Celebrity Death

The home of Ron Ely, who played Tarzan on TV, is a crime scene after his wife was murdered there ... and police shot and killed the suspect, who might be related to the actor.

Santa Barbara Sheriff's deputies responded Tuesday night to a domestic disturbance at Ron's Hope Ranch property, and found an elderly woman dead inside with stab wounds. TMZ has obtained police dispatch audio where a first responder describes an "elderly gentleman" on scene saying his son was somehow involved in the incident.

Law enforcement sources tell us the victim is Ron's wife of 35 years, Valerie Lundeen.

Ex-NFL running back Cedric Benson had THC in his system during his fatal motorcycle crash on August 17, this according to the autopsy report obtained by TMZ Sports.

The 36-year-old running back was driving his BMW motorcycle with a female passenger in Austin, Texas around 10:20 PM when he slammed into a minivan that was trying to make a left turn across his lane of traffic. Both Benson and his passenger, Aamna Najam, passed away.

The Travis Country Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy on Benson and determined he died from blunt force injuries combined with severe burn injuries from the ensuing fire.

According to the report, Benson suffered burns to the majority of his body -- including his face, neck, torso, arms, hands, thighs, etc.

Benson also suffered several broken bones in the crash including a rib, a fractured pelvis, multiple abrasions and lacerations and severe injuries to his hands and wrists.

The report says witnesses called 911 and desperately tried to put out the flames on Benson's body with clothes and a fire extinguisher.

Benson was initially responsive when paramedics arrived, but ultimately died on scene.

As for the toxicology report, Benson tested positive for THC -- 42 ng/mL.

Benson also tested positive for a small amount of alcohol in his system but we're told the number is more consistent with ethanol produced by the body during decomposition than alcohol consumed that night. In other words, officials do NOT believe he was drunk.

The presence of THC could open the door for a possible lawsuit against Benson's estate if Najam's family wants to pursue a wrongful death claim.

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

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

Food Network star and celebrity chef Carl Ruiz died from a hardening of his arteries ... TMZ has learned.

A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Health tells TMZ ... Ruiz died after succumbing to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease -- typically a buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in arteries which restricts blood flow.

The finding confirms the suspicions of Carl's family ... that he died of a heart attack.

Sid Haig -- the guy best known as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's "House of 1000 Corpses" -- died from intense and chronic heart and lung issues ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained Sid's death certificate, issued in Ventura County, CA, and it lists cardiorespiratory arrest as his immediate cause of death. Other contributing factors include respiratory failure, aspiration and aspergillus (mold) pneumonia ... as well as a "small bowel obstruction."

He'd been having breathing issues for some time, because the doc also notes he suffered from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

As we reported ... Sid's wife, Suzie, shared the sad news last month on Sid's own social media account. She wrote, "On Saturday, September 21, 2019, my light, my heart, my true love, my King, the other half of my soul, Sidney, passed from this realm on to the next."

K-Pop singer and actress Sulli has been found dead, and police believe it might have been a suicide ... according to various reports out of South Korea.

Sulli, whose real name is Choi Jin-ri, was reportedly discovered Monday in her home south of Seoul by her manager, who went there because she hadn't answered phone calls for hours.

The K-pop star lived alone in the house, and according to one police official ... "It seems that she took her own life but we are also looking into other possibilities." Cops say no suicide note was found and there were no signs of foul play.

Tyler Skaggs' death may have been tied to an Angels staffer who allegedly told authorities he'd supplied the late pitcher with drugs ... this according to a new report.

ESPN put out the bombshell story Saturday, claiming to have spoken with sources who say that Eric Kay -- the Angels' director of communications -- confessed to DEA agents investigating Skaggs' death that he'd hooked him up with oxycodone for years.

On top of that, ESPN says their sources allege Kay also told the DEA that he'd given the pitcher oxy at least a day or two before the team left for Texas on a road trip.

Per the report ... Skaggs allegedly asked Kay for another installment of oxy on the actual day the team left, but Kay was unable to supply it. This is potentially huge, as Kay also allegedly told DEA agents that Skaggs snorted 3 lines in front of him shortly before his death.

While at his hotel in Southlake, TX ... Kay allegedly told DEA agents that Skaggs had invited him over, and offered him to partake. Kay allegedly denied, however, and reportedly told the DEA he witnessed Skaggs inhale 3 lines ... 2 he allegedly recognized as possible oxycodone, and a third line consisting of a substance he did not recognize.

Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room hours later, having choked on his own vomit ... with a cocktail of substances found in his system, including fentanyl and alcohol.

Canadian mountain bike legend Jordie Lunn died after a biking accident in Mexico earlier this week ... his family announced on Friday. He was 36.

Lunn -- a BMX racer and free rider -- was trail riding in Cabo with his friends when he got into an accident and suffered a fatal head injury.

"Jordie lost his life doing exactly what he loved," Lunn's family said in a statement to Pinkbike.

Lunn was also well known for his crazy biking videos ... with some clips getting millions of views on YouTube.

"Jordie had an incredible 20+ year career as a mountain biker," his family continued. "He will always be cherished for his heart and love that he gave to his family, friends, and fans, as well as the incredible talent that he had on his bikes."

Spoiler alert ... Luke Perry's character just got a touching sendoff on the new season of "Riverdale" ... with the TV show bidding farewell following the actor's death.

The hit CW series said goodbye to Luke's character, Fred Andrews, during Wednesday's season premiere ... killing off Fred 5 minutes into the new season, and then giving him an emotional funeral.

KJ Apa's character, Archie, is sitting in Pop's having breakfast when he gets a phone call before dropping his phone and falling to his knees. In the next scene, Archie is at home when a cop tells him Fred was driving home to Riverdale when he died in a hit and run.

Lil Peep's own decisions to use drugs and follow down a "destructive path" are to blame for his OD ... so says the tour company being sued by Peep's mom for the rapper's death.

A rep for First Access Entertainment tells TMZ ... Peep's accidental drug overdose was a terrible tragedy, but the company "consistently encouraged Peep to stop abusing drugs and to distance himself from the negative influence of the drug users and enablers."

At the end of the day, First Access says, "He was an adult who made his own decisions and opted to follow a different, more destructive path."

Lil Peep's mother says his management team and the company behind his final tour supplied the rapper with drugs, an unstable environment and pushed him to the point of exhaustion ... all factors that led to his tragic death.

Peep's mom, Liza Womack, filed a lawsuit Monday against First Access Entertainment and people associated with the company. Womack claims, starting in early 2017 during Peep's The Peep Show tour, the use of controlled drugs and illegal substances were allowed, normalized and even encouraged by management.

Womack says during a stop in London, her son was gifted a bottle of pills by one of his managers during a group dinner.

The docs claim the rampant drug use continued later in 2017 -- during Peep's final Come Over When You're Sober tour. Womack says Peep was regularly supplied with Xanax, Ketamine and other drugs while on the road.

During one tour stop on May 10, 2017, in Los Angeles, Peep's mom claims he was "barely able to communicate, let alone perform, due to his use of drugs." In the suit, she adds, despite being in a "comatose-like state" ... his managers allowed him to perform.

Howard Stern's feeling the loss of Cream drummer Ginger Baker, but says he hopes it will lead to a tribute performance from the last surviving member of the British rock supergroup.

As we reported ... Baker died peacefully in a hospital in England Sunday, and Howard shared some of his memories of the drumming sensation as he was leaving Spago in Beverly Hills.

Stern tells us he was in high school when Cream released their final album -- fittingly titled "Goodbye" -- before breaking up ... and it was apparently worse than any breakup he personally went through.

Comedian Rip Taylor -- who served up over-the-top gags for decades -- has died.

Rip's publicist, Harlan Boll, confirmed the news, saying he passed away Sunday in Beverly Hills. No cause of death was released.

Dubbed the "King of Camp and Confetti" and "The Crying Comedian," Rip got his start by appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show," "The Merv Griffin Show" and lots of other variety talk shows as a comic in the '60s, going on to star on several different game shows as well.

He's perhaps best known for his brief stint hosting "the $1.98 Beauty Show," which had guests compete for the title of the "1.98 Beauty Queen" in a pageant, talent-show format.

Iconic drummer Ginger Baker died in a hospital in England Sunday ... leaving behind one of the greatest rock 'n' roll resumes. Ever.

In late September, Ginger's family announced he was hospitalized with a critical illness, and a few days later asked fans to keep him in their prayers. The family has not revealed what illness he was battling, but said he "passed away peacefully."

Ginger was known as a wild man on the drums from his days playing with Cream members Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce. The group played legendarily long jams during their live shows and defined the psychedelic rock sound of the 1960s.

After Cream broke up, he went on to form another supergroup, Blind Faith ... also with Clapton. He also formed his own jazz-rock band, Ginger Baker's Airforce -- but he was most known for his amazing solos, especially live.

Cassandra Waldon, the very first "Big Brother" contestant to enter the house on the U.S. version, has died.

Cassandra passed away on September 25 ... apparently from injuries related to a car accident in Rome. A source at the United Nations -- where Cassandra worked -- tells TMZ ... she was struck by a car about 2 months ago, and suffered a head injury. We're told she never regained consciousness before her death.

Julie Chen, the host of "Big Brother," remembered Cassandra as a standout houseguest from the debut season in July 2000. Julie posted on Instagram, "Thank you for bringing your intelligence, warmth and wisdom to the Big Brother house Season 1."

She is the answer to the trivia question -- who was first to walk into the 'BB' house? That's kind of a double-edged sword ... as some fan blogs also point out she was first to fall victim to the so-called "First to Enter Curse."

No one who's entered first -- on the U.S. or Canadian (non-'Celebrity') versions -- has ever won the competition. Cassandra finished 6th out of 10 houseguests.

Cassandra worked at the UN as its Director of Communications for the International Fund for Agricultural Development. She was living and working in Rome when the accident happened.

We're told her funeral will be held next weekend in her home state of Maryland. Cassandra was 56.

Diahann Carroll -- the iconic, pioneering actress for African-Americans -- and star of the groundbreaking sitcom, "Julia," died Friday from cancer at her home in Los Angeles.

Diahann -- who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 -- was a native New Yorker, born in the Bronx, who first made it big on Broadway. She won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 1962 for her role in "No Strings."

Her huge break in Hollywood came as the star of NBC's "Julia" ... the first network series to have a black actress as the lead character. Diahann played a widowed nurse who was raising a son. The show premiered in 1968 and ran for 3 seasons -- and Diahann earned an Emmy nomination and won a Golden Globe for the role.

On the heels of criminal charges being filed in the death of Mac Miller, 6 men have just been arrested in connection with the fatal OD of HQ Trivia co-founder and CEO Colin Kroll ... and federal authorities say the men went to great lengths to avoid getting caught.

The group allegedly peddled coke and heroin daily in NYC through their drug delivery service called "Mike's Candyshop," which counted Kroll as a customer ... this according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

According to the feds, the NYPD and DEA's investigation turned up an illicit enterprise that allegedly allowed people to order heroin and coke to their doorstep as simply as if they were ordering a pizza.

In the indictment ... one of the victims identified as "Victim 1" -- TMZ's confirmed it's Kroll -- died from a cocktail of drugs that included heroin and coke allegedly provided by Mike's Candyshop.

What's more ... the feds claim Mike's changed its phone number twice to avoid getting caught. Still, the delivery service continued operating its on-demand drug service.