RIP

Schwartz is a TV legend -- back in 1961, he won an Emmy for his work as a writer on "The Red Skelton Show."

Schwartz also served as a script supervisor on "My Favorite Martian" ... and a writer and producer of "Harper Valley PTA."

Sherwood worked in radio before transitioning over to television -- serving as a writer for Bob Hope's radio show. He also worked on the radio version of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet."

Schwartz died of natural causes in his sleep, surrounded by his family.

Mia's official cause of death had been a mystery ever since the 36-year-old actress passed away on May 10 ... one day after undergoing a routine knee surgery.

Now, an UPDATED death certificate has been filed in L.A. County ... listing Mia's primary cause of death as a "pulmonary thrombo-embolism" ... which is a blockage in the main artery of the lung.

But here's where things get murky -- under the line marked, "significant conditions contributing to death but not resulting in underlying cause" -- the doctor listed "LEFT KNEE, OPERATED."

Mia's husband, Michael Yard, asked the Coroner's Officer if it meant she died as a result of the surgery ... but the office said they could not give a definitive answer.

Ford, who struggled with her own alcohol issues, founded the Betty Ford Center near Palm Springs in 1982, one of the premiere rehab facilities in the world.

Scores of celebrities have sought treatment at the facility -- including Lindsay Lohan, Chevy Chase, Kelsey Grammer, Elizabeth Taylor, Anna Nicole Smith, Ozzy Osbourne, Drew Barrymore, Johnny Cash, Liza Minnelli, Billy Joel, and David Hasselhoff.

Betty was 93.

Story developing ...

• Lindsay Betty Ford Clash -- Violent 911 Confrontation
• Dawn Holland -- Betty Ford Cut Me Off!
• Betty Ford Sends Michael Lohan Packin'

The whole ordeal started when Guy's sister Morgan died of cancer back in February -- landing her 11-year old son, Jules, square in the middle of a custody battle between Morgan's parents and the boy's father.

According to a petition for guardianship -- filed by Jules' grandparents -- they claimed the father, Dain Pape, should not get custody because he is "living out of his motor home," and has no income.

But last week , a Marin County judge sided with Pape ... ruling he should have custody -- and the grandparents should hand over Jules.

But since then Pape tells us ... Jules has been vacationing with his uncle Guy on a remote lake in Northern California -- with NO phone service -- and as a result he's been unable to take custody.

Pape says he hasn't driven to the lake because he wants to avoid a confrontation with the family. He simply wants the grandparents to comply with the court order.

We reached out to Guy's reps, but so far ... no response.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... 27-year-old Nicholas Telemaque was killed around 2:40 AM on July 4 from "multiple gunshot wounds to the upper torso."

Minaj posted photos and messages on Twitter ... saying, "Lived in Brooklyn his whole life. My precious cousin. My baby. Killed last nite."

We're told cops are investigating the incident -- but so far, no arrests have been made.

Sources connected with the show tell TMZ ... Chuck Lorre's plan is to make sure Charlie Sheen can NEVER come back on the show. Although the first show won't be filmed until August 5, producers have been kicking around scenarios, which include Charlie driving a car over a cliff.

Of course, it would be art imitating life, because two of Charlie Sheen's cars went down a cliff on Mulholland Drive.

As for how Ashton Kutcher enters the picture, there's been talk that he buys Charlie's house after Charlie kicks the bucket.

Sources tell us ... the first script still isn't locked and Lorre often makes changes until close to taping, but it's pretty clear -- Charlie Harper is pushin' up daisies.

Knoxville went to his blog this weekend ... and explained why he froze up while speaking at Ryan Dunn's memorial service last week ... saying he tried his best, but "What came out were the mumblings of a man trying his best not to cry."

Knoxville writes, "Here is what I wished I could have told everyone then."

During the painfully honest blog, Johnny explains how much he loved Dunn -- he loved Dunn's "hair trigger laugh reflex ... Dunn was a great listener ... a great friend ... "as loyal as they come."

But midway through the tribute, Knoxville expresses his discontent with Dunn ... saying, "I'm becoming upset now because this isn't right, goddamnit. Ryan, I had to go wake up Madison and tell her you were gone. Do you know how hard that was?!! She loved you so much and I know you loved her, so why, buddy? Rocko will never get to know you like she did, nor will my daughter that is coming in October. I cry a lot about that."

Knoxville -- who refers to Dunn as his "brother" -- closed the post by saying, "I don't know what else to say right now, so I will close with I love you, Ryan. I have a lot of emotions swirling, but I want you to know I love you so very much."

Falk -- who suffered from Alzheimer's disease -- was 83.

A rep for the family tells TMZ, "Peter Falk, 83-year-old Academy Award nominee and star of television series, 'Columbo', died peacefully at his Beverly Hills home in the evening of June 23, 2011."

The rep continued, "Peter Falk is survived by his wife, Shera, of 34 years and two daughters from a previous marriage."

In addition to "Columbo," Falk starred in "Princess Bride," "Brigadoon" and "The Great Race."

Peter's wife, Shera and daughter Catherine were locked in a legal battle in 2009 over the creation of a conservatorship for Peter and who would control it. In the end, the judge appointed Shera conservator.

UPDATE: John Finnegan -- Falk's "Columbo" co-star -- tells TMZ, he fell literally FELL DOWN when heard the news ... “I have known Peter for over 60 years ... He was like a brother for me, he kept the food on the table. He was the best, great!"

Police Chief Michael Carroll told reporters an accident reconstruction team determined the speed of the crash after inspecting the accident scene. Officials say Dunn's car collided with a guardrail at high speed, crashed in the woods and burst into flames.

According to Carroll, the crash was catastrophic -- claiming he's "never seen a car destroyed in an automobile accident the way this car was ... even before it caught on fire."

The pics show Ryan and his friends drinking at around 1 AM at a bar called Barnaby's of America in West Chester.

After downing at least 3 beers and 3 shots in 4-hours ...Ryan hit the road in his Porsche 911 GT3.

At around 2:38 AM, Ryan crashed -- killing himself and his passenger, Zach Hartwell.

In addition, we're told the coroner is performing an autopsy on Ryan's unidentified passenger -- who was also killed in the fatal car crash this morning.

As we previously reported, friends claim Ryan had upwards of six drinks before getting behind the wheel ... and driving off a Pennsylvania highway.

Dunn arrived to a bar called Barnaby's of America in West Chester, PA around 10:30 PM ... to hang out with a small group of male friends.

One of the friends tells TMZ ... Dunn had 3 Miller Lites and 3 "girly shots" between 10:30 PM and 2:10 AM -- nearly a 4 hour span -- but he was "not too drunk to drive."

But according to another person who was inside the bar that night, Dunn was "wasted" -- and "had a lot to drink."

Johnny continued the post saying, "RIP Ryan , I love you buddy."

Knoxville and Dunn famously goofed off in the "Jackass" films together -- and from the sound of the tweet -- it appears they were pretty close.

TMZ also spoke with Jeff Tremaine -- who starred and directed the "Jackass" movies -- who told us, "I feel like I lost a brother. Ryan Dunn was family and we are all deeply devastated."

Wee Man has also tweeted -- "RYAN DUNN-- a super awesome memory was at the J RODY walston & the business show!!! I MISS YOU BUD!! You were always a happy kick-ass dude!!"

34-year-old Dunn appeared in all of the "Jackass" movies -- famously shoving a toy car into his rectum in the first flick back in 2002.

Dunn and an unidentified person both died in the crash which happened around 3 a.m. at Route 322 and New Street in West Goshen Township. It's unclear who was driving the car.

We're told the car caught fire in the crash -- and hours later, a tow truck was called to the scene to remove the charred wreckage.

Just hours before his death, Dunn posted a photo on Twitter showing himself drinking with friends.

Clemons, known to fans as the Big Man, was the most famous member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. His music cut through on songs like "Born To Run," "Thunder Road," "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," and "Dancing In The Dark"... and on and on.

Bruce Springsteen released a statement, saying, "Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years."

The statement continued, "He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."

Ziskin -- who was known as one of the most influential women in Hollywood history -- was working on the fourth installment of the "Spider Man" franchise at the time of her death.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 -- Ziskin teamed up with other women in the entertainment industry to form the nonprofit "Stand Up to Cancer" -- which has raised $200 MILLION to fight the disease.