Celebrity Death

Queen Elizabeth II -- the longest-serving monarch in British history -- has died.

The Royal Family announced Thursday, "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon" ... just a few hours after the palace had announced she was under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle, her estate in Scotland.

They also made it clear, King Charles is now in power, writing, "The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

It was clear the situation was dire when the palace told all of Elizabeth's children to rush to her side.

As it turns out, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been in the UK for events this week. Harry went to Balmoral.

QE2's last public appearance came on Tuesday when she met with England's new Prime Minister, Liz Truss.

Her overall condition had been in question for awhile -- with her Royal duties being scaled back over the past year, and trips she might normally make without a second thought, especially within the UK, being nixed on doctors' orders at the last minute ... without any real explanation.

Her family and the country celebrated the Platinum Jubilee -- a 4-day celebration -- in June, honoring the 70 years she's been on the throne.

It's a sad moment for all of the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth realms -- of which Queen Elizabeth served as head of state ... and for the entire world too, as Her Majesty was generally beloved around the globe.

Elizabeth ascended to the throne at a very young age, just 25, in 1952 after the sudden passing of her father, King George VI ... who died from respiratory complications, leaving his daughter to take on the mantle and all of its responsibilities.

It was a difficult time to take the reins, as Europe was still recovering from WWII.

And yet, there were more geopolitical challenges ahead ... and QE2 had to navigate a number of conflicts that directly affected her nation, including the Troubles of Northern Ireland, the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, and the gaining of sovereignty for several nation-states that used to be either fully or partially under UK rule -- including Canada.

Elizabeth also oversaw the decolonization of Africa and the Caribbean during her reign ... as well as other territories in South Asia like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and more that gained independence and became republics.

There are several worldwide events the Queen weighed in on over the years -- including Australia's pivot from a parliamentary government to a full-blown republic, the patriation of the Canadian constitution, military coups and conflicts, S. African apartheid, the Gulf War and countless other landmark moments of the 20th century ... several of which the Queen was either explicitly involved in, or at least publicly addressed.

For many, her opinions carried enormous influence.

Of course, as Elizabeth navigated the choppy waters of royalty ... she had her husband, Prince Philip, by her side through the majority of it -- not to mention her children -- as well as her extended Royal family, including her sister, cousins, aunts, uncles and the rest.

As you well know ... the Royals were the subject of much speculation, gossip, innuendo and intrigue -- but perhaps not nearly as much as when Elizabeth's son, Prince Charles, married Princess Diana ... a relationship that resulted in extra-marital affairs and scandals -- thrusting the Queen right back into the spotlight -- only this time, in a new way she never had been.

Of course, that only intensified when Diana died in a tragic accident -- the impact of which is still discussed as it pertains to the larger Royal family, and the Queen by extension.

Ditto for the relationship between her grandson, Harry, and his wife, Meghan -- who accused the Royal family, without naming names, of racism in an explosive interview with Oprah. While Elizabeth herself wasn't directly implicated in the alleged comments about their son, Archie, she certainly seems to have taken the accusations to heart.

The Queen appears to have taken issue with their characterization of the Royal family -- and, by extension, the institution of the monarchy itself -- with veiled comments like "some recollections may vary," which was essentially seen as a denial to Harry and Meg's claims.

Despite the latest fracture in her family ... the Queen carried on with dignity and a profound sense of duty -- always upholding the monarchy's traditions, and fulfilling her obligations with grace.

Even after her longtime hubby, Philip, passed away in 2021 ... Elizabeth held her head high and continued to meet with heads of state, be it at G7 summits or right there at Windsor Castle. Through and through, the Queen has risen to serve out her role.

Queen Elizabeth is survived by her 4 children, 8 grandchildren and even more great-grandchildren -- not to mention the many extended Royal family members that run the gamut.

She was 96.

RIP

Prince Harry has officially joined the rest of The Royal Family on a grim day for all who loved Queen Elizabeth.

Harry touched down earlier Thursday, and he was spotted apparently traveling solo in the backseat of a chauffeured vehicle. It had previously been reported his wife, Meghan, would be joining him on his trip to the Scottish estate, but she was not seen.

Harry and Meghan had previously been in Europe to attend the WellChild Awards in London. Harry was to deliver a speech Thursday night, which will no longer happen.

Unclear what sort of communication Harry had with Prince William and King Charles in the moments leading up to Queen Elizabeth's death ... but it's no secret things have been icy between the family over the last few years.

As we reported, The Royal Family announced Thursday, "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon."

King Charles released a statement, in which he's referred to as "His Majesty The King," saying, "We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world."

Just hours before the world learned of the death of Queen Elizabeth II a massive double rainbow covered the sky over Buckingham Palace.

The beautiful tribute stopped those walking in the area in their tracks, admiring what could now be considered a heavenly homage to the 96-year-old and her 70 years in power.

Just about an hour after the rainbow appeared, The Royal Family announced the longest-serving monarch in British history had died ... saying "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon."

The Queen's death came just hours after it was announced doctors were concerned about her health and her family members, including Prince William and Harry were gathering to be by her side.

Sad news out of the dog racing world ... 4-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey passed away Wednesday after a battle with cancer. He was only 52.

As we previously reported, Mackey announced he was diagnosed with throat cancer for the 2nd time last August ... after beating the disease in 2001.

We're told the legendary dog musher was in and out of the hospital since June ... with Mackey saying on Facebook in August, "the past several months have been the hardest/worst part."

"Just wanted to say thanks to my friends and family for everything and I love you all so much. I Fully believe it is not my time yet and I’m still doing pretty good but I’m going to have a lot of things to get done in my life."

But, tragically, Mackey died Wednesday night.

Mackey's mother went to FB to break the terrible news ... before Lance's fans filled her comments paying tribute to the champ.

"May the champion musher Rest In Peace," a fan said under the post.

"Thanks for the memories. My sincere condolences to the entire Mackey family and friends. Sadly the world lost a great musher and a even greater person."

Mackey was one of the best in dog sledding ... winning both the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race four times between 2005 and 2010. His father and half-brother are also dog mushers.

Mackey was honored by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski for his accomplishments and Asteroid 43793 was named after him in 1990 by discoverers Carolyn Shoemaker and David H. Levy.

Mackey is survived by his two children ... whom he shared with his late partner, Jenne Smith, who died in an ATV accident in 2020.

Bernard Shaw, one of the anchors who put CNN on the map, has died from pneumonia ... according to his family.

His family announced his passing Thursday morning, and said the pneumonia was unrelated to COVID-19.

When CNN launched in 1980, Shaw was the network's first chief anchor, and famously anchored presidential debates, and especially shined during the Gulf War in 1991.

Shaw reported live from Baghdad as the first missile strikes landed and launched the war. He frequently had to seek cover under desks and in bomb shelters while reporting.

A Marine veteran, who served during the Vietnam War, Shaw remained at CNN for more than 20 years ... finally retiring in 2001.

Prior to his time at CNN, Bernie -- as his co-workers called him on the air -- worked the Washington Bureau for CBS News, and was also at ABC News for a time.

Shaw was a proud Chicago native ... he actually started his broadcasting career there as a reporter and anchor, and eventually became the White House correspondent for Westinghouse.

He's survived by his wife Linda Allston and their 2 children. Bernie Shaw was 82.

David A. Arnold, the longtime comedian, 'Fuller House' producer and Netflix star, has died, TMZ confirmed.

His family tells TMZ ...“It is with great sadness that we confirm the untimely passing of our husband, father, brother and friend, David A. Arnold. David passed away peacefully today in his home and doctors have ruled the cause of death due to natural causes. Please keep our family in prayer and respect our privacy at this time as we are all shocked and devastated by this loss.”

David's BFF and fellow funnyman Chris Spencer also paid his respects ... “Our closely knit comedy community mourns the loss of one of the greatest to ever do it. He was admired by his peers, respected by other veterans, and revered by the burgeoning comedians that he mentored. He will be deeply missed, especially by his comedy fraternity.”

David was a multi-talented actor, stand-up comedian, producer and writer of TV shows and movies. He had a laundry list of Hollywood credits and was known as one of a handful of Black showrunners in the industry. He wrote and produced "Fuller House" on Netflix and "Bigger" on BET+. He also created Nickelodeon's "That Girl Lay Lay." His latest comedy special, "It Ain't For the Weak," hit Netflix in July.

He is survived by his wife Julie and daughters Anna Grace and Ashlyn Elizabeth.

David was 54.

The late DeForest Kelley, who played Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy on "Star Trek," will be joining his costar Nichelle Nichols' ashes in a unique way ... as they both go to deep space.

A sample of DeForest's DNA will be onboard United Launch Alliance's aptly-named "Vulcan" rocket with Nichelle's remains as it launches into space later this year ... creating a once-in-a-lifetime reunion mission.

The announcement comes on the 56th anniversary of the OG TV series' first episode ... also known as "Star Trek Day." Charles M. Chafer, co-founder of Celestis, says, “No mission to deep space would be complete without a ship’s doctor.”

DeForest, who's best known for his role as the wisecracking Dr. Bones, died of stomach cancer back in 1999, but a close family friend and caregiver named Kris Smith tells TMZ she had kept a lock of his hair all this time. She donated it to Celestis so her friend could take one final "journey into interstellar space."

She adds, "I think De would have loved to 'go hopping galaxies' again with cast and crew mates."

DeForest and Nichelle won't be alone ... as we reported, the remains of 'ST' creator Gene Roddenberry, along with actors James Doohan ("Scotty") and Majel Barrett Roddenberry ("Nurse Chapel") will all be aboard when they're launched into an orbit around the sun.

The Celestis Enterprise Flight is set to boldly go well beyond the Earth-Moon system, traveling between 150 million and 300 million kilometers into deep space.

Dave Grohl did Taylor Hawkins proud during the latter's tribute show in the UK -- with the Foo Fighters frontman taking on the station that his late bandmate once helmed.

The show is currently underway in London, where Dave and a slew of other artists are doing a huge concert at Wembley Stadium in honor of Hawkins -- who died earlier this year. The lineup is stacked ... with members of several iconic bands scheduled to hit the stage.

Some of those acts include ... Nirvana, Metallica, Queen, Led Zeppelin, RUSH, AC/DC and The Police. Liam Gallagher of Oasis also performed, with Dave backing him on percussion.

There were a number of emotional moments throughout the concert, which is now winding down. At one point ... Dave's voice started to crack a bit when he was talking about Taylor, but he pulled it together and carried on. Safe to say, the vibe was very bittersweet.

As you can imagine, the place was absolutely packed ... which makes total sense. The sheer number of artists on the bill for this is staggering -- which just speaks to how much TH meant to the music community. But yeah, this is a show folks definitely didn't want to miss.

It's actually the first of two tribute concerts that are going to be done on behalf of Taylor -- there's another that's scheduled in Los Angeles later this month ... and that one, too, is likely to be star-studded. Anyone who isn't there now will probably show up in L.A.

As we reported ... Taylor was found dead at his hotel in Colombia, where he was touring with his band. An official cause of death has yet to be released, but an overdose of some sort seems to be what might've killed him -- upwards of 10 different substances were found to be in his system when an autopsy was done.

Anne Heche was not rescued immediately after her car slammed into an L.A. home and caught the house on fire -- not even close -- it took the fire dept. 45 minutes to rescue her.

New information has surfaced from the L.A. Fire Dept. ... a timeline of the horrendous crash that took the actress's life. According to the records, obtained by NBC4 LA, the blaze was so intense firefighters couldn't even get near Anne's car for at least 20 minutes ... once there, it took an additional 20 minutes to extricate the vehicle from the burning home.

An L.A. fire chief says the combination of smoke and fire made it nearly impossible to see or approach the car.

Firefighters arrived at 11:01 AM but apparently they were unsure if someone was in the car. 21 minutes later, it appears they confirmed someone was inside the vehicle.

Then, 3 minutes later, they found Anne inside the car. One of the responders said, "We have identified one patient, inaccessible at this time, he's pushed up against the floorboard!"

According to firefighters, Anne was not in the driver's seat ... a fire official said, "I will say that where the person was in the vehicle was not in the driver's seat, but on the floorboard of the passenger seat."

Just before 11:50 Anne was removed from her Mini Cooper.

"Naked and Afraid" contestant Melanie Rauscher accidentally died from sucking in a lethal amount of compressed air used in cleaning products, this according to her autopsy report.

35-year-old Melanie was found dead near cans of dust cleaner in Prescott, AZ, on July 17. The report, obtained from the Yavapai County Medical Examiner, says that Melanie inhaled the toxic propellant, leaving her unresponsive.

Her official cause of death was listed as difluoroethane toxicity, which is commonly known as "huffing" among young adults looking for a quick and cheap way to get high. The report noted that drugs and alcohol did not play a role in her death.

As we reported, Melanie was dog-sitting at a residence whose owners returned home from vacation to find her deceased on the bed in the guest room.

Gospel star Earnest Pugh is feeling the wrath of Dionne Warwick this morning after he incorrectly announced the death of Whitney Houston's mother -- someone who's very much alive, according to Dionne.

Earnest shook up the Internet Wednesday with a now-scrubbed post about the "passing" of Cissy Houston, who is also Dionne's aunt ... so, it didn't take long for Dionne to call BS and throw some serious shade.

Dionne told the world Cissy is still with us, adding "This Earnest Pugh needs to get a life and stay out of other peoples lives!"

Friend of the Houston family and fellow Gospel singer Kim Burrell echoed the good news, minus the sass ... saying, "Please respect her life as she continues to live. She's home. Thank you all🙏🏽"

Good to hear Cissy's alive and well after all -- and, not shockingly, Earnest has yet to respond to Dionne.

Country music singer Luke Bell battled severe bipolar disorder for years before recently going missing and being found dead ... and his manager says he'd disappeared a few times before.

Luke's business manager, Brian Buchanan, tells TMZ ... the singer tried to cope with bipolar disorder, but could never find a solution that worked for him. When Luke disappeared in the past, Brian says they were always able to track him down.

We're told the singer-songwriter was prescribed medication, but his manager wasn't sure if Luke was taking his meds earlier this month when he went missing in Arizona.

Cops say Luke's body was discovered Friday in Tucson, and Brian tells us he'd vanished one night while getting food in the area with his musician friend Matt Kinman.

We're told Luke and Matt were in Tucson to visit Matt's family and play some gigs. Matt had searched for Luke for at least 10 days before the body was found.

Police say an investigation is ongoing ... and we're told an autopsy is underway to determine the cause of death.

Luke's manager tells us ... "Luke fought this as hard as he could, but the disease got the better of him. When he was beating the disease, he was the sweetest and most generous guy. He's found peace now and there's some comfort."

Luke was 32.

RIP

If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

Former NFL pass rusher Steve White -- most known for his time as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer -- has sadly died at 48 years old, his former teammates confirmed Tuesday.

The ex-defensive end had been dealing with chronic lymphocytic leukemia -- a type of cancer that affects blood and bone marrow.

He spoke about the fight with the disease in a tweet back in April, saying it had been affecting him for nearly a decade.

"Many of you know that I have been dealing with a cancer (CLL) diagnosis over the last 8 years," he said. "I am now at a point where I need to go through a bone marrow transplant. It is something I knew would eventually have to happen since 2017 and now that day is actually here."

White's ex-playing mates paid tribute to him Tuesday following the news of his passing -- with Warren Sapp tweeting a highlight video that featured the two getting after Donovan McNabb together.

"RIP Steve White #94 in your Program but #1 in Our hearts!!" Sapp said. "#SmartToughAndGreatMan #DLine."

Former Bucs QB Shaun King added, "Just heard my former teammate @sgw94 passed away. Condolences to his family and loved ones. Always had an encouraging word for me when I was a young player with the @Buccaneers."

White was initially taken by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 6th round of the 1996 NFL Draft, but he went on to join Tampa Bay -- and played six seasons for the Bucs, piling up 11.5 sacks in 94 career games. He did his best work in the playoffs for the team, famously recording seven tackles, one interception and two sacks in the Buccaneers' two postseason games in the 1999 season.

White finished his career with the Jets. He went on to write about football following his retirement.

"#RIP to my road game roommate @sgw94," White's former teammate Tyoka Jackson said Tuesday evening. "My condolences go out to his wife, children, family and friends. The memories, the fun, the conversations will never be forgotten."

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union who was largely responsible for ending the Cold War, has died.

Gorbachev was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 - 1991. His title changed to President in 1990.

He was initially a Marxist-Leninist, but eventually realized his country needed to evolve into a more democratic union.

Maybe the most famous reference to Gorbachev was one where he was not present -- when Ronald Reagan paid a visit to the Berlin wall -- which separated the Communist East Berlin from the democratic West Berlin -- and challenged his counterpart to "tear down this wall."

Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War.

His rise was spectacular -- raised by peasant parents, he climbed the political ladder to the top.

Gorbachev was Kennedy-esque in the sense he was a vibrant leader with a very glamorous wife -- Raisa -- who was a fashionista in the same vein as Jackie Kennedy.

He had a very distinct, large birthmark on his forehead ... it was quite prominent, and on occasion, when he sat for an official photo, the birthmark was removed for the portrait.

By 1991, the Soviet Union had broken apart and Gorbachev stepped down and handed the mantle of power to Boris Yeltsin.

Charlbi Dean -- famous among DC fans, indie film buffs and fashionistas -- has died.

A rep for the South African actress/model tells TMZ Dean passed away Monday from an unexpected sudden illness. We don't yet know what illness Dean was fighting, but a source tells us she died in a hospital in NYC.

Dean recently landed her biggest role in "Triangle of Sadness." It hasn't hit theaters just yet, but it did impress at this year's Cannes Film Festival ... where it took top honors with the Palme d'Or award. It's about a wrecked cruise ship and its passengers getting washed ashore, Charlbi is the lead, starring opposite Woody Harrelson ... the cast made a big splash in France in May, showing up at events and hitting red carpets together.

When their film won, Charlbi wrote ... "Congratulations our family we did it!!! @ruben_ostlund you're the GOAT I'm forever thankful for you for trusting me to be apart of your genius and my dear @sinaostlund Can't believe I had the best year making this during one of the hardest times in my life. Here's some pics of the year in Sweden and Greece during the pandemic. Forever and always our @triangleofsadness family."

She is also known for her work on the CW show "Black Lightning," where she played Syonide ... an assassin/hitman-type of anti-hero who's got bulletproof skin and top-notch combat skills. Other films she's worked on include "Blood in the Water," "Don't Sleep," "An Interview with God," and "Porthole."

She's also walked her fair share of runways and graced a number of magazine covers too ... CD has modeled all over the world.

Charlbi was engaged to male model Luke Volker. She was 32.

Chris Rock has the Internet up in arms over a joke he made comparing his possible return to The Oscars with Nicole Brown Simpson's vicious murder.

Rock performed Sunday in Phoenix where he reportedly told the audience coming back to host the 2023 Oscars would be like asking Nicole Brown Simpson to go back to the restaurant where she ate before she was brutally murdered in 1994.

Some people on social media have accused Rock of being misogynistic and cracking jokes at the expense of a woman, similar to the criticism he got for the Jada Pinkett joke. Others on social believe Will should have slapped Chris harder.

It was 6 months ago when Will Smith got up on stage and slapped Chris after the comedian made a joke about Jada's shaved head.

Chris Rock later said he was unaware Jada suffered from alopecia.