Celebrity Death

Betty White was a known animal lover who supported a number of organizations throughout her life ... now one of them is stepping up to honor her in one of the best ways possible!

The CEO for Guide Dogs for the Blind, Christine Benninger, tells TMZ ... Betty was a true friend of the org for more than 35 years ... and that's why they'll be naming one of their Golden Retriever puppies after her.

The name of the pooch -- BettyRose. It's is a nod to Betty's character on "Golden Girls."

The doggie will go to a puppy raiser when she's around 6 weeks old. Betty herself became a raiser when she adopted a Golden Retriever named Pontiac. He was her puppy for many years.

We're told there will also be a tribute to Betty in October in San Fran ... where staff and volunteers will share stories about Betty and play a video montage to honor her decades of dedication to the organization.

GDB is the largest guide dog school in North America, and Betty's legacy will continue to live on through the org and little Ms. BettyRose.

Affion Crockett is remembering late actor Sidney Poitier as a "king" ... and thanking him for kicking open the door and paving the way for Black entertainers.

We got the comedian at LAX and asked how he's remembering Sidney ... and Affion says he wouldn't have a platform today without Poitier changing the landscape of how Hollywood viewed Black men.

Affion says Sidney was more than a trailblazer ... also remembering him as a prolific actor and orator, and marveling at the way he carried himself and represented his craft.

As we reported ... Sidney died at the age of 94, and tons of tributes are pouring in for the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor.

Scottish singer Lulu, who sang the huge, hit, title song for one of Sidney Poitier's most famous movies, is reflecting on his death ... and thanking him for inspiring her.

Lulu tells TMZ ... Sidney was "my friend, my teacher, my inspiration."

She famously sang the theme song for Sidney's 1967 movie, "To Sir, With Love." The film was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Original Score written from a motion picture or TV show.

Sidney starred in the film, alongside Christian Roberts, Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall ... and Lulu!

Lulu also tells us the movie, "rises above the fray and leads by example," ... comparing it to the way Sidney lead his life. She says SP empowered and educated those around him, so they could choose to follow his lead.

Remember ... Sidney is credited with breaking barriers in Hollywood for Black celebrities ... and Lulu clearly was moved by working with him.

Sidney Poitier, the actor and activist who broke color barriers in Hollywood and starred in some of the most iconic movies ever made, has died.

The office of the Bahamian Minister of Foreign Affairs has confirmed Sidney's death to TMZ ... however, the circumstances surrounding his passing are not yet known, nor do we know where he died.

Poitier was the first black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor for his starring role in "Lilies of the Field" in 1963.

Sidney's roles are legendary ... starring as Mark Thackeray in "To Sir With Love," and Detective Virgil Tibbs in "In the Heat of the Night" in 1967. You know, he delivered the famous line, "They call me Mr. Tibbs."

He also starred in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," also released in 1967.

Just think about that ... all 3 incredible movies were released the same year.

Poitier was a tireless civil rights activist ... he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Obama for his work.

Poitier, who is a dual citizen of the U.S. and the Bahamas, served from 1997-2007 as Bahamian Ambassador to Japan.

Poitier is survived by his wife of 45 years, Joanna and 6 daughters.

Sidney was 94.

Drakeo the Ruler's family says it can't afford to bury him in a coffin ... so they're asking a court to give them access to his coffers.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the rapper's mother says she just can't foot the bill for his funeral, which she is pegging at just under $52,000. She'd like to cover it with money from Drakeo's estate, but she can't access his assets without a court order.

In the docs, Drakeo's mom says her late son's assets should be at least $2 million, and she's asking the court to let her dip into those funds to say goodbye to her son with a proper burial. She adds ... the memorial she's planning will be full of "dignity, style and grace."

As we reported, Drakeo was fatally stabbed in the neck last month while backstage at the Once Upon A Time in L.A. festival.

Peter Bogdanovich -- the filmmaker behind big movies like "The Last Picture Show" and "What's Up, Doc?" -- has died.

Peter passed away Thursday at his home in Los Angeles as a result of natural causes ... his daughter, Antonia Bogdanovich, told The Hollywood Reporter.

PB vaulted to fame when he directed the critically-acclaimed 1971 black-and-white classic, 'Last Picture Show,' which earned 8 Oscar nominations ... including one for best director. He also famously directed movies like "Mask" and "Paper Moon" plus "Daisy Miller" and there's even a musical on his Hollywood resume, "At Long Last Love."

While he was known for his work behind the camera, Peter also appeared on-screen ... most notably in a recurring role playing Dr. Melfi's therapist, Elliot Kupferberg, on "The Sopranos."

Peter was twice married, but both marriages ended in divorce, he was known for dating 'Last Picture' star Cybill Shepherd, and also Dorothy Stratten ... back in 1980 when the Playboy Playmate was infamously murdered by her estranged husband.

At the time of the murder, Peter railed against Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, blaming Hef and the "Playboy sex factory" for Dorothy's demise.

Peter was 82.

Bobbi Kristina Brown's old townhome in Atlanta, Georgia -- where she overdosed in the bathtub and later died -- has sold, TMZ has learned.

The 3-bedroom 4-bath pad was previously owned by Bobbi's mom, Whitney Houston, and was first listed for $599,000. The property was taken off the market in 2020, but listed again in November for $715,000 ... and sold for $715,100.

It was January 2015 when Bobbi Kristina was found facedown in the bathtub by then-boyfriend Nick Gordon. She was placed in a medically-induced coma for almost 7 months before she died. The medical examiner listed her cause of death as "immersion associated with drug intoxication." Gordon was found civilly liable for her death but was never charged. He died of a heroin overdose in 2020.

Keller Williams Realty agent Jill Rice tells TMZ, a lot of potential buyers knew the home's history, which scared some off -- but it clearly didn't matter to the buyers -- who pulled the trigger after deciding the great neighborhood and townhouse's look outweighed the negatives.

The townhouse is tucked away in a 24/7 gated community and features about 2,600 sq. ft. of living space. It's got a gourmet kitchen, a huge master suite with a fireplace and 2 guest suites with private baths.

Young Dolph's shooting suspect certainly didn't cover his tracks well -- twisting his music career with murder, perhaps handing investigators much-needed clues to connect him to the case.

Cops announced Wednesday 23-year-old Justin Johnson is wanted for murdering Dolph. Johnson is a Memphis-area rapper who goes by the name Straight Drop -- and used areas around the city as the background to many of his music videos.

However, it's his music video for the song "Going Straight In" released on November 21, 2021, that had fans making an eerie connection.

Shortly after Dolph was killed, detectives tracked down the getaway car -- a white Mercedes -- to a Memphis-area home. You can see very clearly, Johnson uses the same home as the backdrop to his "Going Straight In" music video.

Shockingly enough -- Dolph was murdered November 17, which means that the music video was actually posted to YouTube AFTER he was gunned down.

There's been a break in the investigation into Young Dolph's death  ... law enforcement says a suspect has been identified and is wanted for murder.

The U.S. Marshals, Memphis Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation say one of the suspects is a 23-year-old man named Justin Johnson.

Authorities released a mug shot of the suspect Wednesday and say Johnson is wanted for a slew of charges, including first-degree murder.

According to his social media page, Johnson appears to be a local rapper who goes by the name StraightDrop. His page is flooded with pics of himself flaunting clothes, money and expensive cars.

Law enforcement says Johnson is on the TBI Most Wanted list, has ties to organized crime and should be considered armed and dangerous ... and there's a combined reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to his capture.

As we reported ... Young Dolph was gunned down in November while he was inside a cookie shop in Memphis, and 2 masked gunmen were caught on surveillance footage before fleeing in a getaway car.

The feds allege Johnson shot Young Dolph to death ... and they say he also has an outstanding warrant for violating his federal supervised release from a separate weapons offense.

Former MLB pitcher Jim Corsi passed away early Tuesday morning after a battle with liver and colon cancer. He was 60 years old.

The sad news comes just one day after an interview was released ... where Jim said, "I'm at peace. I know if I die, I'm going to a better place," according to Steve Burton of WBZ TV.

On Tuesday, Burton confirmed Corsi passed away overnight with his family at his side.

In the interview that aired Monday, Corsi -- who had been battling Stage IV liver cancer and terminal colon cancer -- urged people to stay on top of their health, something he wished he did a better job of in his younger years.

"I made a mistake when I was younger by not getting a colonoscopy," Corsi said.

"I was a professional athlete and thought I was invincible, strong. You’re not. Cancer is not prejudice to anybody."

But, despite his bout with cancer, Jim still managed to walk his daughter down the aisle during her wedding in October 2020 ... a moment he said he'll never forget.

Corsi -- who was drafted by the Yankees in 1982 -- played for five different teams ... but he spent most of his time in the big leagues with the A's and Red Sox.

During his MLB career, Corsi posted a career ERA of 3.25 and a 22-24 overall record as a relief pitcher.

Betty White's life and career won't just be celebrated in one corner of Illinois -- the village where she was born is creating a full-on holiday to honor the late actress ... TMZ has learned.

"Betty White Day" will be recognized in Betty's hometown on January 17, which would have been her 100th birthday.

The president of the Village of Oak Park, Vicki Scaman, tells TMZ ... despite moving to California as an infant, OP residents have been grateful that over the course of her life Betty spoke very highly of Oak Park. She continued to visit relatives there years after heading west.

We're told that since she passed away, folks in Oak Park have been vocal about wanting to honor Betty, and that surely will be happening now. A few days before Betty's birthday, Village Prez Scaman will read a proclamation for "Betty White Day" during a memorial for community members in Oak Park.

For Betty's special day, the Oak Park small business community is banding together to offer discounts to customers and "Betty White specials." For example, Mickey's Restaurant will be offering a special consisting of a hotdog, fries, and diet coke -- one of Betty's favorite meals, and Turano Bakery is planning to make a giant birthday cake. Scaman tells us cutouts of Betty will cover walls in the downtown area.

The celebration will continue with a Betty White mural contest, in which the winning mural will be painted downtown. And, there's a bonus ... most everyone in town will already be off from work as BWD happens to fall on a national holiday -- MLK Jr. Day -- this year.

The gym formerly known as Mamba Sports Academy is suing the company that owned the doomed helicopter in the Kobe Bryant crash ... claiming the copter co. should be forced to pay over $100K in costs related to the death of one of the passengers on board.

It's all spelled out in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which an insurance company and the gym now known as Sports Academy are suing Island Express.

In the docs, the Academy and the insurance co. claim that because Christina Mauser -- a girls basketball coach -- was employed by the gym at the time of her death in the crash ... they paid "death benefits and burial expenses" to her family that exceeded $127,000.

In the docs, the plaintiffs argue that Island Express should be on the hook for that bill ... claiming the crash and Mauser's subsequent death were the result of the helicopter company's negligence.

The plaintiffs are asking for a reimbursement of the amounts already paid plus any additional workers' comp payments that may come due in the future.

As we previously reported, Mauser and eight others -- including Kobe and Gigi Bryant -- died in the helicopter crash in January 2020.

After a lengthy investigation, NTSB officials concluded that the crash likely happened due to a multitude of reasons, including, "Island Express Helicopter Inc.'s inadequate review and oversight of its safety management processes."

Jody "Babydol" Gibson -- a former madam who operated a massive network of prostitutes in Hollywood throughout the '80s and '90s -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops got a call Sunday from a family member and responded to Jody's Yucca Valley home around 11 AM, and she was pronounced dead on the scene. We're told she appears to have died in her sleep, and no foul play is suspected.

Eric Markel, her husband of 12 years, confirmed her death, and told us Jody's death is a bit of a mystery -- he explains she was not battling any known illness, but she had suffered dramatic weight loss of late. He says she'd dropped down to about 87 pounds.

Markel believes it's highly relevant that they were in the middle of a nasty lawsuit regarding the sale of their home -- he told us he thinks she died of "exhaustion" from the turmoil.

Gibson, infamously known as "Sasha of the Valley," did prison time in the early 2000s after being convicted of felony pimping in L.A. -- with prosecutors at the time alleging she ran one of the biggest escort services in town ... something JG herself eventually copped to in books and otherwise. She's said to have had upwards of 300 women working for her.

Babydol was sentenced to 3 years behind bars after going to trial but ended up just doing 2. Her trial had Hollywood buzzing because her black book allegedly listed several big-name celebs -- from sports, politics and entertainment -- as clients.

Her life story is pretty fascinating ... she came to L.A. in the early '80s seeking stardom via a music and modeling career -- with the latter taking off first and becoming her main bread and butter.

Soon, an agency she'd started began turning into an upscale hooking hot spot.

While she was running that biz, Jody had a couple of on-camera appearances ... showing up in a B-movie horror flick called "Evil Laugh," and a guest spot on the talk show "Up All Night." Later, she was featured a handful of times on "Larry King Live," "The Playboy Morning Show" and other one-off variety shows/docs.

Over the course of her life, Jody was not shy about sharing her journey ... and ended up becoming somewhat of a beloved pop culture icon. She was 64.

Traxamillion -- a Bay Area hip-hop producer who was instrumental to the hyphy movement -- has reportedly died.

The blog account Thizzler On The Roof broke the story, writing ... "Rest In Peace @traxamillion The San Jose producer who helped create the "Hyphy" sound passed away today. This is a huge loss for Northern California We send our condolences to his family & loved ones. #RIPTraxamillion."

No info was provided on the circumstances of his death, or where he may have passed exactly. We're working to confirm the news. With that said, this appears to have been sudden -- because the guy was posting on social media regularly prior to this.

In any case ... Traxamillion certainly left his mark on the area and the local culture, which went well beyond the Bay as far as music is concerned. During the mid-to-late 2000s, the hyphy movement was worldwide ... and Trax was a seminal part in forming the sound.

Some of the notable songs he's produced ... Keak Da Sneak's "Super Hyphy" and "On Citas," Mistah F.A.B.'s "Sideshow" and "Da Yellow Bus," The Pack's "Club Stuntin," Izz Thizz's "Gas, Skrape," The Jacka's "From the Hood," Dem Hoodstarz's "Grown Man Remix" ... and many others.

Trax will perhaps best be remembered for his compilation album "The Slapp Addict," which featured a number of Bay Area artists ... including legends like Clyde Carson, Turf Talk, San Quinn, Zion I, as well as many of the above-mentioned rappers.

He's also worked with the likes of E-40, City Girls, Paul Wall, Yukmouth, Andre Nickatina, Mac Dre, Messy Marv, Joyner Lucas, T.I., Freeway, The Lonely Island ... just to name a few.

He was 43.

Max Julien -- famous for his leading role in the blaxploitation film 'The Mack' -- has died.

The actor/writer/producer passed away on Jan. 1, due to undisclosed circumstances -- this according to his PR team ... who says his wife discovered him early him Saturday morning.

In a statement, they say in part ... "During Julien's decades-long career, he was known for being bold, honest and straightforward. He would live and speak his own truth both professionally and privately. He was thought of as a rare 'man among men'."

Comic book writer and film producer David F. Walker broke the news about Julien's death in a social media post, honoring his friend.

He wrote, "I met Max back in 1996. He was a great human being, and we had so many amazing conversations. He was brilliant and hilarious and charismatic... R.I.P" DFW's caption accompanied an artistic rendering of Julien in his prime, depicting a classic scene from 'TM.'

No cause of death was revealed.

While he's got handful of acting credits, Julien will be most remembered for playing Goldie in the '73 cult classic film -- in which he portrays an ambitious up-and-coming pimp in Oakland, who faces off with corrupt cops and a drug kingpin upon being released from prison.

Along the way, he builds his roster of women with his sidekick, Slim ... who, funny enough, is played by a then-young Richard Pryor, well before he blew up as a big time actor. RP, of course, was already well established as a comedian at this point.

Several different lines and scenes from 'The Mack' have made their way into popular culture -- especially in hip-hop, with multiple rappers sampling snippets of the film into their songs. Some of those MCs who paid tribute -- Too Short, Snoop Dogg, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Jadakiss, MC Ren, Kriss Kross and Big K.R.I.T. ... just to name a few.

Some other notable movies and shows Julien has starred in ... "The Black Klansman," "Psych-Out," "Uptight," "Mod Squad," "Getting Straight," "How to Be Player," among others. He also helped create the 'Cleopatra Jones franchise -- another blaxploitation saga.

Julien is survived by his wife, Arabella. He was 88, despite what his public birthday is listed as online. We've been assured ... Max was born in 1933.

This is sure to kick up some dust among hip-hop heads -- just a year after learning of MF DOOM's death, it would seem the internet has decided that 50 Cent is ... well, greater.

You might've seen DOOM trending Saturday, and that's largely 'cause it's been 365 days since the world found out the enigmatic MC -- who was legendary in the underground scene throughout the 2000s -- tragically had passed away on Halloween 2020, this per his widow.

But that's not the only reason folks were talking about him -- some Twitter users appear to be fiercely debating who the better artist is between MFD and the one and only Fitty ... this after somebody held a rap G.O.A.T. tournament bracket -- and asked who'd beat who.

The OG poster of the bracket/poll says ... "First hot take of the year: In terms of greatness: 50 cent > MF Doom." They tweeted this in response to people being dumbfounded that 50 had overtaken DOOM in a head to head ... taking 70% of the vote out of about 100 people.

The reactions ... very mixed, and very polarized. On the one hand -- some simply won't accept that 50 Cent is the better rapper between the two ... noting DOOM is by far the superior lyricist, rhymer, beat selector and all-around creative if you look at 'em bar for bar.

On the other hand -- it seems even more people say he actually is ... on account that 50's got waaaay more mainstream hits than DOOM -- and has more name recognition. Not to mention his skills ... he, too, is solid on the mic.

While hardcore fans choose sides ... there's another take that's perhaps more nuanced. Fact is ... these 2 guys are totally different stylistically, and comparing them is ... weird. They're both great in their own right, especially depending on what you might wanna listen to!

FWIW ... 50 didn't seem to respond to the news about DOOM's passing last year (RIP, BTW), but he did respond to Eminem's homage to fallen legends (including MF) just earlier this year ... and seemed to dig the fact he'd gotten name dropped in the tribute.

Plus, they're both New York cats ... so ya gotta figure 50 knows about DOOM. After all, the guy's earned the title of your favorite rapper's favorite rapper -- he's that iconic/influential.

With all that said -- we gotta pose the question for those who know both of these fellas' music well and might have something to say ... does 50 Cent actually have MF DOOM's number in a would-be Verzuz???