RIP

"Mia Davis, the love interest in my first movie, Road Trip has passed. I'm so sad She will always be a meaningful person in my life path. RIP." tweeted Qualls.

TMZ spoke with Mia's husband -- Michael Yard -- who told us the actress went under the knife Monday to correct an ongoing issue with her knee stemming from an old college basketball injury.

Yard -- who was in NY at the time -- tells us he spoke with Mia Tuesday morning and she sounded normal and in good spirits.

However, hours later -- Mike says he got a phone call from Mia's cousin informing him that she was taking Mia to the hospital because Mia had been suffering from a bout of dizziness.

Soon after, Mike says the unthinkable happened -- he got another phone call informing him his wife had passed away.

The details surrounding Mia's death are still emerging ... and so far, no cause of death has been released.

The man at the center of the controversy is Charles "Mask" Lewis -- who was killed by a drunk driver back in 2009. Mask was cremated at the request of his sister Carla ... who had executive power over Mask's remains.

After Mask's death, Carla claims she was approached by the co-founders of TapouT -- men calling themselves Skyscrape and Punkass -- who wanted to "borrow" Mask's ashes and urn for a public memorial service.

In a lawsuit filed in San Bernardino County, CA -- Carla says she agreed, but demanded the two men return Mask's remains immediately following the service.

Here's where things get CRAZY -- Carla says when she arrived to the memorial service, she noticed "various booths and tables" set up around the cathedral ... one of which contained, "a large shoebox-size box containing several miniature vials that were on display."

Carla says the vendor informed her, "each of the vials contained a small amount of the cremated remains of Mask, and were reserved for, and to be given to, 'special people' whose names were on a printed list."

Carla believes somewhere between 50 to 100 vials were either "sold, given away, donated or otherwise distributed to several unknown persons."

Not only is Carla PISSED about the vials ... she claims TapouT still has possession of the urn and the remainder of Mask's ashes ... and the company refuses to return them.

Cooper -- who was nominated for an Oscar when he was 9-years-old -- passed away yesterday at a hospital in Beverly Hills after a sudden bout with illness.

Cooper was a highly respected director in his adult years -- winning Emmy awards for his work on "M*A*S*H*" and "The White Shadow."

Cooper famously played the role of The Daily Planet newspaper editor in the 1978 "Superman" film.

In addition to his long acting career, Cooper was also a decorated WWII vet, who served with the Navy in the South Pacific.

82-year-old Vickers -- who famously starred in "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" -- was reportedly a recluse ... and neighbors say they hadn't seen her since last Summer.

A neighbor decided to inspect the house after noticing old letters and cob webs in Vickers' mailbox ... and noticed the model's badly decomposed remains in an upstairs room. The neighbor claims a small space heater was still running when she discovered the body.

You may remember Elmer from decades Empire commercials ... you know, the ones that feature that super-catchy jingle ... 800-588-2300 ... EMPIRE (today!).

Elmer -- a decorated WW2 vet -- became the company spokesperson back in the '70s ... and appeared in a ton of ads.

In recent years, the company switched to an animated version of Elmer -- but the spots still feature Elmer's voice.

Alice Ward (above) went into cardiac arrest in a Boston hospital back in January -- and was put on life support soon after.

Among Snow's main accomplishments -- she performed for President Bill Clinton in 1999 and sang at Howard Stern's wedding to Beth Ostrosky in 2008.

Snow famously put her music career on hold for many years to care for he daughter Valerie -- who was born in 1975 with severe brain damage.

Valerie was not expected to live past her toddler years, but with Phoebe's care -- she lived to be 31 and passed away in 2007.

The screenwriter died suddenly of heart failure at his home in Santa Monica ... says his aunt.

Jarre was a known history buff whose interest in the Civil War lead him to write 'Glory' in 1989. The movie won three Oscars.

His 1993 hit 'Tombstone' depicts the shootout at the O.K. Corral and includes a scene-stealing performance by Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday.

Jarre also co-wrote "Rambo: First Blood Part II," "The Devil's Own" and "The Mummy."

Jess had reportedly been battling cancer for several years.

Jackson created the wine label in the '70s with his first wife ... but it didn't become popular until the release of their 1982 Chardonnay.

The band released the news on its website, saying ... "We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and bandmate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer. We will miss him terribly."

Cooper called Hetherington a "friend and great photographer" ... adding, "He was such a wonderful guy."

Documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington -- who was nominated for an Oscar for the Afghanistan war movie "Restrepo" -- was killed today while working on a project in Libya.

According to reports, three photogs who were working with Hetherington were also injured in a skirmish between rebels and government forces ... including one man who suffered a critical brain injury.

The group was reportedly hit by a rocket propelled grenade.

Hetherington was reportedly rushed to a hospital with extensive shrapnel wounds -- but he was already dead by the time he arrived.

He suffered a stroke Thursday night and was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medial Center.

Jimmy Delshad, former two-time mayor of Beverly Hills, confirmed the news via Twitter: "It is with sadness in my heart that I share the terrible news of Bijan passing away. May he rest in peace."

Lumet directed a laundry list of classics, including "12 Angry Men," "Serpico," "Dog Day Afternoon," "The Wiz," "Network," "The Verdict," and most recently "Before the Devil Knows Your Dead."