RIP

Melvin Williams -- the Baltimore drug dealer whose life inspired the classic television show "The Wire" -- died Thursday in Maryland. He was 73.

Williams was a powerful drug dealer in the '70s and '80s and served several years behind bars for trafficking. He was profiled for the Baltimore Sun in 1987 by David Simon, who went on to create "The Wire."

Williams -- who had a small role on the show as Deacon -- is believed to be the inspiration for the show's Avon Barksdale character, played by Wood Harris.

One of the real life guys who advised Jordan Belfort ... the 'Wolf of Wall Street' ... has been found dead in West Hollywood.

Barry Gesser was tight with Belfort and also consulted with the film's director Martin Scorsese and co-star Jonah Hill. TMZ has learned Gesser's body was found Wednesday afternoon.

Law enforcement sources tell us they don't suspect foul play in the 52-year-old's death at this time. It's also unclear if it was a suicide. Cops are still on the scene investigating.

Gesser pleaded guilty to fraud and got 3 years probation for the stock fraud and racketeering plots depicted in the Oscar nominated movie.

Gesser made headlines earlier this year when his new wife, actress Stacey Alysson, caught him in bed with a NY socialite. They'd only been married for 15 days.

4:20 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us Gesser's housekeeper found him, and called 911. There were no obvious signs of trauma or suicide. We're told Gesser has a history of drug use, but there was no paraphernalia or pills found on the scene.

Joshua Shintani -- best known from his cameo in "Shallow Hal" has died at the age of 32 ... TMZ has learned.

Joshua's mother says she took him to an emergency room early last week on Kauai, and doctors discovered he was battling an advanced case of pneumonia. Joshua died on Wednesday.

He had became a local legend in his native Hawaii after landing the memorable scene with Jack Black ... where Joshua strummed a ukulele and played, "Never Forget Where I'm From."

Peter Farrelly was on vacation in Hawaii when he discovered Joshua, a high school senior at the time, strumming his uke outside a public library. He signed him up for the movie on the spot.

'Hal' was the only movie Joshua ever did.

A rep for the Farrelly brothers tell us Joshua, "had a soul that glowed like a lighthouse. We feel honored to have known him."

Casey Kasem's kids and his brother think his widow abused him so badly it caused his 2014 death.

Julie, Mike and Kerri Kasem just filed a lawsuit against Jean Kasem for wrongful death. In the docs, they say Jean repeatedly blocked them from seeing their father, and they say that separation caused him great emotional distress.

The children along with Casey's brother, Mouner, say their father was doing as fine as could be -- considering he had dementia -- when Jean took him on a 7 day journey all over the Western U.S. ... but when they returned, he had a massive bed sore that was deeply infected, according to the docs.

The suit also says Casey's death, on Father's Day, was the result of a staph infection, UTI, and sepsis ... all brought on by Jean's neglect.

Jean dodged criminal charges for elder abuse back in May ... when L.A. prosecutors cited insufficient evidence of any wrongdoing. We're told that didn't sit well with Casey's children, and their frustration was part of their motivation to file this lawsuit.

Skrillex took a break from celebrating after the AMAs Sunday night ... and got very serious and emotional about the woman who went overboard during the Mad Decent Boat Party.

Skrillex was one of the headliners on the recent EDM cruise that had to return to port following the tragedy. Parts of the excursion were cancelled, and several performances were postponed.

Jim Perry, one of the most popular hosts during the heyday of TV game shows, has died.

Perry hosted "Card Sharks," an iconic game show in the 70s and 80s. The show still runs on cable. He also hosted "Sale of the Century" for 6 years. Both shows attracted legions of devoted fans.

NBC loved Perry, who was a buttoned-up 6'4" dude with not a single hair out of place, and put him on the network for years.

Perry died of cancer. He was 82.

RIP

A police dog trained to sniff out explosives is being hailed a hero after it was killed in Wednesday's raid on the terrorist cell linked to last Friday's Paris attacks.

Diesel, a 7-year-old Belgian Shepherd, met an atrocious end after the canine was reportedly blown to pieces by a suicide bomber.

The heroic pup had been sent into an apartment in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis to sniff out booby traps where the raid took place.

Word of Diesel's death spread like wildfire across social media via the hashtag #JeSuisChien, which translates to "I am a dog" ... a play on the galvanizing "Je Suis Charlie" following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January.

Five other officers were injured in Wednesday's raid.

Jonah Lomu -- considered one of the most ferocious rugby players of all time -- has died at the age of 40 ... his wife confirms.

Lomu was an absolute BEAST -- a combination of power and speed ... who dominated as a member of the New Zealand All Blacks from 1994 to 2002.

In fact, the Dallas Cowboys reportedly tried to recruit him to transition in to pro football in the mid '90s ... but he refused to leave the sport of rugby.

Lomu was diagnosed with a rare kidney infection which forced him to quit rugby in the early 2000s. He had a transplant in 2004 but the organ stopped working in 2011.

Jonah's wife, Nadene, issued a statement saying, "It is with great sadness that I must announce my dear husband Jonah Lomu died."

"As you can imagine, this is a devastating loss for our family and may I ask that our privacy, especially the privacy of our two very young boys, be respected as we take them through this traumatic time.”

RIP

Justin Bieber is among the many mourning the loss of a friend or loved one in the aftermath of last Friday's Paris terror attacks.

Justin shared a heartfelt message for pal Thomas Ayad on Twitter. Ayad had worked for Mercury Records as a product manager, and was killed during the mass shooting at the Eagles of Death Metal concert.

In his message, Justin said he and Thomas had worked together for years and he thanked his pal for everything he did for him.

Justin left his fans with a deep thought: "Make sure to appreciate people while you have them," before sending his condolences to Ayad's family and friends.

Ayad was among at least 89 people killed at the concert.

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.