Celebrity Death

"Mad" Mike Hughes may have blacked out and that's why he failed to deploy backup parachutes moments before his fatal rocket crash ... TMZ has learned.

Mike's rep, Darren Shuster, tells TMZ ... the daredevil's launch got off to a terrible start when his parachute got snagged by a ladder next to the rocket. Mike needed a ladder because he didn't wanna be lifted into it, as they had initially prepared.

When the parachute got snagged, Mike's ground control crew radioed Mike and ordered him to deploy his backup parachute. There were 2 backups on the rocket. Problem was ... the ground crew never got a response from Mike.

Shuster tells us Mike's crew believes he may have blacked out with the rocket taking off at around 500 MPH. Shuster believes if Mike blacked out, it could very well explain why he never deployed his backup chute.

The timing for deploying the backup chutes was also critical ... Mike would have had to deploy the backup before he hit his apex because if he was descending at too high of a speed, it would have ripped a hole in the chute. But, Mike never got the chance.

As we reported ... the amateur rocket-engineer launched himself in the air with a self-made rocket that crash-landed. The incident was captured on camera after it was highly publicized.

Mike was attempting to get as close to space from Earth as possible -- known as the Karman line, about 62 miles above Earth's surface without the use of advanced tech.

Vanessa Bryant is heartsick over revelations some L.A. County Sheriff's deputies took photos of the remains of Kobe Bryant and other victims at the crash site and wants them punished.

Vanessa's lawyer says on the day of the crash, Vanessa went to the Sheriff's Department and requested the crash site be designated a no-fly zone so photogs would be kept at bay. The attorney says it was of "critical importance" to Vanessa to protect the dignity of all the victims.

The attorney calls it "inexcusable and deplorable" and "an unspeakable violation of human decency."

As we reported, some deputies took photos at the crash site and shared them with various people inside and outside the department. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ a deputy trainee went to a bar several days after the crash and, in an attempt to impress a woman, he showed her the photos of remains. The bartender overheard the conversation and was so indignant he filed an online complaint with the Sheriff's Dept.

The lawyer says, "Mrs. Bryant is grateful to the individual who filed an online complaint exposing these acts of injustice."

The lawyer adds "Sheriff Alex Villanueva assured us all measures would be put in place to protect the family's privacy, and it is our understanding that he has worked hard to honor those requests."

As we reported, days after the crash top brass at the Dept. told deputies who took the photos to come to the substation and delete the photos, and if they did this no action would be taken. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the Sheriff did not order an internal affairs investigation until the L.A. Times contacted the Dept. and inquired about the photos.

Deputies who responded to Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash site and took pictures of the remains were given a secret way out without repercussion ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... in the days after the crash, top brass at the department was aware some of their lower-level deputies had snapped shots of the scene as well as of the remains found, and were showing them to people in and out of the department.

We're told a message was relayed to the Lost Hills substations and possibly others as well ... if you got Kobe pics -- come in, come clean and delete them. Do that, and you won't be punished. That's essentially the directive we're told was handed down by commanding officers.

What's even more concerning is the fact our sources say this attempt to get rid of the damning evidence was all being done on the hush-hush, and it was only when the L.A. Times came around asking about this scandal that the department launched a formal inquiry.

We've learned the Sheriff's Dept. learned that some deputies took pics of remains days after the crash ... this after a sheriff's trainee went to a bar and thought he could impress and pick up a woman by showing her the photos. Sources say a bartender overheard this and was so irate, he contacted the Sheriff's and lodged a formal complaint.

It's clear ... the Sheriff's Dept. kept everything under wraps until it became obvious its cover was about to be blown.

On Friday, the department issued a statement saying, in part, that top dog Alex Villanueva was "deeply disturbed at the thought deputies could allegedly engage in such an insensitive act." They go on to say, "A thorough investigation will be conducted by the department, with the No. 1 priority of protecting the dignity and privacy of the victims and their families."

Pop Smoke's murder is still a mystery, and police are making little progress in finding suspects due to a variety of issues ... but they're still pressing on.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... detectives have hit a road block in the rapper's murder investigation, specifically with regard to witness testimony. We've heard it before -- a lot of people are simply refusing to talk. But also ... a lot of the info they're getting is sketchy.

Our sources say among the potential witnesses cops have spoken with, stories have either changed or are provably untrue. Also, because nobody was outside or nearby Pop's house when the crime occurred ... they have no neutral witnesses.

To make matters worse ... we're told investigators have wasted time looking into videos posted online allegedly connected to the murder, but they've all ended up unrelated to the case.

Likewise, with the case being bi-coastal -- Smoke was killed in L.A. but lived in NYC -- cops have had to spend extra time and effort tracking down people.

Finally, even though the murder appears to be a targeted hit and not a robbery ... our law enforcement sources say they're still having trouble coming up with a motive.

Cops are working all leads and resources possible in the meantime, but it seems they're in desperate need of a break in the case.

Tyler Perry's family now has almost complete certainty his nephew took his own life, and was not murdered in prison.

Tyler tells TMZ ... they got the autopsy results back from Dr. Michael Baden -- the world-renowned pathologist he hired to look into 26-year-old Gavin Porter's death in a Louisiana prison. We're told Baden says he's 98 percent sure there was no foul play in Porter's death.

That seems to confirm what prison officials told the Perry family ... that Tyler's nephew hanged himself using bedsheets while in solitary confinement. The family wasn't convinced, which is why Tyler hired Baden to conduct an independent 2nd autopsy.

Tyler says, "The answers don't take away grief, but it surely gives room for grieving to take its course."

Porter was doing 20 years for manslaughter after killing his father -- in front of his mother, who is Tyler's sister. He'd been placed in solitary after getting into a fight last weekend. He was found dead Tuesday night.

Some L.A. County Sheriff's Deputies shared photos of the scene where Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gigi, and 7 others lost their lives ... and the photos included remains from the gruesome aftermath ... TMZ has confirmed.

It's not clear who took the photos, but it was being talked about by first responders just 2 days after the crash, this according to the L.A. Times.

And, according to the report, at least one L.A. County Sheriff's official had the photos on his cell phone "in a setting that had nothing to do with the investigation."

The report does not say who took the photos and how many deputies and officials at the Sheriff's Dept. saw or shared the photos.

The Sheriff's Dept. contacted families of all of the victims Wednesday ... an official told The Times the reason for contacting them was not because of the allegation but rather because there was a media inquiry over the allegation.

The Sheriff's Department would only say, "The matter is being looked into."

This is pretty awesome ... fans at Thursday's LAFC game unveiled a HUGE tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant -- and started a stadium-wide, spine-tingling "Ko-Be" chant at the same time.

The tifo -- soccer's term for in-arena visual displays -- popped up shortly before LAFC's Concacaf Champions League match against Club Leon in Carson, CA.

And, you can see in video of it all ... it's massive -- and amazing.

Fans raised purple and white placards that spelled out the Nos. 8 and 24 ... while a banner with Kobe and Gigi's faces plus the words, "Kobe & GiGi Forever," raised behind the goal.

Soon after ... the entire stadium joined in a raucous "KO-BE" chant as well.

Team star Carlos Vela also wore a captain's armband that had Kobe's initials and jersey numbers on it.

The LAFC match was the team's first at home since Kobe, Gianna and 7 others were tragically killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 in Calabasas, CA.

Kobe Bryant's big sister just got a permanent tribute to Kobe and Gianna -- a brand new tattoo with their numbers encircled by a Black Mamba snake.

Sharia Bryant Washington -- the oldest of the Bryant siblings -- hit up tattoo artist Peter Barrios for the work ... and it turned out pretty great.

You can see the numbers 2 and 24 (worn by Gianna and Kobe, respectfully) -- with the Black Mamba snake in the shape of the infinity symbol.

In other words ... Gianna and Kobe forever.

In the past few weeks, a bunch of people who knew Kobe and Gianna have opted for tats -- everyone from LeBron James and Anthony Davis to J.R. Smith and Shareef O'Neal.

Odell Beckham and rapper The Game also got Kobe-inspired body art.

Lamar Odom, who was extremely close with Kobe, told us he's strongly considering a Kobe tat and will likely get one soon.

It's been more than a month since Kobe, Gianna and 7 others passed away in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Ca.

As we previously reported, Kobe's widow, Vanessa Bryant, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that operated the doomed chopper essentially blaming the pilot for the crash.

Harry Morton died from an irregular heartbeat ... according the L.A. County Coroner's Office, which confirms what his family had been told by the coroner.

TMZ obtained a copy of the autopsy report, and it offers a more clear picture of what the late Hard Rock heir was coping with, medically -- a condition called cardiac arrhythmia due to hardening of the arteries.

The family addressed these conditions based on what the L.A. County Coroner told them after an autopsy was done last year. There were no drugs or alcohol found in his system following his sudden death in November.

According to the report ... on the morning Harry died, he spoke with his brother and made plans to meet at the gym. When Morton didn't show up, his brother got concerned and raced to his house ... where he found Morton lying on the bathroom floor. The report says Morton was apparently preparing for a marathon.

TMZ broke the story ... Harry was found unresponsive in his Beverly Hills home, and was declared dead at the scene once paramedics arrived. As we reported, the restaurateur was suffering from coronary artery disease and also had a "mildly enlarged heart."

Morton's memorial service in early December was attended by Lori Loughlin, Jimmy Iovine, Steve Tisch, Demi Moore, Stephen Dorff and others. Everyone gathered at his father, Peter Morton's home afterward.

Harry was 38.

Ric Flair is all about putting on a show ... but he knows this is an emotional time for the Lakers ... which is why the WWE legend tells TMZ Sports he had to think twice before giving his epic intro for the team Tuesday at Staples Center.

Flair got the entire L.A. crowd pumped before the Lakers took on Zion Williamson's New Orleans Pelicans ... welcoming "the greatest franchise in all of sports" ... and his favorite player, LeBron James.

It. Was. LIT.

Naitch tells us the team asked him to help lift everyone's spirits following a deeply emotional memorial service for Kobe Bryant at Staples Center ... but he was reluctant to accept.

"I felt a little bad that close to the memorial that was so overwhelming on Monday," Flair tells us.

"But, they asked me and I said 'are you guys sure?' and they said 'Yeah, please. The crowd needs to be pumped up a little bit.'"

It was a good thing he accepted ... because the crowd clearly loved the gesture.

People looking to make a buck off items from the Kobe Bryant memorial will have to go somewhere other than eBay ... 'cause the company is actively working to remove all the items from the site.

As we previously reported ... shirts, pins, programs and other items from Monday's event at Staples Center hit the auction site this week. One XL shirt sold for a whopping $2,025.

But, we noticed multiple listings had disappeared from eBay over the past 24 hours -- so we reached out to eBay to find out what's up.

Turns out, eBay has a policy that prohibits sellers from profiting off of "human tragedy or suffering."

In fact, eBay sent an email to one seller explaining their position -- "Please note, due to sudden and tragic passing of Kobe Bryant - eBay has made the decision to prohibit the sale of merchandise, images and mugs relating to their passing."

"We do not allow listings that attempt to profit from human tragedy or suffering."

The policy does not prevent the sale of more traditional Kobe memorabilia -- like autographs, jerseys, photos, etc -- despite the fact those items are in high demand following the NBA star's death.

The famed author Clive Cussler -- whose 1992 adventure novel "Sahara" was adapted into a film and starred Matthew McConaughey -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Cussler died Monday, according to his son. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Cussler wrote more than 2 dozen novels, including "Raise the Titanic," in his series of Dirk Pitt novels. It became a movie in 1980. By the way ... Dirk is also his son's name, and Cussler's last 3 books were co-authored by Dirk.

"Sahara" was the highest-grossing movie that was adapted from his novels. It grossed $122 million.

In all, Cussler sold more than 100 million books, and he's been published in more than 40 languages.

Cussler was internationally recognized as an expert in shipwrecks. He founded the National Underwater and Marine Agency ... an homage to naval history. One of his books, "The Sea Hunters," was so deep in knowledge, the Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State of New York, gave Cussler a doctorate and did not require a thesis -- the book was enough.

Clive Cussler was married nearly 50 years. His wife died in 2003. Cussler leaves behind 3 children. He later got remarried to Janet Horvath.

Cussler was 88.

Post Malone proved he can read a crowd ... busting out an awesome custom tee honoring his late pal, Mac Miller, which got concert-goers on their feet and 100% amped.

The singer was performing Monday night at the PPG Paints Arena in Mac's hometown ... and he came out wearing an oldie but goodie that was custom-made to pay tribute to the rapper -- who tragically died of an overdose about 2 years ago.

It's a white T-shirt that's been decked out to read "RIP Mac Miller" with super-dope designs and airbrush lettering. Post originally started wearing the shirt shortly after MM passed.

Sounds like it was a good move to don it yet again in the Steel City, 'cause we're told the audience went crazy -- the energy in the place exponentially jumped, especially when Post and his shirt got splashed across the big screen monitors behind him.

The crowd was definitely into it -- you can hear them helping Posty sing along to his own tune ... even though it doesn't appear he attempted to cover a Mac Miller song while up there. Probably better that way, no one could do it quite like the man himself.

Monday they were mourning. Tuesday they were trying to cash in.

Several people who attended the Kobe Bryant memorial at Staples Center are selling souvenir items from the event ... from ticket stubs to program booklets ... and the asking price is in the THOUSANDS of dollars.

We've already found a handful of listings on eBay from people selling their memorial pins, shirts and other items. Most of the listers claim they personally attended the event.

The average starting bid for the Kobe Memorial bundles are around $3,000 -- with a $5,000 "Buy It Now" price.

One seller listed an official Kobe shirt (size XL) from the memorial -- and after receiving 76 bids, it sold for $2,025!

Remember, most fans were only able to get tickets to the event by entering a random drawing. If they were selected, they had the option of buying tickets for either $24.02 or $224 each, with the money going to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.

Some fans flew from around the country to be at the event -- and they could be selling the giveaways to help offset the travel costs.

Other people feel it's BAD FORM to auction off items from a memorial event -- and those people have been very critical of the sellers.

One thing is for sure ... Kobe items are in huge demand right now -- from autographs to game-worn jerseys and even his 8th-grade yearbook. And, as long as there are people willing to shell out the cash, there will be no shortage of supply.

Kobe and Gigi Bryant's family along with those of the 6 other passengers on the doomed aircraft ... may all end up suing Island Express -- which owned the helicopter -- but aviation attorneys tell us there won't be enough money to go around.

Sources familiar with Island Express tell TMZ, the company had liability insurance coverage totaling $50 million. Our sources say that's not an unusual figure, but given the number of people Island Express transports on a single helicopter and the fact rich celebrities used the service ... the number is low.

Our sources say a more appropriate amount of coverage for the company would have been closer to $100 million. As we reported, Kylie Jenner -- a 22-year-old billionaire -- also recently took the same Island Express helicopter that crashed.

Vanessa Bryant is asking for both compensatory and punitive damages. In terms of compensatory damages, Kobe's family alone might be entitled to hundreds of millions of dollars because his earning potential was enormous. On top of that, punitive damages could take a judgement into the stratosphere.

And, remember, other passengers left behind spouses, children, and promising professions, and they'd be entitled to untold millions as well.

The question ... with hundreds of millions of dollars in possible payouts, who gets what out of a $50 million pot? Fact is, judges have a tremendous amount of discretion in the decision how to distribute insurance proceeds in such cases.

So far, Vanessa Bryant is the only family member who has sued, but our sources say some of the other family members have already lawyered up. More lawsuits are certain to come.

Kobe Bryant was purple and gold as a 13-year-old -- signing his middle school friend's yearbook with "How bout those Lakers" -- and now the book can be yours.

Iconic Auctions has the super-unique piece of memorabilia on the auction block ... and it's pretty amazing.

In 1992, Kobe -- who just returned to the U.S. from Italy -- attended Bala Cynwyd Middle School in Pennsylvania ... where he played on the basketball team.

Bryant arrived midway through the school year, so he didn't have a standard school photo. He only appeared in the boys' basketball team photo.

When yearbooks were issued, Kobe's buddy asked him to sign the autograph page ... and what Mamba wrote was pretty prophetic.

"In a few years you probably will be dunking on me. Not!! How bout those Lakers. Your friend Kobe Bryant #24"

Kobe was just 13 years old in 1992 ... and wasn't a member of the Los Angeles Lakers (or the NBA) until June 1996.

Of course, Bryant -- even back then -- wore (and signed) one of the numbers, #24, that would eventually hang forever in the rafters of Staples Center.

Iconic tells us they expect the yearbook to sell for over $20k ... when the auction closes this weekend.