Celebrity Death

Marty Schottenheimer -- one of the NFL's all-time greatest head coaches -- died on Monday after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's ... his family announced Tuesday.

He was 77 years old.

The coach had fought Alzheimer's since 2014 ... but was moved to a North Carolina hospice facility last month after his family said he was suffering from "complications from his disease."

Schottenheimer's wife, Pat, said at the time, "As a family we are surrounding him with love and are soaking up the prayers and support from all those he impacted through his incredible life."

"In the way he taught us all, we are putting one foot in front of the other ... one play at a time."

Pat and the rest of the Schottenheimer family told ESPN's Chris Mortensen Marty passed on Monday ... adding the former coach will have a private family service soon with a public memorial service at a later date.

Schottenheimer was a head man in the NFL for 21 years ... and is 1 of just 8 men to win at least 200 games in the league as a head coach.

He began his head coaching career with the Cleveland Browns in 1984 -- and later went on to coach Joe Montana and Marcus Allen in Kansas City starting in 1989.

Schottenheimer went on to spend 10 total years with the Chiefs -- piling up a 101-58-1 regular-season record. He took the team to 7 playoff appearances -- and even brought them to the AFC Championship game in 1993, where they lost to the Buffalo Bills.

Marty continued his coaching career with Washington before moving to the San Diego Chargers. He was named Coach of the Year there in 2004, when the team went 12-4 and won the AFC West.

Billy Brown -- the Brown family patriarch featured in 12 seasons of the hit series "Alaskan Bush People" -- has died.

Billy died Sunday following a seizure. His son, Bear, wrote on Instagram the family is "heartbroken to announce that our beloved patriarch Billy Brown passed away last night after suffering from a seizure."

Bear added, "He was our best friend - a wonderful and loving dad, granddad and husband and he will be dearly missed. He lived his life on his terms, off the grid and off the land and taught us to live like that as well."

A spokesperson for Discovery tells TMZ ... everyone at the network is devastated and said Billy's been "part of the Discovery family for years - a trailblazer, a lovely man and most definitely one of a kind. Our heart is with his family and those that knew him and loved him as they deal with this devastating loss."

Billy was an avid hunter and a pretty brilliant commercial fisherman in the North Pacific. He grew up in Texas and when he was 16 he suffered a tragedy -- his mother, father and sister died in a plane crash.

After meeting his wife, Ami, in Texas, they decided to move to Alaska where they raised their family of 5 sons and 2 daughters.

Billy was 68.

The teenage son of Dr. Laura Berman -- the famous sex therapist on Oprah Winfrey's TV network -- has died after what sounds like an accidental drug overdose.

Dr. Berman made the announcement Sunday, saying her 16-year-old Samuel had recently passed away after what she describes as a shady drug deal on Snapchat ... which apparently led to her boy getting fentanyl-laced Xanax pills.

She writes, "Sheltering at home. A drug dealer connected with him on Snapchat and gave him fentinyl laced Xanax and he overdosed in his room." Dr. Berman says dealers lace their stuff with fentanyl because it hooks their buyers, but it can obviously kill people too if too much is taken ... as we've come to realize in recent years.

Her post goes on ... "My heart is completely shattered and I am not sure how to keep breathing. I post this now only so that not one more kid dies." Dr. Berman explains that, yes, she and her family watched Samuel closely, and that he was a straight-A student.

Still, one experiment with prescription pills went wrong ... and cost him his life. Sounds like this happened right under his parents' noses too -- she says the drugs were delivered to their house while they were quarantining ... and warns parents to monitor Snapchat heavily.

Dr. Berman's had her own program on OWN for almost a decade now -- not to mention a number of books she's written, and a radio show she hosts as well. She has 2 other boys, who are close in age to Samuel.

U.S. Congressman Ron Wright has died from COVID-19 -- the first such sitting member of Congress to succumb to the lethal virus since the pandemic began.

The Texas Representative's staff made the announcement Monday, saying he'd passed Sunday while hospitalized in Dallas -- with his wife, Susan, by his side in her own bed ... as she too had been admitted after they both came down with COVID in January.

At the time his diagnosis was announced, on Jan. 21, Wright said in a statement that he was experiencing minor symptoms ... but more or less felt fine and was determined to keep working on behalf of his district. Clearly, his health took a toll for the worst.

His staff also notes ... he'd been battling and getting treatment for cancer in recent years.

He'd been serving in Congress since 2019, and was in his second term at the time of his hospitalization. A lifelong Republican, Wright had been involved in local politics down in Tarrant County, TX -- which covers a majority of the Fort Worth area. He served as an at-large member on Arlington's City Council, and at one point filled in as mayor pro tempore.

While Wright is the first active member of Congress to have died from coronavirus, another incoming congressman from Louisiana, Representative-elect Luke Letlow, died from COVID in December before being able to be sworn in and serve with his freshman class.

Wright was 67.

Pedro Gomez -- longtime ESPN reporter -- has died suddenly at the age of 58, the network announced.

ESPN has not revealed the cause of death -- only noting he died "unexpectedly at his home" on Sunday afternoon.

Gomez joined ESPN in April 2003 and was one of the most respected Major League Baseball reporters in the country ... covering over 25 World Series throughout his impressive career.

During Barry Bonds chase of Hank Aaron's all-time home run record in the mid-2000's, Gomez famously covered the Giants slugger for several seasons.

ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro released a statement on Gomez's passing, saying ... “We are shocked and saddened to learn that our friend and colleague Pedro Gomez has passed away.”

“Pedro was an elite journalist at the highest level and his professional accomplishments are universally recognized. More importantly, Pedro was a kind, dear friend to us all. Our hearts are with Pedro’s family and all who love him at this extraordinarily difficult time.”

Prior to joining ESPN, Gomez worked for several newspapers in the '80s and '90s -- including the Sacramento Bee -- where he was a beat reporter for the Oakland Athletics.

The entire sports world -- and especially MLB -- is mourning Gomez's death.

The Dodgers tweeted, saying they're "stunned and saddened to hear about the passing of Pedro Gomez. We are thinking of his family, friends and colleagues and offer our condolences during this difficult time."

The Red Sox also issued a statement on social media, saying ... "Our hearts go out to the Gomez family, including Pedro Gomez’s son, Rio, a pitcher in our minor league system."

Pedro -- who passed away suddenly -- tweeted about the Super Bowl only several hours ago.

Gomez -- a south Florida native who attended the University of Miami -- is survived by his wife, Sandra, and their 3 children.

George Shultz -- President Reagan's Secretary of State and one of the most prolific statesmen in American history -- has died.

Stanford University's Hoover Institution broke the news Sunday, saying Shultz had died at his home in California ... no cause of death was revealed. Another S.O.S. and current Director of the Institution, Condoleezza Rice, remembered Shultz as a man of great accomplishment.

She says, "Our colleague was a great American statesman and a true patriot in every sense of the word. He will be remembered in history as a man who made the world a better place."

Shultz is perhaps best remembered as a major player in Reagan's administration, especially as it pertained to keeping the temperature down with then-Soviet Russia ... with whom the U.S. was in the midst of a Cold War that threatened to boil over at a moment's notice.

When Gorbachev became the Russian president in the mid-'80s, Shultz convinced Reagan to play nice and actually talk to the guy ... seeing how U.S.-Russia relations at that point were pretty much broken and non-existent. That advice proved crucial to America and Russia eventually signing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, which got rid of a ton of nukes in Europe ... a huge step in achieving peace.

Shultz also served in President Nixon's administration, in a number of posts -- first, Secretary of Labor, later the first director of the Office of Management and Budget, and eventually Nixon's Secretary of Treasury ... where he headed up domestic and international financial policy.

When he finally left public service for good, Shultz went on to consult on a number of political causes, including President Bush's 2000 presidential campaign ... and also sat on a bunch of corporate boards, both economic and otherwise. One of his most famous ventures post-politics was with one-time Silicon Valley wiz Elizabeth Holmes -- who founded the biotech company Theranos, and tapped Shultz as a board member between 2011-2015.

He wasn't in on the scam, but did seem to be mesmerized by what Holmes was selling at the time ... state-of-the-art blood testing that was exposed as phony. Funny enough, his own grandson, Tyler, ended up being the whistleblower that blew up Theranos for good.

Shultz is survived by his five children and several grandchildren. He was 100.

Frank Shankwitz, the Arizona Highway Patrol officer who helped a terminally ill boy realize his dream of becoming a motorcycle cop and then co-created the Make-a-Wish Foundation, has died.

Shankwitz passed at his home in Prescott, Arizona ... succumbing to esophageal cancer.  Frank passed on January 24. His wife of 38 years, Kitty, was at his bedside.

Frank heard about a boy named Chris Greicius back in 1980 ... the child had end-stage leukemia and wanted to be a motorcycle cop when he grew up, just like Ponch and Jon from the TV show, "CHiPs."

Frank wanted to make Chris' dream come true but thought the boy might not be physically up for the adventure, saying, “Figuring he’d be brought out in a wheelchair, I was surprised when the door opened and a pair of sneakers emerged.”

Shankwitz explained, “Out stepped Chris, an excited 7-year-old boy who seemed so full of life it was hard to believe he was sick.” So, Frank gave him a badge and a uniform and even had him take a driving test in his front yard to become a real motor cop. Chris was beyond thrilled.

"CHiPs" stars Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox later autographed a photo for Chris, but by the time Shankwitz went to give it to him ... Chris had fallen into a light coma.

Chris had hung his uniform by the bed, and when Frank pinned the badge on his shirt, he woke up and asked, “Am I an official motorcycle cop now?” “You sure are,” Frank replied.

Chris died later that day.

A few months later Frank created the Make-a-Wish Foundation. More than 315,000 children in the United States have had their dreams come true as a result of Frank's efforts.

Today the org has 64 chapters in the U.S. and 36 chapters internationally.

Frank was 77.

Leon Spinks -- former undisputed heavyweight boxing champ -- who defeated Muhammad Ali in 1978 ... has died after a 5 year battle with cancer.

TMZ Sports has confirmed Spinks passed away Friday evening at the age of 67 ... surrounded by his wife Brenda and several other close friends and family.

Leon's health had been in decline recently ... the former boxing champ courageously battled prostate cancer for 5 years.

Spinks was the victor in one of the biggest upsets in sports history ... when he shocked the world by defeating Ali in a 15-round, split decision win in Las Vegas in February 1978.

In defeating Ali, Spinks -- the new heavyweight champ -- became the only fighter to ever take a belt from The Greatest.

The Ali fight was the most memorable moment of Leon's career ... but definitely not the only highlight.

In 1976, Spinks won a gold medal as a light heavyweight fighter in the Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Spinks -- born in St. Louis in 1953 -- developed a passion for boxing while in the U.S. Marines.

Pugilism ran deep in the Spinks family ... Leon was the older brother of boxer Michael Spinks -- a former 2-weight class world champion, and Olympic gold medalist (both brothers won gold in '76).

Leon was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.

Christopher Plummer -- who starred in "The Sound of Music" and so many other iconic films -- has died.

Plummer passed away peacefully at his home in Connecticut Friday, his family said in a statement. His wife of over 50 years, Elaine Taylor, was by his side. Lou Pitt, a longtime friend and manager of 46 years, said, "Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self-deprecating humor and the music of words."

Christopher, who started his acting career in the '50s, was featured in more than 100 films. His role as Captain Von Trapp in the 1965 classic, "The Sound of Music," cemented his status as one of the best actors in Hollywood.

He started his acting career at the Montreal Repertory Theatre. He landed his first leading role as Hal in "Henry V" at the 1956 Stratford Festival in Canada. He earned his first Tony nomination 3 years later for best actor in Archibald MacLeish's "J.B." He also landed roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK.

He won a Tony in 1973 for his title role in the musical "Cyrano" and then again in 1997 for the title role in "Barrymore." In total, he was nominated for 7 Tony Awards ... with his most recent nomination coming in 2007 for his lead role in "Inherit the Wind."

Among his other credits ... "The Thorn Birds," one of the biggest miniseries in TV history, which aired in 1983. He scored a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2010 for "Beginners." At the time, it made him the oldest winner ever in the acting category.

Christopher -- born Arthur Plummer in 1929 in Toronto -- was also nominated for an Oscar for his work in Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World." Remember ... he's the actor who replaced Kevin Spacey following Spacey's ouster from the film stemming from the #MeToo movement.

For his role as J. Paul Getty ... Christopher earned a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination. He recently starred in "Knives Out" with Daniel Craig and Chris Evans.

His manager added, "He was a National Treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will endure for all generations to come. He will forever be with us."

Interesting side note ... he was the great-grandson of John Abbott, Canada's third prime minister. He was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada in 1968.

Christopher was 91.

Dustin Diamond is going to be cremated as one of his final wishes ... and his ashes are staying with his loved ones.

Dustin's close friend, Dan Block tells TMZ ... once the "Saved By The Bell" star is cremated, his remains will be placed in 2 separate urns for his father and girlfriend. We're told there are no plans to spread Dustin's ashes.

TMZ broke the story ... Dustin died Monday morning after a battle with Stage 4 lung cancer, with his girlfriend by his side when he passed away.

A rep for Dustin tells us he didn't want to be buried under a tombstone because, as a public figure, he was scared people might go to his final resting place and deface it.

Dan says Dustin had two dying wishes ... taking his girlfriend to see the 'Star Wars' attractions at Disney World, and meeting Tool bassist Justin Chancellor ... neither of which came true.

Prince is having a reunion right now ... one of the original white doves that lived with him at Paisley Park has flown off to heaven.

The rock legend's dove, a female named Divinity, died peacefully Tuesday following a decline in health due to her old age ... Prince's Paisley Park Estate announced Wednesday.

The executive director of Prince's estate, Alan Seiffert, says ... "Divinity’s beautiful coo has welcomed visitors since Paisley Park first opened its gates to the public in October 2016."

He adds ... "She was one of the enduring links to Prince for thousands of fans. She will be missed."

According to the estate, Divinity surpassed the average lifespan of doves, and although she's the last of Prince's OG white doves ... a new generation will continue to grace his former home-turned-museum.

Divinity was 28.

The National Transportation Safety Board will formally announce Tuesday the probable cause of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others.

Investigators have been working the case for more than a year ... but the NTSB says it will formally announce its findings at a virtual board meeting that will be live-streamed to the public on Feb. 9.

In the days following the crash, the NTSB said preliminary findings showed no outward evidence of engine failure.

Months later, NTSB officials said the pilot, Ara Zobayan, may have been disoriented when the aircraft was caught in deep fog.

The NTSB said in June it found evidence showing Zobayan thought he was ascending over the fog, when in reality, the helicopter was going downward.

Autopsy results showed Zobayan was NOT on alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash ... and NTSB investigators said Zobayan’s girlfriend told them he was in great shape before the accident.

Unclear if there's new evidence to refute the earlier theory, but it seems likely to us the NTSB will confirm its earlier findings.

Along with Kobe and Zobayan, seven others -- including Kobe's daughter, Gianna, and friends Alyssa Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, John Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Payton Chester and Sarah Chester -- perished in the Jan. 26, 2020 crash.

Dustin Diamond was working on a "Saved by the Bell" reboot of his own before he got sick and tragically passed ... bringing back Screech's sidekick for a series of insurance ads.

Dustin's friend, Dan Block of Insurance King, tells TMZ ... they've been working on building their very own Kevin -- Screech's A.I. creation on the original series -- over the past year.

We're told the plan was to shoot a series of commercials with Dustin and Kevin ... where he introduces the robot he built to help save money on car insurance.

Dustin did a bunch of ads for Insurance King already over the years, but this was going to be a new campaign. Sadly, he got sick and passed away before the robot was complete and filming was set to begin.

On the bright side ... Dan says the robot will be complete in the next week, and he wants to offer it to "Saved by the Bell" producers to use in the reboot.

As we've told you ... despite Dustin's desire to be included in the 'SBTB' reboot, he was never asked to join the cast for season 1. However, his rep tells us they were in talks with producers in November 2020 about possibly reviving some Screech storylines for future episodes.

Hal Holbrook -- the longtime, award-winning actor known for playing Mark Twain for more than 60 years -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Hal's son, David, tells us ... his father passed away of old age at his Beverly Hills home on January 23. We're told he had a number of medical conditions and was having trouble swallowing, but he did not have COVID-19 ... it was simply his time.

Holbrook's career began in the '50s when he developed and starred in the one-man stage show, "Mark Twain Tonight!" which earned him critical acclaim. He would go on to win the Tony for Best Actor in 1966, get his first Emmy nom in 1967, and played the famous American novelist for more than 6 decades ... and in over 2,200 shows.

Playing historical figures on stage -- along with TV and movies -- was a staple for Hal. Throughout his career, he also performed as Abraham Lincoln -- which won him an Emmy in 1976 for the miniseries, "Lincoln" -- and John Adams in the 1984 miniseries, "George Washington."

Most famously though ... Hal gained international stardom for playing Deep Throat in the 1976 classic, "All the President's Men," in which he uttered the famous phrase, "Just follow the money."

Holbrook more recently played Republican congressman Francis Preston Blair in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" as well.

Along with all his historical roles, Hal also racked up 12 Emmy nominations and 5 wins. He was married to Dixie Carter until her death in 2010, and had a recurring role on her hit show, "Designing Women." He also directed a handful of episodes.

Hal also appeared in popular TV shows "Evening Shade," and "The West Wing" and starred on both "The Event" and "Sons of Anarchy" when he was in his 80s.

Then, in 2008 at age 82, he became the oldest person ever nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the time ... for his role in 2008's "Into the Wild."

Holbrook's other notable credits over the years include the miniseries "North and South," and films such as "Julia," "The Fog," "Wall Street," "The Firm," "Hercules" and "Men of Honor."

Hal was 95.

Famed P.I. Jack Palladino has died from the grave injuries he suffered during an attempted robbery in his San Francisco neighborhood.

Palladino never regained consciousness after being attacked by 2 would-be robbers Friday and falling and hitting his head on the pavement. His attorney, Mel Honowitz, says Jack died Monday around noon after being taken off life support the day before.

As we reported ... Jack's family says he went outside Friday evening to snap photos of people he believed were making trouble in his neighborhood, and they attacked him and tried to steal his camera.

Palladino's family says he refused to let go, but fell in the process. However, his photographs may have helped police track down the 2 suspects it arrested Sunday for his attack -- 23-year-old Tyjone Flournoy and 24-year-old Lawrence Thomas.

Flournoy and Thomas were booked for attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, but now that Palladino has died ... they may be facing a felony murder charge.

Jack started his career as a P.I. in the '70s, but became one of the premier names in the biz in the '80s ... and worked a bunch of high-profile cases in the '90s.

Those included investigating the extra-marital affair allegations against Bill Clinton in 1992, the cause of death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, and repping a 14-year-old boy in his civil, molestation lawsuit against Michael Jackson.

Jack was 76.

RIP

Dustin Diamond -- best known for playing the lovable Samuel "Screech" Powers on the hit NBC sitcom, "Saved by the Bell" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for Dustin tells us he died Monday morning. His condition had greatly declined since last week, and he was taken off of breathing machines in an attempt to get him to hospice care. His GF was by his side when he passed away, and we're told he did not suffer.

Dustin's death comes just a couple weeks after completing his first round of chemo after he was diagnosed with stage 4 small cell carcinoma ... which is commonly referred to as lung cancer. We were told the cancer started somewhere in Dustin's body and metastasized in his lungs.

He was initially hospitalized in Florida in January after feeling pain all over his body and a general sense of unease. Unfortunately for the kid star ... it turned out to be cancer.

Dustin, of course, is famous for playing Screech on four seasons of "Saved by the Bell" as Zack Morris' (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) nerdy sidekick who struggled to get any of Lisa Turtle's (Lark Voorhies) love and affection.

After the kids graduated from Bayside HS ... the show got a short-lived spinoff with "Saved by the Bell: The College Years." There was also "Saved by the Bell: The New Class" ... in which Dustin appeared as Screech from season 2 to 7 as Mr. Belding's assistant.

Dustin wasn't recast for the reboot of the show on Peacock. Back in January 2020, we talked to him about why he wasn't signed on for the new project. The short answer ... he didn't know why but argued for Screech's reprisal.

Dustin would appear in tons of other roles ... including as the groom in 98 Degrees' music video for their 1999 hit track, "I Do (Cherish You)." He also appeared in 2 episodes of "The Wonder Years." He became infamous for directing his own sex tape in 2006 but later admitted to Oprah Winfrey it wasn't him ... but a stunt double.

He also appeared in tons of reality shows ... including "Celebrity Boxing 2" and "Celebrity Fit Club" where he didn't make too many friends after becoming confrontational with numerous cast members.

There were other stunts too that pivoted his career from a beloved child actor to a controversial celebrity. Like when Dustin was supposed to fight the so-called angry bagel guy, Chris Morgan, before CM pulled out of the fight.

But, through it all ... Dustin got tons of love from fans and friends alike, including Insurance King president and CEO Dan Block, who wrapped NASCAR driver Josh Bilicki's car in Dustin's honor.

Dustin's team says they're aware his name is not necessarily the most reputable due to his history of mishaps, but they want the public to understand "he was not intentionally malevolent."

His team adds that he went through a great deal of turmoil in his life, but he was always "a humorous and high-spirited individual whose greatest passion was to make others laugh."

Dustin was 44.