Celebrity Death

Chester Bennington's music is currently worth more than $8 million ... according to new legal docs filed by his widow.

Talinda Bennington submitted an appraisal detailing some of Chester's assets to the probate court overseeing his estate. The docs, obtained by TMZ, show his music rights are worth $8,140,719.

The biggest chunk of that are his cut of current and future music royalties ... worth $5.2 million. Another $1.5 mil is attributed to his net share of publishing rights, and $1.3 mil in songwriter performance rights.

Important to note, these numbers don't take into account Chester and Talinda's properties, bank accounts and other assets ... it's just a current appraisal of his music assets.

TMZ broke the story ... Chester hanged himself in his home in 2017. He was survived by his 6 children and Talinda.

Dem Franchize Boyz lost one of their own this weekend -- Gerald "Buddie" Tiller passed away from what appears to be cancer, according to the group itself.

DFB posted the sad news Sunday, writing on Instagram ... "R.I.P. Buddie you Will be Missed #demfranchizeboyz." Jermaine Dupri -- who signed the group to his So So Def label in 2005 and pretty much put them on with their smash hit, "Lean wit It, Rock wit It" -- also spoke on Buddie's death, and seemed to suggest he'd died from cancer.

On his own IG page, the hip-hop mogul made reference to a line from Buddie's verse on 'LWI,RWI,' writing ... "'They call me Doctor Doc I prescribe what a n**** need' #ripbuddy may your soul rest easy #demfranchiseboyz #f***cancer."

Other rappers offered up their condolences as well -- including Da Brat and fellow DFB member Parlae.

Dem Franchize Boyz are perhaps best known for their two hits, "Lean wit It, Rock wit It" and "I Think They Like Me," both of which appeared on their debut album "On Top of Our Game." They did a mash-up of 'Lean wit It' with Korn called "Coming Undone Wit It."

Aaliyah lives on in many forms, and now there's a new wax figure to celebrate her incredible life.

Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas just unveiled its very first wax sculpture of the late R&B singer, immortalizing Aaliyah in one of her iconic looks.

The spot-on wax statue is being rolled out Wednesday night in the heart of the Vegas strip, with a special unveiling for Aaliyah's family and a bunch of celebs.

Honchos at Madame Tussauds tell TMZ ... Aaliyah's wax figure was inspired by the music video for her smash hit, "Try Again," and the details are down to a T ... with the exact same outfit, hair style, makeup and lower-back tattoo.

We're told the designer worked closely with Aaliyah's fam, especially her brother Rashad Haughton, to ensure the sculpture brought her character back to life.

As you know ... Aaliyah died in a plane crash way back in 2001, but she's still got a huge following ... and fans will be able to check out her wax statue this summer in the same exhibit as other stars from the 1990s.

Two days before he died, Jeffrey Epstein made sure his affairs were in order -- signing a will that lays out where he's putting $577 million, and who's calling the shots.

Epstein signed his will on August 8 -- 2 days before his body was discovered at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center -- and the doc was filed last week in the U.S. Virgin Islands ... where the ex-hedge fund manager owned 2 islands worth tens of millions.

The eerie timing aside ... Epstein's will lays out the total amount he's dumping into a trust ... a whopping $577,672,654. Keep in mind, the trust might already have even more cash in there -- we just don't know as the trust docs aren't public.

As for who stands to inherit that massive fortune -- there are no beneficiaries listed. Although, he does list "next of kin" as his brother, Mark Epstein ... but that doesn't guarantee he's inheriting anything. Again, the trust would spell that out.

The docs, first posted by the New York Post, say his executors are Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn ... each of whom will get $250k for carrying out Epstein's final wishes.

Here's a quick breakdown of Epstein's assets, per the will. $56 million-plus in cash, a little over $14 mil in fixed income, nearly $113 mil in equities, about $195 mil in hedge funds and private equity ... not to mention 6 properties/estates worth well over $178 million.

Moments after Cedric Benson crashed his motorcycle into a minivan Saturday, several bystanders slammed on their brakes and raced to the scene to try to save the ex-NFL star's life, new video shows.

The raw footage is graphic so we're not publishing it -- instead, we've cut screen grabs showing the efforts to save Cedric and his female passenger ... with one person even using a fire extinguisher to put out flames on the former running back.

As we previously reported, Benson and his passenger were riding a BMW motorcycle on a popular highway in Austin, Texas at around 10:20 p.m. when he collided with a white minivan.

In new footage obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see at least 6 cars have pulled over near the crash and a handful of people raced over to Cedric to help out.

The video shows Cedric's burning motorcycle propped against the driver's side door of the mini van, which is fully engulfed in flames. Cedric and his passenger are down on the road nearby.

The person who shot the video notes that no emergency personnel had arrived when the video was being shot -- you don't see any flashing lights.

One good Samaritan grabbed a fire extinguisher and tended to Benson, who appeared to be smoldering from the wreck.

Fire and rescue arrived a short time later -- but it was too late. Benson and his passenger were pronounced dead on the scene by law enforcement officials. No cause of death has been officially released.

36-year-old Benson had sadly posted a picture of his bike on Instagram just hours the before the crash, saying, "My Saturday evening."

We've reached out to the Austin Police Department for comment on the new footage ... and they say they'll have more details on the accident later Monday.

Jeffrey Epstein's team is not satisfied he died as a result of a suicide by hanging -- in no small part because 3 fractures in his neck almost never point to suicide -- and they are not ruling out the possibility someone strangled him and then put a sheet around his neck to make it look like death by hanging.

Sources connected to Epstein tell TMZ, his team is frustrated officials at the Manhattan Metropolitan Correctional Center and the medical examiner haven't given them nearly all the information required to form a conclusion on cause of death. The medical examiner says it was a suicide by hanging, but Epstein's team says the ME is jumping the gun.

The suspicions on Epstein's team center on the 3 fractures around Epstein's neck -- the hyoid bone in the Adam's apple area, along with 2 fractures on either side of the thyroid cartilage. It is extremely rare hanging can result in 3 such fractures. The fractures are way more consistent with strangulation.

We're told Epstein's team is also very suspicious 2 guards responsible for monitoring him fell asleep at the same time. One guard, maybe, but 2 raises questions.

Ex-NFL running back Cedric Benson -- the #4 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft -- was killed in a motorcycle crash in Austin, Texas late Saturday night. He was only 36.

Benson -- who was a superstar at the University of Texas from 2001 to 2004 -- was reportedly driving his bike with a passenger when they got into an accident with another vehicle around 10 PM.

The passenger -- who has not yet been identified -- was also killed in the wreck. Two other adults were injured. Officials are investigating the accident. Unclear what specifically caused the crash.

Hours before the crash, Benson posted a photo of his motorcycle on social media with the caption, "My Saturday evening."

Benson was an incredible athlete -- he racked up more than 5,500 yards at Texas and won the Doak Walker Award (top running back in the country) his senior year.

He signed a rookie deal with the Bears -- 5 years, $35 mil -- and was a key part of Chicago's 2006 NFC Championship team.

Benson later played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers before retiring in 2012.

Benson had several off the field problems after his career -- he was arrested for drunk driving in 2017 and 2018.

Hollywood icon Peter Fonda is easy riding into the sunset -- the veteran actor died Friday ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for Peter confirms he passed Friday morning at his his home in Los Angeles, and was surrounded by family. We're told the official cause of death was respiratory failure due to lung cancer -- and he had been in and out of the hospital recently.

Peter, is Jane Fonda's brother and the son of Henry Fonda. The family released a statement, saying, "In one of the saddest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our hearts."

They added, "While we mourn the loss of this sweet and gracious man, we also wish for all to celebrate his indomitable spirit and and love of life."

Peter's most famous for his iconic role in the 1969 counterculture classic, "Easy Rider" ... which he co-wrote and produced. He also costarred with Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson.

The 50th anniversary of the film just past on July 14th, and Peter was planning a concert and screening for September to celebrate.

He got an Oscar nominatiion for writing "Easy Rider." He was also nominated for Best Actor for his role as a beekeeper in "Ulee's Gold" in 1997.

Most recently, Peter won a Golden Globe in 2000 for "The Passion of Ayn Rand."

He was married 3 times. His most-recent wife was Margaret DeVogelaere.

Our photogs last saw Peter in June 2018, and he was fired up about President Trump's administration. He was celebrating the fact Paul Manafort was going to prison.

Peter was 79.

RIP

Jeffrey Epstein's autopsy has just been released and it confirms what our sources told us this week ... he committed suicide by hanging himself.

The New York City Chief Medical Examiner confirmed the cause of death, refuting conspiracy theories that the disgraced financier may have been murdered.

As we first reported ... Epstein's blood vessels in his eyes popped when his air supply was cut off by the bed sheet that was wrapped around his neck. We were told he suffered petechial hemorrhaging ... which occurs when someone hangs himself or is strangled or smothered.

Authorities say they're confident this was a hanging.

As you know by now ... Epstein also suffered multiple fractures in his neck bones caused by the way the hanging occurred. We're told the bed sheets were tied to the top of a bunk bed and Epstein either hurled himself off the top bunk, or had his feet to the ground and hurled himself forward to cut off his air supply.

Authorities believe the former is true ... and could explain why his hyoid bone was fractured. Epstein attempted suicide on July 23 and was placed on suicide watch but taken off 6 days later.

The fallout from Epstein's suicide has been swift. Two prison guards were suspended and the warden was reassigned following major lapses in protocol at the correctional facility.

Jeffrey Epstein reportedly had multiple fractures in his neck bones, something that is more common in death by strangulation than by hanging.

The breaks include a bone near the Adam's apple, according to the Washington Post. TMZ reported early on Epstein committed suicide by hanging himself ... this according to multiple sources. It appears the fractures are the reason the cause of death has been deferred pending further investigation.

Meanwhile, an American flag is flying at half-staff on Epstein's private island -- Little St. James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Fans hoping to honor Nipsey Hussle on what would have been the rapper's 34th birthday will have to find a place other than his clothing store to pay their respects.

A massive fence, complete with shading and barbed wire surrounds Nipsey's Marathon Clothing in Los Angeles ... the same place the rapper was murdered back in March. The location was an obvious spot for a birthday memorial, but the barricade is a clear attempt to discourage people from gathering and leaving items at the store.

City officials have had issues with Marathon for a long time and even tried to shut it down, believing it was a hub for gang activity. Fact is ... the area has problems with gangs, but Nipsey was working hard to curb gang violence. The LAPD and L.A. City Attorney took a lot of heat for praising Nipsey after his death on the one hand yet naming him in an investigation over gang activity around the store. Cops later said he was not a target ... only the store was.

TMZ broke the story ... the LAPD was put on high alert for a possible birthday celebration Thursday, planning to have more than 100 officers near the Slauson and Crenshaw intersection where the store is located.

Nipsey's birthday won't go unrecognized by his family though, we've learned they plan to hold a private gathering. Our sources say Nip's family is still in a serious state of mourning.

Jeffrey Epstein's death last Saturday has rocked the facility where he hanged himself, but it has also raised the ire of the judge in his criminal case.

Federal Judge Richard Berman sent a letter to the warden of the Metropolitan Correctional Center -- obtained by TMZ -- in which he says ... "Thank you for your letter of August 10, 2019 regarding the death of Jeffrey Epstein. Mr. Epstein's death is a tragedy to everyone involved in his case."

The Judge then goes on to challenge the Warden ... "One open question, among others, is whether the investigations referenced in your letter will include the incident at MCC involving Mr. Epstein on or about July 23, 2019. To my knowledge, it has never been definitively explained what the BOP concluded about that incident."

Jeffrey Epstein continues to be dogged by sexual abuse allegations in death -- a woman just sued his estate claiming he raped her as a teen ... and she appears to have a case thanks to a new state law.

32-year-old Jennifer Araoz just filed suit against Epstein's estate, as well as one of his alleged conspirators, Ghislaine Maxwell, claiming the billionaire financier sexually abused her for more than a year, culminating in an alleged brutal rape around 2002 at his NYC home. She's also suing 3 other women, including Epstein's secretary and his maid, claiming they were all in on the plot.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ, Araoz says Maxwell helped poach her from her high school, where she says she facilitated staking out young girls, and made them available to Epstein in 2001 at the age of 14. Araoz claims Epstein eventually invited her into his personal massage room where he asked her to partially disrobe and give him a massage, which she did.

The woman alleges he made a habit for a full year of finishing the massages by turning over and masturbating while grabbing her breast -- paying her $300 each time. One day, she claims he asked her to fully disrobe and sit on his stomach during the massage ... and then, suddenly, forced his penis inside her without a condom.

After that, Araoz says she cut off all communication with Epstein. Now, she's got an opportunity to go after damages in civil court due to a new New York law ... a law which gives victims of sexual abuse when they were minors a 1-year window from February 2019 to February 2020 to file a civil lawsuit -- regardless of when the alleged abuse took place. This is a one-time only law.

Araoz detailed her allegations earlier this summer on national television -- but the law gives her a chance to have them heard in court ... in front of a judge.

Jeffrey Epstein was the target of death threats from fellow inmates during his stay at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center ... and should have been watched 24/7 ... this according to multiple sources connected with the investigation.

Our sources say ... despite being taken off suicide watch, there was concern for Epstein's safety in the Special Housing Unit -- the SHU -- and he was supposed to be watched around the clock.

We're told several of the threats involved extortion ... put money in the inmate's commissary account or else endure physical violence. We're told the extortion started early on ... before July 23, when Epstein apparently attempted suicide.

There is a protocol that guards check on inmates in the SHU every 15 to 30 minutes, but more time elapsed between checks during the time Epstein apparently took his own life by hanging.

We say "apparently took his own life," because prison officials still haven't said how he died. As we reported, a camera is trained on all the cell doors inside the SHU, which would show if someone -- another inmate or a guard -- entered to do him harm.

Prison officials clearly know if someone came in or if Epstein acted alone, but they're not saying.

Although an autopsy was performed Sunday, we're told one reason the conclusion was deferred is because the Medical Examiner must say whether death was a suicide or at the hands of another.

Jeffrey Epstein's death may never be conclusively determined, because we're told standard practice in the area where he was detained is that cameras do not point inside cells.

Sources familiar with the correctional facility in question tell TMZ, there are cameras in the Special Housing Unit -- the SHU -- but SOP is that cameras do not point into the cells. We're told cameras capture, among other things, the doors to each cell to determine if anyone walks in or out, but they don't point inside.

One source familiar with the facility says the drill is for guards to pass by each cell in intervals ranging from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the circumstances.

Unless there's a one-off cell with a camera pointing inside -- and we're told there have been rare situations where this is the case -- the time and manner of his death may never be captured.

Our sources did, however, make it clear ... since Epstein was taken off suicide watch there were plenty of ways he could have hung himself. There are sheets, blankets, t-shirts and there are objects -- including beds -- on which the items can be tied to facilitate suffocation.

Our sources all agree on one thing ... the fatal flaw was taking someone off suicide watch days after they believe he may have attempted to take his own life. It is baffling, disturbing and suspicious that medical professionals and officials at the correctional center would clear someone as high-profile, notorious and important as Epstein.

Epstein's death Saturday morning appears to be a suicide by hanging, but no one in an official capacity has categorized it as such.

Nipsey Hussle's family is turning down hoards of proposals for a very public birthday bash honoring the slain rapper ... because the wounds are just too fresh.

Sources close to Nipsey's fam tell TMZ ... there will be no city-wide celebration in Los Angeles, even though fans are begging for one, because his family is still in mourning.

Instead of a public event ... we're told Nipsey's family will get together on August 15, on what would have been the Crenshaw rapper's 34th birthday, and remember their lost loved one in private.

Our sources say Nip's clan has been flooded with suggestions for how to recognize his bday in front of the masses ... but we're told the family feels it's still too soon to do a huge celebration, considering it's only been a few months since his tragic death.

Nipsey fans who flock to his Marathon Clothing store in his honor will be met by a heavy police presence ... and they won't be able to get close to the storefront, because we're told an extra set of barricades is being added to an existing fence.

So, while it's nice to see so many folks looking to remember Nip on his birthday ... ya gotta understand where his family is coming from.