Celebrity Death

3/28/18 -- Zeke Upshaw's autopsy confirmed he died of cardiac arrest ... possibly due to "cardiac abnormalities."

The coroner says he plans to conduct more tests in the coming weeks.

NBA G-League player Zeke Upshaw is dead at the age of 26 ... days after collapsing on the court during a basketball game.

Upshaw -- a swingman for the Detroit Pistons affiliate, Grand Rapids Drive -- collapsed during the final minutes of the 4th quarter of Saturday's game against the Long Island Nets ... after reportedly going into cardiac arrest.

He was stretchered off the court and rushed to the hospital ... where he remained in critical condition until passing away Monday morning.

John Mahoney, the beloved dad on "Frasier," left behind millions of dollars ... and TMZ's learned there's a long list of potential benefactors.

John's friend, Bernard Dowling, filed legal docs in Cook County, Illinois to open a probate case for his estate. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, John's estate is worth north of $5 million, including around $300k worth of real estate. There are also 38 relatives and friends listed as potential benefactors.

TMZ broke the story ... John died in hospice care back in February. As we first reported ... the official causes of death included brain disease, lung cancer and seizures. He also suffered from kidney disease and diabetes.

John played Kelsey Grammer's cranky father, Martin Crane, for 11 seasons on the hit sitcom.

5:01 PM PT -- Chicago Fire producer Dick Wolf released a statement on Brown's death. He says, "The Chicago Fire family is devastated to lose one of its own. Our thought and prayers are with DuShon's family and we will all miss her."

5:25 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us Brown was at home Friday morning when her family called paramedics because she was feeling ill. We're told she was taken to the hospital, where she died around noon. Her death is now being investigated by the medical examiner.

"Chicago Fire" actress DuShon Monique Brown has died after suffering an apparent heart attack.

Production sources tell us Brown admitted herself to a Chicago hospital a few days ago after suffering chest pains, we're told she went through tests but was released a short time later.

Things apparently took a turn for the worse Friday ... our sources say Brown died at home after some type of cardiac episode.

DuShon -- a Chicago native -- has been on "Chicago Fire" since the show started in 2012. She played Connie, the assistant to Chief Boden. She was also on "Prison Break" from 2005 to 2007.

DuShon has a background in social work and a Masters in Counseling and once worked as a counselor at a local high school.

Brown also starred in a made for TV movie titled "Public Housing Unit" about Chicago cops ... the project is set to premiere later this year.

She leaves behind a daughter.

Music manager Jordan Feldstein -- Jonah Hill's older brother -- had Whip-It! canisters all over the room where he was found dead ... according to the Coroner's Office.

In the docs, the Coroner says Jordan had multiple canisters of nitrous strewn about his bedroom when first responders arrived. The report includes toxicology results, which show he had only trace amounts of a cocaine metabolite in his urine. Also, he tested negative for any alcohol in his system.

As we reported ... Jordan had called 911 in December, and when EMTs arrived he was found unresponsive on his bed. The Coroner's report says someone on the scene told officers Jordan had been abusing nitrous oxide for about a month.

Jordan managed Maroon 5, Miguel and Robin Thicke. He was 40.

Queen Latifah's mom has died after a very long battle with a heart condition ... TMZ has learned.

Latifah revealed the sad news Wednesday, saying ... "It is with a heavy heart that I share the news my mother, Rita Owens passed away today ... She had struggled with a heart condition for many years and her battle is now over."

The rapper and actress told People in 2015 she would stay at her mom's home in New Jersey to help take care of her when she wasn't working in California.

Owens had reportedly been taking meds and was aided by a defibrillator implanted in her chest to avert a heart attack. She also had to maintain a very healthy diet to live with the condition.

Charles Manson had his final hurrah Saturday during a memorial service that ended in fire.

Manson's body was front and center at a service held in Porterville, CA. We're told the body was decomposing badly, and needed heavy makeup and gloves to cover the deterioration. He died 4 months ago but his body was put on ice until a judge decided who would take control of it.

Approximately 30 people showed up at the funeral home. His grandson, Jason Freeman -- the man who won control over the body -- spoke at the service, as did a Manson follower.

Manson's service didn't end with a burial. His body was cremated and his ashes were spread along a nearby creek bed in a forest. Apparently it was a windy day, because the ashes blew back on the guests.

We're told the attendees included Manson's former fiancee, Afton Burton, and former Manson Family member Sandra Good.

As TMZ first reported ... Manson -- the mastermind behind one of the most heinous murder sprees in American history -- died of natural causes back in November 2017. He was 83.

O.J. Simpson insists his 'If I Did It' TV special was NOT a confession to murder -- and says the people on the show were all "a bunch of haters."

Simpson gave his first sit-down interview since leaving prison to the Buffalo News -- and gave his own take on "O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?"

"When people want to make money or get ratings, they're going to pimp me. I'm going to get pimped."

Simpson says his friends had been teasing him about the show and whether or not it was a REAL confession.

"Listen, if I confessed 12 years ago, you would have heard about it 12 years ago!"

When asked if he's watched the FOX special, Simpson replied -- "I watch nothing of me."

"I didn't watch the [FOX special] because I knew they were all haters, and people will say things that are just not true, and there's nobody there to challenge them, and that would piss me off."

Billionaire businessman Tom Benson -- who owned the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans -- has died, his family has confirmed.

The 90-year-old passed away peacefully Thursday at Ochsner Medical Center in Louisiana with his wife, Gayle Marie Benson, at his side after falling ill with the flu.

Benson started out as a bookkeeper at a Chevy dealership in New Orleans -- but went on to become a dealership owner and expanded the business into a billion-dollar empire.

Benson bought the Saints in 1985 -- when they weren't exactly winners (remember the Aints?). The team posted their first winning record in 1987 and made the playoffs that year. Of course, they got better and won the Super Bowl in 2010.

In 2012, Benson bought the New Orleans Hornets and changed the name to the Pelicans.

Stephen Hawking's contributions to science are almost too much for Bill Nye the Science Guy to grasp, because they require thinking beyond what actually exists. Yeah, buckle up.

We got Bill Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, where he was repping for the Planetary Society. He says that's how he was able to meet the late, genius physicist/cosmologist.

Bill says Stephen's legacy isn't about any single discovery, it's more about changing the way people think about the cosmos, and he takes a stab at explaining it to our camera guy, too.

The man who shot and killed ex-NFL RB Joe McKnight could be spending the rest of his life in a prison cell.

Ronald Gasser, 56, was just sentenced to 30 years behind bars ... less than 2 months after he was found guilty of manslaughter in a Louisiana courtroom. The maximum sentence he faced was 40 years.

Gasser was originally charged with 2nd-degree murder, but the jury elected for the lesser charge of manslaughter after more than 7 hours of deliberation back on Jan. 26.

McKnight -- who played for the Jets and Chiefs from 2010-2014 -- was gunned down by Gasser during a road-rage incident on Dec. 1, 2016, which ended when Gasser shot McKnight 3 times through his passenger side window.

Joe was only 28.

McKnight's mother, Jennifer, gave a victim impact statement before the sentencing, saying -- "That day, you didn't have to do that. That didn't have to happen. It hurts. It's going to hurt a long time."

Michelle Quick, the mother of Joe's 8-year-old son, also addressed Gasser before leaving the courtroom in tears.

"It will be my life's mission to make sure my son, Jaiden, doesn't grow up with hate for you. Not because you don't deserve it, but because he should not have hate in his heart."

FYI, Gasser's lawyer's filed a motion for a new trial before the sentencing -- claiming he was clearly acting in self-defense -- but the judge rejected their proposal.

Big Pun IS forever at Walmart, but his widow ain't happy about it ... so, she's filed a lawsuit against the retail giant.

Liza Rios is going after Walmart for a line of clothing and merch it sells which bear the late Bronx rapper's name and image. In the suit, she says some of the items straight-up jacked the trademark she got after Pun died in 2000 -- a Jordan-esque image of Pun soaring with a mic in his hand, instead of a basketball.

Most of the clothing and gear -- which includes phone cases, mugs and bags -- is made by a company called Redbubble, and Liza's suing them as well as Walmart.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, Walmart, Rebubble and other manufacturers are willfully infringing on her trademark ... because they have full knowledge of its existence, yet continue to use it without authorization.

Ms. Pun is suing for all profits, and and injunction to block further sales.

She's also demanding $10 million in statutory damages from manufacturers Redbubble and Cloudflare, but not Walmart.

Attorney Shawn Holley, a member of O.J. Simpson's "Dream Team" that got him acquitted of double murder, says she was disturbed by Simpson's interview with Judith Regan, but it doesn't necessarily mean he committed the crime.

Holley, who worked for Johnnie Cochran during the trial, was a key member of the defense team. She says O.J. isn't stupid, and the only way he would have agreed to such an interview is if he spoke hypothetically and assumed the character of the murderer. She says he was told to behave in a certain way during the interview and he did that.

She admits its super weird for O.J. to assume the character of the man who murdered his ex-wife.

Holley says, at the time she and Johnnie represented Simpson, they believed in his innocence. As for whether her view is now shaken ... well, watch what she says.

The man claiming to be Charles Manson's grandson was just given the right to retrieve Manson's body for burial ... but this does not end the family fight for control.

Michael Brunner, the son of Charles Manson and Manson Family member Mary Brunner has just filed legal docs questioning whether Jason Freeman -- the man who was just given control of the body -- is actually the biological grandson of Manson. Brunner notes Freeman has been unwilling to take a DNA test to establish bloodline, and that makes him suspicious.

Brunner and Freeman are both vying for control of Manson's remains and his estate. The estate could be valuable because it can control the use of Manson's name and image. When you look at the estates of Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley, it's easy to understand how control can turn into money.

Harvey Levin interviewed Brunner in 1993 when he worked for KCBS in Los Angeles. Among the things they talked about ... whether Michael worried he might have a gene that could cause him to do horrible things like his dad.

O.J. Simpson's confession about killing Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman isn't rattling the manager of one of his new fave hangouts in Nevada ... TMZ has learned.

Simpson's become a frequent customer at Nekter Juice Bar in Summerlin, and a manager there tells us O.J.'s free to continue coming in ... after his bombshell interview on the FOX special, "O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?"

The guy hasn't seen the two-hour special yet, but he says it wouldn't matter -- as long as Simpson's a paying customer, he's welcome at Nekter.

The manager tells us he refuses to treat Simpson differently from his other customers, and says the only reason O.J. wouldn't be welcome is if he started getting rude, rowdy or threatening with staff or guests.

O.J. Simpson copping to leaving the infamous bloody glove at the double murder scene is all former prosecutor Christopher Darden needed to hear to know he was right all along.

Darden, Marcia Clark's co-prosecutor in Simpson's trial of the century, tells us watching "O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?" proved Simpson and his dream team outsmarted the jury.

In particular, he says Johnnie Cochran's famous line, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit" just doesn't hold up once you hear Simpson admit he must have left the glove "because they found the glove there." Darden famously came up with the plan to have Simpson try on the gloves in court ... which, of course, backfired on the prosecution.

As for Simpson's hypothetical accomplice named Charlie -- Darden has an explanation, and it's all about O.J.'s imagination.

Bobby Brown says he's willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Nick Gordon's girlfriend doesn't suffer the same fate as Bobbi Kristina.

Bobby -- through his attorney Christopher Brown -- says he'd like to personally lend a helping hand to Laura Leal, and offer her services through the Bobbi Kristina Brown Serenity House. Bobby says, "Domestic violence killed my daughter ... I do not want to see any more families destroyed at the hands of domestic violence and I do not want any more women to suffer like my daughter did."

The offer comes a day after Gordon's arrest for domestic violence. As we reported ... Leal told cops he struck her several times after picking him up from a bar. Cops noticed visible marks and arrested Gordon.