Celebrity Death

The Vegas strip's shining a little brighter to honor one of its adopted sons ... lighting up the marquees to honor the late Siegfried Fischbacher.

Sin City paid tribute to the legendary magician/tiger tamer Thursday night when virtually every hotel on Las Vegas Blvd. lit up its marquee to bid him farewell. The tribute started at 5 PM ... and you can see Park MGM, Aria and the MGM were among the hotels that took part.

Siegfried and Roy arrived in Vegas in the 1970s and performed at the Stardust Hotel, MGM Grand, New Frontier Hotel.

While Siegfried got top billing at various hotels ... he undoubtedly shined the brightest at the Mirage, where he and his partner, Roy Horn, built a worldwide brand from 1990 until 2003. Before their debut there, the duo described the new show to Steve Wynn as "above and beyond anything anyone had seen in Las Vegas."

Kenneth Field, the producer, told 20/20 that the new show "was probably the most expensive show in the history of the world at the time it was built." A cool $30 million. Siegfried and Roy's show would go on to become the most visited show on the strip.

Joanne Rogers -- widow of legendary children's TV host, Fred Rogers -- has died ... according to the family's production company.

Fred Rogers Productions says it's deeply saddened by Joanne's passing, adding ... "The loving partner of Fred Rogers for more than 50 years, she continued their shared commitment to supporting children and families after his death as chair of the board of Fred Rogers Productions."

The company says ... "Joanne was a brilliant and accomplished musician, a wonderful advocate for the arts, and a dear friend to everyone in our organization."

Joanne was married to Fred for 50 years, as he became famous for "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," and helped carry on his legacy of kindness and caring after he died of stomach cancer in 2003.

During election season, Joanne made headlines for publicly supporting Joe Biden, describing herself as a "very big Biden fan" and saying ... "I think we all need somebody like Biden who can give us little pats on the back."

Like her husband, she's hailed as a hero in their hometown of Pittsburgh, and the city paid tribute to her Thursday, calling her one of its "favorite neighbors" and thanking her for her dedication to its community and its children.

Joanne is survived by her 2 sons, James and John. She was 92.

Siegfried Fischbacher -- half of the famous Siegfried & Roy magic act -- has died just 2 days after announcing he had cancer ... and 8 months after his professional partner, Roy Horn.

Siegfried died Wednesday night at his home in Las Vegas from pancreatic cancer. His sister says he "fell asleep gently and peacefully."

The longtime magician had just announced his terminal diagnosis, and though he'd undergone a lengthy surgery to remove a malignant tumor ... the cancer had already spread. Siegfried was reportedly released from the hospital at his own request to spend his final days at home.

Vegas, of course, is where Siegfried & Roy made names for themselves ... with their popular act best known for featuring white tigers and lions. The duo performed together for 4 decades, best known for their run at The Mirage from 1990 until 2003 ... which was hailed the most visited show on the Strip.

Their act ended after Roy suffered a career-ending injury when a tiger named Montecore attacked him on stage, leaving him partially paralyzed.

Roy died last May at the age of 75 from complications of COVID-19. Siegfried said at the time, "The world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend."

Both men were from Germany -- they met while working on a cruise ship in 1957 -- and began a 50-year journey together in the entertainment biz. Siegfried once said ... "We did what we did out of love, not for success or money. We had a deep respect for each other. We literally raised each other: I created Roy and Roy created Siegfried."

Siegfried was 81.

Tommy 'Tiny' Lister was all in for the movie that made him famous -- namely, Ice Cube's cult classic "Friday" -- because he legally changed his name to pay homage to his unforgettable character.

TMZ has obtained Tommy's death certificate, and while a cause of death hasn't yet been officially determined ... there was one very interesting nugget we noticed. His full name reads Tommy Debo Lister, very different from his reported birth name ... Thomas Duane Lister Jr.

It's interesting for a number of reasons. Obviously, Tommy is most famous for portraying Deebo in the "Friday" franchise -- and, no, we didn't spell that wrong ... but it appears Tommy did. In any case, it's quite clear he loved the character -- so much so, he actually made it part of his real-life identity ... opting for that instead of "Tiny," his longtime public nickname.

His manager, Cindy Cowan, tells TMZ he made the change in an L.A. court about 6 months ago -- because he felt his fans and the public at large simply knew him from "Friday."

Like we said ... Tommy's cause of death is pending right now -- it's listed as "deferred" on the doc, which just means they're still doing tests.

Remember, though, many in Tommy's immediate circle believe it was COVID-19. He was incredibly sick in his final days -- evident in several different videos he participated in -- and he'd already caught the virus earlier this year.

While the medical team works on getting closure on that front -- there's one last thing we should note about Tommy's death certificate. It says he was married to Felicia Lister.

If you know, you know ... gotta love it.

TMZ broke the story ... 62-year-old Tommy died suddenly last year at his L.A.-area home. When paramedics arrived, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dr. Payman Simoni -- the Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who died from COVID-19 -- performed the same procedure that led to his death weeks before ... for a reality show.

Patrik Simpson, who appears on "Gown and Out in Beverly Hills," tells TMZ ... he filmed with Dr. Simoni in November and December for an upcoming episode, going under the knife -- without a mask -- for a lip lift.

Remember, Dr. Simoni died Friday after being hospitalized with COVID-19 ... and family sources told us he contracted the virus after performing a lip injection on a maskless patient who coughed on him, and tested positive for COVID days later.

Patrik tells us he was instructed to get a COVID test before surgery, and he tested negative. The woman who allegedly infected Dr. Simoni, however, was not tested beforehand and only did a temperature check and COVID questionnaire at the practice.

We're told Dr. Simoni was wearing a mask during Patrik's elective surgery, just as he was with the other patient, but get this ... the doc posed for a maskless photo with Patrik last month during a post-op appointment.

While filming 'Gown and Out' with Dr. Simoni, crew for the show also had to test negative to keep working and there were a small number of folks involved in production, with no other patients ... Patrik tells us.

It's super sad ... Patrik says he and Pol Atteu from the show sent Dr. Simoni texts on Christmas and New Year's Day, but was alarmed when there was no response. The doc died Jan. 8 from a brain hemorrhage after being placed in a medically induced coma.

Bert Belasco -- famous from BET's "Let's Stay Together" -- died suddenly after suffering an aortic aneurysm that likely stemmed from high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

According to his death certificate ... Bert's immediate cause of death is listed as hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. That's medical speak for high blood pressure and hardening and narrowing of the arteries that restricts blood flow.

However, his family says the coroner told them it was an aortic aneurysm -- a bulge in the artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and torso -- that killed him.

Bert's death certificate says he'll be cremated.

As you know ... Dr. Dre is currently in ICU after suffering an aneurysm a week ago. His was a brain aneurysm and he was much luckier than Bert, because half the people who suffer a brain aneurysm do not survive, and the mortality rate is even higher with cardiovascular aneurysms.

TMZ broke the story ... Bert's father, Bert Sr., told us his son's body was found back in November in a hotel room in Richmond, VA. He was there to start on a project for a new movie. Bert's GF couldn't get a hold of him and she eventually asked hotel staff to check on him.

There's also this ... Bert's alma mater, Southern Illinois University, plans to launch The Bert Belasco Scholarship and Award Fund and The Bert Belasco Theater Award, which will be awarded to an incoming African-American or minority student and a graduating student actor, respectively.

For the first time in more than 8,000 episodes, someone other than Alex Trebek is hosting "Jeopardy!" ... so the new guy made sure to pay a fitting tribute to the late TV legend.

Ken Jennings kicked off his stint as interim host of the famous game show by honoring the man who made it famous ... saying Alex was pretty much perfect at what he did for more than 36 years.

Jennings pointed to Trebek's intelligence, charm and grace as reasons why he will never be replaced ... but told the audience the best way to honor him is "by playing the game he loved."

Jennings will be hosting throughout January to help the show out while it looks for a permanent replacement. Ken's obviously known as the greatest "Jeopardy!" contestant of all time, but when it comes to his hosting chops ... he's previously made it clear, "There will only ever be one Alex Trebek."

"Jeopardy!" paid its final respects to the beloved host last week with a 90-second video tribute thanking him for his 37 seasons of service, since he began the gig in 1984. The highlight montage played during the airing of the last episode Trebek taped.

In Trebek's heartbreaking final sign-off, he thanked viewers for watching and said he'd see them again next week. Sadly, Alex died 10 days later without filming another episode.

Tanya Roberts' longtime partner is planning a celebration of her life, but before that, he plans to honor her in an L.A. location near and dear to her heart.

Lance O'Brien tells TMZ ... the late model and actress is going to be cremated, and he's going to spread her ashes in the hills behind their home in Laurel Canyon, where she used to hike regularly with her dogs.

Lance says Tanya would go on a 4-mile hike with her 2 beloved pooches 5 times a week, and he adds ... they're very much missing their mom.

Tanya's partner tells us it's been an incredibly difficult week, but he's trying to work out plans with her family and friends for a memorial service, or some other way to pay tribute to her.

We broke the story ... the actress best known for "That '70s Show" and "Charlie's Angels" died Monday night, potentially from a UTI that spread to her kidneys and liver.

News of her death was bizarrely announced prematurely a day earlier though, the result of what seemed to be a major miscommunication between Lance and Tanya's rep after Lance visited her at the hospital Sunday night.

The way he described it ... she was unresponsive on a ventilator, but he thought she woke up when he arrived in her room.

A plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills has died from COVID-19 ... and it appears to be entirely because he was able to keep working on patients during a pandemic.

Dr. Payman Simoni -- who's been featured on "The Doctors" show -- passed away while hospitalized in L.A. -- this after he contracted the virus while performing a cosmetic procedure on a patient who turned out to be COVID positive ... so say family sources.

We're told Dr. Simoni was doing a lip injection on a woman last month ... obviously an elective procedure. She was temperature checked and filled out a COVID questionnaire. She was not tested.

While the doc was hovering over the maskless woman, our sources say she coughed in his face. He had his mask on, but still ... she sprayed on him. She contacted the office a few days later to inform them she had tested positive for COVID.

Dr. Simoni then went into quarantine and began experiencing symptoms -- shortness of breath, etc -- and in short order, he was on a ventilator at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. We're told Dr. Simoni was eventually placed in a medically induced coma as his lungs started failing. He died Friday from a brain hemorrhage.

It's a cautionary tale ... one that might've been avoided if the City of Beverly Hills hadn't passed a resolution allowing cosmetic surgery offices to remain open while cases continue to surge. Some docs have opted to hold off -- others obviously haven't.

Simoni was 50.

This one hits hard -- "Jeopardy!" paid its final respects to Alex Trebek with the airing of the last episode the legendary host taped.

The show aired a 90-second video tribute thanking the late host for his 37 seasons of service to the show before he passed away in November. The video showed Alex's highlights throughout the decades and it was set to Peter Allen’s “Once Before I Go.”

The final message at the end ... "Dedicated to Alex Trebek. Forever in our hearts. Always our inspiration." This week was the last week of Alex's slate of new episodes, which he shot back in October.

When the show starts airing again on Monday ... there will be a slate of guest hosts, with Ken Jennings up to bat first. In the meantime, the show's searching for a permanent replacement.

Alex, who had been hosting "Jeopardy!" since 1984, died in November after a long battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 80, and is already so missed.

Tommy Lasorda -- a Dodgers legend and arguably the most famous manager in MLB history -- has died, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

He was 93 years old.

The Dodgers released a statement Friday morning ... saying Lasorda suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at his California home and was transported to the hospital with resuscitation in progress.

He was pronounced dead at 10:57 PM Thursday night.

As we previously reported, Lasorda was admitted to a Southern California hospital back in mid-November in "serious condition" ... and required sedation. He was also put on a ventilator.

But, Tommy's condition improved over the past few weeks ... and just a few days ago, he returned home.

Though, tragically, Lasorda passed on Thursday.

"Words can not express my feelings," legendary manager Bobby Valentine said on Twitter. "A friend and mentor for 52 years is no longer with us. Tommy no one will ever fill the void you left. Thank you for everything. R.I.P."

Lasorda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997. He led L.A. to World Series titles in 1981 and 1988.

Lasorda also won Manager of the Year twice in 1983 and 1988.

"In a franchise that has celebrated such great legends of the game, no one who wore the uniform embodied the Dodger spirit as much as Tommy Lasorda," Dodgers president Stan Kasten said.

"A tireless spokesman for baseball, his dedication to the sport and the team he loved was unmatched."

Kasten continued, "The Dodgers and their fans will miss him terribly. Tommy is quite simply irreplaceable and unforgettable."

Lasorda wasn't only a big deal on the baseball field ... he became an incredibly popular pitch man in the 90's -- starring in commercials for brands like Slim Fast.

The home where Naya Rivera lived with her son before her tragic death is now for sale.

The late "Glee" star's home in L.A.'s Los Feliz neighborhood is on the market with a $2,695,000 price tag. She bought the home back in 2018 for a little less than that ... $2.6 million.

The 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom home had recently been renovated. Highlights include natural white oak hardwood floors, a kitchen with Italian Carrara marble, a hidden Bosch fridge and an Italian Bertazzoni range. Buono vita, indeed!

The second floor has an outdoor patio, laundry room and huge walk-in closet -- and the lower level has another patio and a sweet lap pool.

Naya had been living at this house with her 5-year-old son, Josey ... who's been with his father, Ryan Dorsey, since her accidental drowning death last summer while swimming in Lake Piru, just north of Los Angeles.

Despite a tragic year ... Josey recently enjoyed the holidays with Ryan and decorated a Christmas tree together. A little over a month later ... Naya's family is ready to move on from the home she owned.

Dave Creek -- best known as lead character designer for the popular FOX animated series "Bob's Burgers" -- has died following a skydiving accident.

Dave died Thursday after suffering injuries in a skydiving accident last weekend ... though at this moment it's unclear exactly what his specific injuries were.

Tributes have been pouring in from his co-workers in Hollywood ... including "Bob's Burgers" director Simon Chong.

Bernard Derriman, a supervising director on the show, also paid tribute to his longtime colleague and tweeted one of Dave's sketches and posted pictures of one of the treehouses Dave built around bonsai plants. The work is pretty remarkable.

Dave's other huge passion was skydiving. His Instagram feed has tons of video showing him making jumps.

The last video he posted was on December 28 and he captioned it, "Steep little break-off at 5,000ft." He included the hashtags "adrenaline," "happiness," "meat missile" and "fun."

The outlet CartoonBrew first reported his death.

Dave's credited with 79 episodes of "Bob's Burgers" since the series launched in 2011. Some of his other animation credits include "Central Park," "Brickleberry" and the film "Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown."

He graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 2005 and was also an adjunct professor there -- teaching character animation and workshops.

Dave was 42.

Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand on one of the "Deadliest Catch" crab fishing boats, died from a drug overdose ... TMZ has learned.

Mahlon's cause of death is listed as acute cocaine intoxication ... according to Flathead County Sheriff and Coroner, Brian Heino. He also tells us the death has been ruled accidental.

TMZ broke the story ... Mahlon died in Whitefish, Montana back in July, after suffering a massive heart attack and going on life support. His wife told us his death came as a complete shock to the family because he had no known existing health conditions.

Mahlon's death came while he was rehabbing a torn Achilles, suffered while crabbing, and we were told he was working his butt off to make it back to Alaska for another crab season.

Tanya Roberts' feared she had contracted COVID-19 before collapsing at home ... but doctors believe a serious infection -- not COVID -- is what killed the actress.

The late actress's partner, Lance O'Brien, tells TMZ ... Tanya said she felt short of breath, tired and had tightness in her stomach just days before her collapse on Christmas Eve. Lance says when Tanya collapsed he helped her up ... and realized she had virtually no strength. An ambulance arrived and took her to the hospital, giving her oxygen along the way and helping her to regain consciousness.

Once Tanya was hospitalized, Lance says her condition quickly deteriorated -- which Lance himself recounted on camera Tuesday. BTW, we're told she was tested for COVID several times while in the hospital, but all of the tests came back negative.

So the question remains ... what could have taken her life so quickly? Lance tells us that doctors informed him it might be related to a UTI that spread to her kidneys and liver. We're told Tanya also had Hepatitis C, and doctors told Lance that was causing complications as well.

An autopsy has yet to be performed. Tanya was 65.

Tanya Roberts' longtime partner says he was distraught and confused during his final moments with her ... which may explain why he prematurely told folks she had died.

Lance O'Brien told a photog Tuesday ... when he visited her Sunday at the hospital she was in bad shape -- unresponsive on a ventilator -- but he says when he told her he was there, she sat up and opened her eyes.

This led him to believe she was responding, but he says hospital staff told him it was just a reflex ... and she was "out" shortly afterward. Lance tells us he was beside himself, so he got in the elevator and left.

Lance says Tanya's rep Mike Pingel -- who's driving Lance in this video -- picked him up from the hospital and asked what happened ... and this might help explain her bizarre premature death announcement.

He tells us he responded, "I just said goodbye to Tanya," and that was it ... then he went home and fell asleep, only to wake up later to phone calls about her passing.

Lance seems to be suggesting Mike interpreted his statement as proof Tanya had died, though Pingel also says Lance told him ... "She died in my arms."

Either way, it makes sense in wake of a devastating, tragic moment that there could be a communication breakdown ... and Lance says the ordeal was made all the more difficult due to COVID.

Lance also tells us Tanya had her initial health scare on December 23 -- not Christmas Eve -- but he thought it was just a blood sugar issue and she would be fine.

We broke the story ... Tanya died Monday night at L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Hospital. Despite the strange story involving her death, she'll be remembered for her long and successful career as a model and actress ... most recently for starring on "That '70s Show" as Midge.

Tanya was 65.