RIP

A rep for Meadow Walker tells TMZ, "It is beyond regrettable that Porsche is trying to deflect its own responsibility by blaming the victim -- Paul Walker -- for his own death by getting into the passenger seat of its Carrera GT. Contrary to Porsche's assertions, the facts are clear: Paul was the passenger in a car that was not designed to protect its occupants, in a crash on a dry, empty straightaway in broad daylight and at speeds well below the vehicle's advertised capabilities."

The rep adds, "If Porsche had designed the car to include proper safety features, Paul would have survived, he would be filming 'Fast and Furious 8' and Meadow Walker would have the father she adored."

Paul Walker's daughter is going to have a fight on her hands with her wrongful death lawsuit, because Porsche has now fired back, saying Paul's death was his own fault.

Porsche has filed an answer to Meadow Walker's suit, saying Paul was "a knowledgeable and sophisticated user of the 2005 Carrera GT." The car company does not elaborate, but they are saying Paul should not have allowed or participated in a high-speed ride under the conditions that existed.

Porsche also takes issue with allegations that the car's design was defective. The car company says "the subject 2005 Carrera GT was abused and altered ..." The company added the car was "misused and improperly maintained."

Porsche makes various claims, some of which if proven would foreclose any recovery of money, but the company also suggests there might be "comparative fault" ... meaning Paul was partly to blame and any damages awarded should be reduced accordingly.

Vincent Margera -- the uncle of Bam Margera who appeared in "Jackass" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Vincent became famous for pranks he pulled off with Bam on the TV show and later the "Jackass" movies as well as "Viva La Bam".

It's a double blow for Bam, who lost his best friend and co-star Ryan Dunn, who was killed in a car crash.

Vincent has been struggling with kidney and liver failure for several years. He fell into a coma last month and has been in bad shape ever since.

Bam's mom tells us, Vincent passed away Sunday at 6:45 AM.

Vincent was 59. RIP.

Phil Taylor, the original drummer for classic rock band, Motörhead ... died at the age of 61 on Wednesday.

The rocker known to fans as "Philthy Animal" was with Motörhead for almost 20 years before leaving the band in 1992. According to former bandmate Fast Eddie Clark ... Taylor had been ill for some time now.

Taylor played on most of Motörhead's biggest hits in the '70s and '80s, including "Ace of Spades."

Phil last appeared with the band about a year ago in Birmingham, England.

Daniel Fleetwood, the superfan who got to see 'The Force Awakens' right before he died -- will go into eternity in a custom-made lightsaber urn ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Daniel's brother-in-law, who's an engineer, designed the urn as an exact replica of Darth Vader's weapon. It was one of Daniel's dying wishes to have a 'Star Wars' related final resting place.

It might seem odd that Daniel opted for the Dark Side's poster child -- but his wife, Ashley, tells us Vader was his favorite character, and he thought the lightsaber was a "great idea."

Ashley says the lightsaber is still under construction, but should be ready for his celebration of life on Nov. 21. Their backup plan is also kinda awesome -- a ceramic Death Star urn.

The Force is definitely with Daniel.

Carol Doda -- who rose to super fame as an OG stripper with huge breasts -- died Monday in San Francisco. She was 78.

Doda became extremely popular in the 1960s for her topless dance routines and her 44-inch silicone breasts, which became known as "The new Twin Peaks of San Francisco."

After retiring, Doda opened a lingerie shop in San Francisco called "Carol Doda's Champagne and Lace Lingerie Boutique."

Without Doda, we might not have celebs like Lady Gaga, Channing Tatum or Amber Rose ... who all worked the pole before they became famous.

Doda died from lung and kidney failure.

A former college basketball star -- who was drafted by the Knicks in 2001 -- was found dead in an SUV in Brooklyn under a pile of trash bags ... officials say.

The victim has been identified as Michael Wright -- who played for the Arizona Wildcats from 1998 to 2001 ... and was part of the 2001 team that made it to the NCAA Tournament finals.

Officials say Wright's body was found in the backseat of a Lexus SUV with a head wound -- and it appears he may have taken his own life.

Family members have told media they do not suspect foul play.

'90s rapper MC Supreme was killed on a treacherous stretch of highway because Malibu and California repeatedly drop the ball on safety measures, according to his daughter's wrongful death lawsuit.

Yahdiya Coleman just filed against the city, the state, and Phillip Torres -- the driver who slammed into Supreme's car while he was parked on the Pacific Coast Highway. In the suit, she blasts the city for failing to install warning signs, lights or guardrails in the area.

Supreme was killed back in June ... not far from the part of PCH where Caitlyn Jenner had a fatal car crash. Investigators blamed Jenner's crash on inattentiveness, and Coleman thinks that was a factor in her father's death too. She also alleges Torres was drunk or high.

Several Malibu locals, including Rob Lowe, echoed Coleman's concerns after Supreme's death -- with Lowe even blasting the city on Twitter.

YouTube star Caleb Logan Bratayley died from a rare heart condition that went undiagnosed for years.

Logan's family says the condition, called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was undetected because Caleb never showed any symptoms -- and according to doctors -- there was nothing the family could have done. There is no cure for the congenital condition.

Caleb passed away unexpectedly in October at the age of 13.

Logan's sisters have since had their hearts tested and appear to be in the clear.

The family thanked everyone for their unconditional support and ended by saying, "We miss our baked potato everyday."

Daniel Fleetwood, the terminally ill man who had a last wish -- to see the new 'Star Wars' movie -- has died.

Fleetwood was battling a rare form of cancer and had only a short time to live, when J.J. Abrams granted his wish to see the movie ... it was clear he would not live long enough to see the film when it opened.

Abrams and crew arranged for Daniel and his wife Ashley to watch an unfinished cut last week in his living room. Daniel was ecstatic.

Daniel's wife said, "Daniel put up an amazing fight to the very end. He is now with God and with the force."

Daniel died in his sleep.

Gunnar Hansen, who played one of the scariest, most iconic mass murderers ever, is dead.

Hansen made a career out of his role as Leatherface in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Although the movie was released in 1974, when he was a young man, Hansen proudly revived the role in various forms over the years. He played "The Master" in the 1988 "Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers" and the captain in the 2009 "Reykjavik What Watching Massacre.

Hansen took the role of the murderous Leatherface right out of grad school. He did many other things in entertainment -- he appeared in 28 films and wrote screenplays, books and documentaries.

Hansen died of pancreatic cancer. He was 68.

RIP

George Barris, the creator of the amazing 1966 Batmobile and many other legendary whips ... has died.

Barris' most famous car was surely the one Adam West drove during the "Batman" TV show. But he has a rich automotive history ... he designed the 'Munsters' Koach, the truck for "The Beverly Hillbillies" and the modified Dodge Charger for "Thunder Alley."

The Batmobile sold at auction in 2013 for $4.62 million.

Barris died early Thursday. We're told he'd been battling a brain tumor. He was just shy of 90.

RIP

Johnny Fratto -- a fan favorite on "The Howard Stern Show" for years -- has died after a battle with lung cancer ... TMZ has learned.

Fratto passed away peacefully at 12:06 AM surrounded by family ... his wife Ivanka confirmed. He was 61.

Fratto was the son of famous mob boss Louis Fratto ...who was a major shot caller in Chicago, Illinois and Iowa in the '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s.

Besides appearing on Stern, Fratto ran several businesses -- including Beverly Hills Choppers.

On a personal note, we worked with Fratto for years -- and he was a good dude ... caring, genuine, honest.

R.I.P.

Melissa Mathison, the woman who coined the phrase, "E.T. phone home" ... has died. She was 65 years old.

Mathison wrote the screenplay for the 1982 classic and was married to Harrison Ford for more than 20 years. Her brother confirmed she died Wednesday in L.A. after an illness, according to reports.

She and Ford had two children together ... Malcolm and Georgia.

Melissa also wrote screenplays for blockbusters like "The Black Stallion," "The Indian In The Cupboard," and "The Escape Artist."

She will likely have one more hit with 'E.T.' director Steven Spielberg. She wrote the highly anticipated family fantasy "The BFG" ... which comes out next year.

Hipster Barbie --- who took Instagram by storm -- died Wednesday after 22 weeks on the social media app.

The account's owner, Darby Cisneros, finally revealed herself and declared she is shutting down the account after becoming an overnight sensation and gaining more than 1.3 million followers.

Cisneros tells us she never intended for it to be a long term project and started it as a simple way to mock hipsters. Ironically, Hipster Barbie went mainstream. Totally not hipster.

She says she got offers from big companies to do promos, but naturally turned them all down. Totally hipster.

Cisneros thinks this is the perfect time to shut it down because HB is still relevant.

#RIP #ShopLocal #Vintage #Organic #GlutenFree #FairTrade #Blessed #Portland #PDX #Wilderness #Coffee #AuthenticLiving #Explore #Adventure #Culture #Flannel #GetOutside #Photos

Henry Winkler welled up as he reminisced about his late "Happy Days" co-star Al Molinaro Tuesday night at LAX ... and his kind words make for contagious waterworks, so grab a tissue.

Winkler and Molinaro worked alongside one another for a decade on the show, so our photog asked The Fonz his favorite memory of Al, who played 'Big Al' Delvecchio. Winkler credits Al for being instrumental in making The Fonz a huge star.

Molinaro passed away last week at 96.

Casey Kasem's kids won a big battle with their dad's widow -- they're getting to cash a life insurance check that Jean Kasem tried to keep away from them ... TMZ has learned.

Casey's 4 kids, 3 from a previous marriage, and his widow had been fighting over who gets one of two $2 million life insurance policies he left behind after his death in June 2014. One for Jean, and the other for a trust in the kids' names.

But Jean pleaded with the insurer, MetLife, to hold off on paying the kids because she claimed they could have contributed to Casey's death. She wanted an investigation, and our Kasem family sources tell us the kids made a similar claim against Jean.

For its part, MetLife wanted a judge to decide who got the money.

The judge ruled in the kids' favor, saying the trustee is the sole and rightful beneficiary. Jean's $2 mil policy was never in dispute, though it's unclear if she's been paid yet.