RIP

Hollywood legend Jonathan Winters was working like a champ right up until his death -- voicing Papa Smurf for the upcoming "Smurfs 2" movie just last week -- and TMZ got photos of his final recording session.

The photos were snapped 10 days ago in Santa Barbara, near Winters' home. They're the last known photos before he died.

87-year-old Winters is sitting in a wheelchair, but "Smurfs" producer Jordan Kerner tells TMZ ... Winters was in great spirits, laughing and cracking jokes the whole time.

Kerner says he's now pushing the studio to dedicate the film to Winters' honor.

As we reported, Winters died of natural causes at his home in Montecito, surrounded by friends and family.

Jonathan Winters, the comedic film and TV actor who was huge in the '70s and '80s on shows like "Mork and Mindy," has died at age 87 ... TMZ has learned.

Winters died last night of natural causes in Montecito, Calif, around 6:30 p.m., surrounded by friends and family.

Winters' career began when he won a talent contest, which led to radio gigs and appearances at comedy clubs. He was a staple on the late night TV circuit for decades -- he was one of Jack Paar's favorite guests and a Johnny Carson regular -- and recorded several classic comedy albums.

He often performed in character ... the best known of which was Maude Frickert, the seemingly sweet old lady with a quick and acid wit. He also starred in one of the best comedies ever -- "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."

Winters suffered 2 nervous breakdowns in the late '50s and early '60s and was voluntarily institutionalized. He was diagnosed with manic depression. He spoke openly about it and even joked about it in his comedy act.

Winters -- who was Native American -- won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which was presented to him at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2000.

Winters appeared in nearly 50 films and TV shows ... and was a regular on the Saturday morning children's television program "Hot Dog" in the '70s.

He co-starred with Robin Williams as Mearth -- Mork and Mindy's son ... who was hatched from an egg and aged backwards. Think Benjamin Button ... but funny.

The Mayor of the town where "Buckwild" was filmed is crackin' out the fried chicken and sweet tea now that the show that reinforced Southern stereotypes has gotten the ax.

Charleston, West Virginia Mayor Danny Jones tells us, "I’m relieved and happy the show is cancelled, and so is everyone around here. The show does nothing for us and exaggerates every negative stereotype about us."

Mayor Jones also put on his programming hat, surmising "Buckwild" without Shain Gandee is like biscuits without gravy.

We broke the story ... Shain was found dead in his truck from carbon monoxide poisoning last week, following an off-roading trip with his uncle.

Britney Spears chose her own unique way to honor her fellow Mouseketeer Annette Funicello -- while others remembered the massive impact Annette's cleavage had on a generation ... of horny boys.

To each his own.

Maybe she hadn't heard the news, maybe she didn't understand the question, or maybe she's just a coldhearted person who hates awesome people ... but when we asked Britney Spears today about the passing of Annette Funicello, she took a moment, smiled, and said, "I think that's great!"

Funicello, the most famous original member of Mickey Mouse Club, passed away today at the age of 70 ... so asking Britney, the most famous modern member, about her death made complete sense.

Britney's answer, however, made none.

Michael Clarke Duncan's family has questions about Omarosa Manigault ... specifically, whether the late actor's fiancee unduly influenced him into re-writing his will months before he died and leaving almost everything to her.

Judy Duncan, Michael's sister, tells TMZ she's hired a lawyer to investigate the circumstances surrounding the change to the actor's will in April 2012, making Omarosa the main beneficiary.

Judy believes MCD was not of sound mind when he made the changes ... because as early as December 2011, the actor was not himself, slurring words and stumbling around.

Judy says her suspicions about Omarosa intensified when MCD was hospitalized following his heart attack ... telling us Omarosa was fixated on MCD's money when he was on life support.

Another thorn in Judy's side ... Omarosa has already sold a bunch of MCD's personal effects (watches, cars, his "Green Mile" director's chair, awards, etc.). Judy says Omarosa sold the stuff without the family's knowledge ... and she's pissed.

It's worth noting: MCD reportedly left Judy $100,000 in his will ... so it's not like she got squat.

For Omarosa's part -- she tells TMZ, "I don't control the estate or the finances and Judy knows it. If you saw all of her emails and texts to me you would see that she is just trying to get money from me, and threatened going to press if I did not give it to her and that is a crime!"

Annette Funicello -- the undisputed queen of the "Mickey Mouse Club" -- has died, according to Disney's official fan club Twitter. She was 70.

Funicello was a triple threat -- Mouseketeer, pop singer and bigscreen star. She was huge in the 60's with movies like "Beach Party," Bikini Beach," and "Beach Blanket Bingo."

According to "Extra," Annette had been hospitalized in Bakersfield due to complications from multiple sclerosis and had been in a coma.

Funicello disclosed in 1992 that she suffered from multiple sclerosis. She lost the ability to walk in 2004, could no longer speak by 2009 and required round-the-clock care.

Annette was bigger than Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling combined. She was the fantasy -- largely because of her breasts -- of millions of teenage boys.

Paul Anka -- who dated Annette way back in the day -- tells TMZ, "She was a lovely lady. She was a great star. It's a very very sad ending."

Frankie Avalon -- who starred with Funicello in a bunch of those 60's beach movies -- tells us, "She was a very courageous gal that fought and fought and fought ... I'm devastated. I loved this gal." Click below to hear the interview.

Back in 2011, Annette's house caught on fire. She managed to escape without serious injury ... but her neighbors later sued Funicello claiming the blaze caused damage to surrounding homes.

Pastor Rick Warrren's son used a gun to take his own life ... this according to the Orange County Coroner's office.

According to officials ... 27-year-old Matthew Warren's death Friday was from a self-inflicted gun shot wound ... that occurred inside his Mission Viejo home.

As TMZ previously reported ... Pastor Rick informed members of his Saddleback Valley Community Church Saturday about the suicide -- but gave no details -- except Warren had struggled with mental illness and depression for years.

The honchos behind "Buckwild" are taking the reality TV high road ... telling TMZ they will NOT be filming during Shain Gandee's funeral.

J.P. Williams, the CEO of Parallel Entertainment -- one of the companies that produces the show -- tells us they would never film the funeral "in a million years" out of respect for Shain and his family.

Filming funerals is not outlandish ... after all TLC aired "Best Funeral Ever." And Shain's could be right up there.

The youngest son of Saddleback Valley Community Church pastor Rick Warren has committed suicide after a long battle with mental illness.

Pastor Rick made the announcement Saturday at his church in Lake Forest, CA. He informed members of his congregation that his son Matthew took his own life Friday night. He was 27.

The church also released a statement, saying, "Matthew was an incredibly kind, gentle and compassionate young man whose sweet spirit was encouragement and comfort to many. Unfortunately, he also suffered from mental illness resulting in deep depression and suicidal thoughts.”

Ric Flair shocked the wrestling world last night when he made a surprise appearance at a pre-event for WrestleMania ... this just seven days after his son died.

The WWE legend had previously cancelled all his scheduled gigs relating to WM following the death 25-year-old, Reid Flair.

But Flair surprised everyone last night when he showed up to the Westin Hotel in Hoboken -- where the WWE wrestlers and employees are staying -- to hangout with his comrades before the event began.

We're told Ric was visibly shaken when he arrived, but as the night went on, the love for Flair and his son was obvious. Our spies say each wrestler came over to pay their respects and offer support and Flair's spirits were lifted tremendously.

As TMZ previously reported, Reid was found dead on March 29 in his hotel room. Ric had found him passed out cold and made the frantic call to 911.

The Kardashian kids are suing their dad's widow, claiming she's been illegally selling portions of a diary they inherited.

Kim, Kourtney, Khloe and Rob Jr. are suing Ellen Pearson -- who was married to Robert Kardashian -- claiming Robert had a diary that contained very personal details about the klan and has been selling tidbits to tabloids.

The deceased Kardashian -- famous for repping OJ Simpson -- allegedly left the diary to his kids in his will.

Among the info that Ellen allegedly sold -- Kris allegedly hit Kourtney and Kim and also threatened to kill Kim ... and Rob was locked in a car while Kris was out on a date.

The lawsuit alleges the diary is owned lock, stock and barrel by the Kardashian kids and Ellen is infringing on their copyright.

The lawsuit demands the return of the diary and family albums, as well as damages.

Interesting fact: Robert did NOT include ex-wife Kris in the diary inheritance -- just their kids. But Kris is listed as a plaintiff. It's curious -- Kris is NOT suing Ellen for defamation, for putting the brutality allegations out there. So the questions -- did Robert Kardashian make the allegations against his ex, and are they true?

Roger Ebert -- one of the most famous movie critics of all time -- died today after a battle with cancer. He was 70 years old.

Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid and salivary cancer in 2002. Four years later, doctors removed part of his lower jaw, preventing him from speaking and eating. However, Ebert continued to write movie reviews almost until the day he died.

Ebert is a legend in Hollywood -- with a star on the Walk of Fame to prove it. Along with critic Gene Siskel, he famously popularized the use of the "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down" ratings system.

Aside from writing movie critiques for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years, he also hosted "At The Movies" from the early 80s until 2006.

In 1986, he was joined on the show by fellow critic Gene Siskel, who passed away in 1999. After Siskel's death, his chair was filled by Richard Roeper -- and he and Ebert continued on with the show until 2006.

According to the Sun-Times, Ebert was an early investor in Google -- and more than likely made a fortune because of it.

Ebert is survived by his wife, step-daughter and two step-grandchildren.

In his final blog entry penned earlier this week, Ebert addressed his illness and essentially said goodbye ... writing:

"It really stinks that the cancer has returned and that I have spent too many days in the hospital. So on bad days I may write about the vulnerability that accompanies illness. On good days, I may wax ecstatic about a movie so good it transports me beyond illness."

"So on this day of reflection I say again, thank you for going on this journey with me. I'll see you at the movies."

A distraught man called 911 to tell the dispatcher there were 3 dead people in a Bronco, and one was "Buckwild" star Shain Gandee.

The caller screams, "Oh Jesus, they're dead. Oh my God."

In the 911 tape, obtained by TMZ, the man sobbed as he told the dispatcher 2 of the 3 people were Shain and David Gandee.

The man had examined the bodies and found no pulse on anyone.

The two production companies behind the MTV reality show "Buckwild" have offered to pay for all of Shain Gandee's funeral expenses, TMZ has learned.

Parallel Entertainment CEO J.P. Williams -- who produces the show with Zoo Productions -- tells us, "Shain was a great kid with a big heart who had endless love for his mom and dad." He adds, "I am from West Virginia and this show reminded me of how I grew up."

A public service for Shain will be held this Sunday.

As for the donation websites that have been raising money to help pay for the funeral -- we're told that money will now go toward expenses incurred by Shain's family during the recovery effort.

We're told any remaining money will go towards the funeral of the other two men that were killed, including Shain's uncle.

As we reported, 21-year-old Shain was found dead yesterday morning inside his truck, which had stalled out submerged in mud while off-roading. Shain and the two other men died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

West Virginia police have just confirmed what TMZ reported yesterday ... "Buckwild" star Shain Gandee died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

A rep for the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office released a statement saying Shain's autopsy was completed today. The death was ruled an accident.

Shain's uncle and a male friend also died while inside Shain's 1984 Bronco, which had stalled out in mud while the crew went off-roading over the weekend. The truck's exhaust pipe had apparently been submerged in mud, causing the gas to leak back into the car.

As we previously reported ... the 21-year-old reality show star as well as the two others were found dead yesterday morning by a passing ATV rider.