Celebrity Death

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the 2 guards have pled not guilty to falsifying records on the night in question. They were released on $100k bail.

Two of the prison guards who were on watch when Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself in his cell are now facing prison time, themselves, thanks to their arrest on a federal indictment.

According to new legal docs ... Tova Noel and Michael Thomas are both facing charges of falsifying the logs of exactly when they performed checks on Epstein's jail cell.

The feds claim Noel and Thomas were 2 of the guards on duty on August 10 from 12 AM to 8 AM, and during their watch, they were supposed to conduct 5 scheduled checks on Epstein.

The 2 guards allegedly completed slips stating they made those checks, but the feds say not a single one was actually carried through. According to the indictment, Noel and Thomas were at their desks in the common area using computers ... just 15 feet from Epstein's cell. BTW, they weren't doing work either ... the feds allege they were shopping for furniture and hunting down motorcycle deals and sports news.

The feds claim for a period of approximately 2 hours, the guards were sitting at their desks "without moving, and appeared to have been asleep."

Epstein was found dead at 6:33 AM alone in his cell with a noose around his neck ... according to the indictment. Both guards allegedly fessed up to a supervisor that they skipped their checks.

As we reported ... Epstein had attempted suicide a couple weeks prior in July, which is why he was placed in a special housing unit requiring extra supervision.

Thomas and Noel are now each facing one count of conspiracy to falsify records. That carried a max sentence of 5 years in prison. Additionally, Noel is charged with 5 counts of falsifying records while Thomas only got 3. Each of those also carries a max sentence of 5 years

Epstein's death was ruled a suicide by hanging according to the autopsy, but as we've reported ... his team has not ruled out a cover-up, and at least one forensic expert claims the autopsy is missing DNA evidence.

U.S. Olympic legend Harrison Dillard -- whom General Patton once called "the best goddamn athlete I’ve ever seen" -- has died at 96.

Dillard was an absolute BEAST of an athlete -- winning 4 Olympic gold medals and smashing more than 11 world and Olympic records during his illustrious career, according to the NY Times.

In fact, Dillard was the "World's Fastest Man" in 1948 after winning the 100-meter dash at the Olympics ... and became "World's Fastest Hurdler" at the 1952 Games.

Dillard is also a military veteran who served in the U.S. Army for 32 months during World War II and after dominating at an Army track meet, Gen. Patton called him, "The best goddamn athlete I've ever seen."

He later worked as a running coach for the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees.

Dillard is a two-time Hall of Famer ... he was elected to the National Track and Field H.O.F. in 1974 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in '83.

Dillard passed away on Friday after battling stomach cancer.

Diddy had the bubbly overflowing this past weekend ... but it wasn't a Sunday Funday on the heels of his ex's death anniversary.

Diddy and his crew hit up BBCM on Sunset Blvd. in WeHo on Sunday and guzzled mimosas. It looks like he had a variety of flavors ... evidence the near-empty flutes on his table. He looked somber.

The mimosa fest came just 2 days after the 1-year anniversary of the death of his ex, Kim Porter. He paid a touching tribute to her over the weekend, saying, "I MISS YOU SOOOOOO MUCH. Every time I get sad I look at this video and it brings a smile to my face."

Diddy went on to say, "I thank god for the precious time he allowed us to have with you. I wish you were here with us right now and this was all a dream. I will never give up on that wish. Never!!!! Love you forever Kimberly Antwinette Goodwin Porter."

The father of the 16-year-old who killed two of his classmates in a terrorizing school shooting was an avid hunter who had no problem posing with his kills.

We've obtained photos of shooter Nathaniel Berhow's dad, Mark, on various hunting and shooting excursions. While most of the photos are pretty standard -- two of them are particularly disturbing -- one of Mark posing with a dead goose and another that shows him holding what appears to be the heart of a freshly killed animal.

Mark died in 2017, and his obituary read, "An avid sportsman, he loved big game hunting and fishing of all kinds."

In another photo, Mark poses with his family, including Nathan, during an apparent hunting trip. A former childhood friend of Nathaniel told KTLA Mark used to make his own bullets.

On Friday, cops announced they'd recovered several firearms at Nathan's home, six of which were registered to Mark. The origin of the gun used in the attack remains unclear.

As we reported, Nathan opened fire at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, CA Thursday, killing two students. Berhow allegedly turned the gun on himself, but is still in custody and being treated at a local hospital.

The Detroit Lions tells TMZ Sports ... the team will honor WR Charles Rogers at Sunday's home game after the WR tragically passed away earlier this week.

"At some point during the game we’ll take a moment to recognize Charles Rogers’ passing similar to how we’ve acknowledged other recently deceased Legends," a team rep tells us.

The Lions are set to play the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field.

As we previously reported, Rogers died on Monday after battling liver disease and cancer. He was only 38.

Rogers was selected by the Lions with the #2 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft after dominating defenses at Michigan State.

Rogers flashed enormous potential during his rookie season but broke his clavicle during Week 6, ending his season.

He returned in 2004 -- but suffered ANOTHER broken clavicle on the 3rd play of the season.

Rogers was never able to return to form after that and was out of the league by 2006. But, he's still considered a legend by many in the state of Michigan.

After his passing, the Lions issued a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Charles Rogers."

"From Saginaw, to East Lansing, to Detroit, Charles' connection to the state of Michigan and its football community was felt by many during the course of his life."

NBA superstar Draymond Green -- who's also from Saginaw, Michigan -- praised Rogers as a local hero and said CrR was one of his idols growing up.

Rapper Bad Azz -- one of Snoop Dogg's close friends in the game -- has died in jail.

Bad Azz appears to have passed away Monday while being held in custody at a detention center in Riverside, CA on a domestic violence charge. It's unclear how he may have died, but the guy was picked up Friday and had an upcoming court date Tuesday.

His bail was set at just $10,000, and based on jail records ... it doesn't look he'd bailed out.

The west coast MC was an affiliate of Snoop's, Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Warren G, Nate Dogg and others associated with Tha Dogg Pound Gangsta Crips based out of Long Beach.

He'd collaborated with all of those guys, plus Tupac (when he was alive) as well as MC Eiht, Mistah F.A.B., Bizzy Bone, The Lady of Rage, Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes and others. He put out four solo albums and was featured on at least 2 collaborative albums.

His DPGC buddies posted tons of tributes on social media -- seeming to confirm his death -- including an Instagram post by Snoop who wrote ... "Damn 😥. R. I. P. To my young. D. P. G. L. L. G. L. B. C. Crew original @badazzlbc gone 2 soon."

One of his most famous tracks was "Wrong Idea," which featured SD. He had well over 70 features credited to his name over the years, dating back to the mid-90s.

Bad Azz was 43.

RIP

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