RIP

Reid Flair never got to wrestle Friday night after he passed away unexpectedly ... so the folks at Big Time Wrestling paid tribute to the 25-year-old with a 10 bell salute in his honor.

Reid -- who recently returned to the states after wrestling in Japan -- was scheduled to appear at an event for Big Time Wrestling in Hagerstown, MD along with his dad, WWE legend Ric Flair.

But Reid never made it -- he was found dead in his hotel room early Friday morning.

Following the tragic events, Big Time Wrestling took time out before the show began to honor the wrestler's life ... by giving him a traditional wrestler's memoriam.

Thanks to our friends at rfvideo.com for the clip.

Grammy Award-winning producer Phil Ramone -- who worked with legends like Ray Charles, Billy Joel and Paul Simon -- has passed away at age 72.

Phil's death was confirmed by his son, Matt Ramone, but details were not made immediately available. Matt released statement saying his father "will be missed."

Phil was a legend in the music world having won 14 Grammys, produced music for "Flashdance," "Midnight Cowboy" and " Ghostbusters" ... and worked with some of the greatest artists in the world like Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Elton John ... the list goes on.

We're told authorities received a call at 10:35 AM from someone who said he found an unresponsive person in a hotel room. Homicide detectives responded and found Reid, who was already dead. We're told there does not appear to be foul play.

The 25-year-old son of legendary wrestler Ric Flair is dead.

Flair's agent tells TMZ, "We are heartbroken to confirm that Ric's son, Reid Fliehr, has passed away today March 29, 2013 in Charlotte, NC."

The agent goes on, "The investigation into the cause of death is ongoing."

Reid was an independent wrestler who was wrestling in Japan over the last few months. He even wrestled a few times in WCW as a kid (see video below).

Reid had issues with heroin in the past, and was arrested in 2009 for possession.

Ric's agent says, "No words can describe the grief that Ric and his family are experiencing and they do request privacy during this devastating time."

Richard Griffiths -- the British actor who played Harry Potter's Uncle Vernon in the popular movies -- died Thursday following heart surgery in England. He was 65.

In addition to starring in the Potter films, Griffiths won a Tony for his role in "The History Boys" and starred alongside Daniel Radcliffe in "Equus" in 2007.

Radcliffe released a statement yesterday saying, "Richard was by my side during two of the most important moments of my career ... I was proud to say I knew him."

Griffiths' most recent performance was last year in a West End production of Neil Simon's comedy "The Sunshine Boys" that also starred Danny DeVito.

Delia, who's in her late 20s, says she knew all along ... Jerry, who died at 80, had multiple, young girlfriends. Jerry was famously a player in L.A., but Delia says she was his #1. Delia ungenerously added, "The others were just slutty arm candy."

Delia tells TMZ ... in addition to giving her the condo and the Bentley in his will, Jerry also left her a large amount of money, though she would not disclose the amount and how she got it -- through the will or otherwise.

Robert 'RZ' Zildjian -- the guy who founded the Sabian cymbal company -- died today at the age of 89 ... TMZ has learned.

Zildjian was a titan in the music world -- and was credited with re-inventing the cymbal industry after leaving the business started by his family, the Zildjian cymbal company.

According to reports, Zildjian singlehandedly grew Sabian into the 2nd largest cymbal company in the world ... only placing behind his family's business, which he helped run for years.

Basically, if you've ever played the drums ... or know someone who has ... or have ever seen a live band perform ... there's a damn good chance you've heard Robert's work.

Jerry Buss -- who owned the L.A. Lakers before he died -- has given a girlfriend many decades younger than him an awesome parting gift -- his Honolulu, Hawaii condo and his 2009 Bentley!

TMZ just obtained a copy of Jerry's will, and he leaves just about everything to his family trust. The trustee is Jerry's daughter, Jeanie Buss. According to the will, the estate is worth in excess of $5.5 million (although his assets obviously total way more than that).

Now ... as for the young woman. Her name is Delia Cortez. She lives in Hawaii. She's in her late 20s and was studying to become a vet.

Sources who were close to Jerry tell TMZ ... she and Jerry had an "intimate relationship." We also know Jerry had an eye for young ladies and got around.

As for the condo and the car ... Jerry amended his will in March, 2012 to include the gifts to Delia.

TMZ has just obtained the 911 call that was placed by a breathless man who repeatedly pleaded for help after Ashley Greene's apartment exploded in flames, screaming, "The building's on fire."

As we first reported, Ashley and two men were sleeping in her rental unit when the fire broke out. Officials now say the cause of the fire was an unattended candle that torched the couch and subsequently the entire place.

It's case closed for the Ashley Greene condo fire ... TMZ has learned, the devastating flames that ripped through the actress' L.A. apartment Friday have officially been ruled an accident.

Law enforcement sources tell us, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, the L.A. Fire Department and the insurance company -- all of which opened an arson investigation -- are in lockstep ... the fire occurred as the result of carelessness.

TMZ broke the story ... the fire started when an unattended candle accidentally lit Ashley's living room couch ablaze.

Building sources tell us, at least four neighboring units were significantly damaged from the blaze. Insurance agents are expected to stop by today to start the claims process.

Ashley Greene's condo will have to be completely gutted, sources tell TMZ, and four other units in her building will need work done following yesterday's tragic fire.

As TMZ first reported, an unattended candle in the living room of Greene's West Hollywood condo started a horrific blaze that resulted in the death of one of Greene's dogs.

According to our sources, the damages to Greene's unit is so bad, the place will have to be completely gutted -- walls torn down, floor removed, etc.

We're told moisture damage from the blaze will require four other units in the building to be worked on. Our sources say the unit directly above Greene's was the only other unit that needed to be evacuated.

Legendary fitness icon Joe Weider -- who mentored Arnold Schwarzenegger during his body building days and built a vast fitness empire -- died of heart failure today at age 93.

After his passing, Arnold released a statement, saying, "Joe didn’t just inspire my earliest dreams; he made them come true the day he invited me to move to America to pursue my bodybuilding career. I will never forget his generosity."

Weider was a god in the fitness world -- not only was he the catalyst for Arnold's impressive career, he also created a publishing empire which included "Muscle & Fitness", "Flex", "Shape" and "Men's Fitness" magazines.

WWE legend Paul Bearer died from a heart attack ... Paul's son tells TMZ ... and the sad part, it could easily have been prevented.

Michael Moody tells us, Paul's death certificate lists the cause of the heart attack as supraventricular tachycardia or SVT -- a dangerously high heart rate.

But here's the thing ... we spoke to a cardiologist who tells us, SVT is quite common and if treated, usually isn't deadly. SVT's symptoms are similar to anxiety and heartburn ... so people tend to ignore it, which is what likely happened to Paul.

Michael says doctors believe his dad -- real name Bill Moody -- had been struggling with SVT in the last few weeks of his life.

We now know what caused the fire at Ashley Greene's condo that killed her beloved dog -- an unattended candle ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... they have already done a preliminary investigation and determined the candle lit the living room couch on fire -- a fire which spread throughout the unit.

As we previously reported, Greene, her boyfriend and brother were all sleeping in the condo when the blaze erupted.

Cradling her dog's dead body, "Twilight" star Ashley Greene was utterly heartbroken at her West Hollywood condo this afternoon ... after the whole place went up in flames.

TMZ broke the story ... the fire pretty much destroyed the condo and one of the actress' two dogs perished in the blaze. Ashley can be seen holding the dog's body in the video, wrapped in a sheet.

As we reported, Ashley was home at the time with her boyfriend and brother when the fire broke out on the living room sofa. They were sleeping at the time, and quickly evacuated before anyone was hurt.

Once they realized Ashley's dogs were still inside, the two boys rushed back to save them ... but couldn't. One dog died, the other is expected to be taken to Animal Control to be checked out.

CM Punk's seemingly cold-hearted tirade last week during the WWE tribute to Paul Bearer wasn't at all what it seemed ... because we've learned Paul's family gave its stamp of approval before the shenanigans.

In case you missed last week's RAW, the WWE aired an emotional tribute to the late Paul Bearer ... and smack in the middle, CM Punk attacked another wrestler (Kane) with Paul's urn.

Paul's son Michael Moody tells TMZ, the act of desecration was pre-planned ... WWE's creative team approached Paul's family for permission before the stunt unfolded on live TV.

The team wanted to use the diss to promote next month's Wrestlemania battle between Punk and Undertaker ... and Paul's family was down with it.

Aaliyah's been dead nearly 12 years ... but a music publisher is still fighting over the rights to her songs, suing a record company for allegedly hawking bootleg Aaliyah jams on the Internet.

Reservoir Media Management filed the lawsuit against a company called Craze Productions, claiming Craze has been illegally selling songs from Aaliyah's double-platinum albums "Aaliyah" and "One in a Million" on iTunes.

Reservoir claims it's the sole owner of the songs in question ... acquiring the music rights in 2012 ... and it never gave Craze permission to sell the music.