Celebrity Death

Ayanna Jackson -- the woman Tupac Shakur sexually assaulted -- spoke publicly for the first time since the trial about the incident that sent the rapper to prison.

Ayanna describes the disturbing sexual assault ... claiming Tupac told her he wanted to share her with his friends and persisted to force her into a group sex situation despite her repeatedly telling him no.

Jackson tells VladTV ... her pantyhose and dress were ripped off by members of Pac's entourage while she was on top of him, and insists she was raped by Tupac that night in his hotel room in 1993.

Gene Simmons wants rockers to say no to drugs ... not just because it's killing the musicians, but mostly because of its impact on fans.

We got the KISS frontman Monday at LAX and asked him to elaborate on his upcoming memoir, "27," in which he details stories about famous rock stars who died at that age.

Gene, who says he's never boozed or done a drug, says his fellow rockers gotta remember there are kids out there following their every move ... and the drug use influences them.

Roddy Piper's kids were downright emotional when talking about how much Ronda Rousey means to their family ... and what a special moment it was to see her wearing the WWE legend's jacket.

TMZ Sports spoke with Colt Toombs and Ariel Teal Toombs about the plan to let Ronda wear Roddy's trademark fashion accessory at the Royal Rumble ... and the backstory might make you cry.

Of course, Roddy passed away in 2015 ... and both Colt and Ariel tell us Ronda personally vowed to them that she would do everything in her power to keep his legacy alive.

FYI, Ronda has always said Piper was her inspiration ... and she had personally asked him for permission to use his nickname back in the day. He obliged.

Now, Roddy's kids say she's doing a damn fine job keeping his spirit alive and they support her 100% moving forward.

The mother of Joe McKnight's 8-year-old son tells TMZ Sports ... the man who shot the ex-NFL running back is a cold-blooded killer and is begging the court to keep him locked up for LIFE.

We spoke with Michelle Quick -- who dated Joe back in the day and stayed on close, good terms with him over the years as they co-parented their son, Jaiden.

In fact, Michelle attended Ronald Gasser's trial every day and strongly believes he should have been convicted of 2nd degree murder instead of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Gasser is facing up to 40 years in prison for shooting and killing McKnight in Dec. 2016. The sentencing phase of the case is set for March 15.

"He never needs to walk the streets ever again," Quick tells us ... "I think the proper sentence is life in prison. He never needs to be out in society."

Gasser is 56-years-old -- so the maximum 40-year sentence would essentially serve a life sentence.

McKnight's son Jaiden -- with the permission of his mother -- told us he loves and misses his father tremendously and in our video he explains why his dad was the best ever.

The apparent drug overdose that led to the death of a "Storm Chaser" star on a cruise ship has triggered an FBI investigation ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

TMZ broke the story ... "Storm Chaser" star Joel Taylor had been doing GHB late Monday night going into Tuesday morning, dancing during a wild party, when he lapsed into unconsciousness. Taylor was carried into his cabin and left there. He was pronounced dead later that morning.

We're told there were huge quantities of party drugs on board the ship, including cocaine, Ecstasy and GHB. Our sources say several people were arrested before the ship left the Ft. Lauderdale port.

After Taylor died, the boat docked in Puerto Rico and passengers tell us there was a lot of commotion involving drugs on board the Royal Caribbean ship, Harmony of the Seas.

Passengers tell us, the night Taylor apparently OD'd, drugs were flowing freely among many of the partygoers.

We're told the FBI is investigating the circumstances of Taylor's death, how the drugs got on board and who supplied them.

Hollywood's oldest working actress, Connie Sawyer, died at home after an incredibly long and prolific career.

Connie reportedly passed away at her Woodland Hills home. Unclear exactly how, but she was 105 ... so presumably it's related to her age.

The longtime actress got her start in Tinseltown at the age of 18, and has over 140 acting credits to her name -- most of which were TV roles.

Sawyer's been on a number of hit shows over her six-decade career, including "The Jackie Gleason Show," "The Andy Griffith Show," "All in the Family," 'Mary Tyler Moore,' "Starsky & Hutch," "Seinfeld," ... and on and on.

She's also starred in movies like "Dumb and Dumber," "Pineapple Express," "When Harry Met Sally..." and "The Way West."

RIP

The marketing team behind "Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G" found a brilliant spot to promote the series ... right above Biggie's actual murder scene.

B.I.G. was gunned down March 9, 1997 as he left L.A.'s Petersen Automotive Museum -- on the corner of South Fairfax & Wilshire. Now, a huge billboard right above that intersection shows his face with the tagline "20 Years. Still Unsolved."

The true crime scripted series also covers Tupac's murder, which happened 6 months before Biggie's. There is no billboard up at the Vegas intersection where 'Pac was killed. Not yet, anyway.

The show premieres February 27.

#HonkforBiggie.

Rapper Fredo Santana died Friday night from a seizure ... family members tell TMZ.

The Chicago rapper who is a cousin of Chief Keef was at his L.A. home Friday. We're told his girlfriend came over at around 11:30 PM and found him dead on the floor.

Santana had been hospitalized recently for liver and kidney problems he'd been battling for months.

The rapper had talked openly about his lean addiction ... as we've reported way too many times, lean can trigger seizures.

A number of rappers including Drake have gone on social media the last few hours to pay their respects.

He had an 8-month old son.

Fredo was 27. RIP.

Tom Petty's oasis for over a decade can be yours ... at a bargain price.

The late singer's crib in Lake Sherwood -- a ritzy area near the famed Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, CA -- hit the market for $5.495 million. The 5,300 square foot pad has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms but one of the best features is 125 feet of lake frontage on a private cul-de-sac.

It's built for a rock star -- the walls are 2 feet thick!!! And talk about location, location, location -- the house is 3 minutes from the country club and just 9 miles from the Malibu coast.

Tom bought the crib back in 2007 and put it on the market just a few months before his shocking death back in October. It was initially listed for $5.895 million but was listed just days ago with a discount.

The Game's father, George Taylor, died unexpectedly in his sleep Wednesday morning ... TMZ has learned.

We're told a family member found him unresponsive in his home in Apple Valley, CA ... and alerted a neighbor who called 911. The Fire Dept. arrived at 8:30 AM this morning. He was unresponsive, and transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

We're told, at this point, It doesn't appear there's any foul play. The coroner's office has George's body now, and is investigating.

Game rapped about his dad in the song, "Bloody Moon," off one of his albums. The lyrics on the track go, "My father left me when I was seven, at a home / Left me but took his chrome, I looked up and blood was gone / Man, fuck it, guess in the world I'm all alone."

They've had an off/on relationship since Game's been an adult. It's unclear what the status of their relationship was recently.

Glenn Frey was left sick and suffering during his dying days because of the poor treatment at a hospital ... according to a new suit filed by his widow.

Cindy Frey alleges the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and Steven Itzkowitz failed to properly render medical care to her husband -- the co-founder and guitarist for the Eagles -- the last couple months of his life ... until he died in January 2016.

Cindy claims the medical workers were negligent in treating Frey's ulcerative colitis, failed to properly assess respiratory issues, failed to treat infection, failed to consider side effects of medications and didn't properly advise him of the risks to his health and life.

According to the docs, first reported by the NY Post ... Frey was "rendered sick, sore, lame and disabled, suffered injuries, pain, mental anguish ... and was permanently injured and disabled until the time of his death."

Rod Stewart's reaction to Dolores O'Riordan's death might not be the most sensitive, but it's definitely real ... and kinda dark.

Rod was leaving Il Piccolino Monday night in WeHo when we asked the British rocker if he knew The Cranberries singer who died suddenly in London. Rod said he didn't know Dolores personally, but he made it clear her passing, at only 46, has him pondering his own mortality.

Jill Zarin just arrived at a New York City chapel for her husband's funeral.

Jill and her daughter, Allyson Shapiro, arrived at the Riverside Memorial Chapel for a service honoring the life of her husband, Bobby Zarin.

Zarin died Saturday after a long bout with cancer. Bobby was diagnosed with thyroid cancer back in 2009, underwent treatment and had his thyroid removed. He suffered a major setback in 2016 when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Keith Jackson -- the longtime and legendary voice of college football -- has died.

Jackson spent 50 years working for ABC covering a wide variety of sports, but was best known for calling college football's biggest games for generations. Jackson's credited for dubbing the Rose Bowl "The Granddaddy of Them All" and Michigan's football stadium, "The Big House".

Todd Harris of NBC Sports broke the news Jackson passed away Friday night surrounded by his family.

He is survived by his wife, Turi Ann, and 3 children.

He was 89.

RIP

"Heavyweights" actor Joseph Wayne Miller, who played Salami Sam in the '90s hit has died ... TMZ has learned.

Miller's mother, Patricia, tells us her son died in his sleep Tuesday in Chicago. We're told his girlfriend found his body. So far the cause of death is unknown ... but Patricia says he suffered from sleep apnea.

Joe's character, Salami Sam, was one of the campers at Camp Hope ... a weight loss camp for kids.

Miller's only notable acting credit was "Heavyweights," a classic that also starred Ben Stiller, Judd Apatow and Kenan Thompson.

Miller was 36.

RIP

1/08/18 2:53 PM PT -- A rep for the Hot Spring County Coroner tells us Jerry died of chronic heart disease. We're told he was in hospice care at his home prior to his death ... Van Dyke will be buried in Arkansas.

Jerry Van Dyke -- the famed younger brother of Dick Van Dyke -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Jerry's wife, Shirley, tells us ... he died Friday afternoon at their Arkansas ranch with her by his side. She says they were involved in a car accident over 2 years ago ... and Jerry's health had deteriorated since.

We're told Dick visited them at the ranch over the Christmas holiday.

A beloved comedian just like his brother, Jerry pursued stand-up as a young man and performed at military bases around the world. He made his acting debut on "The Dick Van Dyke" show and followed that up with appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" before becoming a regular on "The Judy Garland Show."

Jerry's best known for his role on "Coach" ... where he earned 4 Emmy nominations playing Asst. Coach Luther Van Dam alongside Craig T. Nelson. He also had major roles on "Yes, Dear" and most recently, "The Middle."

He's survived by his wife and 2 children. Jerry was 86.

RIP