Celebrity Death

Stu Billett -- the mastermind who created "The People's Court" and birthed the whole genre of courtroom TV shows -- has died.

Stu died Friday in Los Angeles as a result of natural causes ... according to reps for 'People's Court.' He was surrounded by family when he passed.

Billett dreamed up 'TPC' back in 1981, and while it was a big TV ratings winner, it was much more than that ... as it became a pop culture phenomenon.

The show's OG judge, Joseph Wapner, became a catchphrase when Dustin Hoffman's character in "Rain Man" obsessed over 'People's Court' ... continually counting down, "15 minutes to Wapner."

The show also spawned countless satirical takes over the years on 'SNL' -- the most recent one featured Kim Kardashian playing her older sister in "The People's Kourt."

The OG 'People's Court' ran from 1981 to 1993 ... first with Wapner as the star. It was rebooted in 1997 with former NYC Mayor Ed Koch as the judge, then Judge Judy's husband, Jerry Sheindlin, took on the role and finally Judge Marilyn Milian took the bench ... and the show's still going strong.

Stu, who won 4 Daytime Emmy awards for his work as the show's executive producer, served in the military -- as a U.S. Marine -- before getting into TV as a producer's assistant on several shows.

He's being remembered by his 'TPC' family as "a kind and remarkable man who made a great impact on the lives of so many people, and he will be missed tremendously."

Stu is survived by his wife of more than 40 years and his children and grandkids.

He was 85.

Halyna Hutchins was honored with yet another candlelight vigil in the wake of her tragic death -- only this time, it was held on the West Coast ... with members of the union of which she was in.

Dozens of people came out Sunday night with lit candles in hand, congregating at the I.A.T.S.E. Local 80 building in Burbank -- the main California headquarters, which advocates for scores of creatives who work in the film and TV industry ... presumably, Halyna too.

It was a somber gathering, where folks looked to be hanging out mostly in silence ... or speaking quietly to their neighbor. Most everyone was wearing face masks. There also appeared to be some people with signs, calling for the firing of I.A.T.S.E. Prez Matt Loeb.

The union has been in the news lately ... threatening to have its members go on strike if certain demands weren't met, including higher pay. A deal was recently struck to avoid any such shutdown -- but after Halyna's death, ya gotta wonder if safety was brought up in these negotiations. If not, it will almost certainly be addressed at the next juncture.

This is the second candlelight vigil for Halyna -- there was one held last week in Albuquerque, NM ... not far from where she was accidentally shot and killed by Alec Baldwin.

Snoop Dogg's mother, Beverly Tate, has died ... this according to her own son.

The rapper broke the news Sunday, posting a tribute to her on Instagram and writing ... "Thank u god for giving me an angel 🕊 for a mother 💖🙏🏽🌹💝 TWMA." There's another post where he thanks his mom for having him. A cause of death wasn't revealed.

SD's father, Vernell, also confirmed the news ... and he too asked for prayers, noting the family needed it now more than ever.

Ms. Tate had been hospitalized earlier this year for undisclosed reasons -- Snoop had asked his fans send good vibes while his mother was in the hospital. He later updated folks by letting them know she was "still fighting" and had opened her eyes ... but didn't mention much else specifically.

Clearly, they were close. Snoop attributes a lot of his good qualities to how she raised him -- even recently disclosing that she was the one who encouraged him to apologize to Gayle King over his comments in response to her Kobe Bryant remark last year.

Beverly had two other sons by Vernell ... and raised the family in Long Beach, CA. She brought Snoop up in a church environment -- something he still alludes to this day.

James Michael Tyler -- famous for playing Gunther on "Friends" -- has died.

The actor's rep tells TMZ ... JMT passed away peacefully Sunday morning at his home in L.A. -- this after battling stage 4 prostate cancer.

His family says ... "The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh "Friend"), from the hit series "Friends," but Michael’s loved ones knew him as an actor, musician, cancer-awareness advocate, and loving husband."

They add, "Michael loved live music, cheering on his Clemson Tigers, and would often find himself in fun and unplanned adventures. If you met him once you made a friend for life."

James first revealed his cancer diagnosis earlier this year -- which stunned fans, as he'd just appeared in the reunion special and made no mention of it. He later clarified why he hadn't gone public at that time -- saying he didn't wanna be a downer for the special moment.

He was first diagnosed with cancer in 2018, and kept it private for 3 years.

James has acted in several big shows over the course of his career -- including "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Scrubs," "Modern Music," "Just Shoot Me!" and others ... but his biggest claim to fame is the long-running sitcom, where he played a worker at the Central Perk cafe.

He starred in 150 episodes of "Friends" over the course of its 10-year run ... and is absolutely beloved by the fan base. James is survived by his wife, Jennifer Carno.

James Michael Tyler was 59.

Simon Monjack isn't the monster he was portrayed to be in HBO's newest Brittany Murphy doc, so says his brother, who feels he was duped into participating in the whole thing.

The two-part series investigates the life, relationships and death of the actress ... but mostly focuses on her bizarre marriage to Simon Monjack -- who died just 5 months after Murphy. There's a lot of suspicions raised about the circumstances surrounding her death, but one theme in the doc remains constant ... Simon wasn't a good dude.

Throughout the episodes, Simon is accused of controlling Brittany, taking her money, having secret kids and eventually preventing her from getting medical attention.

Monjack's brother, James, who is interviewed in the series tells us he was disappointed that the filmmakers made Simon out to be the villain.

James says the project was originally pitched to him to be investigative journalism into the couple's deaths, but instead, it came off as a sensationalistic piece. James said he and his mother -- who was also interviewed -- had hoped the series would lead to a breakthrough in what actually killed Simon and Brittany, but made it seem more like Simon led to her death.

While James says he was able to watch the entire thing, his mom won't ... and she too is upset that all it really did was point fingers at Simon.

Jay Black, who fronted the '60s hit group Jay and the Americans, has died.

Jay sang some big hits for the group ... the biggest of which was "This Magic Moment."

The band posted the death notice on its Facebook page ... “Today, we mourn the passing of David Blatt a/k/a Jay Black and we acknowledge the great successes we had with him both as a partner and as a lead singer,” a spokesperson wrote. “We shared both wonderful and very contentious times, and much like an ex-wife, we are so proud of the beautiful children we created. We’ll always remember The Voice.”

The group was big when England took over American music ... in case you didn't catch it, Jay and the Americans are Americans.

They were big enough to open for The Beatles in 1964 at their Washington D.C. concert.

Among the other hits ... "Come a Little Bit Closer," "Blockbusters," "Cara Mia," and "Walkin' in the Rain."

The Facebook reference to "The Voice" is his nickname coined by his bandmates.

Jay and the Americans was at the height of its output in the 1960s, officially disbanding in 1973.

Jay continued to perform long after the band broke up ... all the way up 'till 2017.

He is survived by 4 children, 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Jay was 82.

The woman responsible for handling weapons on the set of Alec Baldwin's "Rust" had only recently taken on a gig as a head armorer, and shared she had real doubts about doing the job.

Hannah Reed -- daughter of Hollywood armorer Thell Reed -- appeared on the "Voices of the West" podcast last month to talk about her new experiences in the biz. Reed told the hosts she had just wrapped a western movie with Nic Cage called "The Old Way" ... and it was her first time as head armorer on a movie.

In a now-eerie confession, Reed says of the Cage job, "You know, I was really nervous about it at first, and I almost didn't take the job because I wasn't sure if I was ready ... but, doing it, like, it went really smoothly."

Reed also talked about the guidance she's gotten from her dad -- who has previously worked on "Django: Unchained" "3:10 to Yuma" and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" -- as an armorer.

In talking about her training, Reed told the podcast hosts loading blanks in prop guns was "the scariest" thing to her, because she didn't know how to do it ... but it was something her dad had helped her work through.

Of course, there are still a lot of questions surrounding the accident on set ... including whether it was a live round in the gun Baldwin fired or a blank. Indiewire obtained an email sent by the propmasters union which claimed the gun Alec Baldwin fired had a "live single round" which struck 2 crew members.

A source who was working on the film tells us just last weekend there were several issues with blanks being shot when they weren't supposed to ... it's unclear who the head armorer was at that time.

Some of Charles Manson's remains are part of a couple's creepy tribute to the mass murderer ... they paid for his ashes to be used in their matching, portrait tattoos.

Patrick Boos, the Niagra Falls man who got inked up, tells TMZ ... his wife Deanne wanted to be the first woman with a tattoo featuring Manson's ashes, and he didn't want her to go it alone, so he got one too.

As you can see, the couple both got CM portraits ... Patrick's is on his thigh, and Deanne's is on her lower leg ... and the couple says the special ink set them back about $1,600 total.

Tattoo artist Ryan Almighty tells TMZ ... Manson's ashes are mixed in with the red ink and black outlining on the tatts.

As we've reported, Ryan says he copped ashes from CM's cremation ... and he used some last year to give Patrick at "Helter Skelter" face tatt. Ryan obtained the macabre remains from people who scooped up ashes when they were scattered at Manson's funeral.

Patrick says he's gotten mixed reviews about his 'Skelter' tattoo ... some people say it's cool, while others have gotten pissed off and made rude comments.

Despite the criticism, Patrick says he's thinking about getting another CM tatt with more ashes ... potentially one of the Manson women, like Leslie Van Houten.

Crew members on the set of "Rust" were quick to dial 911 after a gun accident that left one woman dead, telling operators "we need help immediately."

The caller is the film's script supervisor, and it's clear to hear the panic in her voice when she says 2 people were accidentally shot by a prop gun. The operator asks if a real bullet was fired from the gun, but the caller does not know what shot out.

The newly released call also gives some insight as to how people were shot, telling the dispatch it was during a rehearsal that the gun went off ... she does not know how serious the bleeding on either victim is.

Eventually, a male takes over the call from the film set, and let's the operator know both people are alert and a medic is tending to them ... but clearly, things took a turn for the worse.

As we reported, Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger on the gun, which caused the accident ... 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins died at the hospital after being airlifted and Director Joel Souza was also struck, but was reportedly released from the hospital.

Baldwin released a statement Friday, saying, "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred."

He continued, "I am in touch with with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."

There have not yet been any arrests from the incident, and it continues to be investigated by the local sheriff, district attorney and OHSB.

Peter Scolari, who famously co-starred alongside Tom Hanks in the sitcom "Bosom Buddies," is dead, following an extended cancer battle.

Peter's reps announced he died early Friday ... he'd been diagnosed with cancer 2 years ago, but it seems he kept that news private.

The ABC sitcom "Bosom Buddies" put Peter and Tom on the map when it came out in 1980, and they remained close friends throughout their lives. Peter went on to costar on "Newhart" and, most recently, played Lena Dunham's dad on "Girls." He won his first Emmy in 2016 for that role.

On their hit show, Hanks and Scolari played 2 single men who dressed like and pretended to be women so they could live together in an NYC apartment. Yeah, the plot doesn't exactly hold up to today's standards.

Peter also had roles in "Murphy Brown," "The West Wing," "ER," and "Ally McBeal." He also found success in several Broadway plays, including "Hairspray" and "Wicked."

He's survived by his wife and their 4 children.

Peter was 66.

The woman killed on the set of Alec Baldwin's film "Rust" once described herself as a "restless dreamer" and "adrenaline junkie" -- but it was her "brilliant talent" that stuck with those who worked with her.

Halyna Hutchins, the 42-year-old Director of Photography, hailed from Ukraine and grew up as an "army brat" on a Soviet military base "surrounded by reindeer and and nuclear submarines" ... according to her website. She was also named one of American Cinematographer magazine’s “rising stars” in 2019.

Most recently, Halyna worked on the film "Archenemy" as the DP. The project starred Joe Manganiello, who praised her talent in a touching tribute, saying, "... she was the kind of cinematographer that you wanted to see succeed because you wanted to see what she could pull off next."

Adam Egypt Mortimer, who directed "Archenemy," also paid tribute, calling Halyna a "brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film."

As we reported, Halyna and "Rust" director Joel Souza were both struck -- either by a bullet or shrapnel -- after a serious mishap from a gun fired by Alec Baldwin. Halyna was airlifted to a local hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she died from her injuries. Souza is expected to survive.

Baldwin was spotted shortly after the accident looking distraught ... he had also recently posted a photo from set, which was later deleted.

Halyna leaves behind a husband and a son.

Ivan Douglas -- the left tackle for Ohio State's famous 2002 National Champion football team -- has died after a battle with COVID-19, his family and friends announced.

He was just 41 years old.

Douglas -- who helped block for Craig Krenzel and Maurice Clarett in the Buckeyes' epic upset win over Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl -- contracted the virus last month and was placed in the hospital shortly after.

According to a GoFundMe set up in his honor, Douglas was "purple in color and his oxygen level was at 63%" when he entered the medical facility -- and he needed to be placed into a medically induced coma a short time later.

Tragically, after weeks of fighting, Douglas' family and friends said he passed away on Thursday.

"Our family is devastated and ask for your continued love, support and prayers," a statement on Douglas' GoFundMe read.

Douglas' former teammate at OSU, Chukwuemeka Nnamdi Onyejekwe, AKA Mekka Don, also confirmed the news on Twitter ... saying, "Our good brother Ivan Douglas has passed away. Please keep his family in your prayers!"

Douglas leaves behind a wife and two children.

Tommy DeBarge -- a member of the R&B/funk band Switch -- and part of the music industry's famed DeBarge family has died.

A family member tells us Tommy has suffered from liver and kidney failure over the years, but recently took a turn for the worse. We're told he was hospitalized a couple weeks ago, and died in the hospital Thursday.

DeBarge rose to fame in Switch in the mid to late '70s -- the group recorded hits like "There'll Never Be," "I Call Your Name" and "Love Over & Over Again."

Tommy and his brother, Bobby, were founding members of the group, which had a huge influence on future bands in the genre, including DeBarge ... the group composed of their siblings.

Bobby and Tommy left Switch to mentor their younger brothers and sister in DeBarge, but Bobby died of AIDS-related complications in 1995.

Tommy was 64.

RIP

Tawny Kitaen, the late actress who starred in "Bachelor Party" and whose personal life was filled with radical ups and downs, died from heart issues ... this according to her autopsy.

According to the Orange County Coroner's Office, Tawny's official cause of death is dilated cardiomyopathy ... the most common type of heart disease.

Other contributing factors include clogged arteries, antidepressants, sedatives, Tylenol, nerve pain medication and opioids.

TMZ broke the story ... Tawny died May 7 in Newport Beach, CA and cops told her family there was nothing found at the scene suggesting alcohol, drugs or pills were a factor in her death, nor were there any signs she took her own life.

Tawny's death came not long after her father passed, and her brother told us their father's loss was simply too much for her to handle.

Her family and close friends recently gathered to remember her one last time with an intimate celebration of life in Newport ... and she's been cremated.

Tawny lived a pretty storied life -- she acted in films like the one mentioned above, and has credits in flicks like "The Perils of Gwendoline" and "After Midnight" -- as well as several hit TV series, such as "Santa Barbara," "The New WKRP in Cincinnati," "Eek! the Cat," "Hercules," "Moms Anonymous," and many, many more over the years.

And, Tawny famously was featured in some music videos ... notably Whitesnake's "Is This Love," and "Here I Go Again."

Trevor Jones -- a former contestant on Bravo's "Millionaire Matchmaker" and CNBC's "The Profit" -- has died.

According to a family friend, Jones died on Oct. 9 from a "sudden Vascular Ehlers Danlos Syndrome event." Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is a genetic disorder that weakens connective tissue and can lead to spontaneous rupture of major blood vessels.

A GoFundMe page set up for his family remembers him this way ... "Trevor was the type of person that left a footprint in the world without even trying. He was sincere, generous, funny, and always tried to give back. Trevor had a gift where he could make anyone smile, laugh, or feel comfortable with just a look or a few words."

Jones is perhaps most famous for his season 8 appearance on Patti Stanger's dating reality show -- where she tried hooking up folks in the 7-figure world with a potential love interest. The guy was a successful entrepreneur, who launched a company called Flex Watches.

He memorably went on a date with "The Hills" star Stephanie Pratt -- and they seemed to hit it off at the time. Ultimately, though, Jones ended up marrying someone else.

Speaking of his business ... Flex Watches was eventually featured on CNBC's reality show "The Profit," which ended up getting partially acquired by investor Marcus Lemonis ... who made them a deal at the end of Jones' episode, and helped get the company off the ground.

Lemonis ended up offering $400k for 40% of Flex Watches' equity ... and Jones and his partner took him up on it.

Former UFC fighter Brian Gassaway -- who fought MMA legend, Diego Sanchez, back in 2005 -- has died, his family and friends announced. He was just 49 years old.

A cause of death has not yet been revealed.

According to a GoFundMe set up in Gassaway's honor, the 29-20-2 brawler was just as good of an MMA coach as he was a fighter -- with his family and friends calling him a legend in the combat sports world.

"Brian's selfless pursuit of improving the lives of his students through the study of martial arts was apparent to all," the statement read. "He gave his students purpose, pulling many up during their darkest moments. Being the light that showed them the path forward."

Gassaway fought for all kinds of promotions in over a decade as a pro -- including Bellator, WEC and King of the Cage in addition to UFC.

He's best known for his tilt against Sanchez at UFC 54 -- a fight that he lost by a 2nd-round TKO.

"He lived his life with purpose and goodness, dedicating every waking moment to being a better person, husband, friend, fighter and coach," Gassaway's family and friends said.

"And, at the same time, he elevated the lives of all the people around him."

Gassaway leaves behind a wife and son.