesperson reportedly says Ramirez died of natural causes ... HOWEVER ... a prison official told TMZ ... the murderer died from Hepatitis C, which some doctors say can be transmitted through sexual contact.  Hep C is verifiably contracted through IV drug use and blood transfusions.



The Night Stalker's crimes were particularly heinous ... he killed people as young as 9 and as old as 83.

On June 2, 1985, he murdered a 29-year-old man ... and then raped the victim's girlfriend, who survived the  attack.  

On July 20, 1985 ... he murdered another man -- and forced the victim's wife to perform oral sex on him.  The wife survived the attack.

Just 3 weeks after that ... Ramirez committed an almost identical crime -- killing husband, raping wife.

On August 25, 1985, he committed yet another crime -- shooting a man in the head and raping the victim's fiancee ... only this time, he made her swear her love for Satan during the attack. The man, Bill Carns,miraculously survived the attack.

Eventually, cops were able to obtain a fingerprint -- and released a mug shot of Ramirez to the public. He was captured days later, when an angry mob in East L.A. found him trying to steal a car ... and beat him within an inch of his life.

When Ramirez appeared in court, he famously flashed an image of a pentagram that was tattooed on his palm.

In short -- he was one of the absolute worst people to ever walk the Earth.

Joey Covington -- who played drums for the psychedelic 1960s band Jefferson Airplane -- was killed in Palm Springs Tuesday in a deadly car accident. He was 67.

According to the Desert Sun, Covington was driving alone around 5pm when his Honda Civic left the road and crashed head-on into a retaining wall. The Riverside County coroner's report says Covington was not wearing a seat belt at the time. No other car was involved.

Covington's vehicle reportedly hit the wall with such force ... it went flying onto an elevated driveway several feet above the crash site, where a nearby motel guest tried to resuscitate the musician.

The bystander was unsuccessful and Covington died at the scene. Police don’t believe alcohol or drugs were involved.

One of Covington's close friends told the Desert Sun, the drummer's wife believes a heart attack or stroke caused him to drive off the road.

In addition to playing for Jefferson Airplane -- known for songs "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" -- Covington also played for its successor band Jefferson Starship, and co-founded the rock-blues band Hot Tuna.

Esther Williams -- the HUGE movie star who became internationally famous with her spectacular, synchronized swimming routines -- is now making a splash ... in heaven.  She died today, at 91.

Williams starred in countless swimsuit spectaculars in the 40's and 50's --  "aquamusicals" as they were called -- where MGM honchos made any excuse to get her girl-next-door good looks and bangin' bod into the water.  Movies like "Neptune's Daughter" and "Dangerous When Wet" were every guy's wet dream.

Esther started as a legit competitive swimmer, smashing records in her late teens ... but she missed the 1940 Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II. So she joined a music, dance and swimming show in San Fran ... where for five months she swam alongside Olympic swimmer and "Tarzan" star Johnny Weissmuller ... and that's where she caught the eye of Hollywood scouts.

In her later years, Williams lent her name to swimwear and other pool-related products, and was a commentator for synchronized swimming at the '84 Olympics.

That chick really knew how to sync and swim.

 

Deacon Jones wasn't just a QB killa ... he's also responsible for bringing WAR to the world ... this according to two of the legendary band's founding members. 

Back before WAR took over the music scene, some of the guys performed in a band called Nightshift ... which played backup for Deacon during his singing gigs. (Deacon was a hell of an R&B singer).

In fact, Nightshift was reportedly "discovered" by a major record producer while backing up Deacon during a gig in 1969 ... and they soon became WAR.

Also, Deacon famously sang on the studio recording of "Why Can't We Be Friends?"

Now, two of the original members of WAR -- Harold Brown and Howard Scott -- tell TMZ they're eternally grateful for everything Deacon did for their careers.

"Were it not for Deacon's interest, we may not have become world-famous musicians as members of WAR," the guys told TMZ in a joint statement.

Brown and Scott also tell us they plan to dedicate an entire concert to their "friend and mentor" at their July 27 show in Chicago.

Deacon passed away on Monday night at his home in California. He was 74.

One of Michael Jackson's biggest fans is SO CONVINCED there's something fishy about his death ... that she dropped $16,800 on her credit cards to have conspiracy-theory banners flown all over the L.A. area ... TMZ has learned.

The message-towing planes mysteriously started buzzing L.A. 2 weeks ago with banners like, "FOLLOW THE $ TO MICHAEL JACKSON'S DEATH" ... and "LAPD -- HONOR BOUND TO TELL TRUTH FOR MJ."

Sources connected to AirSign, the company flying the banners, confirmed to TMZ ... a Hollywood costume shop worker paid for 11 flights over several locations including the downtown L.A. courthouse where Michael's wrongful death lawsuit is going on right now.



The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, tells us ... "I'm hoping that someone will look at those messages and say, 'If someone feels that strongly about it, maybe this is worth looking into."

As for the massive cc debt ... she says she can handle it because she's single and kid-free.

And in case you think she's totally nuts ... she does have one connection to MJ. The shop where she works supplied some costumes for "This Is It."

Totally worth it.

Deacon Jones ... one of the greatest football players in the history of the game -- is dead.

Jones -- a member of the L.A. Rams Fearsome Foursome from 1961 to 1971 -- died at his home in So. Cal. at age 74.

Deacon revolutionized the way defensive ends played the game -- not only creating his famous "head slap" technique, but he's also responsible for the term "sack" because of the way he destroyed quarterbacks.

Jones was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

Deacon also dabbled in TV and movies.  He had guest-starring roles on "The Brady Bunch" and "Bewitched."  He was also in the movie, "Heaven Can Wait."

Jones died of natural causes.