RIP

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died today. He was 82.

Armstrong died following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures, his family said in a statement. It is not known where he died.

The statement from Armstrong's family said in part, "While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves."

Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft, which landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. During his three-hour walk on the moon's surface, he radioed back the famous line, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Armstrong married his current wife Carol in 1999 and lived in the Cincinnati suburb of Indian Hill. He stayed largely out of the public spotlight in recent years.

TMZ cameras

, back in 2009, where we asked him what celebrity he'd like to see in space and why his autographs is worth so much.

"Top Gun" director Tony Scott is currently being laid to rest at an L.A. cemetery ... 5 days after he killed himself in San Pedro, CA.

We're told several friends and family attended the service ... including Tony's older brother Ridley Scott, who flew in from London the day after Tony's death.

Ridley Scott is back in Los Angeles ... after flying from London yesterday in the wake of his brother's suicide.

After arriving in town, Ridley spent time today at his office in West Hollywood ... where he and Tony Scott worked on several projects together ... including "The Good Wife" and the upcoming A&E series "Coma."

Tony died Sunday after jumping off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, CA. Contrary to reports, Tony was NOT suffering from brain cancer, but it's unclear as to why he took his own life.

Joey Kovar dabbled in the world of professional wrestling before his unexpected death ... and this weekend, TMZ has learned his former colleagues honored his memory with an emotional tribute.

We broke the story ... Kovar joined up with Poww Entertainment in 2010, following his stint on "The Real World: Hollywood" ... and dreamed of someday wrestling for TNA.

Poww's head-honcho Jim Blaze tells TMZ ... Kovar was beloved during his stint with the league, and while he never made it to TNA, everyone respected the guy.

In fact, Blaze (pictured below) took a moment during a show in Illinois this weekend to address the crowd ... saying, "Everyone has demons and addictions ... we need to support each other to help people overcome them."

Tony Scott was no stranger to the area where he committed suicide ... in fact, the "Top Gun" director conducted a photo shoot near the Vincent Thomas Bridge exactly TWO YEARS before his death.

TMZ obtained a photo of Tony -- along with four other men -- checking out some railroad tracks in San Pedro, CA on August 19, 2010 ... with the Vincent Thomas Bridge in the background.

During the shoot, Tony was sporting the same pair of red shorts he was wearing when authorities discovered his body on August 19, 2012.

Sources tell TMZ ... Tony and his crew were conducting a post-production photo shoot for Tony's movie "Unstoppable" ... which starred Denzel Washington.

The photos were taken by Scott Trimble ... who, according to IMDB, worked as an assistant production supervisor on "Unstoppable."

Phyllis Diller was way ahead of her time -- so says Joan Rivers, who tells TMZ, Diller didn't get the appreciation she deserved in her prime ... because the 60s sucked for comedy.

Rivers -- whom Diller called her "protegee" -- tells us, "The only tragedy in [Diller's] entire life is that she was funny in an era when you had to look funny to be funny."

Rivers adds, "Her lines were so brilliant that all she had to do was stand on the stage and say 'em and you would have cracked up" ... but in the 60s, Diller's comedy was undermined by stupid outfits.

Rivers says she and Diller were BFFs 'til the end -- in fact, the two grabbed brunch just last month.

Fun fact: Rivers says Diller was dating into her 90s, and even had a boyfriend at the time of her death.

Comedian Phyllis Diller -- who paved the way for today's female comics -- died this morning, TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Diller tell us the comedian died in her sleep at her L.A. home, surrounded by family. She was 95.

We're told Diller had recently fallen, hurting her wrist and hip -- but her rep says the injury had nothing to do with her death.

Diller suffered a heart attack in 1999 and was later fitted with a pacemaker.

Phyllis began her career all the way back in 1952 -- and rose to fame with her TV specials alongside Bob Hope in the 1960s.

Ridley Scott was at Heathrow Airport in London this morning ... reportedly boarding a plane bound for L.A. ... where his younger brother Tony committed suicide yesterday.

Ridley and Tony were close -- co-producing several projects together including the CBS show "The Good Wife" and an upcoming A&E miniseries "Coma."

Tony died yesterday after jumping off a bridge in San Pedro, CA. Officials say Tony left multiple notes to loved ones. The notes were found in his car and another location.

9:07 AM PT -- ABC News is reporting that Tony had been suffering from inoperable brain cancer before his death.

Tony Scott's suicidal jump off an L.A. bridge was witnessed by numerous boaters, including a group of passengers on a harbor cruise ... some of whom took photos and shot video.

One of the passengers tells TMZ ... "He landed right next to our tour boat, and many of us saw the whole thing."

The white bar in the bottom right corner of the picture on the right is the rail from the harbor cruise boat.

As we previously reported, Scott jumped off the Vincent Thomas Bridge around 12:30 PM ... his body was fished out of the water by the L.A. Port Police a short time later. We're told the bridge is roughly 200 feet above the water.

Officials say Scott left a suicide note, but the details of the letter have not been released.

Famed director Tony Scott -- who directed "Top Gun" among many other major films -- jumped to his death today off an L.A. bridge ... this according to the L.A. County Coroner.

According to the Coroner, 68-year-old Scott -- Ridley Scott's brother -- jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge spanning San Pedro and Terminal Island around 12:30pm.

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Jennifer Osburn said a suicide note was found in Scott's Toyota Prius, which was parked on one of the eastbound lanes of the bridge.

Scott directed such films as "Top Gun," "Beverly Hills Cop II," "Enemy of the State," and "The Taking of Pelham 123."

Authorities used sonar equipment to find Scott's body in the port's murky waters. His body was recovered at approximately 4:30pm ... four hours after he jumped.

His body has since been turned over to coroner officials.

Legendary Hollywood composer Marvin Hamlisch -- one of the few people in the world to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award -- suffered from brain damage in the weeks before his death but ultimately succumbed to lung failure, this according to his death certificate.

TMZ obtained the document, filed in L.A., which shows Hamlisch died on August 6th primarily from respiratory arrest (lung failure) ... caused by a combination of anoxic brain encephalopathy (failure of oxygen to reach the brain) and hypertension (high blood pressure).

The document shows Hamlisch suffered from A.B.E. in the weeks before his death, though it's unclear if he was aware of the condition or exhibiting symptoms.

Hamlisch won 2 Academy Awards for composing the music for "The Way We Were" and one Oscar for "The Sting." He also worked on music for "Sophie's Choice," "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "A Chorus Line."

Joey Kovar -- the troubled "Real World" star who appeared on "Celebrity Rehab" -- was found dead at a friend's home near Chicago this morning ... and family members believe drugs are to blame ... TMZ has learned.

Kovar was 29 years old.

Kovar's rep tells TMZ ... Joey was discovered by a female friend early this morning who noticed blood coming out of Joey's ears and nose.

The woman called 911 ... and authorities rushed to the scene where he was pronounced dead.

Kovar had famously battled drug issues -- and sought help for cocaine and ecstasy during his stint on "Celeb Rehab."

While on "Real World: Hollywood," Kovar entered rehab halfway through the season for alcohol and drugs, admitting he'd struggled with substance abuse for years. It was a pretty powerful moment on the show.

Robert Wayne Birch, a bass guitarist who played with Elton John and Billy Joel among many other huge artists, is dead after apparently having shot and killed himself this morning ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Birch was found around the corner from his home, dead from a gunshot wound to the head. We're told all signs point to a self-inflicted wound.

We're told authorities have not found a suicide note and there were no apparent signs of drug use.

Birch has been playing with Elton John since 1992, and was also involved in the biggest single of all time, "Candle in the Wind 1997."

Birch has also performed with legends like Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Cher, Sting, The Backstreet Boys, The Spice Girls, Clint Black and many others.

Here's Birch with Elton last year on David Letterman -- one of their final live performances together.

Ron Palillo -- the actor who played Horshack on "Welcome Back, Kotter" -- died this morning at his home near Palm Beach, FL from an apparent heart attack ... this according to someone close to the actor.

We're told Palillo was found by his partner of many years Joseph Gramm around 4:00 AM. Gramm called an ambulance and Palillo was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

We're told the heart attack was very unexpected. Palillo was 63.

According to one of Palillo's colleagues at G-Star School of the Arts, Palillo had appeared to be in good health ... but was a heavy smoker. We're told he had been suffering from a bad cough and had even scheduled a doctor's appointment for today.

Palillo was known for calling out, "Ooh ooh ooh, Mr. Kotter" as one of the Sweathogs on the show ... which he appeared on with John Travolta from 1975 to 1979.

After Kotter, Palillo appeared in "Laverne & Shirley" and voiced a character on the Disney cartoon, "Darkwing Duck."

Palillo's "Kotter" co-star Robert Hegyes -- who played Epstein -- also passed away earlier this year after suffering a heart attack.

Evelyn Lozada is mourning her brother-in-law, who died tonight after a long battle with cancer ... TMZ has learned.

Anthony Ochoa who was married to Evelyn's sister Sylvia, made several appearances on "Basketball Wives" ... and just last month he escorted Evelyn down the aisle for her wedding to Chad Johnson.

We're told Anthony was featured prominently in the reality show about the wedding. As TMZ first reported ... VH1 has decided not to air the show after Chad's arrest for domestic battery.

We're told Anthony was surrounded by family members when he passed away in New York City.

Evelyn tells TMZ, "Anthony was an amazing husband, father, and brother-in-law. He will be dearly missed."

Anthony and Sylvia were married for more than 10 years, and had 2 children.

Former Kottonmouth Kings member Pakelika -- known as the "Visual Assassin" -- died Saturday night due to health complications.

The hip-hop-punk-rock band posted on Facebook early Saturday evening, announcing their former bandmate and hype man had been admitted to the hospital with "serious heath issues."

An hour later they updated the post to confirm his passing, saying, "It is with saddened hearts we have heard that Pakelika has passed away. May his soul rest in peace. Thanks for all the years & all the memories, respect Kmk."