Celebrity Death

Valerie Harper -- who starred on the classic sitcoms including "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Rhoda" and "Valerie" -- is dead.

Valerie died Friday morning ... and while a cause of death has not been released, she's had tons of health issues over the years.

Harper was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009 and then, after beating that, announced in 2013 she had terminal brain cancer.

Doctors said she only had three months to live after the brain cancer diagnosis, but she responded well to treatment and actually competed on "Dancing With the Stars" later that year.

As we reported ... Valerie was rushed to a hospital in 2015 after suffering a medical emergency during a performance of a musical in Maine.

Valerie was born in New York and she enjoyed a successful career on Broadway before she landed the role of Rhoda on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," which then led to the spin-off show "Rhoda."

She came back to television several years later on the show "Valerie," but left after two seasons.

Harper also won four Emmys and one Golden Globe for her various roles.

Valerie was 80.

MLB star Tyler Skaggs died in a Texas hotel room from a deadly mix of booze, fentanyl and oxycodone ... according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.

In the toxicology report released Friday, the ME's report lists the cause of death for the Angels pitcher as a mix of "alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents." In other words, Skaggs choked on his own vomit while under the influence.

The report says his death has been ruled an accident.

It's interesting, the autopsy says, when Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room, he was "clothed in black denim jeans, a black belt with white metal decorations and decorated white buckle, red boxer shorts, black socks and dark brown western boots." The description sounds a lot like what Skaggs was wearing on the team plane, when the Angels dressed in western gear as they flew from California to Texas on June 30.

As we reported ... Tyler was found dead in his team hotel room July 1, when the Angels were in Texas to play the Rangers.

Tyler's family issued a statement Friday, inferring an Angels employee might have been involved in the tragic incident.

The Skaggs family says ... “We are heartbroken to learn that the passing of our beloved Tyler was the result of a combination of dangerous drugs and alcohol. That is completely out of character for someone who worked so hard to become a Major League baseball player and had a very promising future in the game he loved so much."

The statement continues ... “We are grateful for the work of the detectives in the Southlake Police Department and their ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death. We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them. To that end, we have hired attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us.”

Tyler's death sent shockwaves through MLB ... and the Angels tossed a combined no-hitter in their first home game after his passing.

His wife, Carli, gave a heartfelt tribute to the late pitcher during his private funeral.

Tyler was 27.

Franco Columbu, a former Mr. Olympia and one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's closest friends, has died.

Franco died Friday, with reports out of Italy saying the legendary bodybuilder lost his life in an incident at sea in his native Sardinia.

Arnold said goodbye to Franco with a heartfelt message ... writing, "I love you Franco. I will always remember the joy you brought to my life, the advices you gave me, and the twinkle in your eye that never disappeared. You were my best friend."

Franco won Mr. Olympia way back in 1976, the year after Arnold retired from the famous bodybuilding competition. Franco won again in 1981, the year after Arnold's comeback win.

In addition to his success as a bodybuilder, weightlifter and boxer, Franco also had a long career acting on TV and in movies.

One of Franco's most famous movie moment was in the 1977 documentary, "Pumping Iron" ... when he lifted a car to help the driver escape a tiny parking spot.

Franco also appeared in a string of Schwarzenegger movies in the 1980s ... including, "The Terminator," "The Running Man," and "Conan the Barbarian."

Franco and Arnold met in Munich 54 years ago, and instantly became pals ... in later years, Franco was known as Arnold's squire, and Arnold always told people Franco was the strongest man he ever knew.

Franco is survived by his wife, Deborah, and their daughter, Maria. He was 78.

One of Prince's six siblings who inherited the music legend's fortune died in his sleep ... TMZ has learned.

Alfred Jackson, Prince's older half-brother, passed Thursday morning at his home in Kansas City, Missouri. Alfred was found by his brother, Bruce Jackson -- who's not related to Prince. Bruce tells us he went to check on Alfred around 10:30 AM and found him unresponsive.

Law enforcement tells us no foul play is suspected, and police believe he died of natural causes.

Prince's half-bro was one of the iconic musician's first family members to speak out in 2016 following his death. Alfred, who had the same mother as Prince, said he hadn't spoken to his brother in years but followed his career and was proud of him.

He said at the time, "I miss my brother because my brother was everything in the world to me ... He's a legend, he really is."

Sources connected to the family tell us Alfred, an Air Force veteran, was able to purchase a new home after receiving his inheritance. Prior to that, he'd been living in VA housing for decades.

Alfred was 66.

NASCAR superstar Kurt Busch says the death of racing star Jessi Combs was a "terrible accident" -- but at least she went "pushing the limits."

36-year-old Combs was a star in the racing world -- and died on August 27 while attempting to break the women's land-speed record she set back in 2016.

Combs was behind the wheel of a "jet car" in the Alvord Desert in Oregon trying to break the 600-mph barrier when something went wrong and she died. Officials aren't saying much about the incident other than "there was a fire involved."

Now, some of the biggest stars in racing are paying respects to Combs ... including Busch, who spoke to us briefly outside of "Good Morning America" in NY.

"It was a terrible accident, man," Busch said ... "We'll find out all the details later on but she was pushing the limits, man."

We asked if Busch respected that she was trying to break her own record -- "absolutely."

Jessi Combs -- the professional racer known for breaking land-speed records -- died in a car crash while attempting to go nearly 500 mph.

The "Fastest Woman on Four Wheels" died Tuesday in Oregon in a jet-powered car ... according to multiple reports. The Harney County Sheriff's Department was called to the scene of the fatal crash in the Alvord Desert around 4 PM.

Terry Madden, a member of Comb's crew, confirmed her death on Instagram Wednesday morning. He calls Jessi "the most amazing spirit that I have ever or will ever know." He adds that he was the first one on the scene of the "horrific accident" and everything possible was done to save her.

The cause of the crash is under investigation by authorities.

Combs was reportedly trying to break her own land-speed record, which she set in 2016 by driving nearly 478 MPH in the same desert where Tuesday's crash took place. She had tried previously in September of last year.

She earned her nickname in 2013 when she broke a 48-year-old record by reaching 398 miles per hour in her North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger.

Jessi was also known as a TV personality, with notable appearances on "MythBusters" and "Overhaulin'." She was 39.

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.