Celebrity Death

Diddy got super emotional talking about his late soulmate, Kim Porter ... breaking down into tears reminiscing on their life together.

The music mogul started crying during an interview with Essence while opening up about the pain he's anticipating this weekend on Mother's Day ... his first without the mother of his 3 kids.

Diddy says he and his children will celebrate Kim on Mother's Day, but it's still gonna hurt ... because he still hasn't gotten over her death. Diddy acknowledges it's gonna take some time to heal, if he ever does.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim died unexpectedly back in November at the age of 47, losing her battle with pneumonia. Diddy was distraught for weeks, calling her death a nightmare, and delivering a powerful eulogy at Kim's funeral.

When we last saw Diddy, he told us he was trying to soldier on and take care of his kids without Kim ... but it's clear her loss still weighs heavily on him.

12:21 PM PT -- The network from his 2-season show tells TMZ, "The DIY Network family is sorry to hear about the passing of Troy Dean Shafer, a dedicated, driven entrepreneur and restoration expert who was admired by everyone who worked on the series."

They conclude, "We continue to extend our deepest condolences to Troy's family and friends during this difficult time."

"Nashville Flipped" star Troy Shafer died unexpectedly at the age of 38 ... according to his brother.

Troy's brother, Tim, tells us the TV star died in his sleep on April 28. We're told the entire family is in shock because Troy didn't have any known medical conditions.

The coroner's office in Erie, PA confirms an autopsy was not performed on Troy's body, but a toxicology report will be finalized in the coming weeks.

Troy was laid to rest last week, at a very small private burial for his family.

Troy rose to fame by saving, restoring and flipping dozens of historic homes in Nashville ... with a film crew from the DIY Network following him around. Troy and his team specialized in customizing historic properties to fit the design of a certain era.

Before he was a reality TV star, Troy moved to Nashville with dreams of pursuing a career in music ... but he eventually realized his construction background and talent for restoring historic homes was his big ticket, so he started his home renovation business, Nashville Flipped.

He grew up in Erie, Penn., and graduated from Penn State University.

Troy was 38.

RIP

Luke Perry's son opened up about how much it meant for the late actor to work alongside his son on "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" ... calling it the pinnacle of his career.

Jack Perry jumped on Chris Jericho's "Talk is Jericho" podcast on Westwood One Podcast Network last week and opened up in detail about his father for the first time since the late '90210' star died in March from a massive stroke.

Check out the audio ... Jack -- who recently signed a pro wrestling deal with All Elite Wrestling and goes by Jungle Boy -- recalled how his father was the one who was adamant about Jack joining him in Quentin Tarantino's 9th film.

Luke joins Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie in the 60s flick that chronicles Charles Manson's most famous victim, Sharon Tate. Jack revealed that Luke landing a role in the star-studded cast was the highlight of his career. Working alongside Jack was the cherry on top.

Two days after Luke died, Jack wrote a heartfelt tribute to his father for supporting him in everything ... and especially wrestling.

NFL legend Jim Brown tells TMZ Sports he had tremendous respect for John Singleton -- not only because he was incredibly talented, but he used his talents to bring communities together.

"One of a kind," Brown said on the way out of Singleton's funeral in L.A. on Monday ... "Loved his people. No negatives."

We couldn't find any evidence that Brown and Singleton ever worked on a project together -- seems the Hall of Famer just admired him for everything he accomplished.

In fact, when we brought up Singleton's resume -- and his most famous film "Boyz n the Hood" -- Brown talked about the impact he had on America.

"That was a tremendous breakthrough and one of a kind," Brown said.

You can tell from the clip, Brown appreciated everything Singleton accomplished and stood for.

John Singleton's will is lacking a critical component that is wreaking havoc on his family ... and now his 7 children are all embroiled in conflict over their father's estate.

We've learned the children have lawyered up over John's estate, which is reportedly worth around $35 million. John's mom, Shelia Ward, filed his will in probate court last Friday, leaving all of his property to Justice, his firstborn.

Here are the major problems. The will was drafted in 1993 when Justice was John's only child. John left everything in his will to Justice.

Singleton had a total of 7 kids at the time of his death. The will never accounted for the additional 6 children. Under California law, unless the unborn children were specifically disinherited in the will when John signed it, they may have a legal claim to a portion of his estate. And, no such clause exists in the will.

Shelia is the executor of John's will, and when she filed her legal docs she listed his assets at around $3.8 mil. That means more than $31 million is unaccounted for. Most likely, John created a trust with assets that don't have to go through probate court. In other words, it's all taken care of outside the will.

We don't know who gets what in the trust ... because trust documents don't have to be filed in probate court. But, that is clearly the bulk of John's estate.

We know at least one of John's kids is furious at Shelia because while he was in a coma, 21-year-old Cleopatra accused Shelia of trying to cut all of John's kids out of his estate.

In addition to challenging the will, the kids could file a separate lawsuit if they have beef over the trust or whatever John created to dispose of the $31 mil. A legal fight may not just pit grandma against grandkids ... it could also pit some of the kids against the others.

John Singleton's closest friends and loved ones arrived at his private funeral to pay their final respects.

The late director's Celebration of Life went down Monday at Angelus Funeral Home in L.A. where many of John's friends and family members honored him one last time. Ludacris, Ice Cube, Tyrese, Jim Brown, Tina Knowles and Congresswoman Maxine Waters were just some of the guests who attended.

John will be buried at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills following the service.

As we reported, John died last week at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. after being taken off life support following a massive stroke on April 17. The "Boyz n the Hood" director had been in a coma in ICU since then.

It appears John actually died from the stroke on April 28 at 3:30 PM ... at least that's what's listed on his death certificate. It's interesting because the family announced he had passed on April 29.

3:21 PM -- We got several attendees leaving the Celebration of Life ... from "Baby Boy" star Ving Rhames and Tina Knowles, to Congresswoman Waters, all of whom showered the late director with kind words.

John Singleton died of a stroke ... according to his death certificate, but there's a new detail that was kept secret ... until now.

The certificate -- obtained by TMZ -- lists the cause of death as acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage and hypertension. Singleton's date and time of death was April 28 at 3:30 PM ... a day earlier than when his family made the announcement John had passed.

As we reported ... the famed director died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. after being taken off life support following a massive stroke.

The "Boyz n the Hood" director had been in a coma in ICU after suffering the stroke April 17 while in the hospital. He had checked himself in after returning from Costa Rica and experiencing problems with his legs.

Singleton's death certificate lists his occupation as writer, director and producer.

John's death sparked waves of reactions from celebs ... Ice Cube, who starred "Boyz n the Hood," gave us an emotional statement on Singleton's passing. Michael Blackson told our photog he was devastated by John's loss, because they were like brothers. Barack Obama remembered him as a trailblazer who told stories Hollywood tried to ignore.

Singleton was only 24 when he directed "Boyz n the Hood" and became the first African American nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director. His decorated career spanned nearly three decades, directing 9 films and scores of episodes on hit TV shows.

John was just 51.

John Singleton's impact will continue to be felt on one of his favorite projects ... which is why the late Hollywood icon's credit will NOT be taken off "Snowfall."

As you know ... John co-created the FX show, and he was extremely hands-on in his roles as director and producer on the drama series, which chronicles the crack epidemic in 1980s Los Angeles.

"Snowfall" sources tell TMZ ... production on season 3 is almost done -- the show will wrap in June -- so there are no plans to replace John as an executive producer.

Obviously, John meant a lot to the cast and crew ... and we're told everyone was released after a half day's work on the day John died.

Funeral services for John are currently private, and we're told the cast and crew will have the day off to attend his funeral and pay their respects.

The star of the show, Damson Idris, posted an emotional tribute after John's death ... saying he, "lost my big brother."

Aretha Franklin's home is up for sale and there's a buyer on the hook -- but her estate doesn't have permission to seal the deal ... yet.

According to new legal docs, the Queen of Soul's estate is looking to liquidate her assets and eliminate expenses after her passing ... which means unloading her properties in the Detroit area.

Aretha's main residence was a condo in the north suburbs, and the estate says it has plans locked down to sell it to someone for $325,000. If the judge signs off on it, the sale can proceed. A court hearing is scheduled for later this month.

As we reported ... when Aretha died in August she left behind some debts -- including a massive tax bill -- and her estate has been working to resolve any remaining issues.

According to the new docs ... the estate still has a $100k debt and owes $5.2 million in taxes ... but she had millions invested in property which will help settle the tab.

6:21 PM PT -- A source close to the family tells TMZ, Monday's funeral will be extremely intimate and closed off to the public ... a larger event will be held later this month, but those details are still being worked out.

John Singleton will be laid to rest at the cemetery where Nipsey Hussle was buried.

TMZ has obtained the invitation to celebrate the life of John Daniel Singleton. The service will be held at 10 AM Monday at Angelus Funeral Home in South L.A. It's the same place where Nipsey's family came for the viewing and private service.

After the funeral, John will be interred at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills. Again, it's the same place where Nipsey was buried.

As for the connection, we're told Nipsey and John knew each other, but the deeper connection is that they were both raised and active in South L.A. John's office was fairly close to Nipsey's store, The Marathon Clothing.

TMZ broke the story ... John's will was filed in Los Angeles Friday. His oldest daughter, 26-year-old Justice, will get his estate which is valued at $3.8 million. The will was drafted in 1993, before his 6 other children were born. They could have a claim to split the assets 7 ways.

John, who died of a stroke last month at 51, could also have a trust outside the will. His estate was reportedly valued at around $35 million, so the will may not be a full accounting of the assets John left behind.

John Singleton's mother, Shelia Ward, has filed her son's last will and testament, and according to the document, obtained by TMZ, his 26-year-old daughter, Justice Singleton, the oldest child, gets his estate, which is reportedly valued at $3.8 million.

John wrote the will in 1993 when he only had one child -- Justice. He has since had 6 other children.

Under California law, the 6 children born after the will was signed may have rights, because they were not specifically excluded from the will. If the 6 kids didn't get anything from John, under California law, they could make a strong case the $3.8 million should be divided into 7 equal parts ... in other words, each child would get 1/7th.

We assume the $3.8 million is not the full extent of his assets. He may well have a trust that disposes of other assets that are not included in the will. His full estate is reportedly valued at $35 million. BTW, if the other 6 children are provided for in the trust, they would probably lose their right to collect anything under the will.

According to the docs, John's personal property is valued at $2.5 million. His real property is valued just shy of $1.3 million. Again, this does not include any assets that may be handled separately in a trust.

The document provides Shelia will get custody of the minor children, of which there are 2. Fact is ... if the biological mothers of the children have taken custody, this provision is almost certainly irrelevant.

By the way, Justice's address is the same as Shelia's, so it would appear they're close.

As we reported, Shelia and another of John's daughters, Cleopatra, were fighting while he lay in a coma after his stroke. Shelia filed legal docs asking a judge to appoint her temporary conservator so she could handle John's business affairs, and Cleopatra claimed Shelia was fleecing the estate to deny his children any money.

TMZ broke the story, John suffered a stroke last month after he had checked himself into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. for a leg problem. His mom says John suffered from hypertension for years, and that is what likely triggered the stroke.

The backlash against Kodak Black -- for disrespecting Nipsey Hussle -- is taking out an innocent victim ... namely Danielle Bregoli, but now she's doing something about it.

As we told you ... Bhad Bhabie released a track in February called "Bestie" featuring a verse by Kodak -- and a DMX cameo in the music vid. It was a pretty big hit ... right up until Kodak popped off about Lauren London, saying he'd give her a year of "crying and s**t" over Nipsey's death before making a move on her.

When radio stations banned his music, "Bestie" got screwed too. Sources close to the situation tell us several radio stations contacted Bhabie's camp, asking if she could record another version without Kodak, so they could play it -- and that's what she did.

BB got Houston rapper, Megan Thee Stallion to replace Kodak ... and they released the updated version late Thursday night, and it's now available on all streaming platforms.

We're told Danielle's hoping hip-hop stations will take notice ... and give it another run.

Chewbacca's howling in heaven today ... Peter Mayhew -- the man behind the mask of the iconic 'Star Wars' character -- has died ... according to his family.

We're told the actor died from a heart condition Tuesday at his home in North Texas, and was surrounded by friends and family. Peter played Chewie in all three films of the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, and did it all over again decades later in 'The Revenge of the Sith' and in 2015's 'The Force Awakens.'

His family says Peter fought his way back from being in a wheelchair to star in 'The Force Awakens' before retiring. However, he served as a consultant to Joonas Suotamo -- the Finnish basketball player who took over the role in 'The Last Jedi.'

Mayhew's survived by his wife and 3 children. His family is asking fans to donate to the Peter Mayhew Foundation -- which benefits families around the world in crisis situations -- in lieu of sending flowers or gifts.

They add ... there will be a memorial service for family in June, but in December ... they're planning to hold a service fans can attend in Los Angeles.

Peter was 74.

Nipsey Hussle's team is putting the kibosh on the late rapper's memorial ... because people trying to pay their respects were being hounded by bootleggers and grifters trying to make a buck off his death.

Sources close to the slain Crenshaw rapper tell TMZ ... the memorial outside his Marathon Clothing store is going away, principally because it was becoming a chaotic scene where hustlers roamed the street, turning what was supposed to be a solemn tribute into a circus.

As you know ... Nipsey was gunned down in the parking lot outside his store, and the lot was transformed into a makeshift memorial, with fans leaving flowers, pictures, notes, trinkets and loads of candles.

But, that's all over now.

Here's what the wild scene outside Nipsey's shuttered store looked like ... people selling bootleg t-shirts with Nipsey's image, others demanding money for a tour of the neighborhood, and some even charging fans just to walk through the area where Nipsey was shot. The memorial became so busy, food trucks started parking outside.

Sources close to Nipsey tell us the whole thing reeked of disrespect ... and they felt like he was not being properly honored, so they're closing up shop.

We've seen this kind of thing before ... scalpers tried charging astronomical prices for free tickets to Nipsey's celebration of life, and people who went to the service tried selling the free programs for huge profits on eBay.

It's 4 months until the NFL season ... but DeSean Jackson already has his game cleats picked out -- the Eagles star is honoring Nipsey Hussle with his spikes for the ENTIRE year.

The Philadelphia WR is set to wear custom cleats with Nipsey's face and lyrics on them all season long ... and Marcus Rivero AKA Soles By Sir has already designed Jackson's first pair of kicks.

The footwear -- one painted all blue and the other designed with black and white checkers -- has Nipsey's face on one side and famous lyrics on the other.

Rivero tells TMZ Sports Jackson specifically requested the designs ... and tells us there will be more custom shoes to follow in the near future.

Jackson said of the spikes on social media, "'Lock us behind gates but can’t tame us' Used to be stay safe, now it’s stay dangerous NipDaGr8 Ima rep every game 4 you Loc TMC"

DeSean is just the latest athlete to honor Nipsey -- who was murdered in late March -- joining guys like Clippers star Montrezl Harrell, who just wore his own set of custom Hussle sneakers for their playoff games last month.

John Singleton had a plan in place for his death, because TMZ has learned he left a will, and that's a monumental development in what appears to be a family war that erupted while he lay dying in the hospital.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, John's mother, Shelia Ward, is in possession of the will and it will soon be filed with the probate court. Shelia handled all of John's business affairs, which includes the last will and testament.

As we reported, last week Cleopatra, one of John's 7 children, accused Shelia of trying to corral his assets and squeeze out his kids. Cleopatra launched her attack after Shelia filed legal docs last week to get a temporary conservatorship while John was unable to make decisions. The legal fight ended when John died.

If the 51-year-old, famed director had died without a will, Shelia would get nothing from his reported $35 million estate, because under California law the assets would be divided equally among his 7 children. But, since there's a will, John decides who gets what, and who gets nothing.

Given the business relationship between John and Shelia, it's a safe bet she's the executor of the will, which surely would not please Cleopatra.

It's unclear when John signed the will, but it's not out of the question someone might try and mount a challenge that the will should be invalid because of undue influence or mental incapacity -- this came up after Michael Jackson died. Important to note ... most of these challenges fail.