RIP

An award-winning TV and film director was killed in a gruesome shark attack off the coast of New Zealand today ... as authorities grabbed guns and opened fire on the animals.

46-year-old Adam Strange -- who's directed a whole bunch of international commercials for companies like Pepsi and Firestone -- was swimming at a popular NZ beach when a Great White pulled him underwater. According to local reports, at least 3 other sharks were drawn to the attack.

Local police jumped in a small boat and raced over to the scene ... joined by a helicopter. The cops fired at least 20 shots at the sharks, but it was too late.

One shark was reportedly killed in the gunfire ... and its body -- measuring 14-feet long -- washed up on shore a short time later.

As for Strange -- authorities were able to recover his body after the attack.

DC Comics is making a huge mistake by killing off Batman's iconic sidekick Robin in the newest issue ... so says the most famous Robin ever, who tells TMZ, the future of the Batman franchise DEPENDS on the Boy Wonder.

DC is slated to kill off Robin in the next issue of the "Batman Incorporated" series -- but Burt Ward (who played Robin in the 60s TV show) has one thing to say ... "Holy self-inflicted wound! Not good for corporate profits!”

Ward tells us, "It’s a terrible choice to kill off Robin. Why bite the hand that feeds you? ... Robin should only die in people's imaginations! Or in a state of primal ecstasy!"

FYI -- It's not the first time Robin's been killed off in the comics ... DC previously did him in back in 1988 when fans voted to off the character.

Nevertheless, Burt adds, "Every youngster realizes that he or she is too young to drive and they are not big like Batman. So, they all yearn to be Robin who gets to RIDE WITH BATMAN AND FIGHT WITH BATMAN!"

He's got a point.

Oscar Pistorius is planning a private memorial service to honor his girlfriend, whom he shot and killed on Valentine's Day.

The memorial for 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp is scheduled to take place tonight at the home of Oscar's uncle, where the Olympic sprinter has been staying since he was released on bail last week.

Oscar's rep released a statement, saying, "Oscar specifically requested the memorial service as he continues to grieve and remains in deep mourning for the loss of his partner Reeva."

The rep adds, "Since it is such a sensitive issue, Oscar has asked for a private service with people who share his loss, including his family members who knew and loved Reeva as one of their own."

Oscar -- who stands accused of murdering Steenkamp -- claims he shot her by accident, thinking she was an intruder.

Late L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss suffered from prostate cancer before ultimately succumbing to kidney failure ... this according to his death certificate.

According to the doc, Buss suffered from metastatic sarcomatoid prostate cancer in the 15 months leading to his death on February 18th. The cancer is listed as the second underlying cause of death.

It was widely reported that Dr. Buss was battling cancer before his death, but the cancer was never specified.

The immediate cause of death is listed as renal (kidney) failure, and the first underlying cause of death is listed as respiratory failure.

Buss was 80. He's survived by his 6 children.

The family of "Selena" star Lupe Ontiveros is incredibly upset she was left out of last night's "In Memoriam" presentation at the Oscars ... despite appearing in dozens of major films over the past 30 years.

Ontiveros -- who passed away in July 2012 -- had roles in "Real Women Have Curves", "As Good as it Gets", and "The Goonies" ... but is best known for her role as Yolanda Saldívar, the woman who murdered Selena.

Ontiveros' son Elias tells TMZ ... the whole family gathered to watch the awards show -- and was "disappointed" Lupe wasn't given her proper due -- especially considering some lesser-known people were honored over his mom.

You'll recall, George Clooney did warn some artists might be left out when introducing the tribute, saying, "For for those friends who are on this list tonight, and many others who aren't, we thank you for the memories."

Other celebs snubbed along with Ontiveros -- Andy Griffith, director Gore Vidal, Sherman Hemsley, athlete-turned-actor Alex Karras, and Sylvia Kristel.

Tareq Salahi is finally moving on ... dog-wise, at least. Dog sources tell TMZ ... the famed White House crasher has replaced his beloved Doberman Pinscher with ... another Dobie.

You'll recall ... Tareq formerly shared a Doberman named Rio with ex-wife Michaele ... that is, before she turned into a Journey-banging groupie and left him. Rio got super depressed soon after ... and later died of a broken heart ... at least that's Tareq's story.

And get this -- we're told the first thing the 1-year-old doggie replacement did was run over to Rio's grave and pay tribute to the fallen pooch.

As for a name ... it's between either Bruno or Bravo.

"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.