Celebrity Death

John Witherspoon was dealing with several heart-related ailments when he suffered his fatal heart attack ... according to his death certificate.

TMZ obtained the document which says the beloved actor was battling coronary artery disease. It also says he had hypertension, although that's not listed as a direct cause of the heart attack ... but it certainly didn't help his ability to survive it.

As we reported, John died Oct. 29 at his home in Sherman Oaks, CA. The death certificate lists his time of death as 5:30 PM.

We obtained dispatch audio from John's death ... and you can hear the dispatcher request rescue for an unconscious man, saying he's under cardiac arrest and CPR was in progress.

It wasn't long before the dispatcher said the man had died and cancels the rescue.

His family announced the sudden passing saying, "It is with deep sadness we have to tweet this, but our husband & father John Witherspoon has passed away."

The statement went on, "He was a Legend in the entertainment industry, and a father figure to all who watched him over the years. We love you 'POPS' always & forever."

John, of course, was a legendary comic and actor who had TONS of TV and movie credits to his name. Most notably ... John played Willie Jones, father of Ice Cube's character, Craig, in all of the "Friday" movies." He was also simply Pops on "The Wayans Bros."

He was 77.

Charles Rogers' condition deteriorated so rapidly, scrambling ex-teammates and friends couldn't travel fast enough to get to the ex-NFL player in Florida before he died.

We spoke with CR's former Michigan State teammate, Chris Baker, who says he learned Rogers was sick through a recently formed group chat consisting of several players from their MSU football team.

Baker says Rogers had "disappeared off the radar" in recent years -- so getting info about him was tough. But, once he learned the WR was ill, the group did everything they could to offer support and resources.

In fact, Baker says he was planning on visiting Rogers on Tuesday because he didn't realize Charles' condition was as dire as it was.

"I knew he was in trouble, I didn't realize he was in this much trouble."

Rogers passed away Monday morning. Baker says he has intentionally tried NOT to seek out information about Rogers' condition -- but reports say he had been suffering from cancer and liver failure.

Baker and his teammates -- along with Charles' family -- are clearly devastated by the loss. When we spoke with Baker, he remembered Charles as a great athlete and a good dude.

Charles Rogers -- the #2 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft -- has died, TMZ Sports has confirmed. He was only 38.

The details surrounding Rogers' death are unclear. We're working on it.

One of the people confirming his death is former Michigan State teammate Chris Baker.

"Devastated to learn of the passing of my spartan brother Charles Rodgers," Baker said.

"Spoke with his mom this morning. Please pray for her and his children. Please also be respectful of their privacy at this difficult time. Rip Chuck."

Rogers was selected by the Detroit Lions and flashed huge potential -- catching 22 passes for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns during his first 5 games of the '03 season. But, he suffered a broken clavicle, which ended his rookie campaign.

The following season, he broke his clavicle again -- on just the 3rd play of the '04 season.

He was cut by the Lions in 2006, essentially ending his NFL career.

After his football career ended, Rogers admitted he had struggled with substance abuse -- including an addiction to Vicodin. He had been arrested multiple times for alcohol-related issues.

Rogers -- who reportedly signed a $40 mil rookie contract with the Lions -- is survived by 8 children.

Rogers was a legend at MSU -- where he earned 1st-team All-American honors during his 2002 junior season, when he posted 68 catches for 1,351 yards and 13 TDs.

Story developing ...

Laurel Griggs, a 13-year-old actress on the rise with credits that include 'SNL' and a Tony Award-winning Broadway play, is dead.

The cause of death is unknown and something of a mystery. She died on November 5 but the death didn't surface until this weekend. No cause of death was revealed.

Laurel made her Broadway debut in 2013 at age 6 as Polly in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opposite Scarlett Johansson. She's best known for her role in "Once" ... which she performed for 17 months between 2013 and 2015. "Once" also won a Tony.

Laurel made appearances on 2 episodes of 'SNL' and also on Amazon's "Cafe Society" alongside Steve Carell.

Actress Eliza Holland Madore, who played Ivanka in "Once" expressed her heartbreak ... "I am deeply saddened by the sudden loss of one of my Ivanka sisters. Laurel - you were always smiling and always made other people laugh,”

Madore went on ... “I’m so incredibly grateful that I got to know you. You will never be forgotten, and we will never stop loving you. Everybody in the Once Family is going to keep you alive through us. R.I.P. My heart goes to her family.”

Laurel was 13. RIP.

Complete strangers did everything they possibly could to try to save Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker's life after the ex-boxing champ was struck by a car ... and the frantic scene was all caught on 911 audio.

The 55-year-old was tragically hit by a vehicle while he was crossing a busy street in Virginia Beach on July 14 ... and in 911 recording of the incident, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can hear a woman rallying pedestrians to try to help Whitaker.

The woman says she didn't know Whitaker -- but saw he desperately needed help and vowed to do everything in her power to try and save him.

In the audio, you can hear the woman describe the dire scene, saying, "He is on the ground right now ... I'm not sure if he is alive."

But, when dispatch asks the woman if she's willing to administer CPR ... she doesn't think twice -- and tries to get others at the scene to help her.

"He's not alive. Okay, we have to roll him over," she says in the recording. "I want to do it!"

You can hear in the audio ... the woman and others try to get Whitaker on his back -- but the scene the woman paints is grisly.

"Oh, there's a lot of blood!" she says, while another man in the audio adds, "There's a whole bunch of f**king blood!"

Even still, the woman presses forward, saying, "Okay, let's do it. Come on! Let's just try it! If there's any way we can help him!"

Despite heroic efforts, the pedestrians were unable to save Whitaker ... and after emergency medical officials arrived, they pronounced the former boxer dead at the scene.

The tragedy hit the boxing world deeply, with Floyd Mayweather paying tribute to Pernell on social media saying, "R I P champ, one of the best fighters to ever do it."

Rip Taylor put a lot of heart into his comedic gags for decades, but ultimately heart troubles did him in ... according to his death certificate.

TMZ's obtained the document, which lists Taylor's immediate cause of death as congestive heart failure. It also lists heart disease as an underlying cause.

As we reported ... Rip passed away last month in Beverly Hills. The certificate says he died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

We've also learned the famous comedian's ashes were to be scattered at sea off the coast of Honolulu ... no word if any confetti was involved.

Dubbed the "King of Camp and Confetti" and "The Crying Comedian," Rip will be remembered for his flamboyant style and appearance, countless appearances on talk shows and his brief stint hosting "The $1.98 Beauty Show."

He also guest-starred in flicks like "Wayne's World 2," "Indecent Proposal," "Tom & Jerry: The Movie," "Chatterbox!" and "Jackass 3D" ... and was a successful voice actor.

Taylor was 84.

The first real-life cowboy who held a Marlboro cigarette in his hand, and played the role of the "Marlboro Man" -- even though he wasn't a smoker -- has died.

Robert Norris, who played the advertising icon for a dozen years, reportedly died last Sunday at his ranch in Colorado Springs.

As the story goes, ad execs noticed Norris in a newspaper photo with his longtime friend -- an actor by the name of John Wayne -- and tracked him down at his 63,000-acre ranch in Colorado.

They thought he was perfect for the rugged, genuine cowboy character, and according to a friend ... he did it as a favor. This was in the '60s, and Bob appeared in magazines, commercials and billboards for the cigarette company for the next 12 years.

Strangely enough, Norris never smoked in his life, and he eventually quit the campaign because he thought he was setting a bad example for children.

Robert was a popular figure in his hometown, known for being a philanthropist and businessman along with a rancher. He was also actively involved in helping several rodeo organizations.

He's survived by his 2 sons and 2 daughters. His wife passed in 2016 at age 88.

Norris was 90 ... so saying no to cigs seemed to serve him well.

RIP

Dog the Bounty Hunter contemplated what would happen if he killed himself after his wife, Beth Chapman, died from cancer ... and it shows just how far he's come in dealing with his grief.

Dog talked about having suicidal thoughts on the season finale of "Dog's Most Wanted" Wednesday night -- which captured the raw moments after Beth passed -- saying ... "I just hope that I don't live very much longer without her."

Less than 12 hours after she died, Dog opened up to the cameras about how much he was hurting ... and wanting to take pain pills.

He said ... "I feel like if I did something to myself right now and passed away, suicidal, and I got to heaven, I'd go, 'Hi, honey!' and she'd be like, would she go, 'You dumb ass, why did you do that?' or would she go, 'Wow, you're here!'"

Dog then struggled to fight back tears.

Sources close to Dog tell TMZ ... he watched the emotional episode with some loved ones, including his son, Garry, and his personal adviser, Richard Moore, at his Colorado home. We're told they all cried together, but Dog was able to get a little closure and realized he's going to pull through.

Our sources say Dog watching himself contemplate suicide has inspired him to encourage people to seek help during their darkest moments and remember the pain becomes manageable over time ... especially with a support system.

Kevin O'Leary and his wife are being sued by the family of one of the victims in the deadly boat crash.

Rosa and Antonio Ragone are suing on behalf of their deceased daughter, Susanne Brito ... with their attorney, Patrick Brown, saying, "For this grieving family, it is about obtaining civil justice so as to prevent these types of deaths and curtailing reckless and dangerous behavior from continuing on our lakes."

We broke the story ... Kevin's wife, Linda, was driving their boat on a lake in Ontario, Canada back in August around 11:30 PM, when it rammed into another boat, killing 2 onboard that boat. Canadian authorities have charged Linda with careless operation of a vessel -- we're told they felt she was going too fast -- something her lawyer strongly denies. The driver of the other boat was charged with driving a boat without navigation lights.

The driver of the other boat is also being sued.

Christopher Dennis -- a street performer known for portraying Superman on Hollywood Blvd. for more than 25 years -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Dennis was found dead Saturday in the San Fernando Valley. We're told his body was discovered lying headfirst in a bin that's used for clothing donations.

Investigators believe Christopher -- who was homeless -- was attempting to gather clothes for himself. Our sources say no foul play is suspected.

Dennis' story is both charming and tragic -- after 2 decades of entertaining folks in Hollywood by impersonating The Man of Steel, he was the victim of a vicious assault and robbery that nearly killed him and left him without a way to make money.

He was rendered homeless, but thanks to the help of friends and a Kickstarter campaign, he got a new suit that allowed him to get back on his feet ... and return to the Blvd for the Superman fans.

He also starred in the documentary, "Confessions of a Superhero," and appeared multiple times on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Sadly, it seems he fell on hard times again recently.

Christopher was 52.

RIP

John Witherspoon was a magnetic figure ... so it's no surprise most of Hollywood showed up to bid him one last goodbye.

The late comedian's open-casket celebration of life went down Tuesday in L.A. in front of a huge gathering of friends, family and celebs alike. David Letterman commenced the celebration. He and John went way back ... they honed their craft together at The Comedy Store in Hollywood alongside Richard Pryor, Robin Williams and Jay Leno.

Ice Cube was one of several speakers and he paid a touching tribute ... saying he enjoyed the hell outta John for as long as he could remember.

Some other celebrity guest speakers included Cedric the Entertainer, George Wallace, Angela Gibbs and Bill Bellamy. Regina King couldn't make it but she did send along a video message that was played on the big screen.

Guests at the celebration of life received a colorful program adorned with John's infectious smile. The back-page included one of his most famous lines from "Boomerang" ... "BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"

As we reported ... John died suddenly last week, at the age of 77, after he went into cardiac arrest at his home in Sherman Oaks, CA.

His career -- which started in stand-up comedy -- spanned more than 5 decades ... and included his unforgettable roles as Ice Cube's father in the "Friday" movies, Granddad on "The Boondocks" and Pops on "The Wayans Bros."

Jessi Combs -- the "Fastest Woman on Four Wheels" -- crashed her jet-car because her front wheel gave out.

According to the Harney County Sheriff's Office ... the front wheel of Jessi's jet-powered car suffered a mechanical failure before her fatal crash, and the front wheel assembly most likely collapsed as a result of hitting an object during her attempt at breaking her own land-speed record.

The Sheriff released the findings Monday after completing an investigation into the crash ... and they say the front wheel failed when Jessi's jet-car reached around 550 miles per hour.

Jessi's cause of death was also determined to be blunt force trauma to the head, which the Sheriff says occurred before her race vehicle was engulfed in flames following the crash.

As we reported ... Jessi's jet-powered car crashed and killed her in August in the Alvord Desert in Oregon. Photos of the wreckage showed her 56-foot-long jet-car -- the North American Eagle -- completely destroyed, and the footage we obtained shows her traveling at incredible speeds before the crash.

John Witherspoon would've loved this ...

New England Patriots star Mohamed Sanu showed love to the late "Friday" star on Sunday -- with custom cleats and a TD celebration inspired by "Pops."

As we previously reported, Witherspoon passed away on Oct. 29 at his home in L.A. He was 77.

Clearly, he meant a lot to Sanu who reached out to famed cleat artist Dez Customs and asked for something special to honor the legendary actor.

Check out the final product -- it's an image of Witherspoon from his 2008 comedy special 'You Got To Coordinate' with the title written across in the inside of the shoe.

"RIP to a Legend," Sanu posted on social media ... "You were great in everything you starred in. #bangbangbangbang #Yitty."

The cleats definitely gave Sanu a boost -- he WENT OFF on Sunday, hauling in 10 catches for 89 yards and a TD.

In fact, when Sanu scored ... he busted out John's "Don't tell noooobody" moves to celebrate. Cool little tribute to the legend.

The Pats ultimately lost to the Baltimore Ravens, but ya gotta think Witherspoon was smiling when he saw this.

Walter Mercado -- a Spanish TV icon who served as an eccentric astrologist with his own syndicated segments -- has died.

Mercado passed away late Saturday at a hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico due to kidney failure, according to the facility's spokesperson, Sofia Luquis, who told AP. It's unclear how long he'd been hospitalized there and what exact ailment he'd been battling.

Nonetheless, a major loss in the Spanish community -- as Mercado was a staple in many Latino homes through the '80s, '90s and onward. He got his start on TV in his native land of Puerto Rico, establishing himself with daily horoscopes, advice and predictions.

Eventually, he got his own show on Univision, where he had a home for years before parting ways in 2010 and moving on to other Spanish networks. He was known for his lavish outfits, which often included robes, capes, jewelry, makeup and other extravagant accessories.

While he never came out and announced his sexual preferences, Mercado was a bit of a hero in the LGBTQ community ... with many viewing him as a trend-setter on Spanish TV, which had often leaned more conservative. He had no children,  and no known partners.

In 2012, Mercado was rushed to a Cleveland area hospital for cardiac problems -- after which, he claimed he'd seen death ...  wanting to devote himself to philanthropic causes.

Mercado had a known catchphrase he'd always end his horoscope segments with. It went like ... "Que reciban de mi siempre pas, mucha pas. Pero sobre todo, mucho, mucho, mucho amor." It translates to, "May you always receive peace from me, but above all else ... lots and lots of love."

Brian Tarantina has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us that the veteran actor was found dead early Saturday morning in his Manhattan apartment from what we're told appeared to be a fatal drug overdose to the officers and first-responders who came out.

Our sources say Brian's niece went to check in on him at his Hell's Kitchen residence at around 12:30 AM, and discovered her uncle unresponsive on the couch. We're told the niece told cops she'd last talked to him late Tuesday night. Upon finding him, she called 911, and we're told when officers and paramedics arrived ... they found a white powdery substance near his body, believed to be alleged narcotics. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

It's unclear at this point what the white substance might've been. We're told the NYC medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy to determine an official cause of death.

Brian has been working in the biz for a long time, often playing supporting characters through the '80s and '90s, and even into the 2000s and onward. He's perhaps best known for tough guy roles in flicks like "Jacob's Ladder," "Uncle Buck," "The Jerky Boys," "Summer of Sam," "Knight and Day," "Carlito's Way," "Donnie Brasco," "City By the Sea" and others.

He's got a much more extensive resume than that though. The guy's been in tons of stuff over the years ... shows like "Law & Order," "Miami Vice," "Spin City," "Oz," "NYPD Blue," "ER," "The Sopranos," "Gilmore Girls," "Heroes," "The Black Donnellys," "The Blacklist," "Madame Secretary," "Blue Bloods" and most recently in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" playing Jackie.

He was 60 years old.

RIP

Rudy Boesch, who was on the debut season of 'Survivor' has died ... TMZ has learned.

Rudy was the retired Navy SEAL who had an alliance with the ultimate winner, Richard Hatch. A member of Rudy's family tells us he died Friday night of complications from Alzheimer's Disease.

During his time on the show, Rudy was 72 ... the oldest contestant by far.

The show was called "Survivor: Borneo" and was a ratings smash hit and was the trigger for a number of similar shows, including "The Amazing Race." 'Survivor' is now in season 38.

As for Rudy ... he joined the Navy in 1945 and quickly volunteered for "secret hazardous duty." In 1962 Rudy became one of the first 50 officers of the original SEAL Team Two.

Rudy served in Vietnam and earned the Bronze Star Medal for heroic action. He retired from the military in 1990 ... 10 years before making his debut on 'Survivor.'

After the debut season of 'Survivor,' Rudy made an encore on "Survivor: All-Stars" in 2004.

Rudy's wife, Marge, passed away in 2008. He is survived by 3 kids.