Celebrity Death

The man who shot and killed Jacqueline Avant -- wife of entertainment legend Clarence Avant -- will go to prison for murdering her and will, most likely, spend the rest of his life there.

Aariel Maynor pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering the 81-year-old philanthropist back in December ... according to L.A. County D.A. George Gascón. You'll recall, Maynor broke into the Avants' Beverly Hills home in the middle of the night, and opened fire with an "assault long barrel pistol" when he ran into Jacqueline. He also shot at, but missed, a security guard.

Jacqueline was taken to a hospital, but she died of her injuries

The D.A. says Maynor will be sentenced on March 30, and the judge can give him 170 years to life in prison. He will also be ineligible for parole.

Police captured Maynor about an hour after the Avant murder when he attempted to burglarize a Hollywood Hills home, and accidentally shot himself in the foot.

The brazen and brutal crime shook Hollywood to its core, as the Avants have been loved and respected in the entertainment biz for decades. They have deep ties to

Former Ohio State star Shane Olivea -- who played for the San Diego Chargers after his time in Columbus -- died on Wednesday, his good friend and ex-Buckeye teammate Bobby Carpenter announced.

He was just 40 years old.

Carpenter did not reveal a cause of the death ... but said the former offensive lineman passed away at night.

"I'll never forget the kindness he showed to a young freshman who was clueless and didn't know anything about anything," Carpenter said in a statement on Twitter. "#RIPShane #Thankyou."

Olivea played for the Buckeyes from 2000 to 2003, and won a national championship with the team in 2002. He went on to get picked by the Chargers in the seventh round of the '04 draft, and started 57 games for the Bolts from 2004 to 2007.

Sadly, an addiction to pain killers ended up derailing his career following the '07 season. Olivea had said to The Columbus Dispatch in 2017 that his addiction during his playing days was so bad, doctors told him he was fortunate to be alive.

Olivea went to rehab and eventually got better, and he later said he had aspirations of coaching football and mentoring kids.

"Very sad to hear the news of my former teammate Shane Olivea," ex-NFL O-lineman Roman Oben said on Twitter after learning of the news. "Praying for his family today."

DMX's fiancée Desiree Lindstrom opened up on "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" about how she's been after her beau's passing ... and how things are going with their son, Exodus.

"My life changed so fast," Desiree told Raq. "Holidays get lonely ... because Earl was my family, but I do have Exodus and I try to make the best of it, because I know that's what he would've wanted me to do."

The emotional discussion is tough for her ... but she thanks everyone that's checked on her and their son. She thinks X's fans played a big part in keeping her going in the months following his death.

TMZ broke the story ... the legendary rapper was rushed to the hospital following an overdose. After a week of being on life support last April, he passed away ... survived by his 15 children.

At his celebration of life, tons of artists came to say goodbye -- Ye, Swizz Beatz, and Nas were just a few. Desiree gave a tear-jerking speech about how much he meant to her ... ending it with "Forever X."

Darren Criss' older brother, Charles Criss, has died by suicide -- and his sibling is sending out a powerful message about mental health in the wake of such a tragedy.

The actor revealed the sad news Wednesday in a social media post, throwing up a bunch of photos of his bro, as well as a lengthy statement about what had happened ... and what the takeaway is for him as a result.

Charles -- who Darren refers to as Chuck -- took his own life sometime last month ... although the exact circumstances are unclear.

What is clear, however, is how much thought Darren put into breaking this to the public -- because his note here is incredibly powerful and well worth a read in full.

To sum it up, he says that Chuck -- with whom Darren actually started a band -- had apparently suffered from depression ... something DC says he and his family were somewhat aware of, but not to the extent they thought it would ever lead to this.

He says his brother lost sight to the darkness -- despite the fact he was so very loved -- and also takes a moment to acknowledge ... this is something that cannot be discussed in just a sentence or two, going on to acknowledge the complexities of mental health that any one individual may be going through ... even if everything looks okay from the outside.

Darren writes, "There is simply no sense, nay, compassion or decency, to try to find blame in any direction other than the inner most tragedy of an untreated illness," going on to add ... "Which is why it is paramount for me to remind anyone reading this that may be feeling consumed by any similar kind of darkness -- that there is absolutely no shame in feeling shame, and furthermore, nothing wrong whatsoever with seeking help."

He also makes sure to hit this point home ... that Chuck's life is not defined by his suicide, and that it was so much more than just that -- acknowledging the great things he contributed to this world, including three young children that he leaves behind.

Darren's brother was just 36. RIP

Yevhen Malyshev -- a former Ukrainian biathlete -- lost his life while defending his country in the war with Russia ... officials announced Wednesday. He was only 19 years old.

The International Biathlon Union's executive board released a statement confirming the tragic news earlier this week ... saying Malyshev died following Russia's invasion.

"The EB expresses its deepest condolences on the loss," officials said.

Specific details surrounding the circumstances of his passing are unclear ... though officials added he died "serving in the Ukrainian military."

Malyshev raced for Ukraine's biathlon junior team in 2018 and ended his career when the pandemic started in 2020.

"The EB once again condemns the Russian attacks on Ukraine and the support provided by Belarus and reiterates its hope for an immediate end to the war," officials said.

It's been common for Ukrainian athletes to take up arms in the country since Russia's attack ... with star boxers Oleksandr Usyk, Vasyl Lomachenko, Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko already in the country fighting off invaders.

Ukrainian tennis star Sergiy Stakhovsky also left his family in Hungary to fight ... saying on "Good Morning Britain," "The world needs to unite and stop this mess."

Tragically, several other Ukrainian athletes have been killed during the war ... with the FIFPRO World Players Union saying earlier this week "young Ukrainian footballers Vitalii Sapylo (21) and Dmytro Martynenko (25)" also passed away.

Kirk Baily -- best known for his role as Kevin "Ug" Lee in the Nickelodeon sitcom "Salute Your Shorts" -- has died.

Kirk's family tells TMZ the actor died over the weekend. We're told he died from lung cancer ... and had only been diagnosed 6 months ago.

Early in his career, Kirk studied comedy at Groundlings and Second City. He got his start as a sound coordinator on the cult classic film "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" before getting acting roles, including "3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain" and "The Sixth Man."

He also landed a number of guest roles on shows such as "Felicity," "Sisters," and "NYPD Blue." Recently, Kirk has worked primarily as a voice artist on a number of anime shows and video games, including "Cowboy Bebop," "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" and ".hack//."

Most notably, he played Kevin "Ug' Lee in Nickelodeon's "Salute Your Shorts" in 1991 and 1992.

In 2019, the cast had a reunion in Hollywood at the Good Burger pop-up shop. He remained close friends with most of the cast members and production staff.

He worked up until the last few months of his life, loving his career until the end.

Kirk was 59.

Ned Eisenberg, famous for his work on "Law & Order: SVU" and most recently, "Mare of Easttown," has died after a battle with cancer.

Ned died over the weekend, his wife, Patricia, tells TMZ, "As Ned would say, he was attacked by two very rare assassins — cholangiocarcinoma and ocular melanoma. Over the course of two years, he bravely fought the cancers in private while continuing to work in show business to ensure that his medical coverage paid for himself and his family.”

Ned is known for playing Detective Hauser in the HBO drama "Mare of Easttown" alongside Kate Winslet. His work as defense attorney Roger Kressler in "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" made him one of the series' most regular supporting characters.

While Ned's got a ton of TV credits to his name, he's also acted in a bunch of big movies ... including "Last Man Standing" with Bruce Willis, "Limitless," "Million Dollar Baby," "The Burning," "Flags of Our Fathers" and "A Civil Action" ... just to name a few.

Ned was born and raised in New York City, and started studying acting in high school ... getting his first film credit in 1980 and also touring on the Broadway play "Brighton Beach Memoirs." He also co-founded the Naked Angels Theatre Company in 1987.

Ned is survived by Patricia and his son, Lino. He was 65.

Another Memphis rapper has been shot and killed ... just in the last few months.

Snootie Wild succumbed to his injuries after being shot Friday in Houston. His death was announced Saturday night on his Instagram page ... "Gone in body, but your NAME & LEGACY will live forever! #TeamYayo4Life."

Wild was shot in the neck ... discovered laying in a ditch, beside an SUV. A Houston cop told the ABC Houston station, "It looks like he backed in there accidentally. Then the other vehicle pulled up, and folks got out of the car," adding "They were talking for a little bit, and then all of a sudden, gunfire went off. Only one shot, actually."

He was rushed to a hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.

You'll recall, Young Dolph was shot and killed in Memphis outside a bakery in a clear ambush. Three people have been arrested, but Gotti was not implicated.

NLE Choppa thinks people are naive if they believe rap wars can just end ... like the longstanding beef between Young Dolph & Yo Gotti.

The Memphis rapper was on the latest episode of "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper," talking feuds between artists ... Yo Gotti and the late Young Dolph came up, and Choppa tells it exactly as he sees it.

With an easy answer being to stop the beef, he says it's more tricky than that. "Certain stuff ya just gotta understand, like some s*** just ain't meant to end."

TMZ reported ... Back in 2017, Blac Youngsta -- one of Gotti's rappers -- turned himself in to cops investigating a Dolph shooting in Charlotte ... and he was also named a person of interest when Dolph was shot in L.A. later that year.

After Young Dolph was murdered in Memphis at the end of 2021, BY released a music video ... standing in front of a tomb with Dolph's name on it.

The feud runs strong in Memphis -- not even giving the dead a break. Choppa still doesn't think it's an easy thing to drop ... saying at the end of the day, everyone's gonna be themselves and nothing will change that.

Drakeo the Ruler's brother is suing the folks behind the music festival where he was stabbed to death ... he says concert promoters failed to keep the L.A. rapper safe.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Drakeo's bro claims the rapper's life was in jeopardy the moment he arrived at December's Once Upon a Time festival concert ... and he's blaming a lack of security.

In the docs, Drakeo's bro says Drakeo was attacked within minutes of arriving ... describing it as a "violent mob attack" that broke out backstage and lasted up to 15 minutes. His brother claims the all-access area should have been a safe place, and he's ripping the promoters for what he claims were "lackadaisical to totally absent" security measures.

Drakeo's bro claims promoters should have braced for the worse because the concert, held at L.A.'s Exposition Park, is in the middle of a gang-infested neighborhood and Drakeo was already the target of gang threats.

In the docs, the brother claims Drakeo entered the festival grounds through two "checkpoints" ... but he says they were hardly secure. The brother claims the first was just a booth with 2 unarmed staffers who let anyone in as long as they flashed an all-access pass.

Drakeo's bro claims the second "checkpoint" had a metal detector, drug sniffing dog and a small group of security guards ... but he says not every car was searched, and he claims he heard gang chants from some cars that went through without being searched.

In the suit, Drakeo's brother claims Drakeo was attacked by a mob of 50 to 100 people, including some armed with knives ... leaving Drakeo's group to fight for their lives without sufficient security.

The brother says Drakeo was stabbed in the chaos and claims it took up to 30 minutes for emergency personnel to get to Drakeo, who eventually died in the hospital.

Drakeo's brother and others are suing Live Nation, Snoop Dogg's LLC and the Los Angeles Football Club ... the festival was held at the MLS team's stadium ... and they're going after them for millions in damages.

Sally Kellerman -- famous for playing Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in 'M*A*S*H' -- has died.

The Oscar-nominated actress died early Thursday morning at an assisted care facility in Los Angeles, following a battle with dementia ... according to her son, Jack Krane.

We're told Sally was diagnosed with dementia around 2017 and wasn't doing well the last couple years. Her son says he last saw her Wednesday night, when it became clear to him it would be her last time seeing her, and he said his final goodbyes.

While Sally was most known for the husky voice she used to play a U.S. Army major on 'M*A*S*H' she was also famous for her singing chops ... releasing an album and even having a Grand Funk Railroad song written for her.

Sally also starred in "Back To School" as the love interest for Rodney Dangerfield's character ... and Trekkies will remember her for playing Dr. Elizabeth Dehner on the third episode of "Star Trek," when she sacrifices her life and has some last words for Captain Kirk.

The actress made a ton of guest appearances on TV shows back in the 1960s ... including "12 O'Clock High," "Ben Casey," "Mannix," "That Girl" and "The Outer Limits."

In addition to TV and movies, Sally also acted in plays and found success in soap operas as her career progressed ... getting a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2015 for her work on "The Young and the Restless."

Sally lent her voice to commercials and animation too ... doing voiceover work for Hidden Valley Ranch dressing and a few animated movies.

She was twice married ... first to "Starsky & Hutch" writer and director Rick Edelstein from 1970 to 1972 ... and then tying the knot in 1980 to "Face/Off" producer Jonathan Krane.

Sally was 84.

Donny Davis, the beloved entertainer who has performed with Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and many other stars, may have died as a result of foul play ... this according to Vegas cops.

TMZ broke the story ... Donny was found dead Tuesday in his room at Resorts World.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, Donny and another man hung out with 2 women at the Dawg House bar at the hotel at around 1 AM. The women took the party to the Flamingo, but came back to Resort World at around 2:30 AM and beelined it for the bar.  One of the women told cops, the bartender would not serve Donny because he was too intoxicated.

The man and Davis went back to Donny's room at around 3:30 AM.

The other man left the room at around 4:20 AM and came back to the room at 5 AM with one of the women, when they noticed Donny sitting in a chair and his hands looked pale and pink and began turning purple. The woman said Donny's hands were "freezing" and he was not breathing.

They moved him to the bed and placed him on his side ... then called security, who in turn called 911. Donny was taken to Sunrise Hospital where he was declared dead just after 7 AM.

As for why cops suspect foul play ... we're told it was the number of people who were in the room. Also, according to the police report, the male would not speak with cops but instead said he wanted to speak to an attorney. Cops say they had trouble getting information from those in the room.

Donny was a staple in Vegas and, in addition to performing with Britney and Miley, he performed with Seth McFarland, Mariah Carey, Joe Jonas, Kelly Osbourne and Hayden Panettiere. He was also the star at Beacher's Madhouse for 2 decades.

Matt Hutchins, husband of Halyna Hutchins, shook his head in disgust as he recounted how he felt when he heard Alec Baldwin talk about how he was grief-stricken over Halyna's death but accepted no responsibility.

Matt begs to differ, telling Hoda Kotb on "Today" it was absurd for the person who fired the bullet that killed his wife was blameless, and the way Baldwin described his pain further angered Matt.

He also explained how he told his 9-year-old son that his mother was dead. He said, "I just had to be very direct and blunt," said Hutchins... "because going to pick him up and go to the airport to go to Santa Fe, I didn’t want him to think that we were going to be seeing her and having fun together, and getting his hopes up." He then describes how they cried together.

As for the moment when they landed in Santa Fe and were embraced by Baldwin, Matt says, "I feel like to understand that moment, you have to remember the shock we were in. I spoke with Mr. Baldwin and was just looking for a way through the storm."

Baldwin has maintained he did not pull the trigger, and there seems to be divided thought on whether such a gun can fire with only the hammer or whether the trigger is required.

Matt says there were numerous safety lapses and says there were "multiple responsible parties."

Matt and his son have filed against Baldwin and many others ... even asking for punitive damages for alleged reckless conduct that led to Halyna's death.

Donny Davis -- a longtime Vegas impersonator who performed with Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and Chelsea Handler -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ  ... Donny passed away Tuesday in Las Vegas, where he was found in his hotel room bed.

The cause of death will not be determined until an autopsy is performed. We're told Donny was partying at one of the nearby hotel casinos hours before his body was discovered.

It's tragic news, as Donny was incredibly well-known and beloved in and around Hollywood ... not just serving as a regular guest on "Chelsea Lately" -- sometimes filling in for her go-to little person sidekick, Chuy Bravo -- but also performing on stage with Britney herself.

DD was hired as a dancer for Brit's Vegas residency show when it kicked off in 2013 ... and was a favorite pal of Britney's for years, often posing with her for photos and getting shout-outs from her too.

He also performed with Mariah Carey, Seth McFarland, Miley Cyrus, Joe Jonas, Kelly Osbourne and Hayden Panettiere.

He was a staple at Beacher's Madhouse for 2 decades, where he starred in a vaudeville-style variety show that featured tons of celebs. Jeff Beacher tells us they discovered Donny online and after he performed for a few years he was so talented Jeff let him produce the show.

He was also hired to perform private gigs for the likes of Paris Hilton, Victoria Beckham, Charlize Theron and other big stars.

Donny has a couple of movie credits under his belt, with appearances in 2017's 'It's Gawd!' opposite Tommy Chong, as well as a role in "Pain & Gain." Donny also stood out as a fierce advocate for little people, not just in showbiz ... but beyond.

Beacher tells TMZ, "Donny broke barriers in the little people community and was an inspiration to his peers. He will be missed terribly but his legacy and the impact he had on those who loved him will live on forever."

Donny was 43.

Stand-up comedian and shock magician "The Amazing Johnathan" is dead after battling heart issues for years.

An assistant to Johnathan's wife tells TMZ ... Johnathan passed Tuesday night while at home "cuddling" with his wife of 11 years, Anastasia Synn. We're told a hospice nurse had been staying with him for the last 3 weeks, and confirmed he had passed.

The former Las Vegas headliner, whose real name was Johnathan Szeles, had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2007, and it's been a very tough road. The assistant says, "We have thought we lost him so many times that we never thought it would actually happen."

Johnathan was reportedly making up to $3 million per year at the peak of his Vegas fame when he had a residency at Bally's casino. His gonzo act featured some astounding, and downright shocking, moves ... including putting a spike through his tongue and sucking on his dangling eyeball.

The Detroit native gained a more mainstream audience after appearing on Criss Angel's reality show, "Mindfreak."

During a 2014 appearance, he announced he'd been told he only had one year to live ... but he was still around 5 years later when he launched a comeback tour.

Anastasia's assistant says they will have memorials for Johnathan in Vegas, Michigan and in L.A. they will hold the "Los Angeles Broken wand ceremony at the Magic Castle."

Johnathan was 63.

Lindsey Pearlman, the "Empire" and "General Hospital" actress who was found dead in her car Friday ... had a history of depression before committing suicide ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Lindsey called her husband, Vance Smith, the day before her body was found, saying she was intent on ending her life. Her husband contacted police in a frantic effort to find Lindsey. He never saw her alive again.

We're told Lindsey drove to the base of Runyon Canyon in Hollywood -- a popular hiking spot -- and swallowed enough pills to fatally overdose. A hiker came upon her car last Friday, saw her body inside and called police.

We've learned Lindsey left a suicide note at her home and also left a note in her car ... telling whoever found her to call 911.

Investigators learned Lindsey suffered from bouts of depression over the years, and it appears it just became too overwhelming.

After her body was found, Lindsey's sister posted the phone number of the National Suicide Hotline on social media and said, "Please know that you are never truly alone."

The Los Angeles County medical examiner's office says an autopsy was performed but they are requesting more tests and studies before determining an official cause of death, but our law enforcement sources say it's apparent it was a drug overdose.