Celebrity Death

Lucille Bridges, who made a historic walk with her 6-year-old daughter, Ruby Bridges, in 1960 -- into a segregated New Orleans public school -- has died.

Ruby announced her mother's passing Tuesday night ... calling her a hero and "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." Lucille's cause of death is unknown but Ruby paid a touching tribute to her saying, "Today our country lost a hero. Brave, progressive, a champion for change. She helped alter the course of so many lives by setting me out on my path as a six year old little girl."

Lucille -- who gave birth to Ruby the same year as the landmark decision of Brown vs. Board of Education to end racial segregation in schools -- is memorialized alongside Ruby in Norman Rockwell's famous painting, "The Problem We All Live With" ... which shows Ruby carrying her school supplies as U.S. Marshals escort her.

When the NCAAP requested Ruby attend the all-white William Frantz Elementary School as a first-grader in 1960 ... Ruby's father, Abon Bridges, was reluctant. But, according to the National Women's History Museum, it was Lucille who insisted because she wanted Ruby to have the education she herself missed out on. Lucille walked Ruby to school every day amid hateful and racist rhetoric spewed in their direction.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said, "Lucille's strength was unbounded during this period. Lucille insisted, seeing the action as an opportunity to help all Black children, and walked Ruby, with federal marshals, past chanting and taunting white protesters and to the schoolhouse. Mother and daughter both revealed their character and courage."

Rockwell's painting came back into the spotlight during the run-up of the presidential election ... with an adapted version showing now Vice President-elect Kamala Harris walking with Ruby's shadow cast on a white wall. The painting's been dubbed "That Little Girl Was Me."

Ruby wholeheartedly approved the image saying, "I am Honored to be a part of this path and Grateful to stand alongside you, Together with Our fellow Americans, as we step into this Next Chapter of American History!"

Lucille had 5 children. Her husband died in 1978.

She was 86.

The answer to "Who is Alex Trebek?" is not a short one, but the good folks of Greater Sudbury, Ontario want it to be known he's their hometown hero ... in the form of a memorial.

We broke the story ... the iconic "Jeopardy!" host died Sunday morning after battling pancreatic cancer. The Canadian city where he was born and raised is honoring him by flying flags outside its City Hall at half-staff and creating a virtual condolences book where residents can leave messages for the Trebek family.

Brian Bigger, Mayor of Greater Sudbury, tells TMZ they want to honor him in a much bigger way ... and there are already a few leading ideas on how to do so.

Mayor Bigger says proposals on social media include some type of public work of art -- either erecting a statue of Alex or putting up a mural -- or ... possibly linking Trebek to Sudbury's public library set to be built over the next few years.

The Mayor says the library idea makes a lot of sense considering the TV legend was so involved in education, but he makes it clear ... this is just wishful thinking at this point.

Bigger tells us nothing has been decided -- this is just preliminary planning -- but he will bring the ideas to the next City Council meeting to get the ball rolling.

Mayor Bigger adds that Trebek's family should have a say in the matter, but he's waiting to reach out to them so they have the proper time to grieve first.

Alex met with the mayor during his last visit to Sudbury in 2015, and Bigger says he was very interested in growth and development in the community ... and it's no surprise he's beloved there.

The same goes for Canada as a whole. Get this -- Alex was honored with a key to the city of Ottawa in 2016 and received the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor, in 2017.

Alex Trebek is getting a bittersweet send-off from the game show that made him famous ... "Jeopardy!" just said goodbye to the late host with a touching tribute.

"Jeopardy!" executive producer Mike Richards honored Alex before Monday night's episode, pausing to remember Trebek as an inspiring figure and thanking him for everything he did for the show during his long run as host.

Mike said Alex "will forever be an inspiration for his constant desire to learn, his kindness and for his love of his family."

As we first told you ... Alex, who was battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer, passed away at his home Sunday morning, surrounded by family and friends.

Alex's death was an enormous loss for "Jeopardy!" staff and crew, as well as his family and millions of fans, Mike said, adding Alex "loved this show and everything it stood for."

Mike reminded viewers Alex was in the studio taping "Jeopardy!" only two weeks ago in October, and Alex hosted episodes that will air through Christmas day.

"Scooby-Doo" co-creator Ken Spears has died ... less than 3 months after his animation partner also passed away.

Spears reportedly died Friday after complications related to dementia. His son, Kevin, told Variety, "Ken will forever be remembered for his wit, his story-telling, his loyalty to family, and his strong work ethic."

Kevin added, "Ken has not only made a lasting impression on his family, but he has touched the lives of many as co-creator of ‘Scooby-Doo.’ Ken has been a role model for us throughout his life and he will continue to live on in our hearts."

As we reported ... Ken's animation partner, Joe Ruby, died of natural causes back in August. Ken and Joe, both of whom worked for the famed Hanna-Barbera Productions, also created the popular series "Dynomutt" and "Jabberjaw." But, undoubtedly they were most famously known for creating 'Scooby.'

The popular animated series first aired on CBS in 1969 ... with Joe and Ken writing the first 5 episodes ... then editing and supervising the rest of that inaugural series. 'Scooby' aired until 1976, but there have been TONS of spin-offs, reboots and movies.

Ken -- born on March 12, 1938 -- grew up in L.A. and would end up befriending the son of William Hanna. Ken ultimately got hired at Hanna-Barbera in 1959 as a sound editor. It was during his time there when he met Joe ... turning a working relationship into a lifelong partnership.

Ken and Joe supervised CBS' Saturday morning cartoons lineup in the early 1970s. They were tasked with the same role at ABC. The duo created their own production company and produced a slew of animated series such as "Superman" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks" among others.

Ken wasn't limited to just cartoons either. He was also a story consultant for the 1974 TV series, "Planet of the Apes."

Ken is survived by his 2 sons, 5 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

Dr. Jill Biden is paying her respects to Alex Trebek, and remembering her time with the late "Jeopardy!" host.

The First Lady-elect just posted a picture of her and Alex on the game show set, a throwback to 2016 when she was the Second Lady and a special guest presenting the Final Jeopardy clue. Jill captioned the pic, "Rest In Peace, Alex ❤️."

Jill's 'Jeopardy' appearance came about 3 years before Alex announced he was battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer. As you know, Alex didn't let his cancer diagnosis and chemo treatments stop him from hosting his game show ... just as impressively as ever.

As we first reported, Alex passed away peacefully at his home Sunday morning, surrounded by friends and family.

Alex's death came the morning after Joe Biden was announced the projected winner of the Presidential election -- a very emotional weekend for Jill, and America.

Bert Belasco -- famous from BET's "Let's Stay Together" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Bert's father, Bert Sr., tells us his son's body was found Sunday inside a hotel room in Richmond, VA -- where we're told he was about to start on a project for a new movie role. Bert Sr. says Bert was required to quarantine at the hotel before he could come on set.

While the circumstances of his death are unclear, we do know Bert's girlfriend couldn't get a hold of him and eventually asked hotel staff to check on him. We're told when he was discovered, there was blood on the sheets -- the family is awaiting autopsy results.

His father tells us he believes his son suffered a fatal aneurysm.

Bert's career was well on the way up -- even at his young age, he's already racked up 23 acting credits and had starred in a bunch of shows and movies. Obviously, he's perhaps most well-known for playing Charles Whitmore on 'LST' for 52 episodes between 2011 and 2014.

He also appeared on several episodes of "Pitch," "I'm Dying Up Here," and has lots of one-off roles in series such as "American Princess," "Superstore," "The Mick," "The Soul Man," "No Names," "The Big Show Show," 'NCIS,' 'Key and Peele,' 'Justified' and others.

Bert had just turned 38.

Alex Trebek -- the revered and beloved "Jeopardy!" host since 1984, whose calm but witty presence was must-see television for millions of Americans -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

A "Jeopardy!" spokesperson tells TMZ, "Jeopardy is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends."

The TV icon had been battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer since announcing the news back in March 2019. He immediately started chemo after the diagnosis but made no plans to retire and continued hosting his game show ... as impressively as ever.

Trebek powered through for a full year -- despite what he called "massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it was really worth fighting on" -- because he said he realized giving up on life would be a betrayal to his wife, God and other cancer patients.

He pointed out the odds of surviving a second year with pancreatic cancer were just 7 percent, but he hoped he'd be able to celebrate that milestone too. Sadly, he took a turn for the worse.

Alex continued to host "Jeopardy!" ... recently beginning his 37th season, and earlier this year, he shot the epic 'Greatest of All Time' tournament on prime-time television.

Ken Jennings, who won that 'G.O.A.T.' tournament reacted to Alex's passing, saying, "Alex wasn't just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deep decent man, and I'm grateful for every minute I got to spend with him."

Ken's competitor James Holzhauer added, "It was one of the great privileges of my life to spend time with this courageous man while he fought the battle of his life. You will never be replaced in our hearts, Alex."

"Jeopardy!" says Alex hosted episodes will air through December 25th. His last day taping in the studio was October 29.

The shows executive producer, Mike Richards, says, "Working beside him for the past year and a half as he heroically continued to host "Jeopardy!" was an incredible honor. His belief in the importance of the show and his willingness to push himself to perform at the highest level was the most inspiring demonstration of courage I have ever seen."

After his initial diagnosis, there were several ups and downs for Alex. In May 2019, he announced his tumors had shrunk more than 50 percent, obviously a great sign of progress, but his numbers declined and he began another round of chemotherapy a few months later. Still, he maintained a positive outlook ... and did a lot of good throughout his ordeal.

His soothing and reassuring voice was on display when he announced having cancer. Trebek -- who was signed to host the show through 2022 -- joked, "Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host 'Jeopardy!' for three more years!"

His commitment to the game show was a two-way street. When Alex took a brief medical leave in 2018 to have surgery for blood clots on his brain after a nasty fall, "Jeopardy!" never aired episodes with a guest host. He also suffered mild heart attacks in 2007 and 2012.

Alex started his career on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1961 announcing the news, and quickly gained fame after hosting the high school quiz show, "Reach for the Top."

He introduced himself to U.S. audiences in 1973 when he hosted a new NBC show called "The Wizard of Odds." That would lead to work on a variety of game shows ... including "High Rollers" with his trademark curly hair and classic 'stache and a brief fill-in stint for Chuck Woolery on "Wheel of Fortune."

Then, when the "Jeopardy!" gig -- a revival of the old show -- came up, Alex got the call.

The show gained immense popularity with Alex at the helm ... dominating the evening game show biz along with 'Wheel.'

Alex -- winner of 6 Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding game show host -- set a Guinness World record in June 2014 for most episodes (6,829) of a game show hosted. Despite his unprecedented and hugely successful run, Alex never viewed himself as a celeb or the "star" of the show. He said as much to Harvey Levin for an episode on "Objectified."

Alex also told Levin he was seriously considering retirement before signing a contract extension. He seemed serious at the time ... naming 2 potential replacements: L.A. Kings announcer Alex Faust and CNN legal analyst Laura Coates.

Important to note ... "Jeopardy!" producers say they are not announcing a new host right now.

Trebek was born on July 22, 1940, in Ontario, Canada. He majored in philosophy at the University of Ottawa but he had serious ambitions about a career on TV. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1998, but not before running the Olympic Torch in 1996 as it made its way to Atlanta.

Alex -- who was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 2017 for his iconic achievements -- married Elaine Kares in 1974 and they divorced in 1981. He married again in 1990 ... this time to Jean Currivan, with whom he had 2 children ... Matthew and Emily.

He was 80.

Eddie Van Halen was honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Saturday night ... as one of the greatest guitar players in the history of music.

The tribute is incredible and shows Eddie's miraculous talent.

Some of the greatest living guitarists, including Slash and Tom Morello, paid tribute to the man who was one of 2 guitarists in competition for the G.O.AT. title -- the other, of course, being Jimi Hendrix.

Tom Morello, from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, called Eddie, "The Mozart of our generation. He had the kind of talent that maybe comes around once a century."

Slash said, "His style and his sound were completely unique to him. He had a massive impact on guitar playing."

The sounds emanating from Eddie's guitar were like none heard before. The ferocious sounds hit like a nuclear bomb and were subsequently mimicked by many -- but no one had Eddie's touch.

You gotta watch the video to remember how inspiring Eddie was on the guitar.

As you know by now, Eddie died last month after a long battle with cancer at 65.

The inductees Saturday night were Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, Notorious B.I.G. and T-Rex.

Supermanager Irving Azoff and producer Jon Landau received the Ertegun Award award.

Norm Crosby, one of the top comedians in the '60s and beyond, has died.

Crosby's wife said her husband succumbed to heart failure.

His moniker was malaprops ... the misuse of words that were absolutely hilarious. He would muse that he went to the tailor for some altercations. And, this is hysterical ... he once joked folks who can't read or write are victims of illegitimacy!

Norm was a staple on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson ... appearing more than 50 times. He made the rounds for sure, also appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show," "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," "Roseanne," "The Larry Sanders Show," and, of course, "The Love Boat."

Norm recently appeared in "Grownups 2" ... he played a Kmart worker. He was also in "8 Crazy Nights."

And, Crosby was a regular on the roasting circuit, appearing often on Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts. He was also the host of the TV series, "The Comedy Shop." Norm also helped Jerry Lewis with the hosting duties in his annual Labor Day Telethon.

Norm is survived by his wife, Joan, 2 children and 2 grandkids.

He was 93.

Rapper King Von is dead after a violent confrontation outside an Atlanta nightclub that ended in gunfire ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a deadly shootout broke out early Friday morning outside the Monaco Hookah Lounge in downtown Atlanta, with gunfire being exchanged between 2 groups of men who were arguing with each other.

Our sources say there were off-duty Atlanta police officers working at the club and an on-duty cop patrolling nearby ... and police also opened fire while confronting the gunmen.

In total, our sources say 6 people were shot, including 3 who remained at the scene and were transported to the hospital by EMS. We're told 3 other people fled, but also ended up in the hospital.

3 people died from their wounds, including King Von ... according to one of his close friends.

We're told no cops were injured in the shooting, which is now being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Atlanta Police Homicide.

It's unclear who shot King Von, sources say investigators are trying to sort out who shot who.

King Von was an up and coming rapper from Chicago, dropping his first single, "Crazy Story" in 2018 and was affiliated with Lil Durk.

RIP

The person suspected of shooting and killing "Surface" actor Eddie Hassell has been arrested in Texas ... TMZ has learned.

The Grand Prairie Police Department tells TMZ ... its department and the U.S. Marshal Service North Texas Fugitive Task Force arrested D'Jon Antone on Wednesday for capital murder. The 18-year-old suspect is currently being held in the Grand Prairie Detention Center with bond set at $500k.

Cops say Antone allegedly shot and killed the actor in a random robbery. The case is now being handed off to the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office.

TMZ broke the story ... Eddie was killed last Sunday morning after he was shot in the stomach while outside his girlfriend's apartment. Cops say they got a call about a shooting at 1:50 AM and when they arrived they saw Eddie had suffered from apparent gunshot wounds.

Cops rendered first aid and he was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was best known for playing Phil Nance in the NBC show "Surface." He also starred as Eddie Suarez in "Devious Maids" for a bit.

Actor Eddie Hassell -- most famous from NBC's "Surface" -- has died after being shot ... TMZ has learned.

Eddie's rep tells us he was killed early Sunday morning somewhere in Texas over what appears to be a carjacking. His team is working on getting more information, but they confirm he has, in fact, died.

While he didn't have too many leading roles in movies or TV shows, he acted in quite a number of them over the years. He's perhaps best known for playing Phil Nance in "Surface" for a bunch of episodes. He also starred as Eddie Suarez in "Devious Maids" for a bit.

Other acting credits include a role in "The Kids Are All Right," "Family Weekend," "'Til Death," and other cameos in a ton of other series and flicks like "2012," "Longmire," "Jobs," "Bones," "Southland," "Warrior Road," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," "Bomb City," and other projects.

Besides being an actor, Eddie was an avid surfer and skater -- he was also a published author, having written, "Someone Should Tell You: Startling Revelations and Truths to Help You Understand and Improve Your Life."

He was 30 years old.

Nikki McKibbin, who placed third on the first season of "American Idol" has died.

Sources connected to Nikki's family tell TMZ, Nikki died of a brain aneurysm. She was in the hospital on life support, and at 3 AM this morning, she was taken to the operating room where her organs were harvested and she was pronounced dead.

Nikki was on 'AI' in 2002, when the show hit like an earthquake, drawing huge audiences. Her best-remembered performance was a cover of Alannah Myles' song, "Black Velvet." She also covered Stevie Nicks, Alanis Morissette, Melissa Etheridge, and Janis Joplin.

Nikki finished behind Justin Guarini and Kelly Clarkson, who won the competition.

Turns out, she was not the only member of the family to compete. Her 15-year-old son, Tristan Langley, auditioned for the show in 2014 and made it to Hollywood, but got cut.

Nikki fought some demons during her life ... she had substance abuse issues and appeared in 2008 on Dr. Drew's 'Celebrity Rehab.' She then moved to a sober living house and her time there was chronicled on "Sober House," a spinoff of 'Celebrity Rehab.'

Nikki also appeared on "Fear Factor," and "Battle of the Network Reality Stars."

Nikki was married to Craig Sadler since 2007. She was surrounded by family when she passed.

Nikki was 42.

RIP

Nate Burrell, one of the stars of A&E's docuseries, "60 Days In," has taken his own life.

Nate's sister, Chelsey Walker, tells TMZ, Nate committed suicide Saturday night. She says her brother shot and killed himself out in public in downtown Allegan, Michigan.

Nate posted a long suicide note on Facebook, saying, "This isn't an admission of guilt. I'm just tired, I've been through so much in my life, the pain of my situation now hurts more than I ever imagined. I can't keep going on."

Nate had just turned 33 years old. He had a child on the way with his wife, but it looks like he and his wife split. He wrote, "I can only imagine how bad this would all turn out, all of the legal crap that would ensue after this with custody and everything else. You win! You have promised for weeks, you will ruin my life and I had no idea who I was messing with. You are right, I didn't know who I was messing with."

The show followed Nate and 8 other volunteers who entered jail for 2 months under assumed identities to put a spotlight on the problems behind bars.

Nate's sister said, "Nathan loved his country, loved his family and was a very caring guy. He was just in a bad place. He was very proud of being on '60 Days In,' and he really cherished his time on that show."

Burrell served in the military as a Marine from 2006 to 2010.  He was in the infantry and served 2 tours in Iraq. Nate went on to receive his associate degree in criminal justice and law enforcement in 2014. He was a Fish and Wildlife Officer in Michigan.

Nate was 33.

Vanessa Bryant and her daughters are all smiles this Halloween -- the first without Kobe and Gianna Bryant -- and for good reason too ... their costumes are freakin' amazing.

The Bryant family did a double shot of Halloween fun this year with a photo shoot that featured two sets of matching costumes between Vanessa and her three girls -- the themes being 'Madeline' (the beloved children's book series) and a classic choice ... 'Star Wars!'

For the former set, Mamba Bear dressed up as the boarding school teacher, Miss Clavel, while Natalia and her baby sisters, Bianka and Capri, donned the traditional uniform of Madeline and her classmates ... y'know, from the house in Paris covered in vines.

Needless to say ... they look incredible, almost like they were torn right out of the page. It's crazy, 'cause this is actually more realistic and faithful to the illustrations than the live action movie from the '90s.

On that latter shoot, it was less realism ... and more adorable than anything. Vanessa was a shorter version of Darth Vader, Natalia was a much taller version of BB8 -- and the two little ones were a Storm Trooper and an Ewok, respectively. These outfits were like the family-friendly ones you might find at a Target or something ... which played well for the camera.

The get-together seemed like a pretty joyous event, but of course ... the shadow of Kobe and Gigi still loom large, which makes the shoot pretty heart-breaking at the same time. Like we mentioned, this marks the first Halloween without them around -- and yet, the Bryants carried on with the family tradition of dressing up like champs.

Thankfully, Natalia's got a great shot of her and Gigi goofing around together this time last year. They were rockin' 'Wizard of Oz'-themed costumes -- with Natalia as the Scarecrow and Gianna as the Tin Man.

Sean Connery, the first and widely-regarded best James Bond ever ... has died.

Sean's wife says he died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his family. No cause of death was disclosed.

Connery became an enormous star in 1962 with the release of "Dr. No," but not without difficulty. James Bond creator Ian Fleming felt he was unrefined and wanted someone suave like Cary Grant. Fleming relented and ultimately said it was a great choice.

Sean starred in 7 Bond films between '62 and '83. Among the films -- "From Russia with Love," "Goldfinger," "Thunderball," "You Only Live Twice," "Diamonds are Forever," and "Never Say Never Again."

Connery had a hard time shaking the Bond character, but was ultimately successful .... branching out and ultimately winning an Oscar playing an Irish cop in "The Untouchables." He also won 2 Bafta awards and 3 Golden Globes. He was knighted by the Queen in 2000.

When Sean was shooting "Never Say Never Again," he took martial arts classes and got into it with the instructor who then broke his wrist. Sean didn't get it treated for years ... not knowing it was really broken. The instructor -- Steven Seagal.

Among Sean's other films ... "The Hunt for Red October," "Indiana Jones" "The Last Crusade" and "The Rock."

Most fans give Sean the title of best 007 ever ... at least in the polls. And, speaking of polls, he also holds a Sexiest Man Alive crown. He also once finished third in the Mr. Universe contest back in 1953.

Fun fact ... Sean wore a toupee in "Goldfinger" because his hair had started to thin.

Sean's survived by his second wife, Micheline Roquebrune, and his son, Jason Connery. There will be a private funeral, followed by a memorial once COVID ends.