Celebrity Death

Chris Cornell was funneled dangerous drugs in enormous quantities by his doctor, without so much as a visit or even a phone call, and that's what caused him to commit suicide ... so claims his widow.

Vicky Cornell is suing Dr. Robert Koblin for malpractice, claiming the doctor prescribed 940 doses of the anti-anxiety drug Lorazepam (aka Ativan) as well as Oxycodone during the last 20 months of his life, without even examining the Soundgarden singer, performing lab studies ... anything to determine if Chris was in danger.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Chris was a known "addiction-prone individual," yet the doctor took no steps to protect him. The suit claims, in 2004, Chris' therapist for his substance abuse referred him to Dr. Koblin, so the doctor well knew Chris was an addict.

The lawsuit alleges Lorazepam increases the risk of suicide in addiction-prone individuals by impairing judgment and rational thinking. It also diminishes impulse control. TMZ broke the story, the suicide seemed to have come from out of the blue. Vicky spoke with Chris during sound check in Detroit the day he died and everything seemed fine ... yet hours later he took his life.

According to the lawsuit, Dr. Koblin never warned Chris about the dangers of suicide or other side effects of long-term Lorazepam use.

The suit claims Dr. Koblin permitted non-physician staff to write hundreds of Lorazepam prescriptions, without showing any medical necessity or providing any monitoring.

Vicky and her 2 children are suing for unspecified damages.

Mac Miller's gotta be feeling the love after his closest friends and thousands of his fans celebrated his life and his music with a concert in L.A.

The tribute show, "Mac Miller: A Celebration of Life," went off without a hitch, and was filled with some emotional moments courtesy of Chance the Rapper, Travis Scott, John Mayer, SZA, ScHoolboy Q and many more.

All the artists gathered at L.A.'s Greek Theatre either played Mac's songs or songs about him ... and the giant screen onstage was filled with photos and videos of Mac all night.

Mayer played Mac's "Small Worlds" and told the crowd he was "really nervous" doing it. Chance and several others choked up while thanking Mac for his music, friendship and opportunities in the biz. As SZA put it, "Without Mac, there would be no me. God bless you, we love you so much, Mac."

Barry Bonds says he's been crying over the death of his good friend and mentor, Willie McCovey -- but says he promises to pass along the wisdom he learned from the SF Giants legend.

Bonds and McCovey formed a very strong bond over the years -- with McCovey recently blasting the Baseball Hall of Fame voters for not inducting Barry. He called it a "sin."

So, when Bonds learned McCovey had passed away Wednesday, he was devastated.

"Mac, I am crying over losing you even when you told me not to," Bonds wrote.

"I remember asking you what I would do without all of you around. You told me when that day comes - and it will one day - to keep the tradition of Giants baseball living forever."

"You told me to help the next generation of ball players get better. You told me to be thankful that we had so much time to spend together and talk about the love we have for the game, San Francisco, the Giants and for each other."

"You wanted me to be happy that we had a love and friendship that will never disappear and will be in our hearts forever."

"Uncle Mac thank you for your mentorship and unconditional love for me and my family. You will be dearly missed."

McCovey was a beast on the field -- one of only 4 Giants players in the elite 500 Club ... along with legends like Willie Mays, Mel Ott and Barry.

McCovey was 80.

San Francisco Giants legend and Hall of Fame first baseman Willie McCovey has died.

McCovey, who played 19 seasons for the Giants and is one of the franchise's most beloved players, passed away peacefully Wednesday at Stanford Hospital after battling ongoing health issues.

Willie played for the Giants from 1959-73 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.

The first baseman was one baseball's most feared hitters during the 1960s and '70s, and his 521 home runs are still tied for 20th on MLB's all-time list.

Willie was a 6-time All-Star and the 1969 National League MVP. His 18 career grand slams are the most in NL history.

The Giants retired Willie's No. 44 and he has a statue outside the club's ballpark.

When the Giants started playing at AT&T Park in 2000, the area beyond right field was dubbed McCovey Cove, an homage to the many homers he belted to right field during his playing days.

Lil Xan has been burning the midnight oil to honor Mac Miller in song, and that's why he just canceled a bunch of his shows.

Sources close to the Cali MC tell us the reason Xan axed 5 upcoming shows -- mostly in Texas and the Midwest -- is to recharge after long hours in the studio recording a new album called, "Be Safe" ... a tribute album to Mac, who died in September.

We're told Xan's been working nonstop on it -- if he wasn't onstage somewhere, he was in the studio trying to perfect the project -- and, at this point, he just feels burnt out.

Instead of putting on half-ass concerts, our sources say Xan opted to rest up and then hit the ground running again in Colorado on Nov. 6. He's planning to reschedule the canceled shows, but anyone who wants a refund will get it.

Whitey Bulger was targeted for a mob hit and the killers did what mob killers do with so-called "rats" -- they try to cut out their tongue and gouge their eyes out.

Sources at the USP Hazelton prison in West Virginia tell TMZ, Bulger was killed in his cell at around 6 AM Tuesday, NOT in a common area as first reported. We're told 4 inmates walked into the cell where Whitey was sitting in his wheelchair.

They brutally beat him with a lock in a sock and used a shiv to try and gouge his eyes out. They also attempted to cut out his tongue. We're told there was a lot of blood in Bulger's mouth but we don't know if the tongue was actually removed.

We're told surveillance cameras captured the 4 inmates walking into Bulger's cell and walking out with their clothes clearly bloodied. The attack was not caught on video.

We're told the killers went back to their cells, changed out of their bloody clothes and then walked back to Bulger's cell with a mop and a bucket to clean up the mess.

As for the motive ... our prison sources say prison officials believe it was mob retaliation because Bulger was considered a rat and an informant who helped put away several members of the mob.

The officials believe the mob put out a hit on Bulger and removal of the eyes and tongue are signs of such a hit.

BTW ... Patricia Donahue -- the widow of Michael Donahue whom Bulger killed in 1982 -- reacted to the news by saying justice was served. She also told us how she plans to celebrate. Her son, Tommy, agreed, saying how Bulger's death brought some much-needed relief.

Mandy Blank -- one of the most famous female fitness competitors ever -- died this week at the age of 42, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the former IFBB World Champion was discovered by a housekeeper in the bathtub of her L.A. home on October 29.

The housekeeper called 911 and paramedics raced to the scene -- where she was pronounced dead.

Our sources say no drugs or alcohol were found at the scene and there's nothing criminally suspicious about her death. We're told the plan was to conduct an autopsy and toxicology to determine an exact cause of death.

Blank was a legend in the bodybuilding and fitness world -- winning the IFBB World Championships in 1999, the youngest competitor to ever do it at the time.

She also placed 5th in the 1998 World Arnold Classic and was later honored by Bodybuilding and Fitness magazine as having the "Greatest Glutes of All Time," according to her website.

Mandy went on to become a major celebrity fitness trainer and listed clients from Marcus Allen to Mickey Rourke, Alex Rodriguez, Pauly Shore, Rohan Marley and Natasha Lyonne.

12:09 PM PT -- A prison source tells us Bulger -- who is wheelchair bound -- was in general population Tuesday morning. We're told he was approached by 3 other inmates who wheeled him into a corner that could not be seen by surveillance cameras.

Our source says the inmates beat Bulger -- one used a lock in a sock as a weapon -- until he was unconscious. They also attempted to gouge his eyes out with some type of shiv, but were unsuccessful. Bulger fell to the ground covered in bruises and with several dents in his head.

As for the eyes, we've been doing some research -- back in the days of Murder Inc., (the 1940s gangsters, not the rappers) mobsters would gouge out the eyes of witnesses who talked to cops.

Whitey was an informant for the FBI starting back in 1975 -- so, this may have been a message from his killers to warn others about snitching.

11:43 AM PT -- A law enforcement source tells us Bulger's death is being treated as a suspected homicide.

11:15 AM PT -- TMZ has learned emergency dispatchers got a call from the prison for someone in cardiac arrest, and staffers at the facility were performing CPR. They also had a defibrillator on scene.

10:25 AM PT -- The Dept. of Justice says Bulger was found at 8:20 AM, and prison staff immediately attempted to resuscitate him. Bulger had just arrived at Hazelton on Monday.

James "Whitey" Bulger -- one of America's most notorious mobsters -- was found dead Tuesday in a federal prison where he had just been transferred ... TMZ has confirmed

Bulger was just moved to a new facility -- U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in West Virginia, a maximum-security prison. Prison officials haven't released details, but say his body was found sometime after he was moved to the prison.

Bulger had been serving out his life sentence in a federal pen in Florida until last week, when he was transferred to one in Oklahoma City ... and then recently arrived in Hazelton. He was convicted in 2013 for a slew of crimes, including being linked to at least 11 murders.

The ex-crime boss was on the run for years and was one of the FBI's most wanted before being captured in Santa Monica in 2011.

Bulger's life story was documented in the 2015 flick, "Black Mass," where Johnny Depp played the ruthless Winter Hill Gang crime boss, and longtime FBI informant, who terrorized the Boston area for years.

On an episode of "Objectified" ... UFC honcho Dana White told Harvey Levin, Bulger was the reason he had to get the hell out of Boston.

Bulger was 89.

It's time to turn the page on the house where Mac Miller died ... it's now up for rent.

We're told the 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom San Fernando Valley house hit the market earlier this week and can be yours for $9,595 a month.

The 3,156 sq. foot house is modest but still loaded with coveted features -- panoramic city and canyon views, private courtyard and a built-in brick BBQ.

But, there may be an obstacle. As we first reported ... the rapper died in the house back in September from an overdose. And, there's a law in California (Civil Code 1710.2) that requires realtors to disclose to anyone buying or renting a house that someone died there within 3 years of a transaction.

Superstitious renters need not apply.

XXXTentacion's brutal murder should carry more weight than his confession to hitting an ex-GF, and everyone needs to forgive and forget his numerous mistakes ... so says Mally Mall.

We got Mally Friday in L.A. and asked him about promoting XXXTentacion's music after prosecutors released audio this week of X apparently talking about stabbing multiple people and hitting his then-girlfriend.

It's a personal issue for Mally, who produced the newly released collab between XXXTentacion and Lil Pump, "Arms Around You." He says people should respect the fact the slain rapper can't defend himself from the grave. Not to mention respecting his mourning mother, Cleo.

As we reported ... XXXTentacion was secretly recorded years ago apparently confessing to stabbing 9 people and beating his ex so badly she was scared to death. The Miami-Dade County state attorney's office released the audio, which they were planning to use in his pending domestic violence trial.

Aretha Franklin is getting dogged in death over legal bills ... TMZ has learned.

The late singer's lawyer, Gregory Reed, apparently had some trouble collecting what Aretha owed him when she was alive ... so he's now hoping her estate will cough up some financial R-E-S-P-E-C-T. It sounds harsh, so soon after Aretha's passing, but Reed's filed docs demanding the estate pony up nearly $54k to cover bills dating back 6 years.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Reed's firm says it provided a number of services to the Queen of Soul -- who died in August -- including negotiations on her final Atlantic Records contract. The firm says her last payment, for about $10k, was made in August 2012.

Seems Reed doesn't want to be added to anyone's chain-chain-chaaaain ... chain of fools.

Country and blues icon Tony Joe White -- who had the huge '60s hit "Polk Salad Annie" -- has died ... according to his record label.

White died Wednesday in Nashville, according to his label, Yep Roc Music Group -- however, they did not release details about the cause of death.

He performed and wrote tunes in several genres -- including country, rock, blues and R&B -- but scored his biggest hit for himself with 'Polk Salad' in 1969.

The song was covered by the likes of Tom Jones and even Elvis Presley.

He also wrote the hits "Rainy Night in Georgia" for Ray Charles ... "Undercover Agent for the Blues" and also "Steamy Windows" -- which Tina Turner turned into a Top 40 hit when she covered it in 1989.

Over the course of his career ... Tony recorded 20 albums, with the most recent one being "Bad Mouthin'," which released was on September 28 of this year.

He was 75.

Lauren McCluskey -- the Utah track star who was brutally murdered on campus this week -- will be honored by the entire Utes football team when they take on UCLA Friday.

The school announced players will wear a black and white sticker featuring a winged foot with Lauren's name on it ... in remembrance of the slain student.

As we previously reported ... 21-year-old McCluskey -- a 2017 honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic -- was shot to death by her ex-bf on Monday after finding out he was a registered sex offender.

Utah announced in addition to the helmet decals ... they'll hand out a similar sticker at this week's women's volleyball and women's soccer games to remember her legacy.

For their part ... UCLA says it'll hold a moment of silence for McCluskey at the Rose Bowl.

Rae Carruth has informed officials he's planning on moving to Pennsylvania now that he's out of prison -- though it's unclear why he's chosen that state or what he's planning to do there.

TMZ Sports spoke with the Pennsylvania Parole Board and a rep confirmed that Carruth is now under their supervision.

We're told Carruth must still abide by the same release conditions imposed on him by the state of North Carolina, where he served his prison time -- which include routine meetings with a parole officer and staying out of trouble. The usual stuff.

Carruth was released on Monday morning -- nearly 19 years after he participated in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Cherica Adams, who was 8 months pregnant with their child.

Rae and Cherica's son survived the shooting -- though he now has severe disabilities -- and lives with Cherica's mother in North Carolina.

Ron Jeremy says he's pretty sure his good friend, Dennis Hof, died a happy death ... but discovering his body was definitely tough.

We got Ron Monday night on the Sunset Strip in front of the Rainbow Room and asked about finding the famed Bunny Ranch owner dead in his bed. Ron tells us he's spent many a day waking Dennis up all over the world, but something was definitely amiss last week.

Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson both seemed to know marriage wasn't in the cards, even after they got engaged, because they never lifted a finger to seal the deal.

They got engaged in June, and our sources say an entire summer passed without locking down a venue, buying a wedding dress, or even picking a date. We are told Ariana talked about a wedding with her mom, but that's all it was ... talk.

The months of inaction predate the death of Ariana's ex, Mac Miller, last month. As we reported, Mac's death was the beginning of the end of Ariana and Pete's relationship, because she was emotionally paralyzed.

The only real signs of happily ever after were a $100,000 engagement ring -- which she's already given back -- and a pet pig which she's kept.