Celebrity Death

Jimmy Sohns, lead singer for the 60's band The Shadows of Knight, is dead after suffering a stroke.

Jimmy and his band are most remembered for their iconic, singalong hit "Gloria" ... which was a top 10 hit in 1966. Not to be confused with Laura Branigan's 80s hit of the same name, Jimmy and co.'s famous chorus spelled out the name ... G-L-O-R-I-A.

The Illinois band had announced earlier this week that Jimmy was hospitalized after suffering a stroke -- but on Friday his daughter announced he had passed.

Jimmy and a friend still ran the band's social media pages ... posting old pics from The Shadows of Knight's heyday.

Sohns was still a teenager when his band struck gold with "Gloria." He and his bandmates were all high school pals in suburban Chicago, and got together to play their version of British blues ... a la The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds.

The surviving members were still doing live shows together as recently as 2016.

Jimmy was 75.

Tony Dow, known for his role as Wally Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver," has died ... a day after a premature death announcement was made from the actor's management team.

A new statement made on Tony's Facebook page Wednesday from his management reads, "We have received confirmation from Christopher, Tony’s son, that Tony passed away earlier this morning, with his loving family at his side to see him through this journey."

As we reported, a statement was posted on Tony's official Facebook account Tuesday announcing the death of the actor -- the statement taken down hours later after his management team learned the actor was, in fact, still alive.

As for the cause of confusion, Tony's manager tells us Tony's wife, Lauren, who was very distraught at the time, believed her husband -- who had been in hospice -- was dead.

Tony's son Christopher posted Tuesday, "Dad is at home, under hospice care, and in his last hours. My wife and I are by his side along with many friends that have visited. He has a fighting heart."

TMZ broke the story, Tony was diagnosed with liver cancer in May. An update on his cancer battle last week said it was, "... a rollercoaster of ups and downs as Tony continues his fight with cancer. Tony has been in and out of the hospital with various complications and treatments."

Born in Hollywood, California -- Tony found massive fame as Wally Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver" which ran from 1957 to 1963. He was also on "Never Too Young" and "My Three Sons" before taking a break to serve in The National Guard from 1965 to 1968. He later reprised his role as Wally from 1983 to 1989 on "The New Leave It To Beaver."

Tony continued acting into the 2000's when he appeared in "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star."

Tony was 77.

Young Dolph would have turned 37 today, a day still worth celebrating for the Memphis rapper's family, friends and fans.

Mia Jaye, Dolph's girlfriend and the mother of his two children posted a never-before-seen tribute video of Dolph to celebrate his "heavenly birthday."

There was also some music dropped to celebrate Dolph ... his team at Paper Route Empire released a new track called "Hall Of Fame" Wednesday to honor the rapper. On the track -- produced by his longtime collaborator Bandplay -- Dolph flexes his hood status.

Dolph became an incredibly prolific rapper -- especially in Memphis -- over the last few years, having racked up dozens of full-length releases and collaborations with the likes of Gucci Mane, Megan Thee Stallion, Juicy J, and his PRE stable of artists.

Howard Kleinberg of 'Top Chef' fame has died from a heart attack.

The kitchen wiz -- who appeared on the third season of the reality show -- passed away last week, which was made public in a local obituary. Howard's mother told the Miami Herald, "I am just finding out how many lives he touched. He was married to his passion in life, which was his cooking."

She also confirmed he'd suffered a heart attack.

Bravo addressed Kleinbeg's death as well, writing ... "The Top Chef family is saddened to learn about the unexpected passing of Howard Kleinberg from season three. Howie’s passion for cooking filled so many and our deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends."

HK is best remembered for competing in "Top Chef: Miami" in 2007, where he placed seventh. Afterward, he opened his own restaurant in town called Bulldog Barbecue -- among other eateries as well -- and found success in the local scene.

It was actually a memorable run for Kleinberg -- with one of his highlights from that season being a tense conversation he had with the late Anthony Bourdain, who was chastising him over speed in the kitchen ... only to have the tables turned on him by Howard dropping a Bourdain quote from one of his books, which left AB thoroughly impressed.

Kleinberg is survived by his mom, his stepdad, his sister and her children. He was 46.

Tony Dow, the producer, director and actor most famous for his role as Wally Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver" has died after a battle with liver cancer.

A statement from Tony's team reveals he died Tuesday morning, "Tony was a beautiful soul - kind, compassionate, funny and humble. It was truly a joy to just be around him. His gentle voice and unpretentious manner was immediately comforting and you could not help but love him. The world has lost an amazing human being, but we are all richer for the memories that he has left us."

TMZ broke the story, Tony was diagnosed with cancer in May 2022. An update on his cancer battle last week said it was, "... a rollercoaster of ups and downs as Tony continues his fight with cancer. Tony has been in and out of the hospital with various complications and treatments."

The statement continues, "From the warm reminiscences of Wally Cleaver to those of us fortunate enough to know him personally - thank you Tony. And thank you for the reflections of a simpler time, the laughter, the friendship and for the feeling that you were a big brother to us all. We will miss you."

Born in Hollywood, California -- Tony found massive fame as Wally Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver" which ran from 1957 to 1963.

Dow continued his acting career on shows like "Never Too Late" and "My Three Sons" before taking a break to serve in The National Guard from 1965 to 1968. He later reprised his role as Wally from 1983-1989 on "The New Leave It To Beaver."

Tony continued acting into the 2000's when he appeared in "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star."

Tony was 77.

RIP

Paul Sorvino, famous for his work in "Goodfellas," has died at the age of 83 ... TMZ has learned.

Sorvino's rep, Roger Neal, tells us he died this morning with his wife Dee Dee by his side. Dee Dee says, "Our hearts are broken, there will never be another Paul Sorvino, he was the love of my life, and one of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen and stage.”

Paul appeared in nearly 50 movies during a long career in Hollywood, and he's best known for playing mobster Paul Cicero in the 1990 Martin Scorsese masterpiece, "Goodfellas."

He also played Henry Kissinger in the 1995 movie "Nixon" and Fulgencio Capulet in 1996's "Romeo + Juliet." Paul made his film debut in 1970 with "Where's Poppa?" and also acted in TV shows like "Law & Order" and on Broadway.

One of Paul's last roles was the TV show "Godfather of Harlem," where he played Frank Costello.

Sorvino was born and raised in Brooklyn ... his father was an immigrant from Italy. Paul wanted to be an Opera singer before getting into acting while studying at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York.

Paul lived with severe asthma, mastering different breathing techniques to manage his condition, writing a best-selling book, "How to Become a Former Asthmatic," and starting the Sorvino Asthma Foundation.

He has 3 children, including Oscar winning actress Mira Sorvino and actor/producer Michael Sorvino.

Mira is one of Harvey Weinstein's accusers and the last time we saw Paul, he was pretty pissed with HW.

He was 83.

"Naked and Afraid" contestant Melanie Rauscher has died under mysterious circumstances in Arizona -- her body was recently found near cans of dust cleaner, TMZ has learned.

Melanie, who appeared on 2 seasons of the popular Discovery Channel show, was dog sitting at a residence in Prescott, AZ while the homeowners were away on vacation, according to Corey Kasun, a rep for the Prescott Police Department.

The homeowners returned on the afternoon of July 17 and found Melanie deceased on the bed in the guest room, Kasun said.

We're told several cans of compressed air -- which can be used to clean dust off computers -- were found near her body. It's unclear if Melanie consumed the contents of the cans.

Cops say there were no obvious signs of foul play, and they did not find a suicide note or drug paraphernalia. The dog was okay.

The Yavapai County Medical Examiner will determine Melanie's cause of death.

Melanie was mainly a contestant on "Naked and Afraid" in 2013 and the spinoff show 'XL' in 2015. Close castmate Jeremy McCaa posted a touching tribute to Melanie on his FB page, saying he was "feeling broken."

Melanie was 35.

Legendary actor James Caan died from a combination of serious heart problems ... according to his death certificate.

The document, obtained by TMZ, says James died from a heart attack and coronary artery disease -- the most common heart disease in the U.S.

The certificate says James also suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD, and congestive heart failure.

As we reported ... James died July 6 at 82 years old, but details were scarce aside from a family statement.

The death certificate says James died at 9:02 PM at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He's since been buried at Eden Memorial Park, the final resting place for many celebs.

Actress Shonka Dukureh, who recently gained attention for her role in the "Elvis" movie has died ... TMZ has learned.

Cops say Shonka -- who plays Big Mama Thornton in the film -- was found dead Thursday in a bedroom inside her Nashville apartment. It was one of Shonka's young children who found her ... the child then ran to alert a neighbor, who called 911 around 9:30 AM.

At this time, police say there's no foul play suspected in the actress' death.

Investigators are awaiting autopsy results before they can determine a cause of death.

Not only did Shonka appear in "Elvis" ... she was also in Doja Cat's "Vegas" music video, where she played the Big Mama Thornton role as well.

Shonka was only 44.

Former Florida high school football star Sam Bruce -- who was briefly part of the 2016 Miami Hurricanes team -- died due to a heart attack ... according to the medical examiner's report.

The Broward County Medical Examiner released the report, obtained by TMZ Sports, which revealed the cause of the issue was coronary artery disease.

Officials determined the manner of death was "natural."

As we reported, Bruce tragically passed away on April 28 after he suffered a medical episode while driving his car in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Bruce had become known nationally because of his play at powerhouse Florida H.S. St. Thomas Aquinas -- where he torched defenders so often, he earned the nickname "The Samborghini."

The do-it-all athlete eventually signed with the Hurricanes, but was dismissed for violations of team rules just months into his freshman season.

Bruce's death rocked the football world back in April -- with many current and former NFL players, including Chad Johnson, mourning the loss on social media.

Bruce was just 24 years old.

French Montana is accusing record labels of embracing street violence related to their artists, and actually capitalizing off rappers’ deaths.

Comparing his entry point to today’s star rappers, French told Akademiks ... record labels are now taking life insurance out on artists in anticipation of them being killed in action.

French says when he began buzzing in the late 2000s through NYC aficionados Max B. and Dame Grease, labels and artists actually distanced themselves from street drama but now they’ve learned how to monetize the murders.

Over the past few years, rappers such as Pop Smoke, King Von and Drakeo The Ruler were all killed … and subsequently had albums released posthumously to the public.

French also says today’s rap game is more dangerous than in the past, and blames social media for escalating the beefs saying, “One day a full war [can] go on.”

Fellow NYC-bred rap stars Nas and Jim Jones have both sided in the past with French and his notion that being a rapper is the world’s “most dangerous” j-o-b.

We recently caught him in NY as he broke down the complicated culture ... reacting to his friend/collaborator Lil Tjay’s shooting. His message: urging all hip hop artists and entourages to stay safe.

Nolan Neal, a contestant on both "America's Got Talent" and "The Voice," has died.

Nolan passed away Monday according to the medical examiner ... Nolan's cousin Dylan Seals tells TMZ he was found dead in his apartment in Nashville.

No official cause of death has been determined, but the singer has talked openly about his struggles with substance abuse. During an interview with WBIR in 2020, he admitted that he was still struggling with addiction while he was competing on "The Voice."

Dylan tells us Nolan lived with him for 4 months prior to the pandemic ... when Nolan was clean, jamming out and making music with him.

Nolan was featured on season 15 of "AGT" ... making it all the way to the quarterfinals where he performed an emotional original piece, "Send Me a Butterfly."

During his audition for the show, he sang a song called "Lost," which he said was the first thing he wrote after getting clean. The performance got a standing ovation from the crowd and all 4 judges.

Nolan also blew everyone away on season 10 of "The Voice," getting picked to be on Adam Levine's team, and making it to the knockout round before he was eliminated.

A Nolan Neal fan page posted Tuesday morning about his death, saying, "I can't believe you're gone from us" ... the caption ends with "Heaven just got a new music director."

Nolan was 41.

RIP

Kevin Samuels died as a result of hypertension ... eliminating any possible suspicious circumstances surrounding the 57-year-old's death.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office just released findings into Samuels' death, telling us he died due to hypertension -- high blood pressure. The ME says, "Evidence of hypertension includes a heart whose chambers are thicker than normal."

It appears Samuels was also taking a medication called Atenolol, because the ME notes in their findings that the medication is used to treat hypertension.

Samuels's death is classified as due to natural causes.

TMZ broke the story, Samuels, who was known for his controversial -- and sometimes not-so-appropriate -- dating advice died back in May.

At the time of his death, Samuels was with a mystery woman, and collapsed in his home. We obtained the 911 call the woman placed, and it was clear, she was desperate to help save his life ... performing CPR in order to try to help Samuels.

NASCAR driver Bobby East was fatally stabbed this week by a drifter during a bloody altercation at a California gas station, police and media reports say.

Tattoo-faced Trent William Millsap is being sought by police in connection with East's murder, which occurred at a 76 gas station around 6 PM Wednesday, according to Deadline.

East reportedly got into a war of words with Millsap while the racecar driver was pumping gas. It wasn't clear what sparked the argument, but Millsap allegedly plunged a sharp object into the chest of East.

Cops were called to the scene and reportedly performed life-saving measures on East until paramedics arrived. East was then rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Millsap, who had an outstanding parole warrant, is a drifter who frequents motels in the usually safe and crime-free Westminister area. He is considered armed and dangerous.

East was a three-time U.S. Auto Club champion who snagged the USAC Silver Crown Championships in 2012 and 2013.

Bobby was 37.

RIP

Ivana Trump's cause of death has been revealed as blunt impact injuries to her torso ... the result of a fall down stairs inside her home.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the autopsy was completed Friday. As we told you, cops got a call just after 12:30 PM ET Thursday to Trump's NYC apartment saying Ivana had gone into cardiac arrest.

As news of her death broke, former President Donald Trump, who was Ivana's second husband, said the following, "She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. She was so proud of them as we were all so proud of her. Rest In Peace, Ivana!"

Ivana and Trump married in 1977 and split in 1992, their relationship made headlines at one point when Donald had an affair with Marla Maples.

Shortly after her death on Thursday, Ivana's son, Eric Trump, was spotted outside her home ... telling photographers, "A very sad day."

William "Poogie" Hart, the Grammy-award-winning lead singer of the R&B band The Delfonics, has died, TMZ has learned.

His son, Hadi, tells TMZ ... William was having trouble breathing so he was recently taken to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he passed away Thursday from complications during surgery.

William and his brother, Wilbert, launched the Philly-based group in the late '60s with Randy Cain, Ritchie Daniels and Thom Bell. The group would have a major impact on the development of the Philadelphia sound, known as T.S.O.P.

William and Thom exclusively wrote all of the songs, including such hits as "La-La (Means I Love You)," "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)," "Break Your Promise," "I'm Sorry," and "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)."

In 1971, The Delfonics won a Grammy Award for "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group, Vocal Or Instrumental.

'Didn't I' and 'La-La' were also featured in Quentin Tarantino's film "Jackie Brown." Other movies that have popularized their music were Spike Lee's "Crooklyn" and "The Family Man" with Nicolas Cage.

Their songs "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" and "Funny Feeling" were played in the video game "Grand Theft Auto V" on a fictional radio station The Lowdown 91.1.

The original band split in 1975 after achieving twelve top-20 hits on Billboard's R&B and Soul Single Chart. Former members created splinter groups that continued to perform through the '90s and 2000s.

William was 77.