RIP

"A Different World" Star Lou Myers -- famous for playing Mr. Vernon Gaines on the 80s show -- has died, TMZ has learned.

The President of Lou's non-profit tells TMZ, Lou passed away last night in West Virginia at the Charleston Medical Center following a heart-related emergency.

Lou was hospitalized in December for pneumonia but released after New Year's. He collapsed at home a few weeks later and was hospitalized again.

Lou's heart stopped yesterday. Doctors were able to revive him, but he fell into a coma and passed just hours later. He was 77.

And yes, his Wikipedia and IMDb pages are incorrect. We're told he lied about his age. According to official records, Lou's birthday was September 26, 1935. As one source put it, "You know how actors are."

An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the official cause of death.

We're told Lou -- who served in the Army -- will receive a military burial in West Virginia. He is survived by his son and his 95-year-old mother.

Mark Cuban learned everything he knows about winning NBA championships from late Lakers owner Jerry Buss -- and he tells TMZ, he'll always remember Jerry for his priceless words of wisdom.

Mark -- who owns the Mavs -- told us, "Jerry Buss was the guy I looked up to in the NBA. When I got into the NBA he was the one guy who told me don't worry about what other people are saying. Just stay true to yourself. Believe in what you're doing and good things will happen."

He added, "The NBA will definitely miss him. I'll miss him."

A major porn studio has pulled the plug on Mindy McCready's sex tape -- immediately ceasing all DVD distribution of the footage in the wake of the singer's suicide ... TMZ has learned.

Vivid Entertainment honcho Steve Hirsch tells TMZ, the DVD distribution freeze is effective at once and will continue indefinitely. The porn company currently has no plans to resume distribution.

The tape "Baseball Mistress" -- which features McCready and her boyfriend at the time -- was originally released by Vivid in 2010, following the singer's stint on "Celebrity Rehab." It's unclear when the actual footage was shot.

In the tape, McCready discusses her alleged affair with married MLB legend Roger Clemens ... hence the title. McCready said she never authorized the tape's release.

As for digital distribution -- Hirsch said that's harder to regulate ... but he plans to pull all digital copies of the video from the Vivid website asap.

As we reported, McCready was found dead at her home in Arkansas Sunday after suffering what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was 37.

Mindy McCready's "Celebrity Rehab" co-star Mackenzie Phillips could hardly speak today in L.A. after news broke of McCready's suicide -- claiming, "The tragedy is just astounding."

A visibly upset Phillips said, "She was my friend. She was a really good person. I loved her very much."

She added, "[Mindy] was funny. She was smart. She was loving. She was kind. She was incredibly talented ... I'm in grief and it's very raw."

McCready and Phillips were roommates on the 3rd season of "Celebrity Rehab" with Dr. Drew in 2010, and remained friends.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss was such a force in the high-stakes poker world ... the World Series of Poker wants to honor his memory by naming a championship tournament after him, TMZ has learned.

A rep for WSOP tells TMZ, "At the appropriate time, we will seek to ask the family to honor [Jerry's] legacy by possibly naming our WSOP Seven Card Stud Championship after him or awarding the victor a special perpetual trophy in his honor."

Buss has been a fixture in the high-stakes poker circuit for years -- placing high in several national tournaments since the 90s ... including 3rd at the 1991 WSOP 7-card stud event.

The WSOP rep adds, "We’re definitely going to miss seeing him ... Even when the Lakers were playing in the NBA Finals, you could often find Dr. Buss playing his favorite game -- Seven Card Stud -- at the World Series of Poker."

Buss died early this morning at an L.A. hospital following a battle with cancer. He was 80.

And to show you just how obsessed Buss was with poker -- here's a pic of the guy playing cards at a cheesy casino back in 2009 ... while the Lakers parade was taking place just 10 miles away.

Jerry Buss -- owner of the Los Angeles Lakers -- died early this morning at the age of 80.

Buss had been hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in L.A. for the past few months due to a previously undisclosed intestinal problem ... though it was revealed yesterday he'd been battling cancer the entire time.

After starting his career as a chemist, Buss soon found his true calling in the real estate biz ... snapping up properties all over L.A. before moving on to the sporting world.

In 1979, Buss made history when he purchased the Lakers, the L.A. Kings and The Forum for $67.5 million -- at that time, the largest transaction in sports.

Under his ownership, Buss watched dozens of all-time greats -- including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant -- win the Lakers 10 NBA Championships. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Buss was also an avid poker player ... and appeared on several TV shows, including "High Stakes Poker" and "Poker After Dark."

He is survived by his six children.

The Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office released a statement this evening that reads:

"At 3:31 PM, Sunday, February 17th Deputies from the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a report of gun shots fired in the area of 1132 Fox Chase Drive in Heber Springs. Officers arrived on the scene at 3:58 PM and discovered the body of 37 year old Melinda Gayle McCready on the front porch of the residence at 1132 Fox Chase. Ms. McCready was pronounced dead at the scene from what appears to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound. At this time family members have been notified of the incident. Ms. Mcready will be transported to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy and the matter will be fully investigated."

Troubled country music star Mindy McCready was found dead Sunday of an apparent suicide ... this according to various reports. She was 37.

A source close to McCready tells TMZ ... McCready shot herself and her dog. Neighbors reported hearing the two gunshots.

We're told McCready had been a mess since the father of her youngest child, record producer David Wilson, was found dead in his home on January 13 of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

McCready's two children were removed from her home by a judge on February 6 and she was committed to a treatment facility for a mental-health and alcohol-abuse evaluation. She was released two days later.

McCready had attempted suicide twice before -- once in 2005 and again in 2008. She also made several trips to rehab and appeared in 2010 on the VH1 reality show "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew."

"Storage Wars" star Mark Balelo's body was cremated, days after he committed suicide, but his family is still undecided about where to place his ashes ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... Mark died Monday from carbon monoxide poisoning -- he left his car running in his garage 2 days after he was arrested for drugs.

Sources connected to the family tell us they had Mark's body cremated Thursday, and plan to hold a small memorial service next weekend.

Christopher Dorner is dead ... officially ... now that officials say they have POSITIVELY identified the killer's remains.

The San Bernardino Sheriff's Dept. released a statement saying, "The charred human remains located in the burned out cabin in Seven Oaks have been positively identified to be that of Christopher Dorner."

Officials say he was identified through dental records.

Dorner died in a remote cabin in Big Bear, CA -- where he engaged police in an intense gun battle. Dorner shot and killed one cop in the firefight and wounded another.

The night before "Storage Wars" star Mark Balelo took his own life ... he compared himself to another reality star who killed himself -- "Real Housewives" star Russell Armstrong ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Balelo tell us ... the A&E star was extremely concerned about his recent drug arrest -- and was worried that it would affect his future on the show.

We're told Balelo was very stressed out ... and said he could sympathize with Armstrong ... who committed suicide after reports surfaced that he physically abused his wife and had fallen in deep financial trouble.

Balelo said he "understood" why Armstrong would resort to such drastic action ... because the thought of public humiliation was too much for him to handle.

One of the deputies who was hit in the shootout with Christopher Dorner has died from his injuries ... this according to multiple reports.

The deputy was one of two cops who was shot in the gun battle with Dorner outside a remote cabin in Big Bear, CA. The cops were among the first to respond to the cabin.

Dorner is still holed up in the cabin -- with an army of officers surrounding the area.

Dorner had been suspected of killing 3 people -- including a cop ... and now, with this tragic turn of events, his alleged kill count is now up to 4.

"Storage Wars" star Mark Balelo killed himself today by carbon monoxide poisoning ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources close to Balelo tell us he was found dead in his car ... which was parked and running in the garage at his auction house in Simi Valley, CA.

According to our sources, Balelo had been arrested for a drug-related offense on Saturday.

We're told when Balelo got out of jail he was distraught, and asked his fiancée to come over because he was afraid he might hurt himself.

We're told they met at his office on Sunday, they talked for a few hours, he took a 4 hour nap -- and when he woke up seemed better.

The fiancée left Balelo at the office Sunday evening. We're told one of Balelo's employees found his body Monday morning.

Balelo appeared on a handful of "Storage Wars" episodes over the past few seasons.

Ed Koch -- one of the most popular mayors in New York City history -- died early this morning at the age of 88.

Koch had been hospitalized earlier this month for a lung ailment. He was also hospitalized last September for anemia and battled pneumonia last December.

Koch served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969-1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978-1989. He's credited with rescuing the city from dire financial straits during his time in charge.

He once described himself by saying, "I'm the sort of person who will never get ulcers. Why? Because I say exactly what I think. I am the sort of person who might give other people ulcers."

After his time in office, Koch served as a judge on "The People's Court" from 1997-1999.

Koch was never married and has no children.

A 25-year-old professional snowmobiler has died from injuries he sustained during a horrific crash during the Aspen X Games last week.

Caleb Moore passed away this morning in Colorado, a family spokesperson said.

Moore's family declined to release further details about the death, but stated on Sunday that he had suffered a "brain complication" stemming from the accident ... on top of a severe concussion and bleeding of the heart.

Moore was competing at the snowmobile freestyle final last Thursday when his 450-pound snowmobile flipped over and landed on top of him.

ESPN released a statement Tuesday, saying, "We've worked closely on safety issues with athletes, course designers and other experts for each of the 18 years of X Games. Still, when the world's best compete at the highest level in any sport, risks remain."

Funk legend and Ohio Players frontman Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner -- the voice behind "Love Rollercoaster" -- has died.

According to friends and bandmates, Bonner passed away over the weekend in Trotwood, Ohio following a battle with cancer. He was 69.

His family posted a message on Facebook, writing, "While his family, friends, colleagues, and fans mourn his passing they celebrate fondly his memory, music and legacy."

Bonner's career spanned 56 years. He joined the Ohio Players as lead singer in 1971 and together they released numerous hits, including "Love Rollercoaster" and "Fire."

Mary O'Connor -- Hugh Hefner's loveable secretary/den-mother who was featured on "Girls Next Door" -- passed away this weekend ... after working at the mansion for more than 40 years.

Hefner tweeted the bad news Sunday ... saying, "Mary passed away today. We loved her more than words can say."

Sources at Playboy tell TMZ ... Mary -- who was reportedly in her 80s -- had been dealing with some health issues recently ... but Hef is still taking the death "extremely hard." We're told Mary was "the rock" of the Playboy mansion and the mood at the house is "incredibly sad."

Hugh's ex-GF, Kendra Wilkinson, also tweeted about Mary's death ... saying, "RIP Mary O'Connor. She was an amazing person who helped me through so much. But I know she's happy with her boo Captain Bob. :)"