RIP

On Sept. 10, 2006, Daniel was found by Anna, unconscious in the hospital room in which she was recovering from giving birth to Dannielynn. Daniel had arrived in Nassau just 11 hours earlier to help celebrate his namesake's arrival. Toxicology reports said that an unfortunate combination of prescription anti-depressants and methadone caused his death.

One year since his untimely demise, an official inquest into Daniel's death has still not begun, and its start date continues to be delayed.

Pavarotti had been fighting a long battle with pancreatic cancer. His manager, Terri Robson, sent the AP an e-mail statement confirming that the singer died at his home in Modena, Italy, at 5:00 AM local time.

"The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterised his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness," the statement read.

Hotelier Leona Helmsley, who once served prison time for tax evasion and was often called the "Queen of
Mean," has died. Helmsley suffered heart failure at her summer home in Greenwich, Conn., said her publicist, Howard Rubenstein.

Helmsley, with husband, Harry, ran a $5 billion real estate
empire which included managing the Empire State Building. A former housekeeper once said she heard Helmsley say: "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes." She later served time in prison for tax evasion.

She denied making the statement, but the words followed her for the rest of her life.

No, it's not deja vu -- yet another WWE wrestling superstar has died.

According to WWE.com, Crush, aka Brian Adams, was found dead earlier today. A cause of death has not yet been determined. Adams was 43.

Along with legendary wrestlers Ax and Smash, Crush was part of the face-painting, leather strap-wearing, generally bad-ass unit known as "Demolition."

Story developing...

Cheryl Kosewicz, from the recently canceled CBS reality show "Pirate Master," was found dead in her home on Friday, KOLO-TV in Reno is reporting. Officials told the station the death is believed to be a suicide, but is still under investigation.

Just two months earlier, Kosewicz's boyfriend also took his own life.

Her death was confirmed by fellow "Pirate Master" contestant Nessa Nemir, who posted on the show's Facebook page, "All of the pirates and Cheryl's friends and family are shocked and devastated. It is a tragic loss that we all feel very deeply."

Another contestant, Joycelyn "Joy" McElveen, wrote on her MySpace page, "I lay in my bed tossing and turning waiting on someone to wake me up from this horrible nightmare. What nightmare you may ask? The nightmare that I thought I would never have to deal with the news that my best friend is dead. I immediately scream out in pain and sorrow."

Kosewicz was the fourth person eliminated (on the show), which was canceled just last week.

Tammy Faye Messner, who as Tammy Faye Bakker helped her husband, Jim, build a multimillion-dollar evangelism empire and then saw it collapse in disgrace, has died. She was 65.

Messner, who had battled colon cancer since 1996 that more recently spread to her lungs, died peacefully at her home Friday, said her booking agent, Joe Spotts, in an e-mail to the Associated Press.

A family service was held Saturday in a private cemetery, where her ashes were interred, he said.

A source tells TMZ that New Hampshire officials are treating this as a "suspicious death," and an autopsy has been ordered. Kronus, whose real name is George Caiazo, was trained by the legendary Walter "Killer" Kowalski, and retired from wrestling in 2002.

Fire Chief Gerard Ransom of Sanford, Fla. has confirmed at least four other passengers were killed -- including two children.

From exploding hearts to drug use -- and even to some unsolved cases -- some of the musclebound who've entered the squared circle have checked out early.

WWE superstar Chris Benoit, 40, his wife Nancy and young son were found dead in their Atlanta home early this afternoon, this according to WWE.com.

No further details regarding the tragedy have been released. Benoit was scheduled to appear at a pay-per-view event last night ... WWE said that there was a "family emergency" that prevented him from being there.

Benoit, a former World Heavyweight Champ, wreaked havoc with his signature move, the "Crippler Crossface."

The incident comes on the heels of the shocking death of former WWE wrestler "Sensational" Sherri Martel, and the supposed "assassination" of WWE head honcho Vince McMahon. TMZ has learned that the WWE is scrapping all references to the McMahon death storyline on tonight's episode of "Raw.'

According to the official WWE website, tonight's "Raw" will serve as a tribute to the wrestling great.

Frankie Abernathy -- the punked-out, boat-phobic rock chick of MTV's "Real World: San Diego" fame -- died at the age of 25 on Saturday at her mother's home in Shorewood, Wisc.

Abernathy suffered from cystic fibrosis, though an official cause of death has yet to be determined, according to MTV News. During her stint in the "Real World" house, Frankie exhibited symptoms of cystic fibrosis, such as difficulty breathing and immune-system impairment, and it was a significant part of her storyline on the show.