RIP

George Jones is being honored with sausage ... lots and lots of sausage ... TMZ has learned.

Turns out, Jones wasn't just a country music legend -- he was also a huge fan of breakfast meat -- and even owned a sausage company sold locally through restaurants in Tennessee.

After he passed away, one of the restaurants that serves Jones' sausage decided to honor the singer's memory ... with a humongous meat event in George's honor.

The result? Brooks Shaw's Old Country Store in Jackson, TN whipped up more than 1,000 sausage balls -- George's own creation and favorite breakfast snack.

The store even put together a batch for his widow Nancy.

The recipe is really quite simple -- mix together Jones' sausage, Bisquick, cheese, and milk ... then cook 'em for about 10 minutes.

TMZ has obtained the 911 call placed moments after Kris Kross rapper Chris Kelly's unresponsive body was found Wednesday at his Georgia home.

The caller appears to be Chris' mother, but it's not entirely clear.

During the 911 call, the caller tells the dispatcher that Chris is not breathing. The dispatcher then walks her through instructions on how to resuscitate him.

Kris Kross' recent comeback ... and the money that came with it ... put Mac Daddy on a drug-fueled road to self-destruction, sources close to the deceased rapper tell TMZ.

Sources tell us, Mac Daddy -- real name Chris Kelly -- has been on and off drugs (including cocaine and heroin) for the last ten years, but had recently cleaned up his act.

We're told that changed dramatically in recent weeks, following Kris Kross' big comeback concert in Atlanta back in February.

According to sources, Kelly's ego blew up ... along with his wallet ... and he started hanging out in clubs again, chumming up with big name Atlanta rappers. We're told the drugs came back in full force as a result.

As we reported, Kelly's mother told police the rapper had been taking speedballs (coke and heroin mixed together) Tuesday night ... the night before he died ... and cops believe drugs contributed to his death.

Monstrous thrash-metal guitar hero and founding member of Slayer Jeff Hanneman has died of liver failure ... TMZ has confirmed. He was 49.

Reps for the legendary axeman said Hanneman was in a hospital near his SoCal home when his liver failed around 11 a.m.

The punk-influenced thrasher was a major part of Slayer's songwriting ... contributing lyrics and music on each of their albums ... including songs "Raining Blood," "War Ensemble" and "Seasons in the Abyss."

Hanneman and fellow Slayer guitarist Kerry King formed Slayer when both were auditioning for the same band in 1981 ... and decided to start their own.

Hanneman is survived by wife Kathy, sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry.

RIP.

Turns out ... the Deftones were big Kris Kross fans -- and last night, the hard rock band paid tribute to the memory of Chris Kelly with a hardcore tribute at their concert in St. Louis.

The band fused their hit, "Engine No.9" with "Jump" ... and the crowd went nuts.

"Kris Kross" rapper Chris Kelly had been using a combination of cocaine and heroin the night before his death, this according to the police report obtained by TMZ.

According to the report, paramedics initially responded to Kelly's Atlanta home around 3 PM EST -- after his mother called 911 asking for medical assistance.

When help arrived, paramedics found 34-year-old Kelly lying on the living room couch -- unresponsive and with "no life signs." The medics attempted to revive Kelly, to no avail.

Kelly was immediately transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later.

After the death, cops spoke with Donna Kelly Pratte -- Chris' mother -- who told police ... the night before Kelly's medical emergency, he had taken a mixture of heroin and cocaine -- commonly known as "speedballs."

Donna told police she had personally taken Kelly home to recover from the drug use ... just as she had done several times before. Donna told cops Kelly had felt nauseous all morning before passing out.

According to the report, Kelly's mother and Kelly's uncle both told investigators the rapper had an "extensive history of drug use."

Hours before Kelly passed out, he had a phone interview with The Streetz Morning Grind radio show in ATL ... and sounded like he was in bad shape.

In fact, Kelly made reference to his hard-partying ways, which seemed to upset the DJ, who was personal friends with the rapper.

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.