Celebrity Death

8:45 PM PT -- Bill's reps confirm he died Sunday evening surrounded by family at 9:35 PM in Houston. His publicist says plans are underway for a public memorial.

His son, Javon, tells TMZ ... Bill's final words were, "I will love you forever."

Bushwick Bill, real name Richard Shaw, was 52.

RIP

10:05 AM PT -- Bill's daughter says her father is "fighting for his life" and needs prayers and support. She also hinted at some friction between Bill and unnamed industry people. She said on IG, "Certain people have been so quick to write him off as dead so they can capitalize off it."

She stressed, "There is no Geto Boys without Bushwick Bill."

8:55 AM PT -- Bill's publicist tells TMZ he is "still alive and fighting cancer" in a hospital. She says she spoke to hospital staff to confirm, and says some of Bill's family members are by his hospital bedside right now. Others are on their way.

As for why so many of Bill's friends, including Scarface, are posting that he's passed -- the publicist says someone got incorrect information which is spreading like wildfire.

The rumors were likely stirred by Bill's absence from a Saturday night Dallas gig. He was scheduled to make a special performance, but was unable to make it because he was hospitalized.

His publicist tells us event organizers were notified ahead of the show that Bill was not well enough to make it.

Bushwick Bill, one third of iconic rap group the Geto Boys, is in bad shape ... but still battling with pancreatic cancer.

TMZ broke the story ... Bill was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in February. Just last month, he told us he was undergoing intensive chemotherapy, and had hoped to get back on the road.

Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D became the Geto Boys in Houston back in 1988 and signed with J. Prince's Rap-A-Lot Records. The group was instantly controversial for its graphic lyrics which made radio airplay almost impossible. Their 1991 album "Can't Be Stopped" still went platinum, though, on the strength of classics like, "Mind Playing Tricks On Me."

Just a few weeks ago, the rap trio was trying to put together a reunion, but it fell apart at the last minute.

As we first reported, Bill had a falling out with tour organizers ... feeling like they were exploiting his cancer diagnosis to sell tickets. He was especially bent out of shape with the mini-tour's title, "The Beginning of a Long Goodbye: The Final Farewell."

Promoters pulled the plug on the tour on the eve of its launch. However, Bill told us he wanted to do a 20-city solo tour called "Phuck Cancer" ... and planned to donate a portion of proceeds to pancreatic cancer patients in each city.

Houston hip-hop icon Bun B paid tribute on Twitter, saying Bushwick "will always be a legend."

Charlamagne Tha God is adamant ... if Americans collectively decide to get their mental health in order, there'd no doubt be a huge decline in violence.

We got Charlamagne out in NYC and straight-up asked him ... if rappers went to therapy, would there be less violence in the hip-hop world? The 'Breakfast Club' host shot back saying therapy wouldn't just benefit one industry, but the entire country.

He also thinks it would go a long way to curbing mass shootings and other violence in the hood.

The mental health topic, of course, comes on the heels of Charlamagne's interview with YG, who said showing his emotions and having a good cry is just NOT his thing.

Charlamagne got YG to confess the rapper did get emotional after his boy, Nipsey Hussle, was murdered 2 months ago. But, aside from that, YG says crying ain't his thing.

Dennis Day -- an original Mouseketeer on "The Mickey Mouse Club" -- was found dead just over 2 months ago but his body was too decomposed for authorities to ID him ... until now.

Day's family confirmed Thursday it was his body cops found in his Phoenix, Oregon home back on April 4 ... which is highly suspicious and mysterious, because cops had previously searched the home and found nothing.

The 76-year-old went missing last July 15, and there was an extensive search, which included combing his home. Police say it's unclear how long the body had been there, or how the body was missed during previous searches. They're not saying if there were signs of foul play. They had not been able to identify the body back in April because the condition of the remains was severely degraded, which rendered DNA and dental records unusable.

Dennis was originally reported missing by his partner of more than 45 years, who lives at a care facility. He says he got worried after Dennis hadn't visited in weeks.

Authorities say Day's family didn't find out about his disappearance until 6 months later when they saw a report on the local news. Adding to the mystery ... his car was found about 200 miles away along the Oregon coast with 2 strangers in the car claiming he'd let them borrow the car.

State police impounded the vehicle and continued investigating for a cause of death.

Dennis was a 12-year-old actor when he first signed on as a Mouseketeer in 1955.

As an original member of the Mouseketeers, he reportedly modeled prospective costumes for Walt Disney and appeared in publicity photos for the TV show. He last appeared on the show in 1957. He tried his hand at theater in NY and was later a drama teacher in California.

Dr. John -- a Grammy-winning singer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee whose fascination with voodoo inspired his stage name -- has died.

The New Orleans-born singer died Thursday of a heart attack. The family said in a statement Dr. John died "toward the break of day." The family did not say where he died. Dr. John -- born Mac Rebennack -- had been out of the public spotlight since 2017 after canceling several gigs.

The doc is largely known for his top 10 hit, "Right Place, Wrong Time." He was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 and won 6 Grammys ... including Best Blues Album for "Locked Down" in 2013.

Mac reportedly created his musical personality out a male version of Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen. Mac, he wrote in his memoir, drew inspiration from New Orleans folklore about a root doctor who flourished in the mid-1800s.

Dr. John -- who served time in prison and had the ring finger on his left hand blown off during a shooting incident in 1961 -- played with some of the best ... including The Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones.

Earlier Thursday, we posted a story about T.I.'s sister, Precious Harris Chapman, and reported the Medical Examiner's official findings on her cause of death ... we were wrong to do it.

T.I. and his family are hurt and furious, and they have a point.

Precious was a vital member in her community throughout her life. She was a proud member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She mentored children and young women in need over the years. She was an ambassador for Saving Our Daughters, a nonprofit created by parents Curtis and Debbie Benjamin, who lost their child to a brain tumor.

In her efforts connected to Saving Our Daughters, she helped girls overcome the many obstacles they face growing up -- bullying, dating abuse, domestic violence and more.

She worked tirelessly over the years with Hosea Feed the Hungry, an organization that feeds the homeless and hungry in Atlanta, alongside the daughter of civil rights icon Hosea Williams.

She was a supporter and advocate for Motherless Daughters and the Covenant House. Motherless Daughters supported and advocated on behalf of daughters who have lost their mothers by providing emotional support, guidance and resources. She started the Precious Academy, an early education initiative where she provided early education, nurturing and supporting children and their families.

Precious was an active member of Salem Bible Church, where there is a Community Center in her name, to serve people in need in the area where she grew up.

She was recently granted a scholarship in her name -- by VH1 -- the Precious Chapman Scholarship.

Precious worked alongside her brother in Atlanta for more than 10 years on philanthropic and humanitarian initiatives, including the annual Senior Thanksgiving, where they feed more than 7,000 seniors and grandparents raising their grandchildren. She also cohosted the annual Holiday Caravan, where she supported daycares in need, provided Christmas gifts for Children's Hospital and serviced youth in need throughout the Bankhead section of Atlanta.

Precious was only peripherally involved in T.I. and Tiny's reality show, and wasn't in the spotlight as a celebrity.

John Singleton's mother wants control of the late director's estate STAT ... she claims her son's property is being snatched up by someone close to the family.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Singleton's mother, Shelia Ward, says someone is after John's valuable art collection, comic book trove and tons of his personal items ... and she says that person went into his locked office and basically took a bunch of stuff.

In the docs, Shelia claims her son's valuables were locked in his home office after his death ... but she says someone recently went in and removed some things.

According to the docs, Shelia claims the person who took the stuff has keys to John's house and boat ... but it's not clear who the individual is.

Shelia is asking for control of the estate so she can "restore order," secure his assets and have the final say when it comes to his property.

John died April 28 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. after being taken off life support following a massive stroke.

John Singleton will get a fitting tribute on his last big project ... and it was no small feat to pull it off.

"Snowfall" -- the FX series Singleton co-created that chronicles L.A.'s crack epidemic in the '80s -- did an entire rewrite of the upcoming third season's finale to incorporate a young John character into the story ... based on his pre-"Boyz n the Hood" days.

Sources close to production tell us everyone involved really wanted to honor him this way, and worked very hard with little time to make it happen.

There's more -- we're told Singleton's 1-year-old son, Seven, will make a cameo in episode 10 as well ... which would have made his father ecstatic.

Our sources say John always had his boy on set and expressed his wish to eventually have him appear on "Snowfall" ... so producers checked that off the list too.

Little Seven spent some time with the show's stars between takes, and you can see ... he definitely upped the cuteness factor of the gritty drama.

As we reported ... Singleton died in April almost 2 weeks after suffering a stroke. He was 51.

Season 3 of "Snowfall" premieres July 10, so we're told the finale featuring the young John character and the appearance of John's son will air September 11.

Mick Foley says he'll come to your door and watch wrestling with you IN PERSON ... saying all it'll take for him to do that is a donation to Ashley Massaro's daughter's educational fund.

The wrestling legend appeared on "TMZ Live" on Tuesday and told the guys for a $5,000 check, he's willing to travel ANYWHERE in the United States or Canada to hang out with fans.

And, for a $10,000 donation, he says he'll even fly overseas!!!

"You get three hours of my time," Mick says ... "We can do whatever you want. I can do your yard work if you'd like."

Massaro tragically died last month in an apparent suicide ... and Foley has been one of the ring leaders of a charity project aimed at helping her daughter, Alexa, save up for college.

So far, their GoFundMe page has raised over $45,000 ... and Mick says the ultimate goal is $100K.

"Ashley was a really good friend and somebody I thought the world of," Mick says ... "And, I wish I had been there a little bit more for her when she was having trouble."

12:50 PM PT -- The Broward Sheriff's Office has also fired Peterson for neglecting his duties at the high school on the day of the shooting after an internal investigation.

The Broward County Sheriff's Deputy who fled at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a mass shooting broke out has been arrested for failing to do his job and help limit the carnage ... and he's facing up to 96 years in prison.

Scot Peterson has been arrested and charged in Florida and has been hit with 11 criminal charges stemming from the Parkland shooting on February 14, 2018.

The charges include 7 counts of child neglect, 3 counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury. This comes after a 14-month investigation where law enforcement interviewed 184 witnesses and reviewed countless hours of surveillance footage.

Peterson's bond has been set at $102k ... but if he posts it he'll be required to wear a GPS monitor, turn in his passport and forfeit any firearms he has.

As we reported ... Peterson was tasked to guard the school, but video shows him running away from danger when 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire on the school.

He's also been sued by families of the victims.

June Ambrose gets the award for most cringe-worthy moment at the 2019 CFDA Awards ... after making a monumental mental slip about the late Kate Spade.

The costume designer and star of "Styled By June" was chatting up celebs arriving Monday night at the fashion awards show at the Brooklyn Museum -- which was live streamed -- when she made a shocking and insensitive gaffe.

June was interviewing entrepreneur Hannah Bronfman and asked what designer she was wearing. When she said she was wearing Kate Spade, June replied ... "Are you here with Kate? Is she here?"

Seemingly unaware that the famous fashion designer died a year ago by suicide, Ambrose continued to look around for Spade and asked if she'd skipped past her. Bronfman was visibly rattled, but kudos to her for handling it with class and finding a way to NOT shame June.

People watching online, however, didn't let June's slipup slide -- blasting her online for being clueless and insensitive.

Ambrose indirectly acknowledged her mistake when she signed off, saying ... "It has been my honor and pleasure to host, screw up and cause chaos tonight on this carpet for you. I hope you enjoyed and learned as much as I did."

She also tweeted early Tuesday morning, apologizing for her mistake, and admitting she made "an error."

Frank Lucas, one of America's most infamous drug kingpins, died Thursday night ... TMZ has confirmed.

Frank, famously played by Denzel Washington in the 2007 movie "American Gangster," died in New Jersey, according to his brother. We're told Frank was being transported to a hospital for an unknown health issue and died on the way.

Lucas rose to power dealing heroin in Harlem in the 1960s and '70s, and he boasted of cutting out middlemen by buying his product directly from Southeast Asia ... then smuggling the drugs back to America using the coffins of dead U.S. servicemen.

Frank was born and raised in North Carolina before moving to New York City ... where he eventually got into the drug trade, cutting into the Italian mafia's business and carving a name for himself.

Lucas bragged his heroin was among the purest on the street, and he infamously dubbed his product, "Blue Magic." While he was at the top of the NYC drug trade, Frank rubbed elbows with elites from Hollywood, politics and the business world.

Frank was finally busted in the mid-1970s and all of his enormous assets and wealth were seized. Lucas owned property across the country in Chicago, Miami, Detroit, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina -- and even Puerto Rico.

When the DEA raided Frank's Jersey home in 1975, agents found more than $584,000 in cash.

Frank was convicted of federal and state drug violations ... and sentenced to 70 years in prison. Lucas ratted out others in the drug biz, and he and his family entered a witness protection program.

After 5 years in custody, Frank had his sentence reduced to time served plus lifetime parole ... but he was later busted for drug dealing again, and spent another 7 years behind bars before being released in 1991.

Claus von Bulow, the man who was convicted but walked free -- after his conviction was overturned -- and ultimately acquitted of trying to murder his wife ... has died.

The trial was one of the most sensational of the 20th century. Von Bulow was charged with deliberately injecting insulin into wife Sunny in 1980, sending her into an irreversible coma.

Prosecutors claimed Claus wanted to do Sunny in so he could inherit her fortune and continue his relationship with his mistress, a soap opera actress.

Von Bulow was convicted the first time around and sentenced to 30 years in prison, and then was famously represented on appeal by Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz. He successfully argued items were illegally seized and the notes from key witness interviews had not been turned over to the defense.

The story riveted the nation, and became the subject of "Reversal of Fortune," which chronicles the murder and Dershowitz's appeal. Jeremy Irons, who played Claus, won an Oscar for Best Actor.

Claus was retried and found not guilty in 1985. He moved to Europe where he died.

Reggie Jackson says Bill Buckner was not only a great guy, but a great baseball player -- and it sucks he had to spend years dealing with the blowback from that infamous World Series error.

Reggie and Bill played during the same era in the '70s and '80s and you can tell by the clip, Reggie really liked the guy.

Of course, Bill passed away Monday after a battle with dementia. He was 69.

But, Reggie says he feels terrible that Bill had to deal with such a ridiculous amount of harassment after letting that ground ball go through his legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

The error haunted the former Red Sox star for the rest of his career -- and the rest of his life -- and things got so bad, he eventually moved out of Massachusetts to get away from the constant torment.

Reggie tells us ... he wishes people would celebrate the rest of Buckner's career -- because he ultimately finished with close to 3,000 hits (the official number is 2,715).

"Just a great human being, super guy," Jackson tells us ... "Sorry really what happened with him in his career. It's a shame that he's marked for that."

The wife of Oscar-nominated actor Demian Bichir was sleeping only 2 hours a night and detoxing off anxiety meds before she took her own life ... according to her autopsy report.

Model Stefanie Sherk was discovered by her husband April 12 at the bottom of their pool in Sherman Oaks, CA with weights strapped to her back and ankles, and despite efforts to resuscitate her ... she never regained consciousness and died at the hospital 8 days later.

According to L.A. County Coroner ... Sherk was 2 days into detoxing from Xanax at the time of her death but was also suffering crippling insomnia due to her sleep aid, Lunesta, which had lost its efficacy.

The Coroner says she also had a history of depression and experienced "recent suicidal ideations."

Sherk's depression got worse at the end of 2018 following the deaths of her grandmother and her dog. She reportedly called a friend just 9 days before her suicide and described how she wanted to kill herself ... but the friend talked her out of it and notified the family.

The Coroner's report ultimately revealed Sherk's cause of death was "the result of the effect of lack of oxygen, mainly on the brain, produced by a purposeful drowning episode."

Days after Sherk's death, Bichir wrote ... "It is with inconceivable pain that I announce that on April 20, 2019, our dearest Stefanie Sherk, my beloved and loving wife, passed away peacefully. It has been the saddest and toughest time of our lives and we don’t know how much time it will take for us to overcome this pain. Stefanie’s beautiful, angelical and talented presence will be immensely missed.”

5:15 PM PT -- We just got Chazz Palminteri in NYC, and he told us he's glad he got the chance to work with Carmine ... calling him a really great man.

Chazz also feels Carmine should be reinstated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

9:53 AM PT -- Carmine's manager tells us, "From Broadway, to film and television, Carmine spent over six decades entertaining audiences, and nothing made him happier. His talent, wit, warmth, and charm will be missed. Carmine passed peacefully, surrounded by friends and family."

"Perhaps Carmine's biggest regret was his involvement in a scandal that left him expelled from The Motion Picture Academy. While exonerated by police and the FBI, Carmine was always deeply saddened by what had transpired."

9:10 AM PT -- A rep for Carmine tells us he had actually been at Cedars-Sinai since April 25 when he took a nasty fall. He had been getting treatment for back injuries, but after nearly a month in the hospital he came down with pneumonia.

We're told he was diagnosed last Thursday, and although doctors felt he was stable enough for release on Friday ... his health started going south on Saturday.

Although some of Carmine's friends have posted he was in a coma, the rep said he was responsive up until the day before his death.

Carmine Caridi has died from complications suffered during hospitalization for a bad fall ... TMZ has learned.

The 'Godfather' actor -- who played Carmine Rosato in the first sequel -- was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai hospital in L.A., and his health started slipping over the weekend. We're told he died on Wednesday. Carmine's friend, actor and director Chazz Palminteri, confirmed the passing to TMZ.

It's unclear what caused Carmine's health crisis.

Carmine is a veteran TV actor, who's starred in big shows like "Starsky and Hutch," "Taxi," "Fame" and "Simon & Simon." He also, notably, played Det. Vince Gotelli in "NYPD Blue."

Interestingly, he returned in "The Godfather Part III," but in a different role -- he played Albert Volpe that time around.

In total, Carmine has more than 100 acting credits over six decades in showbiz.

He's also known as one of the few people who've been expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for sharing movie screeners in '04 -- which became the butt of Jimmy Kimmel's joke during the 2018 Oscars ... when he compared Carmine to Harvey Weinstein.

Carmine took exception with Kimmel's crack, telling us he shouldn't have been put in the same category as Weinstein ... even if it was all in good fun.

Carmine was 85.

RIP

Racing fans from all over the world packed St. Stephen's Cathedral in Austria on Wednesday to bid farewell to F1 legend Niki Lauda ... including Lewis Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The mourners braved heavy rains to get inside the church, where Lauda's coffin was flanked by flower wreaths. His trademark red crash helmet was placed on top.

The 70-year-old passed away last week -- nine months after undergoing surgery for a lung transplant.

Lewis Hamilton has taken Lauda's death particularly hard ... the two were very close. In fact, Lauda was involved when Lewis signed with McClaren ahead of the 2013 racing season.

Niki's widow, Birgit, and his son, Mathias Lauda -- who's also a pro racecar driver -- also attended the memorial service.

Other notable names at the service include Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and former drivers Alain Prost, Sir Jackie Stewart and Nico Rosberg.

Niki won the F1 drivers' championship in 1975 and '77 with Ferrari and again in '84 with McLaren ... but he's most famous for crashing and catching fire in 1976 at the German Grand Prix.

Lauda was badly burned in the crash, but he made a miraculous recovery an returned to racing only 6 weeks later.

Lauda's incredible comeback after dodging death instantly made him the stuff of a legend ... and his 1976 rivalry with British driver James Hunt was the plot line of the movie "Rush."