Celebrity Death

"Night Court" star Harry Anderson was dead well before paramedics arrived, according to his wife who called 911.

TMZ obtained the transcript from the 911 call Elizabeth Morgan placed earlier this week to authorities in North Carolina after Harry apparently went into cardiac arrest in his sleep. She tells the operator ... "His hand -- he's cold. He's not ice cold, but he's definitely cold. His eyes are partially open, uh, but he's not looking at anything, he's not responding."

In the call, Elizabeth declines help for performing CPR, saying she believes it's too late.

She also mentions Harry suffered a series of strokes at the end of January after battling the flu.

As we reported ... Anderson was found dead Monday when paramedics arrived, according to dispatch audio. Authorities said no foul play is suspected. His son, Dashiell, told us his father died from natural causes.

Harry was 65.

A Sean Taylor autographed football card -- the only certified signed card ever released -- just fetched a whopping $13,000 at auction ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's the deal ... the card was released as part of Panini's 2017 Flawless collection ... but the actual autograph was signed on a 2004 Topps rookie card.

We'll explain ...

A rep for Panini tells us Panini obtained the 2004 card (which was signed AFTER it was released through Topps) and independently authenticated the autograph. Then, Panini cut the card down to fit in the Flawless card frame. It was then inserted into a random card pack and pulled by a lucky collector.

Once pulled, the card made its way to eBay where the starting bid was $900. It received 51 total bids and finally sold for $13,000! The identity of the buyer has not yet been revealed.

Of course, Taylor passed away in 2007 -- but had never signed a card that was officially distributed through a major trading card company.

Obviously, he's still extremely popular with football fans and collectors.

Gregg Popovich's wife, Erin, has died ... according to a statement released by the San Antonio Spurs.

Erin died Wednesday, but the cause of death is unknown at this time. The news comes as a shock to players and fans -- although it's being reported she'd been ill for an extended period ... Coach Popovich hadn't said anything publicly.

Erin and Gregg were married for 4 decades and have 2 kids and 2 grandchildren.

Spurs GM R.C. Buford says, "We mourn the loss of Erin ... She was a strong, wonderful, kind, intelligent woman who provided love, support and humor to all of us."

The Spurs are scheduled to take on the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of their playoff series Thursday night in San Antonio. Kevin Durant was told the sad news at practice and was at a loss for words.

Erin was 67.

Barbara Bush -- former First Lady of the United States and wife of 41st President George H.W. Bush -- has died.

The former First Lady died at her home Tuesday surrounded by her family. She had suffered from congestive heart failure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Barbara decided herself when it was time to go, telling her doctors Sunday she chose to decline medical treatment in favor of comfort care.

Both Barbara and George were hospitalized in Houston in early 2017 for various health issues, but she was spry and all smiles with her husband for the Super Bowl 51 coin toss a month later.

Barbara served as First Lady from 1989 to 1993, but also as Second Lady for the 8 years during the Reagan administration. She was known for working to make advancements in universal literacy, and founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.

She's survived by her husband, 4 sons -- including George W. and Jeb Bush -- a daughter ... 17 grandchildren and 7 great grandkids.

The White House released a statement shortly after the announcement of her passing, saying, "She will be long remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she served unfailingly well. The President and First Lady's thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Mrs. Bush."

Barbara was 92.

RIP

"Night Court" star Harry Anderson was found dead when paramedics arrived at his home ... TMZ has learned.

We got the dispatch audio that went out to the fire department, and the call was for a person suffering from cardiac arrest at Harry's address. The first responders later confirmed Harry was dead on arrival.

As we reported ... Harry died Monday at his home in North Carolina. Authorities say no foul play is suspected.

Harry Anderson, who became a household name starring in the massive TV hit, "Night Court," has died.

We spoke to Harry's son, Dashiell, and he tells TMZ ... his father passed away of natural causes. Anderson rose to fame playing Judge Harry T. Stone on the sitcom that ran from 1984 to 1992. Before "Night Court" he frequently appeared on "Saturday Night Live."

The actor died at his home Monday in North Carolina. All authorities are saying is that no foul play is suspected.

Anderson also appeared on "Cheers" and starred in his own sitcom, "Dave's World," which ran from 1993 to 1997.

He was also an accomplished magician and even opened a magic shop in the French Quarter of New Orleans. He also had a nightclub in the French Quarter called Oswald's Speakeasy.

In his later years, Anderson kept a low profile, only occasionally appearing in shows like "30 Rock," "Son of the Beach" and "Comedy Bang! Bang!"

He's survived by 2 children and his wife, Elizabeth Morgan.

Anderson was 65.

R. Lee Ermey, the former Marine who played the sadistic Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in "Full Metal Jacket," is dead.

Ermey's manager says the drill instructor turned actor died Sunday morning from complications from pneumonia.

Ermey appeared in more than 70 films. He once said, "I've done over 200 episodes of [GunnyTime], and then [Hollywood] found out I'm a conservative." He says he was blackballed from Hollywood over his political views. He says he was actually an independent and voted for Barack Obama in 2008 but soured on him. He was also a board member of the National Rifle Association.

He said not too long ago, "Do you realize I have not done a movie in five to six years? Why? Because I was totally blackballed by the ... liberals in Hollywood. They can destroy you. They're hateful people."

The actor enlisted in the Marine Corp at 17 and served in Vietnam.

He was a consultant for the classic, "Apocalypse Now," and also played a helicopter pilot.

Ermey was 74.

Andre the Giant was a booze-swillin' LEGEND -- so says WWE Hall of Famer "Mean" Gene Okerlund, who tells TMZ Sports there were times he tried matching the Giant drink-for-drink!

Yeah ... you can guess how that turned out.

We spoke to Mean Gene before the "Andre the Giant" doc premieres Tuesday night on HBO ... and he told us some fun facts about his larger than life friend.

Turns out, Andre was a serious fine-dining nut -- especially for delicacies like animal hearts, kidneys and tongues. Gene also told us the Giant was one of the most honest human beings he's ever met.

But, the best part was when Gene revealed he went on a few benders with Andre -- and ended up getting WASTED.

"I did try to stand toe-to-toe with him on a couple of occasions, and trust me, I got bent," Okerlund said.

Yvonne Staples -- best known as the baritone voice of The Staple Singers -- has died at her home in Chicago ... according to Chicago’s Leak & Sons Funeral Homes.

Yvonne helped her family's gospel, soul and R&B group reach the top of the music charts with "I'll Take You There" in 1972, shortly after bursting onto the scene with another smash hit, "Respect Yourself."

She performed with her sisters, along with their father -- guitarist Roebuck "Pops" Staples -- in churches across the South Side of Chicago before branching out and making it big in the '70s ... after she replaced her brother in the group.

The Staple Singers also had chart-topping hits like "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" and "Let's Do it Again." They made more than 30 albums and had 8 Top 40 tracks from 1971-1975. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

With Yvonne's passing, 78-year-old Mavis is the only living Staples sister ... and their father died in 2000.

Yvonne was 80.

Richard Pryor's widow says his daughter needs to be proud of her father's truth -- that he also liked having sex with men ... and there's no shame in that.

We got Jennifer Lee Pryor leaving Book Soup on Sunday in WeHo where she was signing copies of Richard's reissued book, "Pryor Convictions And Other Life Sentences." She was particularly upset about Richard's daughter, Rain, insisting Richard never slept with Marlon Brando.

Jennifer told us why she thinks it's true. Remember, she's planning to publish Richard's diaries in October ... so, she clearly has inside knowledge.

Tiffany Haddish will introduce a man who needs no introduction, but will get it anyway, because he's the late, great and legendary Richard Pryor.

We're told Tiffany's writing the intro to the highly-anticipated 'Richard Pryor Diaries' ... a project spearheaded by Richard's wife, Jennifer Lee Pryor. The book's due out in October, but there's been tremendous buzz since TMZ broke the story that Richard did, in fact, bang Marlon Brando.

The book, of course, will dive into Richard's bisexuality, his home life and storied career.

We're told Tiffany jumped at the opportunity because Richard's one of her heroes. Tiffany, of course, attended a Laugh Factory camp back in the late '90s when she was in high school, which Pryor visited. He also mentored Tiffany, whose career skyrocketed since "Girls Trip."

Unclear what Tiffany's gonna let outta the bag -- she's good at that -- but pretty sure it'll be hilarious.

Richard's wife will be at a book signing Sunday for the reissue of Richard's book, "Pryor Convictions And Other Life Sentences" at Book Soup in WeHo.

October can't come soon enough.

Ex-MTV "Road Rules" star Brian Lancaster has died at just 43 years old ... TMZ has learned.

Brian appeared on season 7 of "Road Rules" back in 1999. His family tells us he was found dead in his Pennsylvania home last Thursday. They believe it was heart failure, and tell us he had a history of arrhythmia.

The family says the death was not drug or alcohol related -- and, as far as they know, no substances were found in the home.

Brian was 23 years old when he competed on "Road Rules." He didn't win the grand prize of $43k, but he competed on 13 different "missions" over the course of 15 episodes while shooting in Mexico, Costa Rica and the United States.

Dolores O'Riordan sounded pumped and ready to belt out her old tune with a new band the day she died ... this according to her last voicemail ever.

TMZ has obtained a voice message Dolores left for her longtime friend and label exec, Dan Waite, on Jan. 15 -- the day she unexpectedly passed away -- which also happened to be the day she was set to record a cover of The Cranberries' song "Zombie" with Bad Wolves.

We're told the voicemail's time stamp was 1:12 AM GMT in London ... and, as you can hear, Dan -- who set up the collab -- is clearly mentioned in the audio. Dolores also says she loved Bad Wolves' version of "Zombie" ... adding it "sounds f****** terribly good."

Clearly, she was excited to get in the studio -- but, unfortunately, she never made it. As we reported ... The Cranberries singer was found dead just hours later in her hotel. Her cause of death has yet to be released -- police have only said she died suddenly.

Reports surfaced Dolores may have taken her own life, especially because she had extreme bouts with depression. If it turns out to be the case, it would be eerily similar to Chris Cornell's death ... where his wife said he was in a great mood hours before he died. You'll recall, Chris seemed as if nothing was wrong just before he took the stage for his final performance.

Dolores was officially laid to rest in her native Ireland a couple days after a public reposal was held for her. She was 46 years old.

As for the Bad Wolves cover ... the band released their version in Dolores' honor about a month after she passed, donating the proceeds of the song to her three children.

Jose Fernandez and a passenger killed in his fatal boat crash were both drugged before the incident as part of a robbery scheme ... this according to a lawyer for the ex-MLB star's estate.

Attorney Ralph Fernandez has filed new documents in the wrongful death case brought against the Miami Marlins pitcher -- claiming he was carrying $15,000 in cash in a backpack on the night of the incident ... which made him a target for thieves.

Fernandez claims he and Eduardo Rivero were "unwitting recipients of a spiked drink or a mickey of sorts" in a plot to disorient them and steal the money.

Fernandez, Rivero and Emilio Macias were killed in Sept. 2016 when Jose's boat crashed while traveling at an extremely high speed. Investigators say Fernandez's body tested positive for cocaine and booze.

The families of Rivero and Macias filed a civil suit against Fernandez's estate each seeking $2 million.

But, Jose's attorney claims investigators found NO evidence of drug paraphernalia or drug residue at the crash scene ... supporting his theory that the player was drugged without his knowledge.

Fernandez also claims the investigative body handling the crash refused to consider the possibility Jose was not driving the boat. For the record, the boat was owned by Jose.

When Van Met Winnie, it was nothing like Harry and Sally ... but CNN host Van Jones still got an unforgettable story out of it.

We got the CNN host Monday at LAX as he was heading to Memphis to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. He also reflected on Winnie Mandela's death ... and the moment he, unexpectedly, came face-to-face with her.

As we reported, Nelson Mandela's wife died Monday after a lengthy battle with illness -- and even though her life was filled with scandals, Van says it's hard to judge her.

Prince had "exceedingly high" levels of fentanyl in his system at the time of his death, according to a new toxicology report obtained by the Associated Press.

The report -- which is said to have been confidential -- gives a glimpse into just how much fentanyl was flowing through the singer's body when he died in 2016. According to the AP, the concentration of fentanyl in Prince's blood was 67.8 micrograms per liter. The report notes people have died from as little as 3 micrograms per liter, and as high as 58.

A medical expert quoted by the AP -- Dr. Lewis Nelson of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School -- calls the level of fentanyl in Prince's blood "exceedingly high" ... even for someone who's a chronic pain patient, he adds.

The toxicology also reportedly shows Prince's liver had a concentration of 450 micrograms per kilogram -- while also noting that levels beyond 69 micrograms per kilogram often signal overdose or fatal toxicity cases. Experts cited in the report also say there were potentially lethal amounts of fetanyl in Prince's stomach, and that he likely took the drug orally.

We broke the story ... Prince died at his Paisley Park compound from an opioid overdose -- the drug, of course, being fetanyl.