Celebrity Death

Zayn Malik paid tribute to Liam Payne Friday night, telling the crowd he was hoping his former 1D bandmate would be looking down watching ... "I hope you're seeing this. We're in your hometown tonight, Wolverhampton. This is for you, Liam."

Zayn was performing in Liam's hometown in the UK, when he told the crowd at the University of Wolverhampton ... "I've been doing something, at the end of the show, every night, and it's been dedicated to my brother Liam Payne. Rest in peace."

When Zayn's "Stairway To The Sky" tour fired up last week, the crowd saw on the screen ... "Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro."

Alabama A&M football linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. has passed away at 20 years old after suffering a severe head injury during a game last month.

According to local officials, he died at 5:43 PM Wednesday evening at UAB Hospital.

Burnett Jr. was involved in the collision during A&M's matchup with Alabama State on Oct. 26 -- one day before his birthday. He received treatment in the ICU ... and according to his sister, had several brain bleeds and swelling.

Juice WRLD's posthumous release isn't getting a lot of love from his fans ... with many taking to X and calling the record an affront to his legacy.

"The Party Never Ends" -- JW's newest release -- dropped Friday ... and, while many were looking forward to the new record, some didn't feel it lived up to the late rapper's rigorous standards.

Look at some of the social media comments ... people are slamming every part of the production -- from track selection to underwhelming features and everything in between.

Alabama A&M football player Medrick Burnett Jr. is still alive and remains hospitalized with a head injury he sustained in a game last month ... this after the university announced he had passed away at 20 years old.

Alabama A&M tells TMZ Sports ... "We retract the news of the passing of Medrick Burnette Jr, that was originally advised by an immediate family member on Tuesday evening. Our staff acted accordingly to the wishes of the family member to inform the A&M community and beyond of this unfortunate occurrence."

"Upon hearing from a representative from UAB hospital this afternoon, we learned that he remains alive. We express our immediate regret for disseminating false information however, we hold complete joy in knowing that Medrick remains in stable condition."

Peanut the Squirrel's owners are gearing up for an upcoming legal battle ... filing an official notice of their intention to sue the State of New York for the death of their beloved pet.

Mark Longo and Daniela Bittner filed a notice of their intention to make a claim against the government for the death of Peanut and their raccoon, Fred ... alleging unlawful search and seizure, violation of freedom of speech, and other due process violations.

Longo and Bittner say the incident was the result of negligence, carelessness, and recklessness by the state of NY and its agents ... saying they may have violated due process laws by not revealing to a judge their intention to kill the animals after raiding Longo and Bittner's home.

John Amos is getting a grand sendoff ... in the form of an emotional memorial service ... with a solid turnout from Hollywood.

The "Good Times" star was remembered by his family and famous friends Saturday during a service in East Orange, NJ ... with performances by R&B artist Monifah, gospel singer Karen Poole, and platinum producer Tone "TL" Cross.

John's former "Good Times" castmates, BernNaddette Stanis and Ralph Carter, were among the speakers.

Liam Payne's good friend who Buenos Aires authorities want to prosecute for "abandonment" knew Liam had fallen off the wagon but still left him alone ... so claim prosecutors in an official document obtained by TMZ.

Roger Nores had been extremely close to Liam in the last months of his life. The 2 traveled to Argentina together, but Liam stayed in the CasaSur Hotel alone and Roger stayed elsewhere.

According to the docs, Liam's dad was interviewed by authorities and said in May 2024, Roger volunteered to take over Liam's care and arrange to put him in rehab. The docs say Liam's father said it was critical that Liam always stayed busy and was never alone.

Jim Abrahams -- one of the creators behind classic comedies like "Airplane!" and 'The Naked Gun' -- has died.

The writer, producer and director died early Tuesday morning at his home in Santa Monica ... according to his son, Joseph.

We're told Jim had been battling leukemia for 20 years, and the cancer was a contributing factor in his death. His son says Jim was in remission at one point during his cancer battle, but the disease came back and he was always battling the cancer.

Liam Payne was trying to escape from his hotel when he fell to his death, and the hotel knew he was threatening to use the balcony as the means to escape, but left him by himself ... this according to witnesses, the police report, a 911 call and surveillance video.

Here's what we know. Liam hated being locked up in hotel rooms ... something he had to deal with during his time in One Direction. He had used the balcony escape plan before, most recently in mid-September, when sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Liam's bodyguard was concerned he might have been on a drug binge and forced him inside a room in a Florida rental house. Liam escaped from a balcony, using a garden hose to reach the ground.

Look at the surveillance screenshots from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. Liam, who was disruptive in the lobby and clearly under the influence, is splayed out as 3 hotel workers carry him to his room, minutes before he fell to his death. Liam is clearly conscious -- although we blurred his face, he is holding his head upright.

Michael Villella, the star who famously played Russ Thorn in the 1982 horror film "The Slumber Party Massacre" has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

Michael's daughter, Chloe, tells TMZ ... he passed away on Saturday afternoon due to multiple organ failure after spending over a month in the hospital.

Chloe Villella posted a tribute on Facebook Saturday with the caption ... "May you rest in peace daddy ♥️💋."

While best known for his work as Russ Thorn, Michael also starred in "Love Letters," "Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue" and "Gotham."

Legendary game show host Chuck Woolery -- best known for being the first host of "Wheel of Fortune" -- has passed away ... TMZ has confirmed.

Chuck was also the host of the wildly successful dating show, "Love Connection," for a dozen years.

Chuck's longtime friend and podcast cohost Mark Young tells TMZ ... Chuck was home in Texas with his wife when she said he wasn't feeling well and went to lie down.

Zayn Malik's tribute to Liam Payne left the crowd at his concert a mess ... sharing a powerful message to his deceased One Direction bandmate -- and, the sobs were audible.

The singer-songwriter took the stage in Leeds, England Saturday ... his first show since Liam passed away after falling from his balcony at a hotel in Argentina in mid-October.

While most of the show seems to have been a pretty standard Zayn concert, it ended with a huge blue screen adorned with Liam's name, year of birth and death, followed by "Love You Bro" and a red heart emoji.

One of the three men charged with selling the drugs that killed rapper Mac Miller has been released from federal prison, TMZ has learned.

According to a rep for the Bureau of Prisons ... Cameron James Pettit was sprung from the Federal Correctional Institution Mendota, California, on October 11 after he was arrested in 2019 and charged with conspiring to distribute controlled substances resulting in death. His two co-defendants, Stephen Walter, and Ryan Reavis, were also busted and indicted on the same federal charges.

Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Walter and Reavis each copped to one count of distribution of fentanyl and were sentenced to around 17 years and 11 years behind bars, respectively.

Juice WRLD fans are ready to start a riot over their late hero's new album cover ... and not in a good way!!!

On Tuesday, Juice WRLD's label unveiled the cover art for his third posthumous project, "The Party Never Ends," through a collaboration with the massive audience of "Fortnite."

The cover is said to be drawn by renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami of Kanye West's "Graduation" fame ... but fans wondered if they were they were being trolled after first review.

The album kicked off last week with Nicki Minaj and Juice's newest collab and there was also a special listening at ComplexCon.

The 999 generation would hear none of it ... accusing the alien-looking Juice of being a disrespect to his legacy, saying he would have never approved of the shoddy art.

Of course, Juice WRLD's breakout debut album "Goodbye & Good Riddance" also featured cartoony artwork, so there's a chance fans are just being touchy.

Ron Ely -- star of the 1960s TV show -- "Tarzan" died from a heart issue ... TMZ has learned.

According to the death certificate, obtained by TMZ, Ron's official cause of death is listed as "end-stage heart disease."

End-stage heart disease is the most severe form of heart disease, occurring when the heart is too weak to pump blood effectively, and patients with the disease generally only live 6 to 12 months ... according to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Harry Styles and members of One Direction arrived at a London-area church on Wednesday to say their goodbyes to Liam Payne ... just over a month after the singer's death.

The private service is taking place at St. Mary's Church in Amersham -- not far from Wolverhampton, the city near Birmingham where he was born.

Liam's coffin arrived in a horse-drawn carriage carrying floral tributes spelling out "Daddy" and "Son." Another floral display showed a bowling ball crashing through pins ... reportedly a nod to the star's love of the game.