Celebrity Death

Tommy Kirk -- best known for playing the kid role of Travis Coates in the 1957 Disney classic "Old Yeller" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Tommy's neighbor found him dead in his Las Vegas home around 8 PM on Tuesday. No foul play is suspected.

Tommy was a teenager when he got his big break in "Old Yeller" ... the story about a boy and his heroic dog. He was Disney's go-to kid actor to fill that All-American persona ... leading to roles in other Disney films, including "The Shaggy Dog, "Swiss Family Robinson" and "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones."

He was discovered in 1954 as a 13-year-old while performing opposite Will Rogers Jr. for the play "Ah, Wilderness!" at the Pasadena Playhouse. Legend has it, Tommy had auditioned for a role nobody else bothered to audition for, so he got it. He had only 5 lines in the play but it was enough for a talent agent to sign him and cast him in an episode of "TV Reader's Digest."

Tommy ultimately ended up getting cast in "The Mickey Mouse Club" ... and appeared in several other TV shows. But, there's no doubt his role in "Old Yeller" shot him to stardom.

But, his time with Disney didn't come without controversy. According to some reports ... Walt Disney personally fired Tommy in 1964 because the 21-year-old was gay.

Tommy once said, "When I was about 17 or 18 years old, I finally admitted to myself that I wasn’t going to change. I didn’t know what the consequences would be, but I had the definite feeling that it was going to wreck my Disney career and maybe my whole acting career. It was all going to come to an end."

He added, "Eventually, I became involved with somebody and I was fired." Tommy was still cast in films after that, but he admitted they were some of the worst movies he ever made.

Despite the Disney fallout ... Tommy was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2006.

He was 79.

Anthony Johnson's family is no longer burdened with funeral costs ... thanks to the generosity of celebs like Offset.

The late actor's widow, Lexis Jones Mason, tells TMZ ... Anthony's funeral has now been paid for, with nearly $70,000 in donations pouring in from famous folks and thousands of random donors.

We're told the Migos rapper chipped in $5,000 for the service, with Lil Rel Howery donating another $4k on the family's GoFundMe.

Lil Rel's rep tells us the comedian/actor felt compelled to help out because he sees comedy as a brotherhood.

Michael Blackson also helped raise $10,000, and in addition to donations, Anthony's widow tells us she received a flurry of calls this week from celebs like Fat Joe, D.L. Hughley, Faizon Love, Michael Colyar, Tommy Davidson, D.C. Young fly, Tyrin Turner and more.

We're told folks who called expressed their love, sent condolences and talked endlessly about how much they loved the "Friday" star.

TMZ broke the stories ... Anthony was found lifeless in a Los Angeles store earlier this month before being pronounced dead, and his family was scrambling to pay for his funeral.

With the services paid for, Anthony's widow says she's giving some of the extra money to his 4 children and she wants to use other funds to start a standup comedy school for underprivileged youth.

We're told Anthony didn't have life insurance, so Lexis wants to use some of the money to spread awareness and begin advocating for comedians and actors to get life insurance.

A new force has entered the fold in the ongoing search for Gabby Petito's fiance, Brian Laundrie -- and that's Dog the Bounty Hunter ... who's already knocking at his front door.

The famed TV personality and real-life human tracker has thrown his hat into the ring to help try and locate Laundrie -- who's vanished and been missing for almost a couple weeks now ... and is currently the subject of a massive manhunt, as he's suspect #1 in this whole case.

Reporter Brian Entin got footage of Dog dropping into the Laundrie family home in North Port, FL ... but it doesn't look like they were willing to chat with DTBH.

He seems to poke his head around the side of the house -- where there are a few parked cars in the driveway -- and finally makes his way to the main entrance, where he knocks and lingers a bit. Nobody answers ... and eventually Dog heads back to his truck with his wife, Francie, right behind him. Entin asks what he's doing there -- and Dog tells him, "you know."

As for why Dog's doing this (and how), we have some answers. His rep tells TMZ ... Dog wants to help bring justice to the Petito family, and feels compelled to get out there and do what he does best -- capturing people and bringing them to the authorities.

We're told Dog is simply volunteering his services at this point, and has not yet made contact with the investigative powers overseeing this case -- namely, the FBI. But, we're told Dog will touch base with them eventually ... and turn over anything he finds along the way.

Kate Quigley is singling out one of her friends who died in a 4-person overdose incident earlier this month -- and that'd be Fuquan Johnson ... whom she says left an impression.

The comedian posted a photo of her and FJ together, with a lengthy caption that touched on why she hadn't highlighted him before ... and why she's doing it now. Essentially, it boils down to time and processing what happened -- but now she's ready to speak.

She writes, in part ... "I took a lot of heat for not saying something about Fu right away. It's bc idk ... I was really trying to stay alive for days, and I'm still processing fully what happened." Kate also says she didn't want to shout him out specifically -- seeing how 3 people died ... but notes, he was, in fact, special to her.

KQ also has this to say on the question of the drugs being used that night ... "I can't comment on who supplied what. The truth is it doesn't really matter. If you do any illegal drugs, you're basically signing a contract that says, 'I accept that I might die sooner than I would like.' We all know that. I'm not posting to talk about details of what occurred."

Kate finishes by recapping what she'll remember about Fuquan -- namely, that he was as honest and unflinchingly himself ... just like her.

She writes, "I think about him every day, and I'm heartbroken he's gone. But I know without a shadow of a doubt that he has been watching over me every time I get down. I feel him." Kate adds, "And I know he would support me however I had to deal with this, just as I would if only he had survived."

As the search continues for Brian Laundrie, an emotional vigil was held Friday night in Long Island -- Gabby Petito's hometown.

The memorial was called "Light the Night for Gabby Petito," where scores of residents held lanterns that they purchased for $20 ... to help the Petito family cover funeral and other costs.

Gabby graduated from Bayport-Blue Point High School, so her connection to the community runs deep. Her body was returned to Long Island for burial.

A service open to the public is set for Sunday from noon to 5 PM at Moloney's Funeral Home.

As we reported, the feds are intensely searching for Brian Laundrie, who has not been named as a suspect in Gabby's death but, according to our law enforcement sources, that's exactly how they are treating him -- as the prime suspect. As you know, there's an arrest warrant issued for Laundrie, who allegedly committed criminal fraud by using an unauthorized debit card ... a card that was presumably Gabby's.

The feds are searching the area where Laundrie allegedly went for a hike, although some believe he's escaped and possibly even left the country. Others believe he's already killed himself.

A piece of presidential history is hitting the market ... Abraham Lincoln's death certificate could be yours to take home, as long as you've got some pretty deep pockets.

It's pretty cool ... the document is over 156 years old and it appears to still be in pretty good condition, noting Abe's infamous assassination on April 14, 1865, in cursive penmanship.

While the doc states the obvious, it's also got an interesting nugget ... pointing out our 16th president's estate was worth $85,000 at the time of his death. In current dollars that would be $1.42 million. That's a pretty good chunk of change for the 1860s.

David Davis, one of Honest Abe's closest friends, signed Lincoln's death certificate after taking his body back to Illinois following his assassination at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C.

Abe's death certificate is going up for sale at Moments In Time, with an asking price of $425,000. We don't recommend paying with $5 bills or pennies.

The driver who struck and killed NFL coach Greg Knapp has reportedly been cleared of any wrongdoing ... and will not face criminal charges.

58-year-old Knapp was riding his bicycle in San Ramon, CA on July 17 ... when he was hit by a car and rushed to the hospital with severe injuries.

Knapp -- who had just been hired to be the New York Jets' passing game coordinator -- tragically passed away on July 22 ... a loss that was felt throughout the NFL community.

The incident was investigated by San Ramon PD and sent over to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office ... which declined to pursue charges.

"The San Ramon Police Department's investigation has concluded and it was submitted for review," the police said in a statement to Danville San Ramon.

"We received official word from the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office that they will not be filing criminal charges on the driver involved in the collision."

The DA's office explained the decision to the New York Post on Friday ... saying, there was "insufficient evidence to satisfy the requisite standard of criminal negligence on the part of the suspect driver."

Officials do not believe drugs or alcohol were a factor ... and the driver was fully cooperative with authorities.

Knapp was beloved amongst players and coaches throughout the league -- he won a Super Bowl ring as an assistant with the Denver Broncos in 2016, and is survived by his mother, wife, brother and 3 daughters.

Michael K. Williams died of a fatal drug overdose ... according to the Chief Medical Examiner in NYC.

The Medical Examiner has determined ... "The Wire" actor's official cause of death is acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin and cocaine. His manner of death has been ruled accidental.

As we told you ... this was suspected by the authorities since Williams was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment on Labor Day, as drug paraphernalia and narcotics were discovered at the scene.

We broke the story ... the apparent drug overdose has triggered an NYPD criminal investigation to locate the source of the drugs that led to the actor's death.

Michael's death is the latest in a tragic string of accidental fentanyl OD cases. The same weekend he died, 4 comedians in L.A. overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine ... killing 3 of them, including Fuquan Johnson.

The powerful opioid has also claimed the lives of Shock G, 'Flash' actor Logan Williams, Lil Peep, Mac Miller and Prince ... to, sadly, name just a few.

Sarah Jessica Parker just paid tribute to her "Sex and the City" costar ... saying the sudden loss of Willie Garson is a crater in her life -- one she's trying to fill with memories of their time together.

SJP poured her heart out Friday ... saying she'll fondly remember their 30-plus year friendship that included road trips, meals, late night phone calls, a devotion to parenthood -- along with all the time they spent on sets ... "most especially Carrie's apartment."

She added, "I will miss everything about you. And replay our last moments together. I will re-read every text from your final days and put to pen our last calls."

Sarah also expressed her condolences to Nathen ... Willie's 20-year-old son whom he adopted when Nathen was only 7 years old. Sarah said, "You were and are the light of Willie's life and his greatest achievement was being your Papa."​

As we reported ... Willie's sudden death sent shockwaves throughout Hollywood. "Bosch" star Titus Welliver broke the news saying, "There are no words. I love you dear brother. We are fewer." Our sources say Willie had been battling with cancer.

Anthony Johnson's death has left his family scrambling to find a way to cover his burial -- something his wife says isn't being made easy with the empty lip service they're getting.

Lexis Jones Mason tells TMZ ... she and her family have been getting a ton of what she describes as "fake love" left and right in the wake of her husband's sudden passing earlier this month ... which she's quite upset about, seeing how she needs financial assistance.

This interview's heartbreaking -- Lexis fights back tears as she explains how the Johnson family has started a GoFundMe, but have come up way short of the $20k goal they set to properly bury him and give him the service he deserves ... so far raising less than $800.

And, in spite of people apparently telling her they'd donate and chip in ... Lexis says much of that just hasn't materialized, and seems folks would rather lend emotional support instead of actually helping out in a way they really need right now.

Lexis isn't asking for a handout either, BTW ... literally just enough to do right by Anthony. And, as many know, funerals are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination.

While she says she doesn't expect anything from anyone, Lexis would absolutely appreciate any donations friends or fans of AJ could contribute. And, if no one comes through, Lexis says she'll probably cremate him -- and will go back to work ASAP to cover that on her own.

Willie Garson -- famous for his role in the "Sex and the City" series and movies -- has died ... according to his close friends.

"Bosch" star Titus Welliver broke the news of Willie's passing with a post that said, "There are no words. I love you dear brother. We are fewer," and he attached a photo of Willie.

Willie's fellow actor and friend Rob Morrow also posted a tribute.

Sources connected to the 'SATC' star tell us he'd been battling cancer, though we've not confirmed it as his cause of death.

Willie was a fan fave from the hit HBO series ... playing Sarah Jessica Parker's male BFF, Stanford Blatch -- a gay socialite who Carrie Bradshaw often called "Stanny."

He didn't appear in every episode, but for the 27 he did pop up for over the course of 6 years ... his scenes were always memorable.

Willie was also in both 'SATC' movies ... and he's at least slated to appear with SJP and co. in "And Just Like That..." -- the new HBO Max series. We know he shot scenes in NYC this summer with Sarah Jessica and Mario Cantone.

WG's roles went well beyond 'SATC' though -- he's been in tons of shows and movies throughout his career ... including stuff like "White Collar," "Hawaii Five-0," "Quantum Leap," "Girl Meets World," "Mr. Belvedere," "Just Shoot Me!" "Big Mouth," "Supergirl," and many, many more.

He's got a total of 170 acting credits to his name, dating back to the '80s.

Willie was 57. He leaves behind his son, Nathen.

The Rolling Stones are officially out on their first-ever tour without Charlie Watts, and the loss was obvious at their first show ... which they dedicated to the only drummer they've ever had.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and co. performed Monday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA -- a private gig for Patriots owner Robert Kraft -- and before things got started, MJ made sure to shout out Charlie, who died last month.

The last 3 Stones -- Keith, Mick and Ron Wood -- stood shoulder-to-shoulder as Mick explained how much they miss Charlie, on and off the stage, and recalled the memories they'd all made together over 59 years.

You could hear Mick start to choke up a bit as he dedicated the show to their late drummer ... and raised his drink to the crowd.

Mick telegraphed his thoughts, wondering out loud what song they'd open with, and admitting he was a little emotional.

A cross made of stones is serving as a makeshift memorial for Gabby Petito in Wyoming ... on the exact site where cops believe they found the missing 22-year-old's body.

As we reported, the feds announced Sunday they'd found the remains of a young woman at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest ... where the van used by Gabby and her fiance, Brian Laundrie, was spotted days earlier.

An autopsy is scheduled Tuesday to confirm the body is Gabby's, but the stone cross memorial is already set up right where investigators searched for her in Spread Creek.

As you know ... Gabby's story became national news when Laundrie showed up back at his Florida home without her on Sept. 1, even though they had taken the cross-country trip together and were documenting it on social media.

However, Gabby's family claims they lost touch with her in late August and Brian allegedly refused to give them any info on her location or what happened between them.

The family reported her missing on Sept. 11, and Laundrie was named a "person of interest" but never arrested.

Shortly after that, it was revealed the couple had a domestic dispute in Utah on Aug. 12, and even though a 911 caller alleged Brian slapped Gabby ... an official police account of this entire incident reportedly claimed "no one reported that the male struck the female."

Nevertheless, the couple was eventually released with no arrests in mid-August, and Gabby went missing sometime after that ... though it's still unclear exactly when.

Tom Ford's husband, the longtime fashion journalist, Richard Buckley, has died.

Richard died on Sunday night at his L.A. home with Tom and their son, Jack, by his side. According to Tom's reps ... Richard died of natural causes after a long illness. The type of illness was not disclosed.

Tom and Richard were together for 35 years. Richard met Tom at a fashion show in 1986 on an elevator ride. Tom has said it was love at first sight. They tied the knot in 2014 following the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Even though it took them nearly 3 decades later to say "I do" ... Tom has said he knew the moment he laid eyes on Richard that it'd become something special. He had once said, "Our eyes locked and within a month we were living together."

Tom and Richard welcomed Jack in 2012 via surrogacy. Richard was a giant in the fashion world. He started his career in fashion journalism at New York Magazine in 1979 and later would go on to work at Women's Wear Daily and Vanity Fair.

Richard -- born in Binghamton, NY and raised by a military family that traveled the world --- would later move to Milan and ultimately find himself at the top of his journalistic career when he became the European editor of Mirabella magazine in 1990. At the same time ... he was also a contributing editor at Italian Vogue while Tom was on the design staff at Gucci.

Richard and Tom later relocated to Paris so Richard could take on the role of editor-in-chief at Vogue Hommes International. He held on to the top editor position from 1999 to 2005.

He was 72.

Patty Perez -- AKA, "Goddess Patty," who made a memorable cameo in a 'Jackass' film -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The actress and Internet sensation's daughter, Priscilla, tells us ... Patty passed away last Friday at a hospital in Reno, where she lived -- and where she was being treated for complications related to her type 1 diabetes, which she'd been dealing with since birth. BTW, this wasn't COVID-related

Priscilla says her mom's kidneys were failing -- the result of a lifelong struggle with her health and weight that she'd endured for years and years.

Patty lived her life out loud despite her health concerns. She ended up becoming featured in 'Jackass 2' back in 2006, as well as "Jackass 2.5" the following year -- portraying herself in a hilarious skit they filmed with Jason Acuna, AKA Wee Man ... and gaining notoriety from it.

It was a segment of the film that they called "Magic Trick" in which they'd make WM disappear. The means for that, as it turned out, was having Patty jump onto him while lying on a bed ... and her body practically enveloped him. Johnny Knoxville shows up at the end, cracking up and asking where Wee Man went -- it's pretty hilarious.

Patty went on to star in one episode of "My Big Fat Fetish" ... where they showcased her sitting on guys who wanted to pay for that type of pleasure. There are other clips of her on the Internet, in which everyday activities are seen as a struggle for her.

Her family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover funeral and other expenses -- for now, they have a $6,000 goal. Priscilla also tells us, "We want to express our immense gratitude for the love and kindness everyone has shown to our mom." She adds, "Being able to entertain and bring light and happiness to people was the highlight of her life. She was so proud of the work she did in the film industry."

Patty's survived by her four children, her mother and her grandchildren. She was 57.

George Holliday -- the man who filmed Rodney King's beating at the hands of the LAPD in the '90s, which eventually triggered the L.A. Riot -- has died after contracting COVID-19.

Holliday passed away Sunday while hospitalized in Simi Valley, CA where he'd been since mid-August -- this according to one of his close friends and his business partner. We're told he'd been bedridden with pneumonia, and finally succumbed to the virus after a few weeks. We're told he wasn't vaccinated.

There's also this ... people close to George tell us that he was on a ventilator the last few days of his life. We're told when he was first admitted, he had an oxygen tube, but his condition worsened and eventually, he was put on the ventilator.

We're told he was plagued with blood clots and internal bleeding toward the end. His outgoing voicemail referenced he was in the hospital with COVID.

Holliday's claim to fame is the historic and horrific video he captured in 1991 ... which showed 4 LAPD cops swinging batons down on a cowering King, who was trying to protect himself from the blows.

If not for Holliday's quick and decisive move to start recording the madness from his apartment balcony across the way ... it's almost certain no one would've caught wind of what had been done to King that night in March of '91.

The tape ended up as the impetus for bringing charges against 4 officers -- all of whom ended up being acquitted in criminal court ... a decision that sparked the 1992 L.A. riots.

Businesses were destroyed, cars and property were set ablaze ... and people were outright fighting with law enforcement on the streets for nearly a week straight -- resulting in more than a billion dollars in damages.

King did end up winning a civil lawsuit ... and was awarded $4 million.

Holliday put his infamous video camera up for auction just last year -- with a starting bid at nearly a quarter of a million dollars. He said it had come to symbolize more than he could ever imagine, especially in the wake of George Floyd.

He was 61.