Celebrity Death

Leanza Cornett, who was crowned Miss America in 1993, has died after suffering a traumatic brain injury earlier this month.

Cornett died Wednesday, according to a family spokesperson. Though no cause of death was given, Cornett was severely injured during a fall at home on October 12 ... which required her undergoing a decompressive craniectomy to treat swelling and bleeding on her brain.

The Miss America Organization confirmed her passing, saying it's devastated for this sudden loss and deeply sorry for her loved ones. It adds ... "Leanza had a bright and beautiful spirit and her laugh was infectious."

Leanza was a familiar face on TV in the mid and late '90s -- she hosted several shows, including "Entertainment Tonight" in 1994.

The Jacksonville native was first crowned Miss Florida in 1992 before winning her Miss America crown the next year. She also sang in a Christian music group called Area Code and performed as Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" at Walt Disney World MGM Studios.

Once she was Miss America, Leanza used her platform in the '90s to be a leading activist for AIDS awareness ... and was often seen wearing a reds AIDS ribbon to support the cause.

She was 49.

Jamie Foxx says his heart's been shattered into a million pieces after his younger sister, DeOndra Dixon, died.

The actor/singer penned a touching tribute Monday, saying her passing has "left a hole in my heart." They were super close, which was obvious in the series of photos he shared of DeOndra and himself.

In a moving post, Jamie wrote, "Anyone who knew my sis... knew that she was a bright light... I can’t tell you how many times we have had parties at the house where she has got on the dance floor and stolen the show... even gave her boyfriend @chrisbrownofficial a run for his money."

He added, "well I know she is in heaven now dancing with her wings on...tho my pain is unbelievable I smile when I think of all of the great memories that she left me... my family... and her friends."

Back in 2018, Jamie credited DeOndra for always reminding him of what's really important in life -- "You see this girl over here, 'I just want to live. I want to dance. I want to love.' So, she brings you back down to what life is."

He said some of the fondest memories of his sister included DeOndra being named Ambassador for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation in 2011 and her dancing in his "Blame It" music video.

DeOndra was 36.

The late Chadwick Boseman put his John Hancock on a copy of the first "Black Panther" comic -- which has skyrocketed in value, and is primed to fetch a pretty penny at auction.

Nate D. Sanders Auctions is putting the rare autographed book up for grabs on Oct. 29, with the opening bid starting at $8,000 -- but it's expected, we're told, to reach anywhere in the ballpark of $25k when it's all said and done.

The reason ... other than Chadwick's signature, Stan Lee himself signed this variant of 'BP' #1, not to mention 'Black Panther' director Ryan Coogler. So, yeah, there's a trifecta thing happening here -- and with Chadwick's recent passing, and Stan's in 2018 ... the comic is worth even more now.

You might notice the cover is different from the OG cover of the first stand-alone "Black Panther" comic from 1976 -- from which this iteration is derived, but with a modern cover. It's also vastly changed from Black Panther's first appearance ever in Fantastic Four #52 ('66).

The one for sale is the Middle East Comic-Con variant -- which got its own art whipped up and featured Stan next to T'Challa. For those of you in the know ... It's been certified a 9.8 rating with the CGC Signature Series rating system. That means it's REALLY valuable.

Legendary country singer/songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, famous for writing one of the most iconic country/folk/pop songs ever has died.

Jerry had a storied career, but his crowning achievement came when he got inspired after meeting a New Orleans street performer in a drunk tank. That interaction led to the song, "Mr. Bojangles," which he recorded in 1968. The song didn't hit big until 2 years later, when the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band recorded it and it became a huge hit.

"Mr. Bojangles" became a staple for numerous singers who covered it ... Bob Dylan, Sammy Davis Jr., Neil Diamond, Harry Belafonte, King Curtis, Dolly Parton, Nina Simone and more.

Jerry was born in New York back in 1942 and spent a lot of time as a young adult in Greenwich Village in the folk scene back in the '60s. He migrated in the '70s to Austin, and is considered a founding father of the City's vibrant music scene.

He had famous pals, including Willie Nelson, who hit it big, but Jerry didn't seem to crave the spotlight and was better known for his songwriting and his efforts to make Texas a musical force, which he did. He did, however, record 36 albums, including the awesome, "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother." He's considered one of the founding fathers of Texas country music.

Jerry helped form a couple of bands years ago, including the Lost Gonzo Band and a record company, Tried & True. He experimented with outlaw rock, blues, and Mexican-influenced music.

Jerry was a hard-living guy and made no secret of his penchant for alcohol and drugs.

Jerry revealed in 2017 he had throat cancer and pneumonia, and it was so bad it looked like he might not make it, but he was able to recover. His former publicist tells TMZ, Jerry's wife told him 2 months ago to prepare an obituary. The publicist says Jerry died from cancer and related ailments.

He released his last album a year later ... "It's About Time."

Jerry married his manager, Susan, in 1974. He's survived by Susan, his daughter Jessie Jane and son, musician Django.

Jerry was 78.

Eddie Van Halen's sadly gone, but this one-of-a-kind piece of rock 'n' roll history helps his legend live on ... and it's going up for grabs soon.

The iconic guitarist had the red, white and black Charvel guitar -- similar to his famed Frankenstrat, AKA "Frankenstein," he played for decades -- custom-built for Van Halen's 2007-2008 North American Tour.

The tour's known for reuniting original lead singer, David Lee Roth, with the band -- along with the debut of Eddie's son, Wolfgang, on the bass -- and for being their most profitable tour ever.

We're told this particular guitar was the only one personally crafted by EVH for the tour, making it truly unique, and was played by the rocker during Van Halen's concert at Seattle's KeyArena on December 3, 2007.

After the show, Eddie signed and dated the body of the guitar with a thick silver marker, so a protective clear strip's been added to protect his John Hancock and inscription.

The piece comes with a custom EVH case, a signed certificate of authenticity and a great photo of the legend doing what he did best ... shredding on stage.

According to Heritage Auctions, it's expected to go for more than $20,000, but we're thinking it could go a lot higher given he was one of the greatest guitarists in music history. Bidding opens next week for its Nov. 14-15 Entertainment Auction, so if you want it ... might as well jump.

New parents across the U.S. are honoring Kobe and Gianna Bryant in a BIG way ... experts say babies with the names Kobe and Gianna have risen dramatically in 2020.

According to BabyCenter, there's been a huge increase in newborns with the names since the NBA legend and his daughter tragically died in a helicopter crash in January.

Per the site -- which gets its data from over 500,000 new babies that were registered to the site this year -- Kobe vaulted from #595 on the list in 2019 to #216 in 2020.

The site claims that's "far and away the biggest riser on the list for boys in 2020."

As for Gianna, her name among newborns rose from #76 to #24 (seriously, #24).

In case you were wondering, the top 10 for the year for boys included Liam, Noah, Jackson, Aiden, Elijah, Grayson, Lucas, Oliver, Caden and Mateo.

For girls, the top 10 went Sophia, Olivia, Riley, Emma, Ava, Isabella, Aria, Aaliyah, Amelia and Mia.

An unreleased Notorious B.I.G. freestyle about his favorite cola is being turned into a slick commercial for Pepsi ... just in time to big him up for getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Biggie's bars were previously only heard during a HOT97 radio appearance he made in 1997 ... shortly before he was gunned down in Los Angeles. He was on with DJ Enuff when he busted the rap about Pepsi.

Not shockingly, Pepsi seized on the chance to promote with Biggie Small's own words and worked with his collaborators, Enuff and Cey Adams, to create an animated short music vid.

Some of the lyrics include, "Big slam, quick slam, tin can, whatever. Whether too cold or too hot, you got to keep Pepsi in the freezer. I keep a 3 liter for my crew. My girl like them diet joints too."

The spot shouts out Biggie's latest industry honor -- on November 7 he will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -- so, great timing.

Tony Lewis -- best known as the "Your Love" singer for the British rock band The Outfield -- has died.

Tony reportedly died Tuesday near his home in London. The cause of death was not revealed. The musician, songwriter and record producer co-founded The Outfield with Alan Jackman and John Spinks. Their music roared in the 1980s with hit tracks like "Your Love," "All The Love" and "Say It Isn't So."

The Outfield's debut album was "Play Deep" in 1985 ... which would go on to reach triple platinum sales and break the top 10 in the U.S. album charts. "Your Love" -- prominently featured in tons of TV shows, films and even commercials -- peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. It's easily one of the most recognizable songs in rock history.

Since its release over 30 years ago ... "Your Love" is played on over 1,000 radio stations and averages 2 million streams on Pandora, 1 million views on YouTube and 1 million streams on Spotify, this according to the late singer's personal website.

Tony Lewis was born on December 21, 1957 in the East End of London. He had been working on a new EP ... set to be released in Spring 2021. He's survived by his wife of 35 years, Carol, his 2 daughters -- Gemma and Rosie -- and 3 grandchildren.

He was 62.

Spencer Davis, whose namesake '60s beat band -- The Spencer Davis Group -- had the iconic hit, "Gimme Some Lovin'" ... has died.

A family source tells TMZ the Welsh musician died peacefully Monday in a California hospital of heart failure after a battle with pneumonia. Davis had an extraordinary career that spanned 6 decades ... and the source emphasized how much he'll be missed by his friends, family and loved ones.

Davis formed the British group bearing his name in 1963, which featured himself on guitar and Pete York on drums ... and he recruited a teenage Steve Winwood to sing and Steve's brother, Muff, to play the bass.

It didn't take long for the band to break out with a #1 single -- "Keep on Running" -- in 1965 ... followed by another hit, "Somebody Help Me," in 1966.

The following year, The Spencer Davis Group released their most famous track -- "Gimme Some Lovin'" -- which was a top 10 hit ... and "I'm a Man." Both singles sold over a million copies and achieved gold record status.

Though the band broke up in 1969 after just 6 years together, their music had a huge influence on the sound of the era.

Davis embarked on a solo career afterward, but was never able to reach the success of his group. He also served as an exec for Island Records in the '70s.

Davis is survived by his 3 children -- Lisa, Sarah and Gareth -- and 5 grandchildren.

Spencer was 81.

Shareef O'Neal -- Shaq's son -- just revealed his second Kobe Bryant tribute tattoo ... showing off the ankle ink in a social media post Sunday.

The LSU basketball player had already gotten a calf tattoo to honor the NBA legend ... but O'Neal clearly felt that wasn't enough and underwent the needle for more Mamba art recently.

And, the new tat came out great ... it's a depiction of a famous image of Kobe celebrating -- and it looks real as hell!!

As we previously reported ... Shareef was devastated over the passing of Bryant -- sharing that he actually received text messages from Kobe just hours before the tragic helicopter crash.

In an emotional post days after Bryant's passing, Shareef reflected on everything his father's former star teammate meant to him.

"You always wanted me to be the best I could be," Shareef wrote. "you always made sure I was happy, you put me before you put yourself and when we had our moments you made me feel like I was great."

"I love you , I thank you , I miss you."

Principe Aéreo -- a star wrestler in Mexico -- died at 26 years old after collapsing in the ring during a match over the weekend.

The tragic scene all went down Saturday at Arena San Juan Pantitlan in Mexico City during a Mexa Wrestling event.

Principe -- real name Luis Ángel Salazar -- was performing in a tag-team match ... and everything appeared to be going smoothly.

The luchador was hamming it up for the crowd ... and then took two slaps to the chest and a kick to the stomach -- when suddenly he appeared to faint onto the mat.

Video showed his opponent and the in-ring ref immediately knew something was very wrong ... and within minutes, the wrestler was reportedly rushed out of the building by medical personnel.

Sadly, Salazer did not survive ... with MasLucha.com saying an official medical report revealed the wrestler suffered a "ruptured middle cerebral artery."

The wrestling world was shocked by the news ... with Mick Foley tweeting his condolences Sunday.

"Rest in peace Principe," the ex-WWE superstar said.

Other wrestling events in Mexico held moments of applause to honor Salazar -- who had reportedly begun wrestling a decade ago.

Snoop Dogg's hooking up his late auntie one more time ... with an assist from Cemetery Tim.

The guy who created extravagant tombstones for Eazy-E and Nate Dogg tells TMZ ... Snoop and his family reached out at the beginning of September about a tombstone for his late auntie, Annette Daniel. She died in June 2019 and is buried in L.A.'s famed Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Problem was ... we're told the place the family originally purchased a headstone had been giving them the run around for about a year now.

Snoop finally had enough ... he reached out to Cemetery Tim and he immediately started working on the design.

We're told Tim got the final approval for the design and it's now in production. It's slated to be completed in 4 weeks. No word on the cost, but you know Snoop spared no expense.

Ex-Angels staffer Eric Kay has been indicted by a grand jury in Texas on two counts in the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, court docs show.

Kay -- who worked with the Angels in media relations for 24 years -- had previously been charged by prosecutors with distribution of the fentanyl that led to Skaggs' overdose death back in June 2019.

But, the case has since gone to a grand jury -- which has now handed down a 2-count indictment against Kay.

According to the documents, Kay was indicted on 1 count of conspiracy to possess fentanyl with the intent to distribute and 1 count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death.

Unclear why the case went to a grand jury after prosecutors had already announced a formal charge against Kay. We're working on it.

As we previously reported, prosecutors claim to have a text conversation between Kay and Skaggs from the night of the pitcher's overdose.

In the exchange, Kay asks "Hoe [sic] many?" ... to which Skaggs responded, "Just a few like 5."

Law enforcement officials have said they believe Kay and Skaggs were discussing drugs ... clearly implying the exchange proves Kay is the one who supplied the pitcher with the lethal dose of the pills.

Law enforcement also claimed Kay provided "30-milligram oxycodone pills" to Skaggs on multiple occasions.

Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Southlake, TX in July 2019 ... hours before the Angels were set to play the Texas Rangers.

He was only 27.

Although Chadwick Boseman knew for years he had terminal cancer, we now know he died without writing a will, but he made a key move months before his death to financially protect his wife.

The "Black Panther" star's widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, has filed probate docs, obtained by TMZ, in which she asks to be named administrator of Chadwick's estate. Taylor has to file the docs in probate court because he did not leave a will.

That seems odd considering Chadwick was diagnosed with colon cancer 4 years ago, and knew it was terminal. However, that also puts his marriage to Taylor, who he reportedly dated since 2015, in a new light ... and here's why.

They got engaged in late 2019, and reportedly tied the knot at some point in 2020. That's important because when a person dies without a will and without children, their surviving spouse inherits all the assets of the probate estate.

According to the docs, Taylor gets nearly $1 million in personal property and assets, but that's not a true reflection of Chadwick's wealth and success. Most likely the majority of his assets are held in separate private trusts.

In the docs, Taylor notes Chadwick is also survived by his 2 parents.

As you know, he was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and it progressed to stage IV as he silently battled through it. Chadwick died in his home surrounded by his wife and family.

An Atlanta man has been arrested and charged with murder of Thomas Jefferson Byrd ... the popular actor known for several roles in Spike Lee joints.

The Atlanta PD says they followed evidence and tips that led them to identify the suspect, Antonio Demetrice Rhynes. An arrest warrant was issued for Rhynes Wednesday and he was arrested Friday morning.

He's facing a felony murder charge for the shooting, which occurred near Byrd's Atlanta home. It's still unclear what led to the killing.

As we reported ... 70-year-old Byrd died on October 3 from multiple gunshot wounds to the back, and Spike broke the news himself on social media after learning of his murder.

Byrd had notable roles in several of Spike's films, such as "Clockers," "Get on the Bus," "Bamboozled," "He Got Game," "Red Hook Summer," "Chi-Raq" and more.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Fred Dean -- a 2-time Super Bowl champ with the SF 49ers and a 4-time Pro Bowler -- has died after a lengthy battle with coronavirus.

He was 68 years old.

Dean's good friend and former teammate, Dwight Hicks, reportedly made the announcement on social media Thursday ... writing in a statement, "I'm sorry to say that he succumbed to complications of Covid-19."

"May peace be with his wife Pam and their families."

Dean -- 6'3", 230 lbs -- is considered one of the best defensive ends of all-time ... and was known as one of the coolest dudes to ever play the game as well.

"James Dean wasn’t cooler than Fred Dean," 49ers Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott famously said of his ex-teammate.

Sacks weren't logged as an official stat until late in Dean's career ... but in the 1983 season (the year after the NFL started keeping track), Dean recorded an epic 17.5 QB takedowns.

Arguably the greatest offensive lineman of all-time, Anthony Munoz, once called Dean "the strongest opponent I ever faced."

Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker added in a statement Thursday, "[Dean] exemplified many of the values learned from this great game -- commitment, integrity, courage -- over the course of his life."

Dean was selected in the 2nd-round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers after a Hall of Fame career at Louisiana Tech. He was traded to the 49ers in 1981 and played there until he retired in 1985.