Celebrity Death

Liam Payne's friend Roger Nores -- who was with him in his final chaotic days alive in Buenos Aires -- is suing Liam's father for allegedly smearing him in the media in the weeks after Liam died.

Roger filed the defamation lawsuit Thursday against Geoff Payne for saying Roger was supposed to take care of Liam at the time of his death. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Roger says Geoff submitted a sworn declaration to Buenos Aires police stating Roger had "full responsibility for Liam's care during this last period when I was not there."

But, Roger sternly denies that saying in the lawsuit, he "never agreed to be and was never the caretaker of Liam." He acknowledges they were "dear friends" and supported each other, but says it was never a paid job for him.

Dwayne Johnson's telling his fans not to wait too long when it comes to squashing beef with parents ... speaking directly to his male fans who have problems with their dads like he did.

The actor posted a black and white video to Instagram early Thursday morning ... and, in it, he reveals yesterday was the five-year anniversary of his dad Rocky 'Soulman' Johnson's death.

The Rock notes he and his dad weren't in a particularly good place when he passed ... and, Dwayne says he woke up yesterday feeling weird -- and realized it's because he'd never get a chance to make things right with his pop, and it's still bothering him.

Majorly sad news from the British comedy scene ... Tony Slattery -- best known for his role on the UK version of the improv show 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?" -- has died.

Slattery’s longtime partner of nearly 4 decades, Mark Michael Hutchinson, confirmed the news ... telling BBC the comedian passed away Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack Sunday evening.

Tony rose to fame in the '80s and was best known for his quick wit and improvisational genius on Britain's hugely successful "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" -- long before the show was remade for U.S. audiences.

Leslie Charleson -- a well-known soap opera star -- has died ... according to an announcement posted to the official "General Hospital" Instagram account.

Frank Valentini -- an executive producer on the long-running soap -- wrote the statement ... highlighting Charleson's enduring legacy after more than 50 years on the show.

Valentini writes that just as Leslie's character was the heart of the Quartermaine family on the show, she was a matriarch to the cast and crew ... and, she will be deeply missed. Frank did not mention a cause of death.

A former child actor is among the victims killed in the massive Los Angeles wildfires ... with his mother saying she could not save him in time.

Rory Callum Sykes -- who appeared in the 90s UK show "Kiddy Kapers" -- was killed at his family’s Malibu home on Wednesday, his his mother, Shelley Sykes, announced in an emotional social media post.

The British-born Australian actor -- born blind with cerebral palsy -- had his own cottage on the family's 17-acre Mount Malibu TV Studio estate, which burned down in the fire, per his mother.

Allison Holker's daughter is shedding some light on the NDA people going to Stephen "tWitch" Boss' funeral had to sign ... and, she claims it wasn't meant to stop people from talking about the late star.

Weslie Fowler -- Holker's 16-year-old daughter from a previous relationship -- took to Instagram Live Friday and talked for 30 minutes about her mom and tWitch.

One of the big topics she confronted ... Weslie explained why an NDA at tWtich's funeral was necessary -- saying it's not about preventing people from talking about the star, but instead it was in an effort to keep people from photographing the body.

Hold on God, Sam Moore is coming -- the famed singer, who was half of the legendary soul duo Sam & Dave, has died.

Sam's rep says the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer passed away Friday morning in Coral Gables, FL after suffering post-surgery complications -- although, the rep did not say what kind of surgery Sam had undergone or when.

Sam & Dave -- with singer Dave Prater -- formed in the 60s and dropped a string of iconic hits, including "Soul Man," "Hold On I'm Coming" and "I Thank You." From the start, Sam had quite the pedigree in the music biz.

Bill Byrge, best known for his roles in the beloved "Ernest" movies, has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The actor’s cousin, Sharon Chapman, tells TMZ that Bill passed away at his Nashville home yesterday at 86. The cause of his death remains unknown.

Sharon first shared the heartbreaking news on Facebook ... honoring him as a beautiful soul who made people laugh without even trying.

tWitch's mother is committed to defending her son's legacy ... declaring recent claims about her late son are totally bogus -- becoming the latest family member to call out his widow, Allison Holker.

Connie Boss Alexander posted a statement to Instagram Thursday morning ... writing the family is completely appalled by the "misleading and hurtful claims" floating around about her son.

Alexander explains she can't let these accusations go unanswered ... adding she refuses to sit idly by while her son's legacy is tarnished.

tWitch's widow Allison Holker says she has a good reason for blabbing to the media about his alleged drug problem ... she says she's just trying to help others.

Allison defended herself Thursday amid a barrage of online attacks from her late husband's friends and family, who are all pissed off about her recent media interviews and upcoming memoir ... where she touches on his alleged drug use leading up to his suicide.

In a long social media post, Allison says ... "I hope that by sharing our full story maybe I can help someone else who might see themselves or a loved one in Stephen."

Allison Holker going on a media blitz to promote her upcoming memoir is sparking a family feud ... with relatives and friends of the late Stephen "tWitch" Boss going after his widow for labeling him a drug user.

The infighting is playing out right now on social media in the wake of Allison's new interview with People ... and tons of dirty laundry is being aired online.

Courtney Ann Platt, who was friends with tWitch and Allison, fired the first shot Tuesday ... with a long rant on Instagram blasting Allison for telling the media she allegedly found a stash of drugs in tWitch's shoeboxes before his funeral.

Peter, Paul and Mary singer Peter Yarrow is dead after a long battle with cancer ... TMZ has confirmed.

Peter died Tuesday at his home on Manhattan's Upper West Side ... according to his publicist, Ken Sunshine, who tells us Peter's cause of death was bladder cancer.

We're told Peter was diagnosed with cancer four years ago, and battled the disease until his death.

Richard Cohen, Meredith Vieira's husband of 38 years, has died following a decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis.

The "Today" show, where Meredith served as co-anchor between 2006 and 2011, announced Richard's passing Tuesday morning ... confirming Richard -- a fellow newsman -- had died on Christmas Eve while surrounded by his family.

"Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie said Meredith is "in really good spirits" ... with Hoda Kotb also revealing the family was happy to get an extra month with Richard when the family became very concerned about his health at Thanksgiving.

A hotel worker accused of delivering drugs to Liam Payne in a soap box shortly before his death in Buenos Aires has turned himself in to police in Argentina after being on the run.

Prosecutors tell TMZ 21-year-old Ezequiel David Pereyra negotiated his surrender through his lawyer Monday evening. Police were informed, went to his house, and arrested him.

He had been on the run since being charged with supplying Liam with narcotics.

Aubrey Plaza is breaking her silence on her husband's sudden death ... calling Jeff Baena's passing an "unimaginable tragedy."

In her first public comments on her loss, Aubrey and their families add ... "We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time."

Monday's statement comes after Aubrey skipped the Golden Globes in the wake of her director hubby's death.

Aubrey Plaza didn't join the ranks of numerous celebrities at the Golden Globes Sunday night ... skipping the ceremony two days after her husband passed away.

Numerous celebrities packed the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills for the 82nd iteration of the ceremony ... but, Aubrey wasn't among them -- and, it's pretty clear why.

Plaza was originally scheduled to present an award ... though it's unclear which one or who filled in for her.