Celebrity Death

12:25 PM PT -- Oprah just released a statement on her mom's death, saying, "Thank you all for your kind words and condolences regarding my mother Vernita Lee's passing. It gives our family great comfort knowing she lived a good life and is now at Peace."

Oprah Winfrey's mother has died.

Oprah's niece, Alisha Hayes, posted that Vernita Lee died on Thanksgiving Day. The family just confirmed the death.

Vernita was born in 1935 in segregated Mississippi. She met Vernon Winfrey and they gave birth to Oprah in 1954.

Vernita couldn't raise Oprah because she moved to Milwaukee where she worked as a housemaid.

Oprah was raised early on by her maternal grandmother. When Oprah turned 6, she moved to Milwaukee to live with her mom ... who was a virtual stranger.

Oprah says her relationship with her mom was rocky because of the long separation ... "I was asking the question ... what is a mother? What are you supposed to feel about your mother?"

Oprah was living with her mom when she was molested by her cousin and abused by an uncle.

Vernita had another child in 1963 and gave her up for adoption. Oprah had not met her half-sister Patricia until 2010 and said she was shocked to learn about her long-lost sibling. Oprah paid for her college education.

Vernita had a son, Jeffrey, who died in 1989 from AIDS. Oprah and Jeffrey reportedly had a difficult relationship.

The relationship between Oprah and her mom was eventually repaired. Oprah had Vernita on her talk show in 1990. O's personal stylist gave her a makeover.

There are reports Vernita retired from a hospital dietitian job sometime after she reconnected with O, moved into a luxury condo in Milwaukee and got a stipend from her famous daughter of $5k a month.

Vernita is survived by Oprah and Patricia Amanda Faye Lee and grandchildren Alisha Hayes, Chrishaunda Lee Perez, Aquarius Lofton and Andre Brown, as well as great-grandchildren Jaxon Praise Perez, Chai Theresa Perez, Donovan Hayes and Trinity Hayes.

A private funeral service has already been held. Memorial donations in Vernita's name can be made to Feeding America (feedingamerica.org).

Vernita was 83.

Faith Evans sang a beautiful rendition of an old hymn during Kim Porter's funeral -- but, sadly, it's one she says she's sung before to honor another member of Diddy's family.

We got Faith Sunday at LAX coming back from Kim's funeral service in Georgia and asked how she was holding up. You can see she's in pain even behind the sunglasses as she tells us she's doing alright following a heartfelt tribute and an emotional ceremony.

Our photog asks why she chose "His Eye is On the Sparrow" as her song of choice to honor Kim, and Faith says she went with something she'd previously performed at Diddy's grandmother's funeral back in the '90s. She also says it's a tune she'd sing to record label execs back in the day ... at Puff's request.

Most importantly, Faith gives us an idea of how Kim left her mark on the world and why so many people were touched by her passing. Sounds like Faith thinks Kim's purpose was more than fulfilled by the way she's remembering her here.

RIP

11/25 -- Ariana eloquently responded to a Twitter troll who accused her of "milkin" Mac Miller's death, saying quite simply ... "i pray you never have to deal with anything like this ever and i’m sending you peace and love." Ari later tweeted, "some of the sh** i read on here makes me sick to my stomach. it scares me the way some people think and i don’t like this world a lot of the time. if only we could be more compassionate and gentle with one another. that’d be sick."

Halsey jumped to her defense, telling AG's trolls in not-so-subtle terms to STFU. Ariana responded to Halsey with, "i love you very much."

Ariana Grande still has Mac Miller in her memory bank ... and Thanksgiving was a day for her to remember out loud.

Ariana posted this pic of her and Mac that was snapped one year ago to the day ... November 22, 2017. Her message -- simple -- "you're v missed."

It's clearly way bigger for Ariana than Throwback Thursday ... she was torn apart by Mac's death.

TMZ broke the story ... Mac died in September of a drug overdose. According to the L.A. County Coroner, Mac died from a mixture of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol.

Ariana gave Mac a shout out in her song, "thank u, next."

Master magician Ricky Jay -- known for being one of the greatest sleight of hand artists of all time -- has reportedly died in Los Angeles of natural causes.

Ricky's attorney confirmed his death to Variety.

In addition to being a famous magician, Jay was a writer and an actor, known for his roles in "Boogie Nights," "Tomorrow Never Dies" and as the narrator in "Magnolia."

He also consulted on films about magic -- like "The Illusionist" and "The Prestige," in which he also appeared -- and authored several books about magic and its history.

A classic profile in a 1993 issue of "The New Yorker" detailed Ricky's sleight of hand mastery -- specifically with card tricks. He was also known for card throwing and incredible memory feats.

His one-man Broadway show -- "Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants" -- was recorded in 1996 for an HBO special. He played Eddie Sawyer on the popular HBO series, "Deadwood," as well.

Ricky was the first magician to be profiled on the PBS series "American Masters" in 2015, and was the subject of a 2012 documentary called "Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay."

He was 72.

Houston Texans owner Bob McNair -- who made a fortune in energy plants and brought the NFL back to Houston after the Oilers bolted for Tennessee in 1997 -- has died.

McNair died peacefully in Houston Friday surrounded by his wife, Janice, and family by his side, the team announced. McNair had reportedly been battling skin cancer for several years now. McNair's son, Cal, is expected to continue to run the team.

McNair was awarded the 32nd NFL team in 1999 and paid a whopping $700 million for the expansion team that would ultimately become the Texans, which joined the league in 2002. He was the team's owner since the franchise's inception.

While McNair was one of the most powerful owners in the NFL, he was no stranger to controversy. McNair drew tons of backlash in October 2017 when he said, "you can't have the inmates running the prison" when it came to players kneeling in the NFL.

McNair apologized but his players still let him have it -- star WR DeAndre Hopkins skipped practice in the wake of the comments and tons of players took a knee during the anthem a couple days later.

Texans president Jamey Rootes released a statement saying McNair "was an amazing champion for Houston and worked hard to make sure our city received maximum value from the presence of the Texans and the NFL ... We will all miss him dearly."

Kim Porter's funeral will be an elaborate affair, but certain key moments are still up in the air, because of the shock associated with Kim's death.

We're told Diddy would like to deliver a eulogy to the mother of 3 of his children, but he's still so distraught over her death last week, he's not sure he could make it through.

Our sources also say Faith Evans will perform during Saturday's service at the Cascade Hills Church in Columbus, GA. Faith has a unique connection to Diddy. When Biggie died Diddy was a huge source of comfort to Faith ... now she's returning the gesture.

Mary J. Blige will also attend the service, though she's not scheduled to perform.

As we reported, Kim's casket will arrive at the funeral in a horse-drawn carriage. We're told Diddy wanted this because Kim adored horses.

LFO singer Devin Lima has died after a yearlong battle with stage 4 cancer ... TMZ has learned.

Devin died early Wednesday morning ... according to a family member.

Devin was half of a duo ... the other half being Brad Fischetti. The group originally was a trio, but the third singer, Rich Cronin, died after a long fight with leukemia.

The boy band was popular in the '90s. Their biggest hit was "Summer Girls" in 1999 which peaked at #3 on Billboard Hot 100. Other hits included "Girl on TV" and "Every Other Time." They recorded 2 albums, "LFO" and "Life is Good." The group released the song, "Perfect 10," in the summer of last year.

LFO planned to do a tour in the spring of 2018, but doctors discovered a football-sized tumor sitting on Devin's adrenal gland and pushing against various organs, including his heart. They removed the tumor and discovered it was malignant, and it turned out to be stage 4 cancer.

The band's publicist, Alaina Bendi, told Billboard in 2017 ... "We were really hoping that if this wasn't cancer that we could actually get Devin back in shape so the guys could be on track to get on tour in February. He needs to focus on his health so, LFO's touring will be canceled indefinitely."

Devin was 41.

Kim Porter will be laid to rest in the same place she was raised ... and Diddy is making sure the ceremony is befitting the woman he says was more than a soulmate.

Sources close to Diddy tell us Kim's funeral will be held Saturday in Columbus, Georgia. Porter grew up in Columbus, and graduated from Columbus High in 1988. It's also the same place her mom, Sarah, was buried in 2014.

Our sources say Friday night, Kim's friends and family will gather in town for a dinner. The funeral will be held the following day and the family is currently planning some event for Sunday.

As for the funeral ... we're told Diddy wants an extravagant ceremony. Our sources say he's talking about Kim's casket will travel by carriage, pulled by horses.

Celebrity Pastor T.D. Jakes will conduct the service.

Diddy held a memorial for Kim Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, where nearly 100 people attended and shared memories of Porter -- celebs like French Montana and Mary J. Blige and Pharrell.

Earlier Sunday, Diddy broke his silence on her death, saying, "For the last three days I’ve been trying to wake up out of this nightmare. But I haven’t. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you baby."

Diddy continued ... "I miss you so much. Today I’m going to pay tribute to you, I’m going to try and find the words to explain our unexplainable relationship. We were more than best friends, we were more than soulmates. WE WERE SOME OTHER SHIT!! And I miss you so much. Super Black Love."

TMZ broke the story ... Porter was found dead in her L.A. home Thursday. Sources close told us she recently fell ill with the flu and complained she wasn't feeling well Wednesday night before she went to bed. Family members tried waking her Thursday, to no avail. She was pronounced dead at her home.

It's unclear if the flu was an underlying cause of death. Kim had traveled to Africa shortly before her death and authorities are looking into the possibility she contracted something there.

The cause of death should be known in 4 to 6 weeks after toxicology results are in.

No surprise here ... but Roy Halladay has officially been placed on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame ... 1 year after his tragic death in a plane crash off the Gulf of Mexico.

Halladay's nomination was NOT advanced due to his death -- he last pitched in 2013, satisfying the usual 5-year waiting period.

Most experts agree Halladay is a 1st ballot lock -- since he was an 8-time All-Star and won 2 Cy Young Awards during his 15-year MLB career.

In 2010, Halladay famously threw the 2nd no-hitter in MLB postseason history -- when the Philadelphia Phillies blanked the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the NLDS.

Halladay died on Nov. 7, 2017 while piloting a new ICON A5 single passenger amphibious plane over the Gulf of Mexico.

Witnesses had said Halladay was flying dangerously and lost control of the plane -- which eventually plunged into the water.

Halladay was 40-years-old.

Other big names on the 2019 Hall of Fame ballot include Mariano Rivera, Todd Helton and Andy Pettitte.

Pettitte could be an interesting one to watch considering he admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs during his MLB career.

Diddy hosted a private memorial to honor Kim Porter -- the mother of 3 of his children -- and the event was filled with friends, family and stories about Kim's life.

More than a hundred people came to Diddy's Bel-Air home Sunday to remember Kim. The house was filled with photos of Porter and the family. A candlelit walkway lined the entrance as guests arrived.

French Montana, Mary J. Blige and Pharrell were among the guests.

There were heaters in the back for comfort ... it's getting cooler in SoCal.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim was found dead in her Toluca Lake home on Thursday. The 47-year-old mother of 4 had recently fallen ill with the flu, and complained she wasn't feeling well before going to bed Wednesday night.

Mohamed Sanu honored comic book legend Stan Lee on his cleats during the Falcons game on Sunday ... and the final product would make the Spidey creator proud.

TMZ broke the story ... the man behind the Marvel Universe died last week at 95 years old after suffering several illnesses over the past year.

Sanu -- a huge superhero nerd -- paid homage to the guy who created icons like Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and Black Panther with custom cleats which he busted out to use against the Dallas Cowboys.

The artist behind the shoe design is Dez Customz -- who has done work for other huge NFL stars like Leonard Fournette and Cam Newton.

The Falcons ultimately lost 22-19 ... but Sanu won the kick game for sure.

Diddy lost the mother of his children, Kim Porter, Thursday -- but put on a brave face Friday -- in an attempt to return to some normalcy.

Diddy was spotted out in L.A. at The Movement Performance Institute with the help of a private driver. There's no mistaking the expression on his face is one of complete devastation after the death of Kim Porter, who he has 3 children with.

It's the first time we've seen the mogul since Porter's unexpected passing, his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura was also with him.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim was found dead in her Los Angeles home Thursday. We're told she was battling the flu and went to bed Wednesday night, complaining she wasn't feeling well.

Avicii's father, friends and hundreds of his fans just gathered in Sweden to remember the late DJ.

The streets of Stockholm were packed with Avicii lovers Friday night hoping for a chance to get inside a massive church for a celebration of life for the 28-year-old. Avicii's father, Klas Bergling, was among the many to speak in front of the crowd about his son's life and legacy left behind.

The church was decorated with photos of the late DJ and music played during the ceremony was all tied back to Avicii.

Near the end of the event, a choir got up onstage to sing "Wake Me Up" -- one of Avicii's biggest singles -- released in 2013 with singer Aloe Blacc.

TMZ broke the story ... Avicii took his life back in April in a hotel in the Middle Eastern country of Oman. Sources told us the DJ used a shard of glass from a broken bottle to cut himself and bleed out.

Ex-Boise State running back Jack Fields Jr. was shot and killed by a cop at a Georgia hotel on Thursday ... after cops say he stabbed the deputy several times while resisting arrest.

According to multiple reports, cops responded to the Residence Inn in Augusta for a "trouble with subject" call at around 8 PM when Sheriff's Deputy Stephan Psillos found Fields in the hotel lobby.

When Psillos went to handcuff Fields, he allegedly grabbed a knife from his coat and stabbed the officer multiple times ... according to a release by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The officer then fought back by shooting Fields with his gun. The 25-year-old was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Psillos was rushed to a nearby hospital ... where he's receiving treatment for his injuries.

Diddy is destroyed over the death of his ex, Kim Porter ... because even though they broke up years ago they were still a very tight family.

Sources close to Diddy say he never stopped interacting with Kim, despite breaking up way back in 2007. We're told their connection went beyond the fact they were co-parenting 3 kids ... they genuinely had love and affection for each other.

They celebrated holidays as a family, vacationed together and just hung out ... and there was never an extended period where they were at odds with each other.

Perhaps the most telling example of their ongoing union ... they never had a formal custody agreement. They accommodated each other's schedules when it came to the kids -- and it always worked.

TMZ broke the story ... Porter was found dead at her Toluca Lake home Thursday, and the emergency dispatch revealed a call came in for a patient in cardiac arrest. A source told us Porter was recently sick with pneumonia.

She leaves behind their 20-year-old son, Christian, and twin, 11-year-old daughters Jessie James and D'Lila ... as well as 27-year-old Quincy whose dad is Al B. Sure!.

Porter was 47 years old.

William Goldman -- the screenwriter who made tumbling down a hill romantic in the classic "The Princess Bride" -- has died.

Goldman, who also won Oscars for writing "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "All the President's Men," died Thursday night in his Manhattan home following complications from colon cancer and pneumonia, this according to multiple outlets.

He was surrounded by family and friends. Goldman's health had been deteriorating as of late but had worsened over the summer.

Goldman's hit 'Princess Bride' featured a star-studded cast that included Robin Wright, Billy Crystal and Andre the Giant. No doubt Goldman will be best remembered for concocting a battle of wits with a Sicilian, and imagining Westley the stable boy growing up into the Dread Pirate Roberts (spoiler alert) in the '80s ... however, his career stretched across decades.

The Oscar-winning screenwriter began his career as a novelist before writing his first screenplay in 1965. Goldman paired up with Robert Redford in 1969 for the western classic 'Butch Cassidy' ... earning Goldman an Academy Award for best original screenplay in 1970.

They paired up again a few years later for the political thriller ... earning him again another Academy Award in 1977 for best original screenplay. Goldman also wrote "Marathon Man," "The Stepford Wives," "Chaplin" and "A Bridge Too Far," and had a hand in "A Few Good Men" and "Indecent Proposal"

He was 87.

RIP