Celebrity Death

Agnes Tirop, an elite Kenyan long-distance runner who finished 4th at the Tokyo Olympics, was tragically found stabbed to death in her home, according to a Kenyan athletic commission.

She was only 25 years old.

According to reports, police are actively looking for Agnes' husband who hasn't been seen since her death.

The BBC is reporting Agnes' father called police Tuesday night, worried he could not reach his daughter.

Sadly, when police arrived at her home in Iten, Kenya, they found Tirop laying in bed, surrounded by a pool of blood, according to the UK outlet.

Police say the runner had what looked like a stab wound to her neck ... and that's what they believe caused her death. She also reportedly had a stab wound to her stomach.

Agnes' husband was not at the home when they arrived ... and has not been heard from since authorities arrived on the scene.

Tirop was one of the best long-distance runners in the world. In fact, just last month she set a women's world record at a 10-kilometer race in Germany. Agnes also took home bronze medals at the World Athletic Championships in 2017 and 2019.

"Athletics Kenya are distraught to learn about the untimely death of World 10,000m bronze medallist Agnes Tirop," the country's athletics body said in a statement.

Everyone from Adidas to Kenya's president weighed in on the tragic loss.

"It is unsettling, utterly unfortunate and very sad that we've lost a young and promising athlete who, at a young age of 25 years, had brought our country so much glory," Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya's president said in a statement.

"The Adidas family is deeply saddened by the tragic news about Agnes Jebet Tirop. Agnes was an incredible person, a record-breaking athlete and a beloved member of our family. She will be greatly missed by us all and her legacy will forever live on in our memory," the sportswear giant tweeted.

Rest in peace.

The late Sean Taylor and his family will be honored with a special tribute before the Washington Football Team's game this weekend ... with the organization retiring his number and renaming the road leading to FedEx Field after him.

Taylor -- the #5 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft -- was shot and killed during a home invasion in 2007. He was just 24 years old.

Taylor emerged as one of the greatest players in the game during his 4 years in the NFL ... and was posthumously named 2nd team All-Pro in 2007.

The jersey retirement is the highest form of recognition within the WFT -- only 2 other players (Sammy Baugh and Bobby Mitchell) have received the honor.

No Washington Football Team player has worn #21 since Sean Taylor's death ... and on Sunday, the organization will make the move official.

The players will wear helmet decals and coaches will don #21 lapel pins against the K.C. Chiefs as well.

Taylor's family will be in attendance for the tribute ... and will be on the field for a special pregame ceremony. The family will also be able to visit Taylor's locker, which has been preserved from his last game.

The team will also acknowledge the renaming of the road leading to FedEx Field ... which was announced last year.

Washington Football Team President Jason Wright spoke about the weekend's ceremony ... saying, "I came into the NFL the same year as Sean Taylor and immediately his athletic ability, resilience, grit, and relentless work ethic set him apart."

"I and many others looked to him as a role model."

"The fact that he was tragically taken so early hurt our player community, but also our fans, coaches and staff. We will continue to remember him and hold him up as an example of professionalism and excellence, and we will all strive to mirror his excellence in our own ways."

#RIP

Matthew Mindler killed himself with an easily accessible substance he picked up online ... and his mother wants everyone to know about the extreme danger of the compound.

The Lancaster County Medical Examiner's Office tells TMZ ... the former child star's cause of death was sodium nitrate toxicity. According to the M.E., the OD was intentional and as such his death was ruled a suicide.

If you're unfamiliar ... sodium nitrate is an oxidizing agent -- one often used to preserve foods, like meat -- that causes hypotension and limits the flow of oxygen in the body, which can result in death.

While sodium nitrate deaths are often accidental, Matt's was anything but ... this according to his mom, Monica, who says she discovered a harrowing trail Matthew left behind.

Monica tells us she looked up Matt's recent Internet search histories, and it turns out ... he was looking up information on this lethal compound as it pertained to suicide, and ways to obtain it and take it for the ultimate effect of ending one's life painlessly.

We're told she had no clue this was something he'd been exploring prior to his body being found by school officials near his university in Pennsylvania -- but more importantly, she wants this to serve as a cautionary tale for others.

Monica hopes someone else's life can be saved if folks know what warning signs to look for ... as this is a fairly cheap product Matthew seems to have ordered on Amazon with relative ease, at just $15, which Monica says was enough to kill 4 people.

Ex-MLB catcher Ray Fosse -- famous for the wild play at home plate with Pete Rose in the 1970 All-Star Game -- died at 74 years old on Wednesday.

The Oakland A's announced the sad news ... saying they were "heartbroken" over the passing.

"Few people epitomize what it means to be an Athletic more than Ray," Oakland officials said in a statement. "He was the type of franchise icon who always made sure every player, coach, colleague, and fan knew that they were part of the Oakland A's family."

Fosse -- who worked as an analyst breaking down A's games following a 12-year MLB career -- said in August he had been fighting cancer for over a decade.

Sadly, after battling the disease for years, he passed away this week.

"We send our deepest condolences to Carol, Nikki and Lindsey, his family and friends during this difficult time," the A's added. "We'll miss you, Ray.”

Fosse was a two-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champ, and a two-time Gold Glover ... but he was perhaps best known for a collision with Rose in the 1970 Mid-Summer Classic.

In the game, Rose trucked through Fosse to score the winning run ... and it ultimately altered Fosse's career and life.

The catcher suffered major injuries during the play -- ones that affected the rest of his playing days -- though he still was able to play effectively for several more years.

Fosse ultimately finished his career with 61 home runs, a .256 batting average and 324 RBI.

"My deepest condolences to the Fosse family," said Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, who not only played with Fosse but worked with him as an A's analyst as well.

"Ray was a dear friend. I cherished our long history and will miss him dearly. Oakland Coliseum will never be the same without Ray."

Chris Pearson's death was the result of someone losing it on him for being loud and disruptive in his apartment complex in the middle of the night ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Our sources say the former "Ex on the Beach" star was down in the pool area with his girlfriend, making a lot of noise around 2 AM Sunday.  We're told Chris was yelling ... it's unclear at who, but it pissed off the other residents who were trying to sleep.

We're told Chris ignored everyone, but then someone on one of the balconies amped things up and was yelling hard at Chris, who in turn started screaming back at the guy. Our sources say Chris went inside the building to confront the guy ... and that's when he was fatally stabbed in the area around his heart.

Our sources say the guy who stabbed him fled before authorities arrived.

As we first told you ... Chris was rushed to a hospital, but died around 3:30 AM from his injuries.

According to our sources ... Chris was not normally a confrontational guy, but that wasn't the case during the incident.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... cops are investigating and looking for witnesses and videos that may help them figure out what went down, but so far no arrests have been made. Our law enforcement sources say cops are confident they'll catch the guy.

Fuquan Johnson may very well be alive today if there was an effective way to screen drugs he took for fentanyl -- and it's something that shouldn't be ignored ... so says his own mom.

The comedian's mother, Paulene Johnson, tells TMZ ... she's 100% in favor of fentanyl strips being used, and firmly believes her son might still be breathing right now if he had access to some on the night he and two others overdosed and perished from fentanyl-laced cocaine.

We should note, Paulene is NOT advocating for recreational drug use -- even telling us she wasn't aware Fuquan partook himself beyond weed -- but she acknowledges the reality ... that people are going to dabble, and if so -- why not be safe about it?

She believes folks who do hard drugs are stuck between a rock and a hard place in an OD sitch ... fearful of incriminating themselves by calling cops. With that said, Paulene says fentanyl strips could be a good alternative for users looking to avoid that entire scene.

Paulene says parties need to be made safer by any means necessary -- and if fentanyl strips are a viable option to prevent deaths, she's all for it.

As she sadly notes to us ... she buried her son last month, and shouldn't have had to.

TMZ broke the story ... Fuquan was one of three comedians who OD'd and died at a party in Venice -- this after cops believe they ingested coke laced with the deadly opioid. Kate Quigley, the 4th comedian who also overdosed, survived the ordeal ... and is on the road to recovery.

Chris Pearson, one of the first contestants on MTV's hit show, "Ex on the Beach," is dead from a stabbing incident ... TMZ has learned.

Chris died over the weekend according to several of his friends and law enforcement. We're told he got into an altercation early Sunday, around 2 AM, in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley, and the other person ended up stabbing him. He was transported to a hospital, but died around 3:30 AM from his injuries.

Friends have started a GoFundMe for his family back in Colorado -- Chris' home state -- and the page describes the circumstances of his death as a "tragic encounter."

Chris, a professional DJ, appeared on the first season of 'EOTB' ... and, although the whole concept of the show is bring together castoffs from other reality shows ... Pearson was one of the few who seemingly had no prior TV experience.

On the show, 2 of his exes were brought on to confront Chris -- which is the whole gimmick of the show -- who came off as a party boy, but also got vulnerable ... crying on camera over one his old GFs.

All-in-all, he appeared in all 11 episodes, and provided some of the show's best drama. Since his time on 'Ex' ... he's gone on to continue his music career with much success.

One of Chris' fellow MTV stars acknowledged his passing -- Taylor Selfridge from 'Teen Mom' commented under his last IG post ... dropping sad face emojis and prayer hands. Others are leaving similar comments.

We're told police are investigating the stabbing, and they have leads. Our law enforcement sources say it's a "solvable case."

Chris was only 25.

Kate Quigley says she's getting back to her old self as her recovery from a near-fatal overdose -- spurred by fentanyl-laced cocaine -- continues ... which begs the question ... why don't more people know about (or use) strips that can detect the lethal poison?

The comedian recently posted an update on her journey back to normal, suggesting she was getting some sort of rehab done down in Mexico ... where she thanked everyone who'd helped her thus far get back to the old Kate everyone knows and loves.

It's an encouraging sign for sure -- but the deaths of Fuquan Johnson, Rico Angeli and Natalie Williamson still linger ... and with the advent of fentanyl strips -- which have been on the market for at least a couple years or so -- it makes one wonder if they could've made a difference here.

If you're unfamiliar ... these strips come exactly as advertised. They're able to be applied to just about any drug and like a litmus test ... can tell you if the narcotics have the opioid or not. While not always 100% effective, they do seem to work more often than not ... and are sometimes distributed to drug users. Although, not nearly as much as they should be.

Whether it's simply a lack of awareness or a taboo issue ... you really don't hear about these strips being talked about. And yet, they're out there ... and can absolutely save lives.

In fact, USC students have recently started to dabble in this ... forming a delivery service specifically for this -- among other drug resources -- to help protect the "naïve drug user." The strips are only a penny a pop, so they're certainly affordable ... and now widely available to students on campus who may be experimenting.

That's California ... but it looks like there are a handful of states across the country that take a different approach to this -- essentially outlawing these strips because they're viewed as "paraphernalia" ... perpetuating the old "Just Say No" D.A.R.E. mentality, which is antiquated.

Granville Adams -- famous for his ongoing role as Zahir Arif in "Oz" -- has died after a battle with cancer.

His costar, Kirk Acevedo, made the announcement Sunday ... writing, "I lost my brotha today after a long battle with cancer. I don’t do well with loss because I'm unfamiliar with it." He adds, "Yo Granny we'll be chopping it up on the other side one day. Until then… Rest easy my friend."

Adams appeared to announce his diagnosis back in December of last year, posting a photo of himself in a hospital bed, looking ill, and captioning it ... "F*** CANCER!"

His "Oz" family started a GoFundMe on his behalf shortly thereafter, explaining that the guy's hospital bills were mounting for both him and his family ... asking the public for help. At the time, they wrote ... "In this quarter alone, the unpaid bills have piled up to $69,550. We want to gather together and show Granville our love by clearing this quarter’s bills, giving Granville concrete support in his fight against this vicious disease."

The GFM also notes that Adams hadn't been able to work over the past year (2020) and that all funds would be donated directly to his loved ones. As of this writing, it's reached nearly $100k in contributions.

Like we said, GA is perhaps best known for appearing on 48 episodes of the hit HBO show, first appearing as a guest and then a recurring supporting role until it went off the air in 2003. Adams played Arif -- a Muslim inmate who served as a lieutenant to Kareem Said.

Adams had a few other acting credits under his belt ... including roles in "Homicide: Life on the Streets," the movie "Empire" and "Magic City Memoirs."

Granville is survived by his wife, Christina. He was 58.

Bodybuilder George Peterson -- AKA "Da Bull" -- unexpectedly passed away this week at only 37, just days before he was scheduled to compete in a top bodybuilding competition.

"It is with great sadness that we report the unexpected passing of George Peterson, a champion on stage and off," officials from the Mr. Olympia competition announced on social media.

Peterson was in Orlando when he died -- preparing for the Olympia competition -- which kicks off Wednesday.

The cause of George's death is not yet clear, but his coach and close friend, Justin Miller -- who found Peterson deceased -- provided additional details on his death.

Miller says Peterson was in incredible spirits the night before he died ... and was pumped for the upcoming competition.

However, the next day, Miller says GP wasn't responding to texts or phone calls ... so he became worried, and went to George's hotel room.

Inside, tragically, Peterson was face down on the floor, cold. Still, Miller, desperate to help his friend, called 911 and was instructed to do CPR.

Unfortunately, Peterson -- who likely passed several hours earlier -- could not be saved.

George was a constant figure on the bodybuilding circuit ... competing at shows across the country, including the Olympia 4 times.

Peterson won the Classic Physique competition at the 2019 Arnold Classic.

Many people from the bodybuilding and fitness world -- from athletes to fans -- have expressed sadness at Peterson's unexpected passing.

Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen's widow are paying tribute to the late rock star on the 1-year anniversary of his sad passing.

Sammy posted a black and white picture of EVH strumming his guitar while in mid-air and his long hair flailing away. Sammy, who was part of the "Van Hagar" era from 1985 to 1996, said, "I can't believe it's been a year. The man is gone but the music lives on #forever."

Eddie's widow, Janie, also posted a touching tribute saying she thinks about EVH every single day. She said among the things she misses the most ... his smile, laugh and kindness.

Janie added, "I miss this, I miss us, I miss you, and I try my best to carry on the way you would want me to. But my Peep, some days, that's really hard to do. This will never get easier because there really is no getting over you."

TMZ broke the story ... Eddie died following a long battle with cancer. He died at a Santa Monica hospital with Janie and his son, Wolfgang, by his side. Eddie's ex-wife, Valerie Bertinelli, and Eddie's brother/drummer, Alex, were also by his side.

Speaking of Wolfie ... he also posted a picture on Instagram during a guitar sesh with his dad. Wolf wrote, "You fought so hard for so long, but you were still taken away. It’s just so unfair."

Former NASCAR driver John Wes Townley attacked his ex-wife and another man with a hatchet just before he was shot to death ... this according to police.

It's all spelled out in new documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, which show cops say Townley showed up to his ex's house in Athens, Ga. on Oct. 2 and allegedly snapped.

In the docs, cops say Townley got to the home and attacked his ex, Laura Townley, and another man, Zachary Anderson, with a hatchet.

Police in the documents say, though, Anderson shot John in the altercation ... striking the former driver and accidentally hitting Laura, as well.

Cops say John was shot through the chest and later died from his injuries at a local hospital. Police added Laura was struck in the abdomen, but is expected to survive.

Cops say an investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

Police noted in the docs John and Laura had recently finalized a divorce.

Tragic news ... MMA fighter, Justin Thornton, has died at 38 years old, just weeks after he was violently knocked out in an August fight.

Thornton was seriously hurt after Dillon Cleckler KO'ed him during a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event on Aug. 20.

The scene in the ring was very scary ... after taking multiple punches to the face, Thornton crashed headfirst into the mat and didn't move for several minutes.

BKFC officials confirmed Monday that Thornton -- who had reportedly been battling serious injuries from the fight -- has died.

It's unclear, however, if the KO had anything to do with the passing, as a cause of death has yet to be revealed.

"This morning we were very saddened to be notified of the passing of one of our fighters, Justin Thornton, who competed at BKFC 20 on August 20, 2021," BKFC president Dave Feldman said in a statement.

"We join the rest of the combat sports community in sending our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones."

Thornton had been professionally fighting for over a decade ... compiling a 6-18 record.

Adam Thielen paid homage to the late Norm MacDonald in a big way Sunday ... by rockin' a pair of amazing "Turd Ferguson" tribute cleats during the Vikings vs. Browns game.

The NFL star got the custom spikes made by celeb shoe artist Mache -- and they're awesome, with one featuring an image of MacDonald from his famous "Celebrity Jeopardy!" skits on "Saturday Night Live."

The yellow and white shoes also had the quote, "Yeah that's right. It's a funny name" written next to a script "Turd Ferguson."

On the other shoe, Mache painted on, "Norm MacDonald 1959-2021."

Thielen is clearly a big fan of MacDonald's work ... but Mache tells TMZ Sports the NFL star is also hoping the cleats help encourage people to get tested for cancer.

Mache says Thielen is trying to help people catch the disease early, so they have a better chance of getting treatment and recovering.

Of course, Thielen and Mache made a similar gesture last season ... when they honored Alex Trebek with some tribute cleats following the former "Jeopardy!" host's death from pancreatic cancer.

Bill Maher has a point ... "Brian Laundrie was not an interesting person until he became a person of interest" ... an example of what the "Real Time" host believes is a cultural crisis.

Maher railed on #VanLife ... where young people meander around the country, chronicling every boring move ... as if it can substitute for meaningful work.

He's merciless in his criticism ... "You've figured out how to monetize f****** off."

Maher notes ... content creators and influencers are the fastest-growing small business out there ... 52 million around the globe.

He clearly has beef with the coverage of the Gabby Petito murder, and sets his sights on Laundrie, who he says by all rights should be working at a Del Taco drive-thru. He thinks the videos he and Gabby shot during their travels were mind-numbingly uninteresting.

Keyshia Cole's biological mother, Frankie Lons, died of multiple drug intoxication ... her autopsy shows.

The Alameda County Coroner's Office tells TMZ ... Frankie's official cause of death was determined during her autopsy, which also revealed her manner of death as an accidental overdose.

As we reported ... she died on her birthday back in July after a several-decades-long battle with addiction. Frankie's brother, Sam, told us she overdosed at her Oakland home where she'd been partying for her birthday.

Sam had told us he checked in with her daily, trying to help her stay clean. Her battle was well documented ... and one Keyshia & co. shared publicly in recent years on TV, social media and other channels.

Frankie was regularly featured on Keyshia's BET reality show "Keyshia Cole: My New Life." The duo had many heart-to-heart moments ... and Keyshia was quite vocal about her mother's addiction struggles.

Keyshia was given up by Frankie and her biological father, Virgil Hunter, for adoption at a very young age. The singer was raised by family friends. Mother and daughter reunited when Keyshia was an adult ... and after she'd hit it big in music.