RIP

A California appeals court just formally and forever shut down Conrad Murray's contention ... Michael Jackson killed himself by self-injecting that fatal dose of Propofol.

Murray had appealed his manslaughter conviction with a kitchen sink of arguments, including MJ accidentally offing himself. The California Court of Appeal has ruled ... Murray's theories are just that -- theories. The court went on to say the evidence was plentiful ... that he did the deed.

The judges noted incredulously ... Murray's fingerprints were all over the Propofol bottle and they said he acted like a guilty man when cops showed up ... by lying to them. They also zeroed in on Murray cleaning up the scene after the fact.

Even though Murray has served his sentence ... the appeal was important. If he won he could have made a credible pitch to regain his medical license.

Lloyd's of London has dropped its claim that it doesn't have to honor a huge insurance policy on grounds it was never told Michael Jackson was a drug addict ... and we've learned Lloyd's has now agreed to a payout.

Lloyd's filed a lawsuit claiming it did NOT have to honor the policy it issued to cover losses from the failed "This Is It" tour. Lloyd's felt it had been deceived because no one ever disclosed Michael had serious drug problems.

The case just settled and we know ... Lloyd's has paid something to settle. We're told it's not the full $17.5 mil under the policy. We do not know the amount ... just that it forked over money.

The reason a payout is so important -- Lloyd's essentially folded on its fraud claim.

Katherine Jackson just got shut down by an L.A. judge ... who REJECTED her bid for a new trial in the Michael Jackson wrongful death case.

A jury shut Katherine down in October ... ruling AEG Live did not screw up in hiring Dr. Conrad Murray.

Katherine claimed jurors had been given confusing instructions ... but the judge wasn't buying what she was selling.

Katherine's recourse now is to take up her beef with the California Court of Appeal. She's already filed legal docs with the court.

James Avery -- who played Uncle Phil on "Fresh Prince of Bel Air -- was suffering from several major medical problems for years before he died from complications following an open heart surgery, TMZ has learned.

We've obtained the death certificate, filed in L.A., which shows the 68-year-old suffered from severe coronary heart disease -- along with end-stage kidney disease and type-2 diabetes.

Avery's official cause of death is listed as cardiorespiratory arrest -- which basically means his heart stopped.

TMZ broke the story, Avery passed away in a Glendale, CA hospital on Dec. 31 -- roughly 7 weeks after undergoing a bypass surgery in the wake of a heart attack.

The death certificate also says Avery was cremated and his remains were scattered at sea off the coast of L.A.

Emotional day in Venezuela -- murdered soap star Monica Spear's friends, family, and fans flocked to her funeral today ... just days after she and her ex-husband were brutally slain by highway robbers.

The funeral -- for both Monica and her ex-husband Thomas Henry Berry -- took place in the capital city of Caracas.

As we reported, Monica and Thomas were shot and killed by highway robbers after their car had broken down on a road near the town of Puerto Cabello. Their 5-year-old daughter survived the attack with a gunshot wound to the leg.

Flavor Flav was arrested today in Hempstead, NY in a bizarre bust ... triggered by the fact Flav had 16 suspensions on his license -- yes, 16.

According to cops ... Flav was driving a black Hyundai when cops spotted him ... claiming he was driving 79 in a 55 zone.

Upon further investigation ... troopers discovered Flav had 16 license suspensions. Law enforcement tells TMZ ... Flav had a variety of unpaid tickets that resulted in the suspensions. In addition, they found a small amount of marijuana.

Flav was arrested for felony aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle. He was booked, released without bail and went on to attend his mother's funeral.

The 5-year-old daughter of murdered Venezuelan soap star Monica Spear still doesn't know her parents are dead -- and TMZ has learned the girl's family has hired psychologists to prepare her for the traumatizing news.

As we reported, Spear and her ex-husband Henry Thomas Berry were shot and killed this week by highway robbers near the town of Puerto Cabello after their car broke down. Their 5-year-old daughter was present, but somehow survived the attack with a bullet wound to the leg.

Family sources tell us, the daughter's not fully aware of what happened ... she currently believes her parents are just "sleeping." We're told psychologists are now working closely with the toddler to soften the blow once her family tells her the truth ... very shortly.

Family sources tell us, the girl's grandparents will be her guardians from here on out.

As for funeral arrangements, the ceremony and burial will take place in Venezuela later this week.

Tyrese Gibson nearly broke down today in Dubai ... after coming across an unexpected Paul Walker tribute that left him speechless ... and he just posted the extremely emotional footage online.

Warning: it's a real tear jerker.

As we reported, Tyrese -- who starred alongside Walker in the "Fast & Furious" movies -- has taken the actor's death extremely hard. A day after Walker died, Tyrese burst into pained tears at the crash site and has spoken at length ever since about the impact Paul has had on his life.

Walker was killed November 30th when the Porsche he was riding in skidded off the road at high speed and crashed into a tree.

A Venezuelan soap star and her ex-husband were shot to death by a roving band of highway robbers -- but amazingly ... police say the couple's young daughter survived the attack.

Monica Spear -- Miss Venezuela 2004 -- and Henry Thomas Berry were shot and killed after their car broke down near the town of Puerto Cabello in Venezuela.

Police say the family was waiting for a tow truck when the bandits showed up. Spear and Berry locked themselves and their 5-year-old daughter inside the car ... but police say the robbers opened fire, killing them and injuring the girl -- who's hospitalized with a bullet wound to her leg.

The family lived in the U.S., but were on vacation when they were attacked.

Venezuela has one of the world's highest murder rates. According to news reports, violent crime is so bad ... even residents are afraid to venture out at night.

"That 70s Show" actress Lisa Robin Kelly died from "multiple drug intoxication" ... and her death certificate reveals .... she took an overdose of drugs by mouth.

The L.A. County Coroner's report -- obtained by TMZ -- confirms what we previously reported ... that Kelly's death was an accidental overdose.

Kelly -- who played Eric Forman's older sister on the show -- died August 15th at an alcohol rehab facility in L.A. County.

It's unclear how she obtained drugs in the rehab facility.

Will Smith has finally opened up about the death of his TV dad James Avery ... saying the guy who played Uncle Phil on "Fresh Prince" made him a more "respectable human being."

Smith just posted a tribute to his co-star on Facebook ... writing, "Some of my greatest lessons in Acting, Living and being a respectable human being came through James Avery."

He added, "Every young man needs an Uncle Phil. Rest in Peace."

Smith also included a photo with Avery and other "Prince" cast members taken the last time they all got together.

We broke the story ... Avery died Dec. 31 after experiencing complications from open heart surgery. He was 68.

Phil Everly ... who comprised half of one of the most successful duos in music history -- The Everly Brothers -- died today.

Phil and Don Everly had an enormous influence on John Lennon and Paul McCartney ... and The Beatles weren't alone. The Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, The Byrds and countless other singers seized on the amazing harmony of the duo.

Among their hits -- "Bye Bye Love," "When Will I Be Loved" and "All I Have to Do Is Dream."

Phil died as a result of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Paul Walker's entire body was charred through the skin it was burned so badly ... this according to the autopsy ... burned so bad none of his organs were suitable for donation.

According to the report ... obtained by TMZ ... Walker's body was laying supine in the passenger seat in a "pugilistic stance" -- that's a defensive position, as if he were bracing himself for impact.

He had multiple fractures throughout his body, including his jaw, collarbone, and left upper arm. There were also various ribs and pelvic fractures.

The report concludes Walker died from "combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries" sustained from the Nov. 30 crash in Santa Clarita, CA.

According to the report, the L.A. County Coroner is preserving portions of Paul's organs in a jar -- sources tell us tissues are kept for a certain period of time in case of lawsuits.

Roger Rodas -- the driver -- suffered major head trauma with the top portion of his skull fractured and his brain exposed.

No alcohol or drug traces were found in either body.

The report also says there was "scant soot in Walker's trachea" -- suggesting he took a few breaths after impact. Sources close to the investigation, however, tell TMZ, they believe both men died almost immediately.

And the report goes on ... Paul had 14% carbon monoxide saturation in his blood stream ... the normal level is 2%. Roger had 10%.

According to the report ... after impact the car spun 180 degrees, struck a tree and nearly tore in half before exploding in flames.

"That '70s Show" actress Lisa Robin Kelly died from "multiple drug intoxication" ... and the L.A. County Coroner tells TMZ her death has been ruled an accidental overdose.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly -- who played Eric Forman's older sister on the show -- died August 15th at an alcohol rehab facility in L.A. County.

An autopsy performed immediately after she died failed to identify the exact cause of death -- the coroner had to wait until the toxicology results were in.

The coroner did not identify which drugs were in her system.

Just days before her death, Kelly had been hospitalized with an alarmingly high .34 blood alcohol level ... a level that can sometimes lead to death.

The Coroner's full report will be released within 2 weeks.

The faux biological son of Uncle Phil on "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" has fond memories of their time together ... the most enduring of which involved down south music.

Alfonso Ribeiro was leaving Mr. Chow when we asked him about the death of James Avery, and he was locked and loaded when we asked about what he remembers most.

James Avery -- the beloved dad on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" -- has died at age 68 ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the actor tell TMZ he died in a Glendale, CA hospital last night. Avery had undergone open heart surgery and took a turn for the worse late yesterday.

And we're told ... his wife, Barbara, had been at his bedside but left for a short period of time and when she came back ... she learned he had just died.

Alfonso Ribeiro -- who played Avery's son on "Fresh Prince" -- just posted a message on his Facebook page.

Avery starred in dozens of TV shows through the years -- shows like "Grey's Anatomy," "The Closer," "L.A. Law," and "The Jeffersons." This past year, he appeared in three TV movies -- most recently, "Go, Bolivia, Go!" -- but didn't appear to have other projects in the works.

Avery reunited with most of his "Fresh Prince" cast -- including Will Smith -- two years ago at a charity event.