Celebrity Death

William Graham -- one of the heirs to the Washington Post-Graham fortune and son to WP publishers Phil and Katharine Graham -- has died by suicide, like his father.

The Post published Will's obit Saturday, saying the 69-year-old lawyer died last Wednesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to his older brother, Donald. His sister, Lally Weymouth, also posted about his death.

His father, Phil, also committed suicide in 1963 by shooting himself with a shotgun. Will's mother, Katharine, served as primary publisher of the Post for more than 2 decades thereafter.

She played a crucial role in the Post helping bring down President Nixon during the Watergate scandal. She also led the charge in continuing to publish the Pentagon Papers despite being challenged by the U.S. government in court.

Meryl Streep plays Katharine in Steven Spielberg's new movie "The Post." What's even more eerie here ... Will killed himself 6 days after the premiere in D.C., and 2 days before the film's limited release.

George Michael's family posted a message about the late singer one year after his death, and they want fans to remember him with "I Love You's" aimed at loved ones.

In a touching tribute message Sunday, George's sisters, Yioda and Melanie, his father, Jack, and his best pal, David, penned a letter on George's website ... explaining how hard it still is dealing with his death one year to the day.

As we reported ... George died last Christmas when his heart failed as he slept, and he officially died of natural causes. He was 53 years old.

George's family makes a specific request to his many fans ... raise a glass, enjoy his tunes, and appreciate family and friends. More specifically, they want people to say "I Love You" to whoever needs to hear it before it's too late.

They end the open letter with something George would often say ... Take Care.

Heather North -- the longtime voice of Daphne on 'Scooby-Doo' -- died of a heart attack brought on by respiratory disease ... TMZ has learned.

North's official cause of death is listed as cardiopulmonary arrest with an underlying cause of constrictive bronchiolitis ...

. She also had a very low level of oxygen in her blood when she died on November 29.

As we reported ... the actress passed away at her home in Studio City following a long illness.

Heather starred on 'Scooby' for more than 30 years, and also had on-camera roles on "Days of Our Lives," "The Barefoot Executive," "Mr. Novak," and "The Fugitive."

Cardinal Bernard Law -- the disgraced Boston archbishop at the helm during the Catholic church's sex abuse scandal, and prominently portrayed in the Oscar-winning movie "Spotlight" -- is dead.

The Vatican made a one-sentence announcement, "Cardinal Bernard Law died early this morning after a long illness." Law, who died in Rome Wednesday, was forced to resign as archbishop in 2002 after the Boston Globe's investigative reporting revealed he covered up for pedophile priests.

Law, who was never criminally prosecuted, was promoted to archbishop in 1984 by Pope John Paul II. That same year, a bishop brought forward concerns about a priest molesting kids. Law re-assigned that priest to another parish where the molestation continued.

The scandal and the Globe's investigation was the plot of "Spotlight."

Law was 86.

Jani Lane's estate is screwing Jani Lane's ex-managers out of the dough they earned by selling off his catalog for a shockingly high price ... according to the lawsuit they just filed.

The late Warrant frontman's managers -- Just Having Fun Productions -- filed the suit, claiming Jani's estate has yet to pay them some hefty commissions. According to the suit, the managers engineered a deal to sell a chunk of Jani's music to a publishing company.

The deal was worth $3.75 million, and in the suit the managers say they're entitled to 15% of that amount ... which is $562k. However, they say they offered the estate a discount ... a mere 12.5% ... but still haven't gotten paid.

Jani died in 2011 from alcohol poisoning.

Just Having Fun is suing for fraud and breach of contract, and they're no longer offering that discount. They want the full $562k.

By the way ... gotta give 'em props for getting nearly $4 mil for the catalog. How many times can ya play "Heaven" and "Cherry Pie?"

Heather North -- the long-running voice of Daphne Blake in the classic cartoon, "Scooby-Doo" -- has died.

The actress passed away late last month. A report says she died at her home in Studio City following a long illness. Heather first voiced the famous character in the second season's premiere in 1970. She went on to voice Daphne all the way through 2003.

Heather also had roles in "Days of Our Lives," "The Barefoot Executive," "Mr. Novak," and "The Fugitive." She was married to H. Wesley Kenney, the Emmy-winning producer whom she met on "Days of Our Lives." Kenney died in 2015.

A memorial service is set for Wednesday at 11:30 AM at First Christian Church in Studio City, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported Heather's death.

She was 71.

#RIP

It was 20 years ago today the world lost Chris Farley ... and his BFF, David Spade, says he still misses the comedy legend like crazy.

Farley died on Dec. 18, 1997 after an accidental drug overdose at his apartment in Chicago. His career was on fire following a legendary 5-year run on "Saturday Night Live."

In 1995, he starred alongside Spade in "Tommy Boy" -- which wasn't just a hit in theaters ... it's become a cult classic that's still quoted all the time (#FatGuyInALittleCoat anyone?!).

"20 years ago today," Spade posted on Instagram ... "I miss."

R.I.P.

Carrie Fisher's French bulldog, Gary, is one of the most popular pooches on the planet, but his public appearances have upset Carrie's family ... TMZ has learned.

As you'll recall ... when Fisher died, Gary went to her assistant, Corby McCoin. There have been numerous stories out that Carrie's daughter, Billie Lourd has the pooch, but it's not true. Corby has had the dog since Carrie died.

Now here's the conflict -- Corby wants to take Gary to various functions, including ComicCons, where people can interact with Gary and somehow feel closer to Carrie. We're told people over at Lucasfilm contacted the folks at ComicCon and asked them to block the appearance, which they did.

There was another event last April in Orlando which held a "Star Wars" celebration. We're told Mark Hamill wanted Gary to come out on stage with him. We're told the P.R. Dept. for "Star Wars" shut it down because Billie didn't want it ... and there have been other failed attempts as well.

Sources connected to Billie tell TMZ ... she and her dad, CAA head Bryan Lourd, fully understand how much Gary meant to Carrie, but when she died Gary was really nothing more than a dog, and they didn't want the animal to define the memory of Carrie ... they felt it cheapened it.

We're also told Bryan asked Corby to delete Gary's Instagram, which has more than 160,000 followers ... again, because he feels it cheapens Carrie's legacy.

We're even told Bryan offered Corby $250 a month in return for not parading Gary around, possibly for money, but Corby declined.

We broke the story ... 'Last Jedi' director Rian Johnson says the upcoming film will pay homage to Fisher's beloved dog, so no matter what -- he's still got some time left in the limelight.

Tom Selleck's Emmy-winning "Magnum, P.I." co-star, John Hillerman, died from heart disease ... TMZ has learned.

A spokesperson at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in Texas tells us Hillerman had hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease which proved fatal. We're told he also had complications due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as congestive heart failure.

John played Higgins -- Selleck's condescending, yet lovable, landlord on the '80s hit TV show.

As we reported, he died at his home in Houston last month. He was 84.

Chester Bennington's autopsy shows he had a trace amount of alcohol in his system when he hanged himself ... TMZ has learned.

According to the autopsy and toxicology results, obtained by TMZ, the Linkin Park singer's blood also tested "presumptive positive" for MDMA (ecstasy) ... based on one test. Two subsequent tests did not detect the drug, and the ultimate conclusion was Chester was not under the influence of drugs when he died.

Authorities found a prescription bottle of Zolpidem -- generic Ambien -- on his dresser. There was also a pint glass of Corona, which was less than half full -- and an empty bottle of Stella Artois.

Police found pieces of fingernail underneath his iPhone and on a table in the bedroom. Chester's wife, Talinda, told cops he would do that when he was anxious. She said Chester had a history of depression and previous suicide attempts -- including one in 2006 when he left the house with a gun after drinking heavily.

Talinda added Chester was currently in an outpatient treatment program. A month before his death, Chester reportedly told friends he'd been sober for 6 months.

He'd been prescribed anti-depressants in the past, but had not taken them for more than a year ... according to Talinda.

TMZ broke the story ... Chester committed suicide July 20 by hanging himself. The report says he was found with a black Hugo Boss leather belt around his neck. He still had the boarding pass in his pocket from the flight he'd taken from Phoenix the day before his death.

There was no suicide note, but police found what they call an "apparent biography," which was handwritten.

Jim Nabors, who starred in the massive '60s hit, 'Gomer Pyle,' died Thursday.

Nabors became famous as the bumbling mechanic on "The Andy Griffith Show" and then went on to do his own show, which ran for 5 years.

He also appeared in movies, including "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "Cannonball Run II."

He also was an accomplished singer, who recorded dozens of albums and scored 5 gold and 1 platinum records.

One of his iconic songs is the staple of the Indy 500 ... "Back Home Again in Indiana." He last appeared at the race in 2014.

Nabors was gay and long before social media there was gossip -- which was false -- that he secretly married Rock Hudson.

In real life, Jim was married to his partner of more than 40 years. They lived in Hawaii.

Nabors was 87.

RIP

Lil Peep's death investigation has cops now looking to see if the powerful opioid fentanyl played a role in the rapper's death ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops in Tucson are on the hunt after receiving multiple tips the New York rapper got his hands on some incredibly toxic drugs laced with the potent opioid.

You'll recall fentanyl also contributed to the accidental ODs of Prince and Eric Chase Bolling Jr.

Cops know fentanyl is a problem in Tucson and beyond. What makes it especially dangerous is that even a tiny dose can kill ... especially someone who is not a regular opioid user.

As we reported ... Lil Peep's body was found on the bus last week with drug paraphernalia, Xanax, loose marijuana and an unknown tan powder.

Charles Manson left his estate to a pen pal ... and what the murderer left behind may actually be valuable.

The pen pal -- he asked us not to use his name -- began writing Manson in the '90s and the 2 exchanged letters and phone calls for 2 decades. The man even visited Manson in prison from time to time.

We obtained a copy of a crudely written will which we're told was drafted by Manson. It's typed but there's handwriting on the document. We checked the handwriting in the will against Manson's known handwriting, and they appear very similar. Check out the comparison.

The will -- dated February 14, 2002 -- leaves all of Manson's personal belongings, including cash, image rights and clothing to Manson's pen pal. More significantly, Manson leaves his "exclusive music catalog" to the guy. Manson fancied himself as a songwriter and even wrote a Beach Boys song the group recorded.

The will says Manson's body should be turned over to his pen pal. He says he will claim the body, but as we reported, if he doesn't do it within 10 days of Manson's death, the prison will cremate him.

Manson specifically disinherited his known children, ex-wives, in-laws, lawyers, friends, prisoners, inmates, cops, guards, and the State of California.

The man tells us he began writing Manson in the '90s out of curiosity, and after more than 50 letters with no reply ... Manson finally wrote back in 1997. He claims the 2 struck up a friendship through letters and eventually phone calls, and he met Manson in person for the first time in 2002 ... the same year Manson drafted the will.

He claims he visited with Manson several times after that and got his last phone call from him on October 21 ... just weeks before his death.

The 2002 will includes a handwritten note from Manson, saying ... "I'm not in the best spot to rest in peace" along with his signature. We're told the witness signature is that of a fellow inmate.

Charles Manson's dead body can rot in prison ... at least as far as GoFundMe is concerned.

The fundraising site shutdown an effort to pay for the murderer's funeral expenses. As TMZ reported, John Michael Jones used GoFundMe to pay for Manson's burial expenses and he raised $972 before the page was 86'd from the site.

John says he was raising the money for Manson's grandson, Jason Freeman, who would then give Manson a proper burial.

John Michael Jones is furious, saying "It breaks my heart to see Jason [Mason's grandson] now suffering from the same prejudices, hate, discrimination and deliberate lies that his grandfather endured for 48 years."

As for why GoFundMe torpedoed the fundraising effort, a rep from the site told TMZ, "We removed this content earlier today and refunded donors." The rep did not explain why the page was objectionable, but it's not hard to figure out. Manson was a monster.

John Michael Jones says he's not quitting ... he's crossed over to PayPal.

TMZ broke the story... if no one claims Manson's body within 10 days of his death, he will be cremated.

Terry Glenn's son says Tom Brady's touching tribute to his father meant the world to him ... telling TMZ Sports he got chills when he read the quarterback's message about the late NFL star.

We spoke with Terry Glenn Jr. about the outpouring of kind words he's received since his dad's fatal car accident Monday morning ... and he says Brady's words were "more than special" knowing his first career TD pass went to Glenn.

The 21-year-old says he'll always remember how his dad vowed to give him a better childhood than he had ... and how hard he worked to make sure he was taken care of.

As for Glenn's 83 Kids Foundation for foster children ... Terry Jr. revealed he was actually scheduled to travel to Texas to help work with his dad on Monday ... but says he's still committed to continuing his charitable cause.

Terry Jr. also shares his favorite memory growing up with his dad ... and it's an amazing story.

Malcolm Young, the co-founder of the legendary rock group AC/DC has died.

Young had been suffering from dementia for several years and it appears the condition contributed to his death. The band says Malcolm died Saturday peacefully with his family by his bedside.

Malcolm was the rhythm guitarist who founded the group with his brother Angus Young in 1973. The legendary band produced a string of monster hits, including "Highway to Hell," "Back in Black," "Thunderstruck" and "Hells Bells."

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Malcolm was replaced in 2014 by his nephew Stevie Young ... this after his health began to deteriorate.

He's survived by his wife, 2 kids and 3 grandchildren.

RIP