Celebrity Death

The lead guitarist and founding member of New Found Glory, Chad Gilbert, has died ... his band announced.

The band shared the sad news with their fans on Instagram Sunday ... and said they were "devastated and shocked" by his passing.

They wrote ... "On the morning of September 20th, Chad Everett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep. He left this world surrounded by friends and family and took his final breaths with his wife and mother by his side, just as he wished."

Ruby Rose got choked up and was nearly brought to tears while talking about Hayden Panettiere, calling the late actress her "best friend," with whom she spoke on a daily basis.

Rose was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight reporter Denny Directo at Thursday's press day event for season 5 of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test."

When Directo asked how Hayden should be remembered, Rose suddenly became very emotional, saying the two were best buddies who spoke every day for 5 years.

Hip-hop producer Tay Keith's death didn't make his bills disappear ... his estate is now being hit with nearly $200,000 in claims from creditors.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, American Express National Bank filed two separate claims against the late producer's estate this week ... seeking roughly $60K on a Business Platinum account and another $27K on a Platinum account.

And AmEx isn't the only company looking to get paid ... Bank of America filed a claim in connection with Tay's 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS, saying his estate owes the financial institution about $115K.

Late singer Irene Cara left behind a massive amount of money in music royalties that she never collected before her death ... this according to reps for her estate.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Irene's business manager says they discovered over $300,000 in royalties the singer earned before she died. The business manager has since collected the funds.

The filing said there was $246,000 held with Chappell Music, $78,000 at another company called Phonographic Performance Limited, and $8,000 at Unidisc Musique.

Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach understand why they were not invited to Hayden Panettiere's celebration of life ... and they're not pushing back on the organizers' decision.

Sources close to the brothers tell TMZ ... it's true neither was invited to Saturday's memorial in Malibu ... but we're told they know it's a sensitive time and understand why they were excluded.

We're told Brian and Zach still hope the service is a beautiful celebration of Hayden, her life and her legacy.

Hayden Panettiere will be remembered by family, close friends, and former colleagues at a special celebration of life this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the memorial will take place Saturday at a church in Malibu, with about 150 people expected to attend. We're told guests have been informed it's a memorial for Hayden.

We're told her dad, Skip Panettiere, will be on hand, along with a handful of celebrities and Hollywood power players. It's unclear if Hayden's mom, Lesley Vogel, or Hayden's former boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were invited.

Duncan Sheik -- a singer-songwriter whose debut hit "Barely Breathing" made him a household name -- has died ... according to a post on his social media.

The post went up just a few minutes ago ... featuring a smiling Duncan holding his guitar. The first line of the caption announced his passing, which happened on Thursday.

The caption reads, in part, "The world has a lost (sic) a singular talent, and deeply influential voice in music and theater," adding, "Duncan’s artistry touched many and leaves an indelible mark on the cultural landscape."

Samuel Monroe Jr. -- famous for his work in "Menace II Society" -- died of respiratory failure and meningitis ... with pneumonia also playing a role.

TMZ obtained the actor's death certificate ... and it states Samuel's cause of death was respiratory failure and a coccidioidal meningitis infection.

Sepsis pneumonia is listed as a contributing factor ... and the doc states he's been buried at a Los Angeles cemetery.

Tay Keith died from the toxic effects of drugs ... including ketamine and an active ingredient in kratom, TMZ has learned.

According to the Nashville Medical Examiner's Office ... Keith had ketamine and mitragynine in his system when he died. Mitragynine is a chemical compound found in kratom -- a tree from Southeast Asia that affects the brain's opioid receptors.

It's unclear if he was using kratom -- a federally legal substance -- at the time or if he somehow came into contact with the drug another way.

Mike Sweetney, the Georgetown big who was an NY Knicks lottery pick in 2003, has died.

He was 43 years old.

Sweetney's wife, India, announced the tragic news on social media on Thursday, writing her family was “deeply saddened” over the loss of her best friend of 30 years and hubby of 20.

“His children were the light of his life,” India said.

Betty White's trust is running into issues using the late actress' money to take care of animals at the L.A. Zoo ... and now the trustee is asking the court for help ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ obtained a complaint filed by the trustee for Betty's trust, which was last modified in 2020. A portion of Betty's fortune was to be used for regular donations to the L.A. Zoo, which she was heavily involved in during her lifetime.

According to the docs, the trust directed her donations through a non-profit called The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association that worked with the L.A. Zoo ... but those groups have since cut ties.

The legal war over Jimmy Buffett's estate is turning ugly … with the late singer's children fielding questions about their mom's alleged drug use ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Jimmy's son Cameron and daughter Sarah Delaney Buffett, were asked questions about their mom, Jane Buffett, during discovery ... and they were badgered specifically about ketamine and marijuana.

The questions were raised by Jimmy's former financial advisor, Richard Mozenter, as part of the legal battle over control of Jimmy's estate, which is reportedly worth an estimated $275 million.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner's mom, Pamela Warner, claims the late actor's widow, Tenisha Warner, terminated her relationship with her granddaughter, MacKenzie Warner, after his death ... TMZ has learned.

Pamela filed court docs slamming Tenisha for dragging out their battle over the millions Malcom left behind. She said she has no "ill-will" towards Tenisha and is unclear what is driving her actions.

In her filing, Pamela claims Tenisha "terminated" Pamela's relationship with her granddaughter, MacKenzie, after Malcolm's died in July 2025 on a trip to Costa Rica.

Michael Jackson's estate is responding to Paris Jackson's request for over $1 million in legal fees ... and they think she won't stop 'til she gets too much!

The executor of Michael's estate, John Branca, filed legal docs objecting to Paris' request Monday ... claiming her ask for the estate to fork over $1,165,481.90 in legal bills just isn't reasonable.

As we've reported ... Paris disputed $625,000 in bonuses paid to attorneys of her late father's estate back in 2018 ... and the court sided with her in April of this year, ordering the money to be returned to the estate.

Dispatch audio from the tragic helicopter crash that killed two NBC4 reporters in Los Angeles and a pedestrian reveals the frantic response as authorities scramble to coordinate help.

In the audio, obtained by TMZ, law enforcement is heard calling for multiple units from police and fire response ... mentioning a helicopter that collided with a structure.

The dispatcher is later heard clarifying that the type of chopper that went down was, in fact, a news helicopter ... and multiple units rush to the fatal crash.

Sunny -- the Obama family's cherished Portuguese water dog who lived in the White House -- has died, according to Barack Obama.

Obama, the 44th president of the United States, just posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, revealing the sad news that Sunny had passed away after giving so much love to their family from when she first came into their lives during Barack's second term between 2013 and 2017. He also posted a series of photos, one of which included the Obamas and Sunny meeting Pope Francis in 2015.

Obama said even their first dog, Bo, loved Sunny, who was described as a "force of nature and "athletic and full of boundless energy." 44 also wrote that Sunny would easily leap over hedges on the WH's South Lawn and chase "squirrels, birds and anything else that moved."