Celebrity Death

Isaiah Thomas says it was "only right" to choose #24 when he signed with the N.O. Pelicans last week -- explaining it's the perfect way to pay tribute to his mentor, Kobe Bryant.

32-year-old Thomas inked a 10-day contract with the Pels on Friday -- and got emotional when talking to the media Tuesday about his jersey number selection before making his debut with the team.

'Kobe was one of my very close mentors," Thomas said ... "And [choosing #24] was an opportunity to pay homage to one of the best players to ever play the game."

"Hopefully it works out and I could play like Kobe a little bit if I get in there."

Thomas and Kobe had a close relationship -- IT says he would regularly text and call Mamba for advice about the game ... and about life.

"And, I miss that ... about being able to reach out to not one of the best basketball players in the world, but one of the best people in the world."

Kobe passed away in January 2020 -- but IT has vowed to honor Bryant's legacy every time he steps on the court ... and he certainly delivered on Tuesday.

IT made an immediate impact for the Pels as they took on the Atlanta Hawks -- scoring 8 straight points after he checked in.

The death of Team USA hockey legend Mark Pavelich -- a key part of the "Miracle on Ice" team -- has been ruled a suicide, officials announced.

The 63-year-old died on March 4 at the Eagle's Healing Nest in Minnesota -- where Pavelich had been undergoing court-ordered treatment as part of a 2019 assault case.

After a thorough investigation, the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office issued a statement Monday saying Pavelich "died of asphyxia due to a plastic bag over head. The manner of death is suicide."

Pavelich -- who famously made the assist on the game-winning goal to beat the Russians in the 1980 Olympics -- had been battling mental health issues in recent years.

In fact, during his assault case -- stemming from a violent altercation with a neighbor -- the ex-hockey star was diagnosed with PTSD and multiple clinical psychologists found him to be both mentally ill and dangerous.

One psychologist testified Pavelich suffered from "mild neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury with behavioral disturbance (psychotic symptoms, aggression)" -- and suggested the condition may have been caused by repeated hits to the head.

Pavelich's family had said they believe hockey was a major contributing factor to his brain injuries.

After his stint on Team USA, Mark spent 5 seasons with the NY Rangers -- followed by brief stints with the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks.

He retired from pro hockey in 1992.

Disney famously made a movie about the "Miracle On Ice" team in 2004 -- and Pavelich was played by actor Chris Koch.

Paul Ritter -- best known around the globe for playing Eldred Worple in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" -- has died.

A rep for the British actor says Paul died of a brain tumor Monday night. He died peacefully at home with his wife Polly and sons -- Frank and Noah -- by his side. The rep added, "He was fiercely intelligent, kind and very funny. We will miss him greatly. Paul was an exceptionally talented actor playing an enormous variety of roles on stage and screen with extraordinary skill."

Some of Paul's bigger credits include appearing in the James Bond movie "Quantum of Solace" as government adviser Guy Haines. In his homeland ... Paul was best known for playing the family patriarch in the long-running Channel 4 comedy "Friday Night Dinner."

He was also a brilliant stage actor that landed him both Olivier and Tony Award nominations. Paul's work in "Coram Boy" earned him an Olivier nomination in 2006. His starring role in "The Norman Conquests" in 2009 snagged him a Tony nomination.

He was most recently in the HBO miniseries "Chernobyl" ... portraying Anatoly Dyatlov, the supervisor who was blamed for not following safety protocols leading to the nuclear disaster.

Paul was also set to appear in the upcoming World War II drama "Operation Mincemeat."

Kane Roush -- a high school football legend who beat out Joe Burrow for one of the area's top awards -- was shot to death in Ohio over the weekend and cops are now on the hunt for his killer.

He was only 25 years old.

Roush was one of the top running backs in West Virginia in 2013 --constantly making headlines as the leader of the Wahama High School White Falcons.

He led the school to a Class A state title in 2012 -- and famously beat out Joe Burrow for the highly coveted "Gridiron Glory" Player of the Year award in 2013 ... something Burrow even joked about to TMZ Sports right before he was drafted in 2019.

Roush went on to play at the college level for the Div. II University of Charleston Golden Eagles in West Virginia ... earning 2 TDs, 176 yards rushing and another 132 yards receiving during his redshirt junior season.

But, tragedy struck on Easter Sunday -- the Meigs County Sheriff's Department responded to a call regarding shots fired in Pomeroy, OH around 4:52 AM and found Roush on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds in his back, according to the Daily Sentinel.

Officials say Roush crawled to a neighbor's residence about 20 yards away to ask for help ... and was still responsive as cops arrived on the scene.

Roush was transported to a nearby hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

Sheriff Keith Wood believes the incident may have happened after some sort of argument. Officials are currently investigating the incident.

Roush was a human highlight reel on the gridiron -- he had 48 total touchdowns during his senior season at Wahama ... including more than 1,600 rushing yards and another 720 yards receiving.

The UCWV football team tweeted their condolences on Monday ... saying, "Extremely saddened by the loss of one of our own. Rest Easy, Kane."

Gloria Henry -- most famous for playing the mom character on the old 'Dennis the Menace' show -- has died.

The veteran actress passed away Saturday, just one day after her 98th birthday ... this according to her daughter, Erin Ellwood, who broke the sad news on Instagram. After posting some celebratory shots of her mother's milestone year, she said she'd died the next day.

Erin threw up a photo of her mom posing at the Colette Miller angel wings mural in Hollywood, writing ... "She’s flying now, free of her body. She left on a countdown 4 3 2 1 @ 3:40pm. She was such an incredible woman in so many ways. This last year with her has been beautiful and heartbreaking. Thank you all for following me and supporting me on this journey - this beautiful land mine. Goodbye Momma, I love your guts forever ❤️"

On Friday, Erin posted a sweet birthday card Gloria was sent from cartoonist Marcus Hamilton -- the guy famous for those Dennis the Menace cartoons that have appeared in newspapers for years now. He customized it for her, thanking for being the best "mom" Dennis could ask for. Erin says it made Gloria's day to see it.

Of course, Gloria played Alice Mitchell -- the titular character's mom -- on the CBS black and white sitcom for all four seasons from 1959 through 1963, having starred in 146 episodes. She was the epitome of the white picket fence parent ... often playing peacemaker with her rambunctious boy and his nemesis/neighbor, Mr. Wilson.

While she's perhaps best-known from 'DTM' ... Gloria had a long-running career in TV and film that dates back to the '40s, when she starred in B-films like "Adventures in Silverado," "The Arkansas Swing," "Johnny Alegro" and many others.

She made a splash in the '50s as Michelle Malone in 'The Files of Jeffrey Jones' ... and went on to have supporting roles in 'Mr. & Mrs. North,' 'My Little Margie,' 'Perry Mason,' 'Broken Arrow,' 'The Farmer's Daughter,' 'The Brady Brides,' 'Simon & Simon,' 'Silver Spoons,' 'Dallas' and countless other famous series. All in all, Gloria has 65 acting credits to her name.

She'll always be remembered as Dennis' sweet maternal presence though. Gloria was 98.

B.B. Dickerson -- one of the founding members of the funk band War -- has reportedly died.

A rep confirmed his passing to Billboard, citing a battle with a long, undisclosed illness. He said B.B. -- whose real name was Morris -- died peacefully at his home in Long Beach.

Dickerson was one of the OG band members who helped put War on the map in the late '60s and '70s -- this after being discovered by record producer Jerry Goldstein and paired with lead singer Eric Burdon ... who served as the face of the group thereafter.

He served as the primary bassist for War, and often contributed vocals as well -- including heading up lead singer duties for their 10-minute-plus opus "The World is a Ghetto" -- which was reimagined and covered countless times over the years.

B.B. was also there for War's biggest hit single to date, "Why Can't We Be Friends?" plus a long string of other well-known tracks, like "Spill the Wine," "Gypsy Man," "Low Rider," "Me and Baby Brother," "The Cisco Kid," "All Day Music," "Slippin' Into Darkness," "Summer" and countless others.

He was also there performing with War when they notably shared the stage with Jimi Hendrix in London back in 1970 -- which became the latter's last public performance before he died.

B.B. toured and performed with War until 1979 -- when he departed, only to reunite with other founding members in the '90s under a new stage name, the Lowrider Band, as they attempted to get out from under the thumb of Goldstein, who had the rights to "War."

B.B. is said to be survived by his mother, uncle and children. He was 71.

G. Gordon Liddy -- the mastermind behind the Watergate break-in -- said he would go to his grave without talking ... and he's officially done just that.

Gordon's son, Thomas Liddy, tells TMZ ... Gordon died Tuesday morning in Mt. Vernon, Virginia. Gordon, who had been sick and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, died at the home of his daughter, Alexandra Liddy Bourne.

We're told Gordon did NOT die of COVID-19. In fact, Thomas says his father had received the vaccine 3 weeks ago in Maryland. Thomas and Alexandra were holding Gordon's hands as he passed away.

A little history lesson here for the young ones ... Gordon -- a political operative and former FBI agent -- was one of the guys behind the bungled 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee's Watergate headquarters.

They had initially planted bugs and photographed crucial docs ... and gotten away clean. But, some of the burglars -- with Gordon in a Watergate hotel room running point guard -- returned to the scene a few weeks later and got caught.

Gordon was among those arrested and indicted on charges of burglary, wiretapping and conspiracy. Of course, the scandal -- from the break-in to the cover-up -- led to President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974.

And, while some sang like canaries to get lighter sentences ... Gordon kept true to his word and kept his mouth shut. He spent nearly 4 and a half years behind bars after refusing to testify to a Senate committee ... but President Jimmy Carter would later commute his 6 to 20-year sentence.

After getting out of prison, Gordon made his mark on the small screen with minor roles in "Miami Vice" and "18 Wheels of Justice" ... but it was his nationally syndicated radio talk show that brought him stardom in the 1990s until his retirement in 2012.

Here's your chance to own a big piece of Notorious B.I.G. history ... a hubcap from the SUV the rapper was shot in is hitting the open market.

The folks over at Moments In Time are brokering the sale of one of the 4 hubcaps from the infamous GMC Suburban Biggie was riding in when he was gunned down March 9, 1997, as he left L.A.'s Petersen Automotive Museum.

We're told the seller originally got the hubcap from a family friend who owned the rental company which owned the SUV ... so it's been around the block. We're told the seller had the hubcap for years and just decided to unload it, with an asking price of a cool $150,000.

As you can see ... the hubcap still has part of the sticker that was slapped on it some 24 years ago, and you can still make out the advertisement for his 1997 album, "Life After Death."

The sticker says, "THINK B.I.G. MARCH 25 1997," which was the album's release date.

You can see the hubcap with the sticker in the crime scene photos from back in the day ... after B.I.G. was shot 4 times in a drive-by while the SUV was stopped at a red light on Fairfax and Wilshire Blvd.

Houston Tumlin -- the kid who played Ricky Bobby's son in 'Talladega Nights' -- grew up to proudly serve his country, but sadly suffered from PTSD and depression as a result, which led to his suicide ... his mother tells TMZ.

Michelle Tumlin tells us ... her son honorably served in the U.S. Army for nearly 6 years, earning many accolades as an E-4 specialist in the 101st Airborne Division.

Houston's awards include the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, but Michelle says he was most proud of earning his Air Assault wings.

Michelle says, "Houston received a different set of wings" this week, and while the family is hurting from the loss, she says they want to stress to anyone who is suffering to reach out and get help.

She says ... "Houston Lee Tumlin was so much more than a child actor from 'Talladega Nights.' My beautiful boy brought joy to everyone he encountered and made them feel special. Houston fought his battle for years, and we will continue to fight for him."

We're told Houston will have a full military funeral, and his family marched in an event over the weekend in Helena, Alabama to raise awareness for veteran suicide and PTSD support.

We broke the story ... Houston died by suicide Tuesday at his home in Pelham.

Along with his military service, he was best known for playing the foul-mouthed Walker Bobby, the eldest son of Will Ferrell's character, in the 2006 comedy, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

Houston was 28.

Deshayla Harris -- one of the stars of 'Bad Girls Club' -- died after falling victim to one of several shootings that occurred in her home state ... TMZ has confirmed.

Virginia Beach PD confirmed Deshayla's ID Saturday as one of two fatalities resulting from three separate shootings from Friday night ... which appear to be unrelated, but happened within a short time of one another. The other victim is 25-year-old Donovan Lynch.

Cops say Deshayla was a bystander for the second shooting, in which a stray bullet from the crossfire hit her. Police do not believe this was a mass shooting -- simply shots fired erupting from feuding parties near the beachfront area of town, where all the resorts lie.

Deshayla is said to have died at the scene. Upwards of eight other people were injured from the shootings -- and police say they have 3 individuals in custody in connection to at least one of those. Ahmon Adams, Nyquez Baker and Devon Dorsey Jr. were arrested and charged with several different counts -- including assault, use and reckless handling of a firearm, among others. VBPD says none of these guys were involved in the shooting that killed Deshayla ... it's unclear if any suspects have been apprehended for that just yet.

Deshayla is known for her appearance on Season 17 of 'BGC' ... which was dubbed 'East Meets West.' They slugged her on the show as the Firecracker Fashionista. Deshayla was portrayed as feisty and a proud East Coaster. She was also a brawler -- getting into a memorable fight with another cast member, Francesca, after spitting in her face.

Despite the bad blood on the show, it appears some of her fellow costars sent their condolences on word that she'd been killed, including Key Marie who posted a tribute to Deshayla on Instagram.

She writes, "No matter how much I refused to talk to you...you never took no for an answer you popped up to my show just to prove fixing our friendship meant something to you 🥲 hardest part about losing you is I never fully forgave you 😫😔 I literally let that TV s*** stand between us building a connection outside of tv 😔🥲🥲🥲 you didn’t deserve this man this shit jus don’t feel real ....I’m sick affffff 🥲🥲 rest easy Babygirl "

Deshayla's final IG post from Friday appears to show her out and about in downtown Norfolk, VA -- which is a stone's throw away from where she was ultimately gunned down.

She was 28.

Devastating news from the Minnesota Twins ... former MLB player and current bench coach Mike Bell has passed away after a battle with kidney cancer. He was only 46.

"The entire Minnesota Twins organization is saddened by the death of current bench coach Mike Bell, who passed away today at the age of 46 from cancer," the team said in a statement Friday.

"At the request of the Bell family, we will play tonight’s game in honor of Mike."

Bell was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 1993 amateur draft ... and played 7 seasons in the minor leagues.

He made his MLB debut in 2000 with his hometown Cincinnati Reds ... hitting 2 home runs and 4 RBI before returning to the minors. He retired from playing in April 2005.

Bell's family has a long history in baseball -- Mike's brother, David, played 12 years in the MLB and is the current manager for the Reds.

His dad, Buddy, had an 18-year playing career in the majors before coaching from 1996-2007.

Mike's grandfather, Gus Bell, is in the Reds Hall of Fame.

Earlier this week, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli praised Bell ... saying he was "absolutely invaluable to what we do," according to the Star Tribune.

"I feel fortunate, I really do feel lucky, that I've had the opportunity to work with [him],"

Grand Canyon University hoops star Oscar Frayer -- who scored 8 points in his team's NCAA Tournament game Saturday -- died in a car crash Tuesday ... school officials confirmed.

He was just 23 years old.

Frayer was one of three people riding inside of an SUV at around 2:30 AM Tuesday in Lodi, Calif. when California Highway Patrol officials said it veered off the road and slammed into a CHP patrol vehicle.

Officials say the SUV then continued onward, struck a tree and became fully engulfed in flames. All 3 passengers in the SUV -- which included Frayer's older sister, Andrea Moore -- tragically died.

The CHP says two of its officers were injured in the wreck, but are expected to survive. CHP officials added "both will have a long road to recovery and we will eagerly await their return to full duty."

Frayer -- a senior this year -- is regarded as one of "the most accomplished players" in GCU basketball history, according to school officials ... and the team mourned his death in a lengthy statement released Thursday night.

"He was the heartbeat of our team with his vibrant, energetic personality," GCU men's basketball head coach Bryce Drew said.

"I cannot put into words the hurt and sadness we all feel, but we know he is in heaven and that gives us great joy to know we will be together again."

Frayer played 26 minutes in GCU's loss to Iowa on Saturday. The Lopes entered the tournament as a #15 seed.

The game was the 107th career start for Frayer at GCU ... and he had tweeted after the loss, "I bleed purple FOREVER!!!! THANK YOU LOPE NATION for the last 5 years..it’s been nothing less than amazing."

The marathon continues, but the marathon feud Nipsey Hussle's estate had with the Crips is over ... thanks to a settlement of a lawsuit.

Nipsey's brother, Samiel Asghedom, just informed the court in writing that the estate's reached the settlement with Crips LLC. The notice was filed Thursday in L.A. County court.

As we first reported ... Nipsey's estate sued the gang's corporate arm back in October over the rights to Nip's "The Marathon Continues" slogan.

In the suit, Hussle's estate claimed the Crips org filed a trademark for the phrase less than 2 months after he was murdered outside his Marathon Clothing Store, despite Nipsey's family already owning several 'Marathon' trademarks themselves ... all related to his famous store.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the sides are still hammering out some of the terms -- but they expect to submit the formal terms of the agreement shortly.

Jessica Walter, known for her Emmy-nominated "Arrested Development" role and whose acting career spanned 6 decades, has died.

The actress died in her sleep at her NYC home Wednesday ... according to her daughter, who did not announce the cause of her death.

Jessica's best known, and beloved, for playing the devious alcoholic socialite Lucille Bluth on 'Arrested.' She appeared in all 84 episodes during the series, from 2003 to 2019, and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2005.

She won an Emmy in 1975 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series as the title character of the NBC miniseries, "Amy Prentiss." Jessica also got Emmy noms for roles on "Trapper John, M.D." and "The Streets of San Francisco."

True film aficionados will remember her role in Clint Eastwood's directorial debut in "Play Misty for Me." New school fans will recognize her voice as Malory Archer on the hit FX animated series "Archer."

Jessica is survived by her daughter, Brooke Bowman ... the Senior VP for programming at FOX Entertainment who said, "It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of my beloved mom Jessica. A working actor for over six decades, her greatest pleasure was bringing joy to others through her storytelling both on screen and off."

Bowman added, "While her legacy will live on through her body of work, she will also be remembered by many for her wit, class and overall joie de vivre."

The family's asking that, in lieu of flowers, donations are made to Guide Dogs for the Blind.

RIP

St. Louis Blues legend Bobby Plager -- who had his jersey retired by the team back in 2017 -- died Wednesday after a car crash in Missouri.

The 78-year-old was killed when his vehicle was involved in a two-car accident on Interstate 64 in St. Louis, according to multiple media outlets.

The Blues said in a statement hours after his passing the org. is devastated by the tragic news.

"It is unimaginable to imagine the St. Louis Blues without Bobby Plager," the team said ... adding, "Today, our hearts are broken, but one day they will be warmed again by memories of his character, humor and strong love for his family, our community, the St. Louis Blues and generations of fans who will miss him dearly."

Plager began his career in 1964 with the New York Rangers ... but after he joined the Blues in 1967, he went on to build an unrivaled resume with the team.

In his 11 years in St. Louis, he played in 616 games ... and helped lead the Blues to multiple Stanley Cup Finals appearances.

After his playing days ended following the 1977-78 season ... he joined the team's front office and went on to hold multiple different positions with org.

In 2017, the Blues retired his #5 ... making him just the seventh Blues player to earn that honor.

In their statement, the Blues said they were thrilled Plager got to celebrate their Stanley Cup victory in 2019 before his passing.

"The St. Louis Blues send all of our love and support to his family, and we hope everyone will find strength knowing that Bobby got his parade."

French Olympian snowboarder Julie Pomagalski -- who won a World Championship in 1999 -- has died after an avalanche in the Swiss Alps on Tuesday.

She was 40.

The French Ski Federation made the announcement Wednesday .. saying Pomagalski and a guide, Bruno Cutelli, died in the accident.

Police say the cause of the avalanche is unknown at this time.

Pomagalski was a two-time Olympian for France ... finishing 6th in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City games ... and also competed in the 2006 games in Torino, Italy.

She was also the 1999 World Champion in snowboard cross, and won the 2004 Snowboard World Cup and was Vice-World Champion in parallel giant in 2003.

Skiing runs in Pomagalski's family ... her grandfather, Jean Pomagalski, invented the first ski lift in 1934 and is the founder of POMA, a manufacturer for chairlifts.

The French Olympics team made a statement Wednesday, saying "the tragic death of Julie, snowboard world champion and Olympian, leaves the France OLY team in mourning for one of their own."