Celebrity Death

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper's daughter is following in the footsteps of her legendary father -- becoming a professional wrestler -- and her only regret is he isn't here to watch her perform.

TMZ Sports talked to Teal Piper (real name Ariel Teal Toombs) ... who at 34 years old will make her wrestling debut for AEW on August 31.

"A million percent regret not taking this opportunity before," ... Piper told us ... adding, "It is very heartbreaking, and very nostalgic and intense feeling being in this world without him."

Roddy unexpectedly passed away back in July 2015 ... at the age of 61.

Teal says her dad woulda been pumped about her gettin' in the biz ... but also protective over his daughter.

"I think my dad would be very excited for me. He's always been so supportive of the stuff I do."

"But, on the flip side of that, he's always kept me far away from wrestling. He was always worried about the heat he would get as a heel, the fans in the industry, so he kept me and my sister, specifically, in a bubble."

Piper's in the deep end now ... 'cause her first match is a 21-woman Casino Battle Royal -- with the winner getting a title shot.

Jeffrey Epstein, the man accused of horrific sex crimes against underage women, has killed himself behind bars.

Prison guards found him dead Saturday morning at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. This appears to have been his second attempt at taking his life. He was found unresponsive in his cell last month, and it appeared to be a suicide attempt.

A gurney was wheeled out of the facility at 7:30 AM Saturday and taken to a nearby hospital following an apparent 911 call reporting cardiac arrest ... this according to the NY Post.

There was a big development in the scandal Friday when legal docs became public, naming other prominent, private and public, individuals, including a senator and former cabinet member who were allegedly involved in Epstein's sexual exploits. Those people have denied involvement.

Epstein was awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking. Some of his alleged victims were as young as 14. The alleged abuse occurred between 2002 and 2005. The site of the alleged abuse was Epstein's swanky Upper East Side townhouse, as well as his Palm Beach waterfront mansion.

His charges held a possible sentence of 45 years behind bars.

Epstein, a Wall Street investor, had rich and powerful friends, including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, Kevin Spacey and many others.

Epstein took what became a hugely controversial plea deal back in 2008 in Florida. He pled guilty to prostitution-related felonies involving a 14-year-old girl and received an 18-month sentence and served 13 months. As you know, former labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned last month over the plea. He was U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of Florida at the time and accepted the plea deal.

Epstein was taken into custody July 6 and denied bail.

Epstein was 66.

John Singleton's mom claims one of his baby mamas did nothing to help him the night before he died, despite the fact he was throwing up blood and showing signs something was seriously wrong.

Sheila Ward says when John got home the night before he died, his baby mama, Rayvon Jones, met him with, "No open arms just crossed defiant fists." She says some type of argument then started between them.

Sheila claims John then took a bath with his infant son, Seven, but his body began to tremor -- showing serious signs of distress -- and he was almost too weak to get himself out of the tub. He also allegedly threw up blood.

Rather than call 911, Sheila says Rayvon simply put John to bed. His mother says she's haunted by that thought and says, "I can't stop thinking about this truth. Can't blame them. Don't blame them. I feel so sorry for them because they must live with it."

Rayvon tells us John did complain of being sick that night, saying he thought it was food poisoning, but she never saw him throw up, and didn't think it was anything serious. She says she told him to run the bath, to relax and to drink some tea.

Donald Trump is promoting the notion President Obama got a pass from past Presidents when there were mass shootings on his watch ... but the differences are glaring, obvious and, frankly, enraging.

Trump tweeted a quote from Brian Kilmeade from "Fox & Friends" ... "Did George Bush ever condemn President Obama after Sandy Hook. President Obama had 32 mass shootings during his reign. Not many people said Obama is out of Control. Mass shootings were happening before the President even thought about running for Pres."

Kilmeade said that Tuesday morning on his show, and 45 must've been watching -- and perhaps applauding -- the response to Obama's comments Monday. The former Prez said, "We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments; leaders who demonize those who don't look like us, or suggest that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life, or refer to other people as sub-human, or imply that America belongs to just one certain type of people."

Obama is clearly referencing Trump -- and who can argue with him? Donald Trump preaches fear -- undeniable. He demonizes those who don't look like us -- undeniable. And, on and on.

Donald Trump laughed at a rally when someone said the solution to immigrants coming into the country illegally was to shoot them.

FACT -- Obama advocated banning assault weapons, but too many members of Congress sold their souls to the NRA for their own self-preservation and wouldn't hear of it.

Trump came up with an alternative theory -- somehow put the brakes on the insidious video games, which he links to mass shootings. FACT -- in Japan in 2017 there were 22 shooting crimes. Video games in Japan are wildly popular -- way more than in the United States.

So, the overarching message from President Obama addresses the destruction of America and the rise of white nationalists who clearly feel empowered to mete out justice, John Wick-style.

Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison is dead ... according to her publisher.

The critically acclaimed American writer -- perhaps best known for her 1987 best-seller, "Beloved" -- passed away Monday night surrounded by loved ones. Her publicist and publisher both confirmed the news, but didn't say anything about a cause of death.

Toni was a renowned figure in literature, with multiple novels under her belt that spoke to the African-American experience. "Beloved," "Jazz" and "Paradise" made up a loose trilogy -- with the first book being adapted into the 1998 film starring Oprah and Danny Glover.

Other notable works include "Song of Solomon," "The Bluest Eye" and "Sula."

Toni wrote 11 novels in her life, many non-fiction books, 5 children's books, two plays, two short fiction stories and one libretto. She also wrote several essays and university papers.

She won a Nobel Prize in literature in 1993 -- becoming the first African American woman to achieve the honor. President Obama also awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. On politics, she wrote an essay shortly after the election of Donald Trump for the New Yorker titled "Mourning for Whiteness," calling out white supremacy.

A documentary about Toni's life was made this year called "Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am." She had two children -- her sons, Slade and Harold.

Toni was 88. RIP

Courtney Stodden is paying tribute to one of her heroes, Marilyn Monroe, with a pilgrimage to the late Hollywood icon's final resting site ... and she was decked out as MM.

The reality TV star was seen Monday heading to Marilyn's crypt at the Westwood Village Memorial Park in L.A. -- where she shares a wall with some very famous people, including Hugh Hefner. The area surrounding Marilyn's crypt was laced with flowers.

As for Courtney, she wore an extra-wide brim hat for the occasion, which was clearly a callback to one of Marilyn's many looks through the years.

Marilyn rocked a similar hat in her 1957 movie "The Prince and the Showgirl" -- and considering how much Courtney admires her, we wouldn't be surprised if this is a nod.

What's interesting is that Courtney seems to do this semi-frequently -- she also paid a visit to Marilyn's crypt in 2016 and left a letter at the time that read in part, "If I could bring you back for just one day, I'd tell you how much you're missed."

She wore a very Marilyn-esque gown for that visit as well.

The cemetery is an L.A. landmark, and Marilyn's crypt is the undisputed highlight. Others who made the cemetery their final resting place include Farrah Fawcett, Dean Martin, Armand Hammer, Natalie Wood, Rodney Dangerfield, Donna Reed, Don Knotts and on and on.

Marilyn's ex-husband, Joe DiMaggio, arranged for flowers to be left at her crypt twice a week over the course of two decades. Seems the tradition has continued.

Marilyn would've been 93 years old if she were alive today. She died of an overdose on Aug. 5, 1962 -- and although it was ruled a probable suicide, many suspected foul play due to her affair with JFK, who was assassinated the following year.

22-year-old Belgian pro cyclist Bjorg Lambrecht died Monday from injuries he suffered from a horrific crash during a race in Poland, his team confirmed.

Lambrecht was competing in the 3rd stage of the Tour de Pologne -- a week-long event -- when he crashed hard into a concrete structure. Lambrect reportedly struck his head during the collision and fell unconscious.

Emergency personnel attempted to resuscitate him on scene and he was raced to a nearby hospital. Doctors performed emergency surgery but he died during the operation.

Unclear what caused the crash -- some say weather may have been a factor because it had been raining.

Lambrecht was considered a rising star in the sport ... winning the U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2017 and placing high in several other competitions.

Lotto-Soudal -- Lambrecht's team -- released a statement on Monday ... saying "The biggest tragedy possible that could happen to the family, friends and teammates of Bjorg has happened… Rest in peace Bjorg."

Maria Shriver is in an all too familiar position ... attending a funeral for a Kennedy family member, this time for her young cousin, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, who died from an apparent overdose.

RFK's granddaughter was laid to rest Monday during a family service in Cape Cod. The funeral -- also attended by Congressman Joe Kennedy, Saoirse's grandmother, Ethel Kennedy, RFK Jr. and his wife, Cheryl Hines -- was held a few miles away from the Kennedy compound where Saoirse died.

The service was held at Our Lady of Victory Church, the scene of numerous Kennedy wakes and funerals, including Eunice Kennedy Shriver's in 2009. Caroline Kennedy also got married there in 1986.

As we reported ... Saoirse died Thursday from an apparent drug overdose while staying at the family's famous Hyannis Port estate. She had been in cardiac arrest by the time paramedics arrived. She was rushed to a hospital but doctors could not resuscitate her. She was 22.

Maria, the niece of Robert, John and Ted Kennedy, took to Instagram the day after Saoirse died and said, "Be gentle with others, as so many are struggling. Actually, I think it's best to assume everyone is struggling. So treat everyone with love, tenderness and compassion."

Bucky Dent tells TMZ Sports he's still hurting over Thurman Munson's tragic death 40 years ago ... saying, "He was a tremendous teammate and a guy we loved."

Munson -- a former New York Yankees captain -- was killed when he crashed his Cessna Citation I/SP jet during flying practice on a baseball off day on Aug. 2, 1979.

Officials said he didn't take the proper steps when trying to land the plane ... and when the aircraft crashed -- Munson suffered a broken neck that led to his death.

Last Friday was the 40-year anniversary of the tragedy ... and when we got his ex-Yanks teammate, Dent, out in NYC -- he told us the accident still stings.

"For us in the Yankee organization, playing with him, it was definitely a shock."

Munson was on his way to being a Yankee legend before the crash ... in 11 seasons he was a 7-time All-Star, 2-time World Series champ and the league's 1976 MVP.

In fact, George Steinbrenner immediately retired Munson's No. 15 ... and in 1980, the team placed a plaque memorializing Thurman in Monument Park.

"Descendants 3" star China Anne McClain grew up with her costar and BFF Cameron Boyce, and says his death hit her like a ton of bricks, because almost no one knew he was suffering from epilepsy.

China was on "TMZ Live" Friday to talk about Cameron and Friday's Disney Channel debut of his final movie, 'D3.' She says the premiere comes with mixed emotions on the heels of her dear friend passing. It was obvious she's still processing the loss.

She says only Cameron's family knew about his condition, and despite the fact she knew him for 10 years -- and starred in 4 movies with him -- she had "no idea."

She broke down as she explained how the simplest things remind her of Cam and sometimes send her on a roller coaster of emotions. China says she's even caught herself picking up the phone to text Cameron.

She says she still hasn't seen "Descendants 3," and confesses she's not sure she'll be able to make it through the whole thing when she finally does watch.

As we reported ... Disney canceled a red carpet event in Cameron's honor after he died last month in his sleep. The studio also made a donation to the Thirst Project ... a nonprofit close to Cameron.

The fatal crash that killed Grant Thompson -- creator of YouTube's popular "King of Random" series -- was all caught on camera ... and though we're told it'll never see the light of day, it's helped investigators determine exactly what went wrong.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... authorities have reviewed footage from a camera mounted on Grant's paramotor, and it appears a change in the updraft caused the parachute to malfunction. It's unclear if the parachute twisted ... but we're told Grant died on impact, less than 4 seconds after the problem surfaced.

The video makes it apparent ... Thompson immediately knew something was wrong but couldn't recover because he lost altitude in rapid fashion. By the time he deployed his reserve parachute, it was just too late. We're told the reserve chute did in fact deploy, but not in time.

We're told authorities are adamant the video will never be released to the public ... it would be gratuitous, gruesome and painful for his family.

TMZ broke the story ... Grant died after a paramotoring accident in Utah. The Washington County Sheriff's Office had said a report came in Monday of an overdue paraglider who had gone off the radar near the Sand Hollow State Park. His coordinates were pulled from GPS data and a helicopter located his body.

Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy's granddaughter is dead after suffering an apparent drug overdose while staying at the family's famous Hyannis Port estate.

Saoirse Kennedy Hill was already in cardiac arrest Thursday by the time paramedics arrived at the Kennedy compound ... around 2:30 PM. She was rushed to a hospital, but doctors could not resuscitate her, and she was pronounced dead there.

Multiple reports said the cause of death appears to be an overdose, but there's no official word from police or the family.

Saiorse's death is the latest in a decades-long string of tragedies for the Kennedys. The family released a statement saying, "“Her life was filled with hope, promise and love. She lit up our lives with her love, her peals of laughter and her generous spirit. We will love her and will miss her forever."

Her grandmother, Ethel, added, "The world is a little less beautiful today."

Saiorse studied communications at Boston College, and before that attended the Deerfield Academy private boarding school in Massachusetts. While she was there, she wrote an article for the school paper about battling depression and attempting suicide.

Her parents are Courtney Kennedy -- Ethel and RFK's 5th child (out of 11) -- and Paul Michael Hill.

Saiorse was 22.

RIP

Grant Thompson, creator of YouTube's popular "King of Random" series, died doing an extreme sport he loved and mastered -- based on this video -- even though he'd just picked it up a few months ago.

TMZ's learned Grant Thompson was paramotoring -- it's also called powered paragliding -- when he died Monday night in Utah. In this video shot in March ... Thompson's seen handily operating a paramotor to fly all around and high above an open field.

At one point he pulled off a maneuver his friend calls "so risky" as he recorded the flight.

Law enforcement confirmed a paramotor was involved in Grant's accident.

His brother, Mark, tells us Grant took up the sport about 5 months ago and says it was his new obsession. We're told the footage seen here was taken at the same spot near his home where he was supposed to land ... had he made it back from the flight that killed him.

We broke the story ... authorities found Grant's body Tuesday. The Washington County Sheriff's Office got a call about an overdue paraglider who'd gone off radar near a state park, and they quickly launched a massive search.

Along with Grant's paramotoring gear, a video recording device was found at the crash site and is being reviewed to determine the cause of the accident.

Grant started his YouTube channel in 2010 and amassed more than 11 millions subscribers while documenting experiments, life hacks and random weekend projects.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti -- who famously launched a charity to cure paralysis -- has died after a struggle with dementia. He was 78.

Buoniconti was a stud linebacker at Notre Dame who was drafted by the Boston Patriots of the AFL in 1962 ... but went on to become a superstar for the Miami Dolphins from 1969 to 1976.

During his career, Buoniconti racked up 2 Super Bowl rings, made 2 Pro Bowls and was a 6-time AFL All Star. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Buoniconti believed he suffered from CTE due to his football career and in 2017 he announced that he would donate his brain for research purposes after his death.

During an interview, Buoniconti once said of his condition, "I’m positive that football caused this ... I always loved [the game]. I still do. But I’m paying the price."

Nick famously launched The Buoniconti Fund after his son, Marc, became paralyzed during a college football game in 1985. The Fund helped launch the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which has become one of the global leaders in neurological research.

Nick and Marc were famously featured on an episode of HBO's "Real Sports."

Nick also hosted "Inside the NFL" from 1980 until 2001.

And get this, while playing for the Patriots, Nick earned his law degree and became a sports agent who represented a bunch of MLB players ... including Andre Dawson.

Yankees legendary owner George Steinbrenner once said Nick was the toughest negotiator he ever faced.

Long story short, Nick lived a pretty amazing life and will be missed.

Cameron Boyce suffered a sudden, unexpected death due to epilepsy ... according to the Medical Examiner, confirming what we already knew about the young Disney superstar.

The L.A. County M.E.'s report also says Cameron did not have any drugs or alcohol in his system ... except for Keppra -- which is an epilepsy medication.

We broke the story ... Cameron's offical cause of death was deferred on his death certificate until the medical examiner's office could complete its investigation. The report says the 20-year-old developed non-traumatic epilepsy about 3 years ago ... and had "several major seizures" over the years.

As we told you, despite suffering epileptic seizures for a long time ... Cameron was able to achieve great acting success in both TV and in movies. The M.E.'s report says his seizures typically occurred months apart.

Boyce suffered the fatal seizure on July 6 and died in his sleep. Our sources told us his roommate found him unresponsive, and when paramedics arrived they could not revive him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cameron's death led to heartfelt tributes from many celebrities, including Michelle Obama, who said, "not only did he have incredible talent, but also an incredible heart."

His family says his spirit will live on through "the kindness and compassion of all who knew and loved him." It's already evident -- the actor's favorite charity has raised thousands since his death in his honor ... with some help from his movie dad, Adam Sandler.

Grant Thompson -- the creator and star of the viral YouTube series "King of Random" -- died this week after a paragliding accident in Utah ... according to his family.

Grant's brother, Mark, tells TMZ ... the YouTuber went paragliding Monday evening, but never returned home. Mark says Grant's body was discovered by authorities Tuesday, and that the family is still being briefed on what exactly happened.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office says a report came in Monday of an overdue paraglider, who'd gone off the radar near the Sand Hollow State Park. They say the caller reported the paraglider should have returned an hour earlier, and he couldn't be reached on his cellphone. The call triggered a massive search.

Grant's coordinates were pulled from GPS data, and a helicopter located his body that night. WCSO says detectives found paragliding equipment at the crash site, as well as a video recording device ... which they're reviewing to determine cause.

Mark tells us that Grant got into paragliding around 5 months ago. He had an affinity for skydiving, flying and other airborne activities.

Grant started his YouTube channel in 2010, documenting experiments, life hacks and random weekend projects. King of Random amassed more than 11 million subscribers and nearly 2.5 billion views total. His was the 321st most subscribed to channel on YouTube.

It appears Grant took something of a backseat on his series as of late. Two new hosts have been fronting the video experiments for a while.

YouTube commented on Grant's death as well, saying ... "We're deeply saddened to learn of the tragic loss of Grant Thompson, a gifted, passionate and endlessly curious creator. We send our deepest condolences to his loving family, The King of Random team and fans."