RIP

Jermaine Dupri -- the guy who discovered Kris Kross -- says Chris Kelly was like a member of his family ... and he was crushed when he learned of his death.

Dupri -- who was 18-years-old when he first noticed Kris Kross in an ATL shopping mall in 1990 -- said, "To the world, Chris Kelly was MacDaddy but to me he was the son I never had."

He added, "When I think about it I spent more time with Chris and Chris than damn near anybody in my whole life, so you can imagine how bad this hurts."

Dupri concluded, "I will always love you Chris, and I will never let the world forget you."

"May god bless your soul."

Kelly was pronounced dead around 5:30PM EST at the south campus of the Atlanta Medical Center.

As part of Kris Kross, Kelly shot to super stardom in the '90s with the group's mega hit, "Jump." They were also famous for wearing their clothing on backwards.

Back in February -- Kelly and his rap partner, Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith, reunited for a long overdue performance.

Kelly even appeared on TMZ Live -- and couldn't have been nicer.

Kelly's family released a statement saying, "It is with deep sadness that we announce that our beloved Chris Kelly has passed away on May 1."

"To millions of fans worldwide, he was the trendsetting, backwards pants-wearing one-half of Kris Kross who loved making music. But to us, he was just Chris – the kind, generous and fun-loving life of the party."

"Though he was only with us a short time, we feel blessed to have been able to share some incredible moments with him. His legacy will live on through his music, and we will forever love him."

Brad Lesley -- who played a few years of Major League Baseball before appearing in a slew of '90s sports movies -- passed away this weekend. He was 54.

Lesley's ex-wife, Chiho Svimonoff, tells TMZ ... Lesley had been suffering from kidney problems and had been living in a nursing home for the past seven months, where he was receiving dialysis.

Svimonoff says Lesley was rushed to a hospital in Marina Del Rey on Saturday night and ultimately died from kidney failure.

Lesley played for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers from 1982 to 1985 before switching to acting. In the '90s, he appeared in "Mr. Baseball," "Space Jam" ... and, of course, he played that angry pitcher with the goatee in "Little Big League."

R.I.P.

8:51 AM PT -- Country superstar Alan Jackson -- who's known George for years -- tells TMZ ... “Well, heaven better get ready for some great country music."

He adds, "While George was known for his wild and crazy days, I’ve known him for 25 years as a friend. He had grown into a real good man. Of course, he will always be the greatest singer and interpreter of real country music – there’ll never be another."

"Like the song says, ‘You know this old world is full of singers, but just a few are chosen to tear your heart out when they sing. Imagine life without them…Who’s gonna fill their shoes.’”

8:04 AM PT -- George's publicist has released a statement on the singer's passing ... saying, "Today is a sad day for music. George said to me once, 'One day I'll Join the Angel band.' Well, today he did."

The statement continues, "George passed with his family by his side and the official cause of death is being listed as 'Hypoxic Respiratory Failure.'"

FYI -- H.R.F. means the lungs couldn't pump enough oxygen to the rest of the body.

7:44 AM PT -- A family member tells TMZ ... "He has been on oxygen for a long while now and his lungs finally just couldn’t do it anymore and they collapsed and he passed away. He couldn’t breathe anymore on his own."

George Jones ... the country music megastar whose heartfelt vocals and close-to-home lyrics defined the genre for generations ... died today. He was 81.

Jones was hospitalized in Nashville on April 18 for a fever and irregular blood pressure, though the cause of death was not immediately released.

Jones was in the middle of a tour -- which he announced would be his last -- when he fell ill. Several dates had already been canceled.

Jones' towering influence on country music was equaled only by his public persona ... which often imitated the melodrama in his songs ... and was well-chronicled in the tabloids. He was married four times -- once to Tammy Wynette -- and made countless headlines for drinking, stormy romances and violent rages.

But his star-power in country music cannot be overstated. Jones has charted more country hits than any other artist ... "He Stopped Loving Her Today" is perhaps his biggest, but the list of charted hits is around 150.

He was a Grand Ole Opry member, a Kennedy Center Honoree, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992 ... though given how much influence he had on country music ... they might as well have honored him every year.

Jones' first number one hit was "White Lightning" in 1959.

Jones nearly died in a car wreck in 1999, but recovered and kept his career vibrant right up until his death.

He is survived by four children and his fourth wife of 30 years, Nancy.

Sylvester Stallone's family is mourning the loss of a loved one ... their adorable pet poochie Phoebe ... who was found dead after a coyote attack earlier this month, TMZ has learned.

It's a heart-breaking story ... Phoebe went missing a couple of weeks ago -- and immediately the family scoured their Bel Air community in a desperate attempt to find their beloved 4-legged friend.

They even put up posters in their community offering a $10,000 reward for Phoebe's safe return.

But the story took a tragic turn when someone discovered Phoebe's body on the Stallone property ... the victim of a coyote attack.

Stallone's rep tells TMZ ... Phoebe's death has been very difficult for the family.

Chrissy Amphlett -- whose hit song "I Touch Myself" while lead singer of the Divinyls dominated the 1990s -- passed away on Sunday. She was 53.

Her husband has released a statement explaining, "Amphlett succumbed to the effects of breast cancer and multiple sclerosis."

Amphlett revealed she had multiple sclerosis in 2007 and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010.

The Divinyls released six albums between 1982 and 1996, but peaked in 1991 with the song "I Touch Myself." It was featured in the movie "Prelude to a Kiss" and later used in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery."

R.I.P.

Bad time to ask Nate Dogg for child support ... he's dead.

A woman named Shereda Williams -- one of Nate's multiple baby mamas -- just filed a creditor's claim against Nate's estate, claiming it owes her $339,924 in unpaid child-rearing money.

The hip-hop legend allegedly was supposed to pay Shereda $4,358 a month, but she claims he never made a single payment. Their child was born in 2006 ... Nate passed in 2011.

Shereda says the estate of hip-hop's Hook Man now owes her the outstanding balance, including payments that have accumulated since Nate died.

Pat Summerall -- a staple on CBS and Fox Sports who famously called NFL games with John Madden for decades -- is dead at 82 ... a Fox Sports exec tells TMZ.

Pat -- a former NFL star kicker with the Lions, Cardinals and Giants -- was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame in 1999.

Summerall called the Super Bowl in 1982, the highest rated Super Bowl of all time. 49% of the country tuned in to watch the 49ers defeat the Bengals.

Summerall called 16 Super Bowls.

Cause of death has not been revealed.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says Summerall's "voice was treasured by millions of NFL fans for more than four decades" -- and "always represented the essence of class and friendship."

Richard LeParmentier -- the Empire goon who was famously Force-choked by Darth Vader in "Star Wars" -- has died at 66, TMZ has confirmed.

LeParmentier appeared in more than 50 films and TV shows, but he'll be best remembered as Admiral Motti, commander of the Death Star who mocks Vader's "sorcerer's ways" and "sad devotion to that ancient Jedi religion."

Vader finds his lack of faith disturbing, starts crushing his windpipe with the Force ... we've all seen it a hundred times ...

LeParmentier also played a police lieutenant in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," and found steady work as a screenwriter for British TV.

Circumstances of Richard's death are unclear at this point.

He'd been married to British actress Sarah Douglas, who played the baddie Ursa in "Superman 11."

Substitute some cow dung and meth for mud ... and you have a reincarnated version of "Buckwild" ... the new and improved Texas and Alaska editions.

Producers of the hit show are undaunted by MTV pulling the plug ... after the death of the show's star, Shain Gandee.

J.P. Williams from Parallel Entertainment -- one of the companies behind "BW" -- tells TMZ the show will be retooled, with a new name and a new network.

In fact ... Williams tells us he's already sent his casting scouts to The Lonestar State and the state where you can see Russia from your backyard.

Producers think it will be a cinch to snag a new network ... since "Buckwild" was the 3rd highest- rated show in MTV.

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!"