Celebrity Death

Ted Kotcheff -- famous for directing iconic movies the likes of "First Blood" and "Weekend at Bernie's" -- has died, TMZ confirmed.

Thomas Kotcheff, Ted's son, tells TMZ ... the filmmaker died peacefully Friday night at Hospital Joya in Nuevo Nayarit, Mexico surrounded by family.

A cause of death was not disclosed.

UConn star Azzi Fudd says she believes her Huskies got an assist from the Mamba and the Mambacita during their title tilt last weekend ... telling TMZ Sports she felt Kobe and Gianna Bryant "watching down on us" during the big game.

Some five years after the NBA legend and his daughter -- who was a massive UConn fan -- passed away in a tragic helicopter accident ... Fudd says she felt their presence as she and her teammates were taking down South Carolina in the national championship in San Antonio.

She told us it all became crystal clear to her when someone pointed out a few Bryant-related numbers in the matchup's box score.

Val Kilmer's cause of death has been revealed ... the legendary actor died from pneumonia, TMZ has learned.

TMZ has obtained the death certificate released by the Los Angeles County Department of Health. Kilmer's immediate cause of death has been confirmed as pneumonia. Underlying causes listed on the death certificate are acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, chronic respiratory failure, and squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue.

Other contributing factors include malnutrition, and a tracheocutaneous fistula. We've also learned he was cremated on April 7.

Mel Novak, the Hollywood actor best known for his starring role in Bruce Lee's classic "Game of Death," has died, his daughter Nikol Conant tells TMZ.

Novak died Wednesday morning at a SoCal board and care facility of natural causes, Nikol told us.

The iconic actor whose career spanned decades in Hollywood suffered numerous injures during his time in the biz ... 'cause he was known for doing all of his own stunts and fighting scenes. But, he was in pain daily -- especially the past few years -- from the beatings he took in front of the camera, Nikol says.

Liam Payne's friend Roger Nores -- who was with the One Direction singer in his final chaotic days in Buenos Aires -- is taking legal steps to drop a lawsuit he filed against Liam's dad.

Roger beelined it to court Wednesday and filed new legal docs to dismiss his defamation lawsuit against Geoff Payne.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Roger says he wants to dismiss the suit without prejudice ... meaning it could be refiled in the future.

Former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel will be laid to rest on Thursday ... after he tragically died in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday.

The former World Series champion was of the 100-plus people who perished when a roof collapsed during a Santo Domingo nightclub concert ... and his family said they will now honor his memory throughout this week.

On Wednesday, Dotel's loved ones said they'll hold an event at a DR funeral home ... before the ex-Astros closer gets a Christian burial on Thursday.

Jay North -- a veteran actor who played the eponymous character in the 1960s sitcom "Dennis the Menace" -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

Laurie Jacobson -- a longtime friend of North and wife to "Lassie" actor Jon Provost -- tells TMZ ... Jay passed away Sunday at his home in Lake Butler, Florida after a battle with colorectal cancer.

We're told his health started to deteriorate over the past month, and he was surrounded by family -- his wife Cindy and her daughters from a previous marriage, which we're told he "adored" -- when he passed.

The rare hantavirus -- that few had heard of before it killed Gene Hackman's wife -- has killed more people ... this time in California.

Three victims in the town of Mammoth Lakes succumbed to hantavirus ... which is what killed the actor's wife, Betsy Arakawa.

The Mono County Health and Human Services Public Health Division announced this week the third death due to HPS in the town about 330 miles east of San Francisco.

Lil Yachty was not having it when a fan at his show this week interrupted a moment of silence for Juice WRLD ... and LY went ballistic.

In a video that has since gone viral ... Lil Yachty unloaded on someone at his show in Washington, D.C. -- the latest stop for Tyler, The Creator's "Chromakopia" tour -- during a moment of silence for Juice WRLD.

Someone shouted from the crowd in the moment -- and LY snapped "SHUT THE F*** UP!" ... before getting help from the crowd to figure out who said it.

Duke Gadd's cause of death has been released ... the drummer died of an overdose of fentanyl and cocaine -- mirroring what Corey Feldman originally said after he passed.

According to a spokesperson for Clark County, Nevada ... Gadd died from "combined toxic effects of fentanyl and cocaine." He also suffered from high blood pressure.

Remember ... Corey announced the death on social media -- saying Duke died in Las Vegas and sharing a short clip of the musician banging away on the drums.

Tom Cruise is honoring his former film nemesis with a touching gesture ... pausing for a moment of silence to recognize Val Kilmer at CinemaCon.

The movie star took the stage at the convention Thursday in Las Vegas and made sure to stop and honor his late "Top Gun" costar.

After the moment of silence, Tom reportedly told the crowd ... "Thank you Val, I wish you well on your next journey."

Hailey Okula -- a social media influencer better known as Nurse Hailey -- has died ... her husband revealed in a heartbreaking social media post this week.

Matt Okula -- Hailey's husband -- shared a video compilation of moments from throughout Hailey's life alongside a long caption explaining Hailey passed due to complications during childbirth.

According to Matt, Hailey suffered an amniotic embolism -- a medical complication during childbirth where the fluid surrounding the baby in the womb enters the carrier's bloodstream, causing damage to multiple organs.

Kim Porter's grandma Lila Mae Star has died.

Kim's son Quincy Combs revealed the sad news on his Instagram late Wednesday night ... saying his "heart is shattered."

Quincy -- who Kim shared with record producer Al B. Sure! but was adopted by Diddy while dating Kim -- shared a photo of Lila surrounded by purple florals to honor her, along with a statement about her "legacy of love."

Val Kilmer had been dogged by rumors that he was a Hollywood diva and a pain to work with ... but one costar and friend tells TMZ that's a total crock.

Danny Trejo, who was among the star-studded cast of "Heat" with Val, tells TMZ ... Val got a bad rap for being difficult to work with -- but the icon wasn't high-maintenance -- he was a "perfectionist." There's a big difference, DT makes clear.

As you sadly know ... the legendary actor died Tuesday at the age of 65 -- his death sending shockwaves through Hollywood as most didn't realize his health had deteriorated so severely.

Christina Fulton is another one of Val Kilmer’s heartbroken former costars ... speaking to us about her favorite memories with him.

TMZ caught up with Christina outside the courthouse in Downtown L.A. Tuesday during her legal battle with her son -- and she essentially spoke to the late actor through our camera, thanking him for being kind and generous to her on set for their '91 movie "The Doors" when she was a new actress in L.A.

Catch the clip -- Christina shares more personal words about the lasting impact Val had on her, and it’s truly heartbreaking ... especially since they kept in contact over the years.

Val Kilmer's ex-wife Joanne Whalley and daughter Mercedes Kilmer were spotted for the first time since his death, sharing a heartfelt hug in an emotional moment.

Check out the pics TMZ got ... Joanne looked utterly heartbroken as she consoled her equally devastated daughter outside her home Wednesday.

Mercedes had her hands full with bags, looking like she was in the middle of moving stuff into her car when she and her mom shared the moment.