RIP

James Van Der Beek's widow is remembering the late actor with a heartfelt tribute on what would have been their wedding anniversary.

Sharing an emotional message online, Kimberly Van Der Beek reflected on the couple's 16 years of marriage and the life they built together ... saying she felt like "the luckiest woman in the world" when she married James.

She paired the message with a collection of selfies of the two, along with a photo of James and his 6 children ... adding the beauty of their marriage continues to unfold every day through their children and that James remains present in their family and continues to guide them.

Vincent Pastore was surrounded by love just weeks before his death, celebrating his 80th birthday with a custom cake and a smile, a moment his longtime friend says perfectly captured the man behind the famous mobster roles.

In video, obtained by TMZ, the late actor is seen enjoying the milestone ... even jokingly making his buddy re-do the celebratory jingle, before he blows out the candle and bursts into laughter.

As we previously reported, Pastore -- best known for playing Salvatore "Big P****" Bonpensiero on "The Sopranos" -- was found dead Saturday at his Bronx home. His close friend Stephen Villano, who described himself as Pastore’s "right-hand man," said the actor’s passing came as a complete shock.

3:54 PM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Vincent passed away from natural causes.

We're also told a neighbor last saw Vincent on Wednesday and last texted with him on Thursday before he was found in bed on Saturday.

Vincent Pastore -- a veteran actor best known for playing Salvatore “Big P****” Bonpensiero in "The Sopranos" has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The actor was found dead in his Bronx residence by his longtime friend, Stephen Villano, on Saturday afternoon after he hadn't been heard from in several days. His cause of death is currently unknown by his family.

The Fire Department of New York received a call about an unresponsive male around 2:30 PM local time Saturday. Pastore was dead when they arrived.

Nirmal Purja -- a world-renowned climber who gained fame on the hit Netflix documentary '14 Peaks'-- has died ... according to a statement from his company.

Elite Exped -- a travel agency founded by Purja and several others which takes climbers on treks up and down famous mountains -- announced the news on Instagram Saturday morning.

The company states Purja died in an avalanche on Broad Peak -- a famed mountain on the Pakistan-China border.

Utah beauty queen Brynn Carnesecca died by suicide just weeks before she was due at her next pageant ... and it's a shock to those who knew her, because we're told she was seemingly doing well in therapy.

A close friend of Brynn tells TMZ ... she had recently been enjoying her therapy and even felt she was "doing a lot better," making her suicide even more surprising. The friend tells us they knew about her struggles ... but never realized they were that bad.

The companion saw Brynn just a few weeks ago, where they shared laughs and watched the sunset together. The friend describes the journalist and pageant queen as "a light that was so bright" who brought good energy to those around her.

Italian soccer icon Franco Baresi -- the former AC Milan defender who helped define Italian soccer's golden era in the 1980s and 1990s -- has died.

AC Milan -- where he served as honorary vice president -- announced his death Thursday, writing ... "The entire history of AC Milan is in tears following the passing of Franco Baresi. His example and integrity will be forever etched into the Club’s DNA, just as his iconic number 6 shirt is."

A cause of death has not been released.

AC Milan announced last year Baresi had undergone surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule that was discovered during routine medical tests. It was never confirmed whether or not the mass was cancerous.

Chuck Norris has been laid to rest ... and TMZ has learned his Las Vegas memorial service was -- like the man himself -- larger than life.

Judson Mills, Chuck's co-star on "Walker, Texas Ranger," tells TMZ ... the star's funeral was July 18 at the Rio Hotel & Casino ... and he estimates there were as many as 5,000 mourners paying their respects.

Judson told us ... he was one of the speakers at the funeral ... and it was attended by several people who worked on 'Walker.'

As TMZ reported ... the martial arts and Hollywood legend died in March after being hospitalized in Hawaii.

The Michigan murder-suicide not only saw the shooting deaths of two parents and six children, but also the gruesome deaths of a bunch of pets who were found inside the family's "house of horror" ... TMZ has learned.

Ottawa County Sheriff's Office Captain Jake Sparks tells TMZ ... after police and firefighters responded to the Karolkiewicz house on July 24, they found at least 3 dead dogs and one dead cat inside the home. The pets all died from smoke or fire, and there may have been more pets who perished.

Sparks also said the bodies of Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, and his wife, Amanda “Mandy” Karolkiewicz, 39, were discovered in their bedroom. The couple's 4 sons and twin daughters -- ranging in age from 5 to 11 -- were found in their bedrooms as well.

A man in Arkansas was killed last week after his car hit a portable toilet during a freak accident.

Ronald Langley was driving along Interstate 49 in Bentonville, AR, on the afternoon of July 24, along with a truck carrying two portable toilets, according to the Arkansas Department of Public Safety.

One of the toilets suddenly tumbled off the truck into the roadway -- and Langley's Honda struck it, police said. As a result, cops say, Langley suffered fatal injuries, although it was unclear how the injuries were sustained.

NHL legend Claude Lemieux was kicked out of his home after confessing he had relapsed into sex addiction ... setting off a chain of events his son later recounted to police.

TMZ Sports has obtained body cam footage from the night Claude died by suicide ... showing his son, Brendan Lemieux, explain to cops his father had been sober for 12 years before his mother discovered that was no longer the case.

Brendan tells officers his mother confronted Claude after the family noticed changes in his behavior over the previous year. He says things had recently spiraled, with his father lashing out at times.

The Michigan wife whom cops say was murdered by her husband Kristopher Karolkiewicz along with their six kids -- detailed his "shattering" affair 2 years before the shocking killing.

TMZ uncovered many of what appear to be Amanda "Mandy" Karolkiewicz's Reddit posts from 2 years before her murder ... and she was active on threads relating to affairs and healing marriages post-cheating. In one of the posts, Mandy spoke about how learning of her husband's affair would have life-long affects on her.

The post reads ... "My husband had an EA 4.5 years ago (I still suspect it was more physical than he’s ever admitted to), and I still have major triggers from time to time. Day to day we’re great, but when I get triggered, it’s shattering."

Influencer Sara Gilson's ex-husband says their young son narrowly escaped the terrifying violence that claimed his mother's life ... telling TMZ the child never witnessed the fatal shooting, but did hear the gunfire as he ran for help.

Lyle Landers, who shares two children with Sara, tells TMZ there has been a lot of misinformation circulating since Sara's death, and he wants to make one thing clear -- their son did not see his mother after she was shot.

According to Lyle, his son was in another room playing games on his computer when he heard a commotion. He walked into the entryway and saw Sara and Jeremiah 'Shawn' Duffey in the kitchen, where Shawn was allegedly holding a gun. Lyle says Shawn told the boy, "You need to leave," and Sara -- realizing how serious the situation had become -- instructed him to run and call 911.

Police say an Idaho dad was on his phone behind the wheel ... moments before the car crash that killed his young son.

Austin Summers was charged with manslaughter last week for the death of his 7-year-old son Graham, who tragically died when he rear-ended another car in November, according to the Idaho Statesman.

According to the outlet, the affidavit says Austin, whose blood tested positive for cocaine and opiates following the crash, was flying down Interstate 84 in his GMC pickup truck at about 75 mph when he slammed into a Ford F450 that was in the far right lane with its hazards on, crawling at about 7 mph because of a mechanical issue.

A wife was allegedly murdered alongside her 6 kids ... 2 years after posting online that her husband was having an affair with a younger intern.

According to law enforcement, Kristopher Karolkiewicz shot and killed his wife, Amanda "Mandy" Karolkiewicz, and their 6 children on July 24 in their home in Grand Haven Township, MI. They say he then set their home on fire before shooting himself.

The Detroit News reports that a Reddit account they independently verified was linked to Mandy -- based on matching details about marriage dates, kids, ages, jobs and where they lived -- reveals the couple had a rough relationship, and once accused Kristopher of cheating.

The account for username "MandyK1179" mentioned her husband's alleged affair back in 2024, commenting in a thread ... "He was divorced and older than me … fast forward ten years and five kids, he was cheating with the intern again -- the same age I was when I was the intern."

French DJ Kavinsky -- best known for the electro track "Nightcall" -- has died.

The Paris prosecutor's office said Kavinsky -- real name Vincent Belorgey -- was found dead at his home in Paris Tuesday, according to multiple local and national reports. An investigation is underway, and a cause of death has yet to be released.

The French newspaper Le Figaro spoke to a police source who noted he may have had a stroke, per the BBC. The outlet reported he had been complaining about headaches in the last few days.