Celebrity Death

Loretta Lynn, the trailblazing country star whose song, "Coal Miner's Daughter" became not just a hit song but an award-winning movie has died.

Loretta's rep tells TMZ ... the famed singer passed away at her Tennessee ranch Tuesday morning ... the rep says Loretta died from natural causes. She was surrounded by family when she died.

Loretta suffered a stroke in 2017 and broke her hip a year later. The stroke caused Loretta to stop touring after 57 years.

Loretta is a true legend ... nominated 18 times for a Grammy, and won 3. She's amassed an incredible 21 number 1 singles and 11 number one albums.

Among her hits over her 6-decade career ... "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)," "Don't Come Home a Drinkin'," "One's on the Way," and "Fist City."

As for "Coal Miner's Daughter," the film chronicles Loretta's life, and it was a huge hit. It was nominated for 7 Oscars. Sissy Spacek won for best actress in her portrayal of Loretta.

Loretta won CMA's Female Vocalist of the Year in 1967, 1972 and 1973.

Loretta was married to Oliver Lynn for nearly 50 years. She married him in 1948, when she was 15. The couple had 6 children together. Oliver died in 1996. Her son, Jack Benny Lynn, died at 34 and her daughter, Betty Sue, died at 64 of emphysema.

Lynn sometimes touched on social issues, like birth control in a song titled "The Pill" ... and double standards for men and women in a song called "Rated X." She also wrote a song called "Dear Uncle Sam," about a woman who was widowed after her husband died in the Vietnam War. There were times country music stations refused to play some of her songs.

Loretta was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988. She also won the Billboard Legacy Award for Women in Music in 2015. And she got the Named Artist of a Lifetime by CMT in 2018.

Loretta was 90.

RIP

Tiffany Jackson -- a former WNBA player and Texas Longhorns legend -- has passed away after her battle with cancer, her alma mater confirmed.

She was only 37.

The Texas women's basketball team announced the devastating news Monday evening, saying the former UT forward -- who was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2015 -- died from the disease.

"Tiffany had a great career and was an impact player," her former UT coach Jody Conradt said.

"She was recognized for her all-around game and the fact that she was tremendously mobile and could play multiple positions. She was beloved by teammates, and we share in the sadness of her passing."

Jackson was a hoops star in high school, winning a state title and Gatorade's Player of the Year award.

The awards didn't stop after high school ... during her four years at UT ('03 to '07), she won ESPN's National Freshman Of The Year award and became the only person at the school to record a combined 1,000 points, 1,0000 rebounds, 300 steals, and 150 blocks.

Jackson was selected 5th overall in the 2007 WNBA Draft and went on to play for the New York Liberty, Tulsa Shock and Los Angeles Sparks during her 9-year career.

After retiring in 2018, she re-joined the Longhorns as an assistant coach for the women's basketball team. Then, in April of this year, she got a head coaching gig ... when she was named the HC at Wiley College.

"I know she was so excited to be the head coach at Wiley College for the upcoming season," UT current head coach Vic Schaefer said.

"She will be sorely missed by so many. Our deepest sympathies go out to her family."

Several WNBA players paid tribute to Jackson, including Tamika Catchings, who called her "absolutely amazing."

"Going to miss her smile, presence and heart for others."

Coolio had a lot of things in the works before his sudden passing last week -- including the fact he was about to headline his first ever Vegas residency this month ... TMZ has learned.

Shortly before he died, Coolio was actually in talks with a production company called Fan Rebellion -- which produces an ongoing Vegas residency show called Boombox!, held at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino ... this according to FB's Chief Creative Officer, Jimmy Maynes.

Boombox! tends to specialize in old-school hip hop acts from the '80s and '90s -- and have booked big names like CeeLo Green, Tone Loc, and others -- so it's right up Coolio's alley .. and exactly why Maynes and co. were negotiating to get him onstage.

Maynes tells us the plan was to have Coolio come in and head the show starting at the end of October and running through the second week of November ... for a total of 10 days, with one performance per day at 5 days a week. In other words, ten concerts.

We're told Coolio would've been one of a handful of MCs -- he'd be the headliner -- and Maynes says he would've only done 3 songs when he was up. The tracks that were being considered ... "Gangsta's Paradise," '1, 2, 3, 4,' and "C U When U Get There."

As for the specifics of what Coolio had in mind ... it's pretty interesting. Maynes tells us Coolio made some requests for the stage for his set -- including a variety of props, upwards of 10 dancers, a 2-story background screen for visuals and two to three outfit changes.

We're told Coolio wanted his headlining set to be a look back on his story, and was excited for this next chapter of his career.

Of course, his death put an abrupt halt to things -- with Maynes telling us they're now scrapping that late October window and hoping to pick it back up in December with a whole new lineup. Indeed, Coolio passing away threw 'em for a loop.

Kodak Black is attempting to right at least one wrong ... blaming PnB Rock's girlfriend, and her Instagram post, for his murder -- something he now regrets doing.

A clearheaded Kodak hopped on IG Live over the weekend to apologize to Stephanie Sibounheuang, the mother of PnB's children, after learning her post was not responsible for spurring the fatal armed robbery.

Kodak explained he had woken up with a migraine headache when he learned the PnB news on September 12, and says he made the immediate mistake of following the social media groupthink.

Kodak even went as low as to tell Stephanie to "kill herself" at the time, but he's now directly apologizing and wishing her peace going forward.

TMZ broke the story ... LAPD arrested a man named Freddie Lee Trone, his 17-year-old son and his wife -- and slapped them all with murder-related charges ... with the teen being named as the shooter.

The Florida rapper wasn't the only artist who jumped out the gate targeting Stephanie. Following the shooting, Nicki Minaj went on the attack -- but Cardi B screamed the complete opposite, and she's still calling for all offenders to apologize!!!

Coolio appeared to be both happy and healthy in his final day of life, but friends say the rapper had severe asthma ... a condition they believe contributed to his death.

We've spoken with several sources close to the late rapper who each told us about his asthma, and how it was something he struggled with over the years. What's more, we know Coolio's family also told investigators looking into his death about his history with asthma.

We're told Coolio would always travel with several inhalers to keep his condition in check -- even using them on stage during some of his performances.

A recent study by the American Heart Association found people diagnosed with asthma have a higher risk of heart attack. Additionally, people who use a daily asthma medication were 60% more susceptible to heart attacks, strokes or other cardiac events.

TMZ broke the story -- Coolio died in the bathroom of a friend's Los Angeles home last week.

We're told before his death, he entered the bathroom, locked the door and apparently collapsed. Coolio's friend had to break down the door to get to him.

A Russian rapper who was opposed to his country's invasion of Ukraine jumped from a high-rise building to his death ... after being drafted to fight in the war.

27-year-old rapper Walkie posted a video in which he said, "If you are watching this video, then I am no longer alive. I can't take the sin of murder on my soul and I don't want to. I am not ready to kill for any ideals."

Walkie went on ... "I choose to remain in history forever. As a man who did not support what was happening I am not ready to take up arms and kill my own kind."

He had already served in the Russian Army, and despised the experience. This time around he tried to get a deferment because of mental illness, but that did not fly with the Russian military.

Walkie was 27.

RIP

Vanilla Ice got pretty emotional, recalling the last time he had a heart-to-heart with Coolio about being a parent ... adding he's put a brief hold on his tour following the rapper's death.

Ice tried keeping it together while talking about their last convo ... and it sounds like Coolio's kids were on his mind the last time they hung out. He says family was a big topic during their chats.

He tells us Coolio was all about positivity ... and was a good friend all this time -- adding he'll be missed.

Ice also says he's taking the weekend off from performing after learning about his bud's death ... because he doesn't think he's in the right mindset to put on a show.

As we reported, Coolio's last performance was with Ice ... coming out onstage with him last week to freestyle during his set. V.I. says he had no clue this performance would be his last -- he was more focused on how honored he was to have such a legend up there with him.

Trailblazing professional wrestler Antonio Inoki, who famously fought Muhammad Ali in a mixed-rules match, reportedly died Saturday at his home in his native Japan.

Inoki died of apparent heart failure after battling illnesses for years and being confined to a wheelchair. No official cause of death has been released.

Inoki -- a legend in Japan -- shot to fame in 1976 when he got into the ring with Ali at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo. The sold-out fight was shown on a Jumbotron to 32,897 spectators at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. Inoki badly injured Ali during the 15-round bout, getting in more than 100 kicks to the fabled boxer's legs. Their fight ended in a draw.

Capitalizing on his newfound popularity, Inoki would become the most influential pro wrestler in Japan's history. In 1972, he launched the New Japan Pro-Wrestling Company, promoting some of the biggest matches involving Hulk Hogan, Dory Funk Jr., Big Van Vader and Bruiser Brody. Inoki also pinned Ric Flair in a 1995 match and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010.

What's more ... Inoki was a storied politician who successfully negotiated with Saddam Hussein for the release of Japanese hostages before the 1990 Gulf War in Iraq. And, he worked with North Korea to stop the kidnappings of Japanese citizens in Pyongyang during the Cold War.

Inoki was 79.

Coolio fans flocked to his website after his death to grab some merch ... and the response was so overwhelming, people were met with a big ol' "404 error."

The rapper's merch store was out of service as of Friday morning ... folks were unable to grab Coolio swag online -- instead seeing the message, "Page not found -- Somehow you have come to a page that does not exist."

Normally, a response like this would come up if the page were deleted, or because of heavy traffic. It looks like the latter is the culprit.

FYI -- the site normally has lots of great finds for Coolio fans ... stuff like fanny packs, mugs, hoodies and face masks.

You can count Ski Mask the Slump God among the rappers who won't stop wearing iced-out chains and jewelry after PnB Rock's murder, but he's taking some precautions and relying on good energy!!!

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with Ski Mask Thursday at LAX and asked about his massive chain inspired by the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! manga card game ... which he shamelessly wears while being searched by TSA.

The piece is modeled after a Millenium Puzzle and opens up to reveal his name engraved on a diamond-encrusted globe -- it's nothing short of insane, and totally conspicuous.

Ski Mask says he leaves on all his bling and rings through TSA searches, simply because it'll take too long to put them back on!!!

That being said, the Florida rapper definitely has thoughts on this week's arrests in the PnB case, he and echoes the recent remarks of Roddy Ricch and DJ Drama that L.A. is a dangerous place.

While he's aware of the violence, Ski Mask says keeping good energy typically prevents altercations in his circle ... and he also avoids most trouble by simply not going out at all!

TMZ broke the story earlier this week ... a father and son duo were arrested and charged with PnB's Sept. 12 murder at a Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles.

Of course, Ski Mask went through a similar tragedy when his close friend XXXTENTACION was shot and killed in 2018.

Coolio was busy working up until he died, but there was one opportunity he was super excited about that unfortunately never happened ... he was supposed to appear on one of Nick Cannon's most popular shows.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ Coolio was scheduled to be in Atlanta to film an episode of "Wild 'N Out" on Tuesday, Sept. 20 ... but the rapper was forced to cancel at the last minute.

We're told Coolio really wanted to be on the show, and producers had been working for a long time to make it happen before they were finally able to find a date that worked.

However, a source close to Coolio tells us his travel plans changed at the last minute and he couldn't get a flight to Atlanta that would work for the show's taping.

We're told Coolio was a huge fan of the show and was bummed he couldn't participate. What's more, Valentina Nicolette, who booked Coolio for the gig tells us he was also planning to perform "Gangsta's Paradise" during his time on the show.

As we first told you ... Coolio appeared happy and in good health later that same week, taking pics with fans in a Texas airport ahead of a concert in the Houston area with Vanilla Ice.

Junior welterweight Luis Quinones tragically died on Thursday ... just five days after suffering a head injury during a knockout loss in Colombia. He was only 25.

Quinones was an undefeated boxer (10-0) until his matchup with Jose Munoz on September 24 at Coliseo Elias Chegwin ... when was knocked out with less than a minute left in the fight.

Video of the fight shows Quinones fall down after getting punched ... and he's unable to get back on his feet. He was then taken out of the ring on a stretcher by medical personnel.

It was reported that Quinones suffered a blood clot in his brain as a result of head trauma from the fight ... and was in a coma after surgery. He was declared brain dead on Thursday, but remained on a respirator until his passing.

"Cuadrilatero Boxing deeply regrets the death of Luis Quinones, an exceptional human being, disciplined and who always showed the greatest commitment to this sport," Quinones' promoters said in a statement on Friday.

"We would like to thank the staff at the General Clinic of the North, who during this time did what was within their power and took care of Luis in the best possible way."

Munoz -- who is also his sparring partner -- is devastated by his death ... saying he never thought "a dream could turn into a real nightmare".

Quinones was inspired by Julio Cesar Chavez and left his hometown of Barrancabermeja to become a professional boxer. He made his debut in 2018.

"Boxing is the ultimate challenge there is. Nothing to compare to him," Quinones said in an IG post last year.

"It's to prove to yourself the way you do it every time you step in the ring."

Coolio's sudden death comes as a total shock to fans who interacted with him less than a week before he passed, and they say he gave no indication he was having health issues.

TMZ obtained these photos and videos of the "Gangsta's Paradise" rapper traveling last Friday through the Houston airport, and he was happy and in good spirits as he greeted some giddy fans.

Mika, the woman who stopped Coolio in the airport, tells TMZ ... she ran up to him to get a photo and he was friendly and very happy to take some pics, laughing and being very engaging.

We're told he even invited Mika and her girl pals to come to his show that night in Cypress, TX and they exchanged numbers and text messages -- and Coolio got the women on the VIP guest list.

Mika says she and her friends didn't end up going to the show because it was about an hour from where they were staying in Houston, and now they're devastated they missed that chance to see what turned out to be his last live performance.

TMZ broke the story ... Coolio died Wednesday afternoon at a friend's house in L.A., and his Friday concert with Vanilla Ice in Texas ended up being his last gig.

Coolio went to the bathroom at his friend's place and never came out ... his friend called 911 and paramedics gave him CPR for 45 minutes in an effort to revive the rapper.

Law enforcement sources say no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene of his death. An autopsy and toxicology test will be used to determine the official cause of death.

Coolio's death has the likes of Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, LL Cool J and Vanilla Ice sadly memorializing their longtime partner in rhyme -- and now a fellow West Coast O.G.'s delivering his own eulogy.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Ras Kass, who -- like so many in hip hop -- is sharing memories of Coolio, but he's also saluting his mic skills.

Ras and Coolio have several records together ... including one on the late rapper's magnum opus "Gangsta's Paradise," but their relationship dates back before Ras was even old enough to drive.

He admits being a local knucklehead growing up in Watts when he befriended Coolio's longtime partner Bryan "Wino" Dobbs ... who eventually passed his early work to Coolio while Ras was locked away in juvenile detention.

After a stern lecturing to get his act right, Ras obliged and was soon on tour and rocking Lollapalooza while still a teenager!

Ras notes Coolio's hip hop legacy is extra special, considering his brand of West Coast boogie was selling multi-platinum ... at the same time as gangsta rap's popularity peak when folks like 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube reigned supreme on the rap charts.

He also remembers the good times -- such as Coolio's Grammy Award win for his mega-hit "Gangsta's Paradise" back in 1996.

Rap music hadn't solidified its respect or revenue streams just yet and Ras says he, Coolio and crew celebrated like they had never been there before ... because they hadn't!!!

Ras sends his condolences to Coolio's fam and looks forward to his upcoming project with Havoc and Philly MC RJ Payne ... which he describes as N.W.A meets Mobb Deep.

Former Dallas Cowboys tight end Gavin Escobar -- who was picked in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft -- has died ... after an apparent rock climbing accident in California.

He was just 31 years old.

Officials say they received a report of two injured rock climbers at Tahquitz Rock in Idyllwild at around 12:25 PM on Wednesday. When they made it to the scene, they say they found that both victims had died. Escobar was ID'ed as one of the hikers -- a 33-year-old woman, Chelsea Walsh, was ID'ed as the other.

Further details surrounding the causes of death were not immediately available. Authorities did say they were investigating it all.

Escobar was a star for San Diego State from 2010 to 2013 ... before he was drafted by the Cowboys. He went on to play four seasons in Dallas -- piling up eight touchdowns.

He later saw time with the Chiefs, Browns, Ravens and Dolphins -- and eventually wrapped up his football career in 2019 in the Alliance of American Football league.

In retirement, Escobar -- a father of two -- had become a firefighter with the Long Beach Fire Department.

The Cowboys, Aztecs and the LBFD all paid homage to Escobar and his family on Thursday night.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Gavin's family," SDSU football head coach Brady Hoke said in a statement. "I know his wife, Sarah, and daughters, Josey and Charlotte, were everything to him. Gavin was a great man, father, son and teammate, and will be deeply missed by all."

The concert Coolio would've headlined in Germany this weekend will go on, and Haddaway says all of their fellow '90s hitmakers are doing everything they can to turn the night into a tribute for the rapper.

The "What Is Love" singer tells TMZ ... work's already underway to make the show in Germany this weekend a full homage to Coolio. He says they plan on showing some throwback pics and playing some hits they collaborated on over the years.

The singer still remembers being blown away by Coolio's live shows back in the day, too ... and he wants to make sure this concert goes down just as the rapper would've wanted it.

Even though it's a last-minute call, Haddaway says singers Robin S. and Crystal Walters already have an open invitation to join him on stage Saturday -- they all were part of the same friend group in the '90s.

These '90s live shows have been going down with Coolio and Haddaway all summer by the way -- they'd already put on more than 14 concerts throughout Europe.