RIP

The notes from Mickey Mantle's emotional farewell address -- scribbled from his deathbed in 1995 -- is about to hit the auction block ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The speech is legendary ... televised from the Baylor University Medical Center on July 12, 1995 ... when a dying Mantle begged his fans, "Please don't do drugs and alcohol. God only gave us one body."

Now, we're told Grey Flannel Auctions will be opening up bidding on the handwritten notes for the speech that Mick had earlier scribbled on the back of a PGA tour score card in his hospital room.

One of the most memorable lines from the speech -- "I didn't know how Lou Gehrig could here [sic] at home plate knowing he was going to die and say he was the luckiest man on the face of Earth [sic]. Now I think I know."

GFA tells us the item will hit the auction block at the end of April. There will not be a starting bid.

Mick died just 4 weeks after the speech after suffering from liver cancer, cirrhosis and hepatitis.

He was 63.

Michael Jackson's pianist could have been huge -- hauling in nearly half a million bucks -- if Conrad Murray didn't kill MJ ... so now he's threatening to sue Murray for all the money he lost.

Morris Pleasure was in the band for the "This Is It" tour, and last fall -- while Conrad was still in jail -- he fired off a letter accusing the doctor of robbing him out of what would have been his "highest-paying job."

Pleasure's no stiff -- he's performed with Earth, Wind & Fire, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, and Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack and many more -- but the MJ gig would have been his pinnacle of his career.

We're told Mo P stood to make about $400,000 over 2 years of touring with Michael.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was killed earlier this month by a deadly mixture of heroin, cocaine, and several other drugs -- this according to the NYC medical examiner.

The medical examiner just released the official cause of death -- listing "acute mixed drug intoxication" as the reason PSH passed away suddenly on February 2nd.

According to the medical examiner, the drugs in the actor's system at the time of his death were heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety) and amphetamines (uppers like Adderall).

Mixing heroin and cocaine is often termed "speedballing." It's the same mixture that killed Chris Farley, River Phoenix, and John Belushi.

Legendary "Dating Game" host Jim Lange shared his stage with some huge Hollywood types back in the day ... Ahnald, Farrah, even Michael Jackson!

Sure the occasional serial killer found victims love with Jim's help. But he was just that good.

R.I.P. big guy.

Ex-WWE superstar Big Daddy V's body was cremated earlier this week ... and his widow has slightly eerie plans for the ashes ... TMZ has learned.

Cassandra Frazier tells TMZ ... the ashes of her husband Viscera -- a.k.a. Nelson Frazier Jr. -- will be put into 500 pendants and placed on necklaces, and then she's going to gift them to his loved ones.

Cassandra says for now she's storing BDV's ashes in an urn at home until their she's ready to hand out the keepsakes.

Jim Lange -- host of "The Dating Game" -- one of the biggest game-type shows in the history of TV -- is dead.

Lange was a huge presence on the show ... which pitted 3 bachelors against each other to impress a girl ... and the end game was a date. Lange was spectacularly charming and very funny.

Among the bachelors who appeared on the show -- Michael Jackson, Steve Martin and Arnold Schwarzenegger. And get this ... Farrah Fawcett was one of the girls who had to choose, and she was introed as "an accomplished artist and sculptress."

The MJ show is hysterical. Michael -- who was a teenager -- says, "I've never been out on a date before. What do two kids like us do on a date?"

Lange died from a heart attack. He was 81.

And get this ... One of the most notorious serial killers ever -- Rodney Alcala, was not only a contestant on "The Dating Game," he won.

James Jacks -- who produced "The Mummy" and dozens of other movies -- believed he could buy immortality ... because he gave a bloody fortune to his church "to pray for [his] immortal soul."

Jacks' handwritten will is bizarre. In addition to giving $500K to The St. Charles Borromeo Church of Toluca Lake, he directed that his good friend give party favors to people who attended his wake.

The party favors are movies ... and lots of them. Under the will Jacks left his entire collection to his mom, who gets to pick her favorite 300. The rest of the movies were to be given away to friends and family at the wake. But wait, there's more. Anyone who took a movie on laser disc also got one of his laser disc players! ... because no one has laser disc players anymore.

And there's this. Jacks gave his gun collection to his brother and nephew, with one string attached. They had to take a gun safety course.

And the nicest part ... Jacks gave his longtime housekeeper $15,000.

Former University of Miami football star Jojo Nicolas has died ... days after suffering severe injuries in a horrific car crash involving an 18-wheeler ... his family has confirmed.

Nicolas was driving a silver Lexus that plowed into the back of a big rig on a Miami highway early Tuesday morning. Emergency responders raced to the scene and transported Jojo to a nearby hospital in critical condition.

But Jojo's condition took a turn for the worse Wednesday and he passed at 5pm.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the crash -- and have not ruled out alcohol.

Nicolas was 24.

The Discovery Channel robbed a 15-year-old girl of her father ... when he perished in a helicopter crash while filming a reality show for the network -- this according to a new lawsuit.

Sonya Joubert -- the mother of 15-year-old Sofia Donatelli -- just sued Discovery on her daughter's behalf ... claiming the 2013 chopper accident that killed 45-year-old Michael Donatelli was the result of Discovery's shocking lapse of judgment for allowing a very dangerous flight plan.

Michael Donatelli -- a Special Forces veteran -- was a passenger in the helicopter when it inexplicably crashed just north of L.A. a year ago.

He was starring in an unnamed military-themed reality project for Discovery at the time. The helicopter pilot and a cameraman were also killed in the crash. The show never made it to air.

Aside from the flight plan ... the suit claims Discovery allowed the chopper to fly at low altitudes, over hilly terrain, with low light, poor visibility, and in frost conditions. The lawsuit also claims Discovery should have known the pilot was "unfit" to operate the helicopter.

Ernie Hudson was shaken as he met our photog outside a terminal at LAX, having just learned his "Ghostbusters" co-star Harold Ramis had died.

Ernie is emotional and what he says is clearly heartfelt. He humbly confesses he probably wouldn't have had a career without Ramis ... and then goes on to explain why he was such a legend in the movie business.

And on a sad note ... Hudson says any possibility of a new "Ghostbusters" movie is now out of the question.

Hollywood legend Harold Ramis -- famous for his films "Caddyshack," "Ghostbusters," "Groundhog Day," and "Animal House" -- has died.

According to his family, the writer-director passed away early this morning at his Chicago home from complications stemming from autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, a rare disease involving the swelling of blood vessels. He was surrounded by his family.

Ramis was 69. He is survived by his wife Erica, his sons Julian and Daniel, his daughter Violet, and two grandchildren.

Ramis began suffering from health issues related to his autoimmune disease in 2010.

In addition to "Caddyshack" and others, the comedy legend directed "National Lampoon's Vacation," "Analyze This" and several other films. He also wrote sequels to his films, like "Ghostbusters 2" and "Caddyshack 2."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter says she's being forced to hand over two of her father's prized possessions ... all because her brothers just want to make a quick buck.

Bernice King reacted to a Georgia judge's ruling last week that she must hand over MLK's Nobel Peace Prize and his Bible while she continues a legal war with her brothers Dexter King and MLK III ... who control the King Estate.

Lawyers for the brothers have said they have a lucrative offer to sell both items -- but Bernice made it clear she's against pawning off the items -- "They're very sacred, not just to me, but to a lot of people. I just don't believe, morally, that you sell it."

The rattlesnake that killed "Snake Salvation" Pastor Jamie Coots a week ago made an encore appearance Saturday night at the same church with Jamie's son at the helm ... and this time no animals or people were hurt.

Cody Coots prayed over a bevy of snakes -- one of which was the rattler that killed Jamie. The video is insane ... it looks like a revival service with a live band and snakes and worshipers all flailing in the air.

As we told you ... Cody made it clear to us ... if the rattler bit him he would refuse treatment ... just like his dad.

But snakes weren't the only trick up Cody's sleeve. He also played with fire ... literally.

Bite me once shame on you ... the new pastor in the "Snake Salvation" church will NOT accept medical treatment today if he's bitten by the rattlesnake that killed his father exactly one week ago.

Cody Coots tells TMZ ... he will indeed handle the deadly snake during the afternoon Kentucky service. What's more, he says there will be NO anti-venom meds on hand in case the snake attacks again.

And ... if he's bitten and paramedics rush to the church, he'll send them away ... just like his dad Jamie Coots did.

The top police force in Kentucky will NOT step in and block a church service featuring the rattlesnake that killed "Snake Salvation" star, Pastor Jamie Coots last Saturday.

TMZ broke the story ... the Middlesboro PD told us they would not enforce a state law prohibiting the handling or displaying of reptiles in religious services. Police Chief Jeffrey Sharpe told us the government has no business meddling in religious affairs.

So we called the Kentucky State Police ... they have the power to step in and take care of business if the local police refuses to enforce state law.

An official from the Kentucky State Police tells TMZ ... they acknowledge the law prohibits snake handling during services, but says unless they get a call from someone with a "legitimate" gripe, they won't barge into the service.

The new pastor, Cody Coots -- Jamie's son -- made it clear ... the same snake will be used in today's service.

Keith Haring's artwork is among the most recognizable of the 20th century -- but the authenticity of roughly 80 paintings has been called into question ... and now, a group of art dealers is suing for $40 MILLION, claiming it's being falsely accused of peddling fakes.

The Miami-based dealers are suing the Keith Haring Foundation after it accused them of selling bogus Harings at an exhibit in March last year called "Haring Miami."

Days after the exhibit opened, the Haring Foundation sued the dealers, seeking to block the exhibit. The Foundation claimed the vast majority of the 80+ paintings in it were counterfeit.

The "Haring Miami" organizers subsequently pulled all but 8 pieces of art from the exhibit.

Now the dealers who supplied the artworks are pissed, insisting ALL of them are the genuine work of Keith Haring -- who passed away from AIDS in 1990 -- and they're worth between $500,000 and $1 million a piece.