Celebrity Death

Stan Lee, the man responsible for much of the Marvel Universe, has died ... Stan's daughter tells TMZ.

We're told an ambulance rushed to Lee's Hollywood Hills home early Monday morning and he was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. We're told that's where he died.

Lee had suffered several illnesses over the last year or so -- he had a bout of pneumonia and vision issues.

Stan started Marvel with Jack Kirby in 1961 with The Fantastic Four. He went on to create Spider-Man, Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man and The Avengers.

Stan made cameo appearances in many of the Marvel movies.

Lee had a rocky relationship with Marvel once the company went full-tilt Hollywood. He sued the company in 2002 for royalties he said he was owed for the first "Spider-Man" movie. Three years later he settled the case for $10 million.

"Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse" is the latest installment of the film's franchise and will be released next month.

Lee is survived by his daughter, J.C. His wife of 69 years, Joan, died in 2017.

J.C. tells TMZ, "My father loved all of his fans. He was the greatest, most decent man."

Lee was 95.

RIP

If you were one of the people who thought "No puede ser" after a rumor surfaced that Juan Gabriel is not actually dead ... congrats, you were 100% right.

One of Juan's sons, Ivan Aguilera, who actually served as his dad's manager for the last 8 years of Juan's life, tells us the claim -- made by a man named Joaquin Munoz that Juan faked his death and is alive and well -- is complete BS. Ivan tells us squarely ... his dad is deceased.

He held his father's cremated remains at a memorial service back in 2016.

Munoz claimed to be Juan's ex-manager and told a Mexican news outlet last week the Latin singer was alive at home and had faked his sudden death. That story was picked up by other outlets ... and, suddenly, the buzz was Juan was going to surface by the end of 2018.

Juan's former attorney and rep for his estate, Guillermo Pous, backs Ivan's account ... telling us Munoz never managed Juan. He was just a pal.

Pous thinks Munoz is only peddling this conspiracy theory to sell a new book. Needless to say, Juan's family is pissed, and Pous says they're considering legal action.

FWIW, we obtained Juan Gabriel's death certificate back in 2016. Juan's official cause of death was arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Tupac was spitting game back in high school just like everyone else ... and now his steamy letters can be yours for a small fortune.

The folks over at Moments in Time are selling 2 handwritten letters for a cool $15k. They're from the rapper to a teen crush when he was a 14-year-old freshman in 1985 at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore. They're addressed to Averel, who at the time was the same age.

The first letter reveals a shy Tupac introducing himself to Averel. Tupac surfaces in the second one as emboldened ... professing his wants and needs, if ya catch our drift. We're told Averel, who sold the letters to Moments in Time, was not impressed by Tupac's game.

The man who allegedly shot and killed Angela Simmons' ex-fiance has turned himself into authorities ... TMZ has learned.

The lawyer for Michael Williams tells TMZ ... Williams turned himself into the Atlanta Police Dept. just moments ago. The 44-year-old has been charged with murder.

The attorney, Jackie Patterson, tells us his client denies the allegations that he shot and killed Sutton Tennyson, Angela's ex-fiance and father of their child.

As we reported ... Sutton was shot and killed over the weekend at his home. Cops say they found him dead in his garage with multiple gunshot wounds. Cops added Sutton was talking in the driveway with another man when the conversation got heated and he was shot. The suspect fled in a car.

Following Sutton's death, Simmons said, "Thank you for leaving behind my greatest gift. I'm hurting. I'm numb. Thank you for the outpouring of love everyone. I can't believe I'm even saying Rest in Peace Sutton. I promise to hold SJ down in every way I promise."

Dennis Hof, unfortunately, won't be able to serve the people of Nevada -- 'cause he's dead and all -- so the Silver State's running good old-fashioned want ads to find a replacement ... TMZ has learned.

A Nye County spokesperson tells us officials there plan to advertise the vacancy on their site, and in local newspapers. Nye is one of 3 counties that make up Nevada's 36th district, which Dennis would've repped if he was alive. Lincoln and Clark counties are the others.

We're told potential candidates will have until the end of November to submit applications, and then members of the Board of County Commissioners in the 3 counties will get together and pick whomever they deem fit. There are some requirements, though.

The replacement for the late brothel owner -- who was posthumously elected Tuesday night -- must be Republican, and must live within the district.

While all 3 counties get a say in who ends up being picked, we're told Nye County will get slightly more votes because it has more residents. We're told board members will likely meet in the first week of December to make their official pick.

Former pro boxer Mario Oscar Melo -- who fought Michael Moorer for the WBO light heavyweight title in 1990 -- died Sunday after choking on dough during a croissant-eating contest in Argentina.

**WARNING -- THE VIDEO IS DISTURBING**

Video shows several men violently trying to dislodge the croissant from Melo's throat while on stage at the event in Buenos Aires, but to no avail. Melo was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Melo was 56.

Reports say Melo was on his 3rd croissant when he started to choke. The pasty is known locally as a medialuna.

While eating competitions are popular around the world, the Major League Eating organization (which oversees huge events like Nathan's Famous 4th of July hot dog contest) always requires paramedics to be on hand in case a situation like this happens.

According to local reports, there was a firefighter and a doctor in the crowd who raced up and tried to help -- but it does not appear there was a dedicated, trained medical staff at the event.

Melo was 21-9 as a pro fighter, with the Moorer fight being his most famous bout -- though he lost in the 1st round.

French Montana says he hopes he could have prevented Mac Miller from fatally overdosing if he had been around ... because celeb OD's are all about the people surrounding them.

Our Raquel Harper chopped it up with French for Tuesday's episode of "Raq Rants" on BET ... and he told her if he had spent time with Mac the night he died from a mix of fentanyl and cocaine, he hopes Miller would still be alive. He wishes Mac had a big brother figure in his life to tell him to cut it out.

French believes Mac didn't have good people around him, and it sounds like FM has dealt with similar issues in his own life.

The interview also touches on French's work in Africa, his dating life and new music on the way.

8:15 AM PT -- According to the report, Mac's assistant found him unresponsive on his bed in a "praying position" -- kneeling forward with his face resting on his knees. The assistant described him as already being "blue" during the 911 call.

There was a 1/4-inch abrasion on the bridge of his nose, and there was blood coming out of one nostril.

An empty bottle of alcohol was found on the nightstand, near Mac's body ... and a bottle of prescription pills was found in the bathroom. The list of pills recovered in the home include Xanax, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and generic Adderall.

Cops found a rolled-up $20 bill with white powdery residue in Mac's right pocket -- and an iPad in his home studio had "linear white powdery residue" on it. There were also 2 baggies found with the white powder.

We're told the amount of each drug was not necessarily a lethal amount, but the combination is what killed him.

As part of the report, the Coroner detailed the location of all of Mac's tattoos, and described each of them -- including his "Most Dope," Einstein face and "No Woman No Cry" ink.

Mac Miller died from a mix of fentanyl and cocaine ... TMZ has learned.

The L.A. County Coroner's Office released its toxicology findings, and according to the report Mac died from "mixed drug toxicity" -- specifically fentanyl, coke ... and alcohol too. The Coroner categorized his death as an accidental overdose.

TMZ broke the story ... Mac died back in September. He was found around noon in a bedroom at his San Fernando Valley home. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

As we reported ... a male friend called 911 from Mac's home. Emergency dispatch audio revealed first responders were called for a patient in cardiac arrest. Mac battled with substance abuse for years and it's what ultimately led to Ariana Grande breaking up with him.

He was arrested for DUI and hit-and-run back in May after wrecking his G-Wagon on a utility pole. He fled the scene but cops said he later confessed when they tracked him down at his home. He blew 2 times the legal limit. Ariana later tweeted, "Pls take care of yourself" ... clearly showing concern about his sobriety.

Originally Published -- 7:58 AM PDT

Ron Jeremy got right back to his usual shtick after giving a speech memorializing his late pal and Bunny Ranch owner, Dennis Hof ... signing cleavage and cheesin' with fans.

The legendary porn star gave a eulogy Saturday at the Casino Fandango in Carson City, NV, where Hof's memorial service was held, and a bunch of his friends paid tribute to the recently deceased Hof ... who was found dead at his home earlier this year.

Ron was one of the keynote speakers ... and, at one point, he entertained the crowd with a story about Dennis' HBO-produced show, 'Cathouse,' telling them how successful it was and how Dennis kinda pissed off execs with a clever slogan using their 3 letters.

Afterward, eyewitnesses tell us Ron was getting approached left and right by folks who wanted pics and autographs -- some of whom asked for it ink to skin, like this lady here.

Ron's ran into some legal issues lately with his public appearances after some people claim he's gotten way too handsy ... but this meet-and-greet looks completely consensual.

6:25 PM PT -- Tennyson's attorney, Daniel Nottes, tells TMZ ... "It's devastating to hear about this tragedy. Mr. Tennyson was a loving father and an overall prince of a man." He adds that Tennyson's child custody case with Angela regarding their 2-year-old is now over -- she will get sole custody, and it's sad his son will grow up without a father.

8:10 AM PT -- The Atlanta PD tells TMZ, they responded to a "shots fired" call at Sutton's home. Officers found him dead in his garage with multiple gunshot wounds. It now seems it was NOT a home invasion. Cops say Sutton was talking in the driveway with another man when the conversation escalated and he was shot. The suspect fled in a car.

Angela Simmons says she's hurting bad in the wake of her baby daddy's murder.

Angela is reeling from the death of ex-fiance, Sutton Tennyson, who was shot and killed Saturday at his home. It appears his death was the result of a home invasion robbery.

Angela and Sutton have a 2-year-old son, Sutton Jr., and with that she took some solace, saying, "Thank you for leaving behind my greatest gift. I'm hurting. I'm numb."

Angela went on ... "Thank you for the outpouring of love everyone. I can't believe I'm even saying Rest in Peace Sutton. I promise to hold SJ down in every way I promise."

Sutton and Angela called off their engagement in 2017.

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.