RIP

Legendary actor Abe Vigoda -- who starred in "The Godfather" -- died under hospice care at the age of 94 ... TMZ has learned.

Abe's death had been falsely reported countless times, dating all the way back to 1982.

Abe played Tessio in "The Godfather" and also "The Godfather Part II." In fact, he was still doing the voice for Tessio in 'Godfather' video games as late as 2007.

His most famous role on TV was as Detective Phil Fish on the '80s sitcom "Barney Miller" ... which once worked the infamous hoax reports of Abe's death into a storyline.

He was also the grandfather in "Look Who's Talking."

Abe is survived by his daughter, Carol Vigoda Fuchs. He was married to Beatrice Schy from 1968 until 1992 ... when she passed away.

Police in Georgia want to talk to Future to see if he can help them find whoever killed his former bodyguard.

Michael Phillips was shot and killed Monday at his home in Jonesboro, Georgia ... outside Atlanta. Cops say they don't have any suspects in custody yet, but they have several leads. They're interested in talking to all of Phillips' friends, including Future, to see if they have info that could narrow the search for the gunman.

Investigators tell us they don't think it was gang-related, and Phillips wasn't shot in a high crime area.

Freebandz paid his respects on Twitter, after the news broke:

The estate of 'Simpsons' co-creator Sam Simon wants to unload 2 handfuls worth of his Emmys, but the people at the Emmys ain't havin' it ... TMZ has learned.

Simon passed away last year and his foundation listed 10 Emmys -- which he won for "The Simpsons" and "The Tracey Ullman Show" -- through the Abell Auction Company.

They could go for $2,500 - $6,000 each ... however, the Academy of Television says it's the rightful owner of those awards. A rep for the Academy tells us a winner's heirs or successors must "return the statuette to the Academy, and we hold it in storage in memory of the recipient.” Those are the rules.

The Academy broke that news to Simon's estate, and as of Monday morning ... the Emmys have been pulled off the block.

The auction's still going down February 21 and will include pieces from Sam's art collection, like Picasso lithographs and a mini "Thinker" -- but your shot at a 'Simpsons' Emmy is officially dead.

Monty Brinson, the ex husband of Kim Richards, has died from lung cancer .... TMZ has confirmed.

Kim and Monte were married for only 3 years -- from 1985 - 1988 -- but they remained close after their split and even lived together in past few years when he was battling cancer.

Kim was very open ... Monty's struggle sometimes pushed her over the edge in her own battle with addiction -- something well-chronicled on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

Rick Hilton says, "We have lost Monty Brinson after a brave battle of cancer. His heart was as big as the moon and he was loved by all he met. He will be sorely missed. I love YOU always."

Monty was 58. RIP.

Celine Dion endured her second funeral in as many days ... this time burying her brother.

Celine, her mother and sister arrived at a chapel in Quebec to bury Daniel Dion, who died one week ago today from cancer.

Multiple people connected to Lawrence Phillips -- including his criminal attorney -- tell TMZ Sports the suicide note found with his body was NOT in the NFL star's handwriting ... adding more doubt to claims he took his own life.

As we previously reported, Phillips' family says they aren't buying the explanation from Kern Valley State Prison -- that Phillips committed suicide in his cell last week.

Now, Phillips' attorneys say the key to the case could be the handwriting in the note found in Phillips' sock on the day of his death.

Lawrence's lawyer paraphrased the letter to USA Today Sports:

"Did you hear the one about the football player who hung himself from the TV mount in his cell?" the letter read.

The lawyer explained, "And where it said football player, it looked like somebody after the fact put the letter 'X' before 'football,' so it said 'X-football player.'"

Phillips had hand penned dozens of letters during his time behind bars -- he definitely had a distinct style to his handwriting.

Lawrence's attorney says the ex-NFL star's family is now in the process of hiring an independent investigator to look into Phillips' death ... believing he may have been murdered.

Thousands of people showed up for the funeral of Celine Dion's husband, Rene Angelil.

The funeral was held at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, where the couple married in 1994. Guests included friends, family and French Canadian politicians. Dion's 14-year-old son gave the eulogy.

Lines stretched around the block of the cathedral Thursday for the public viewing, where Celine stoically greeted a number of mourners.

The funeral started at noon Pacific Time and wrapped up around 2 PM PT.

Celine Dion put on a brave face at the viewing of husband Rene Angelil, personally sharing a moment with almost every mourner.

The viewing was held at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, where the couple married in 1994.

Celine sometimes tearfully stood by Rene's open casket, accepting condolences from the public. There's a huge line wrapped around the cathedral.

The funeral is set for Friday.

Several of Lawrence Phillips' former college and pro teammates are expected to fly to California for the running back's funeral this weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Multiple people who were close with Phillips tell us ... the funeral is set for Saturday morning with a tribute to the ex-NFL star set to follow at a restaurant owned by another former Rams player, Tony Zendejas.

We spoke with the former Rams kicker who never played on the same team as Lawrence -- but they had several mutual friends -- and Tony says he feels compelled to help pay tribute to Phillips.

We're told Tony reached out to the family and offered to host the event at his restaurant in San Dimas -- the family accepted the offer.

Kanye West loves David Bowie's music and his legacy so much ... he has NO PLANS to record a cover album, which means angry Bowie fans can settle down.

Outrage spread on the Internet after multiple reports claimed Kanye was recording a tribute -- featuring covers of Bowie's biggest hits -- however, a rep for West tells us that's complete BS.

The rumor, apparently started in a British tab, launched a petition -- which already has 5,000 signatures -- to shut down the album. Not sure how that would have stopped it anyway, but it's a moot point.

We're told Yeezy had a ton of respect for Bowie -- he tweeted about his death -- but they never had plans to work together.

Our sources say the rapper is still hard at work on an album ... of his own material, sans Ziggy Stardust '16.

Motorhead frontman Lemmy died from prostate cancer and congestive heart failure ... according to his death certificate.

It was widely reported he battled an aggressive form of cancer before his death, but the copy of his death certificate we obtained is the first confirmation it was prostate cancer.

The legendary rocker had battled serious health issues for quite some time, forcing him to scale back on his alcohol and tobacco habits. Lemmy had smoked for 57 years.

He was 70 years old when he passed in December.

Celine Dion will not be singing at her husband Rene Angelil's funeral because she is still in the throes of grief.

Reports have surfaced Celine will perform at Rene's funeral, but she quickly squashed them.

Her rep tells us it never crossed her mind to perform -- but it's possible one or two of her songs will play in the background.

According to his wishes, the ceremony will be held at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal where he and Celine got married 21 years ago.

The funeral will be televised on 3 networks and flags will fly at half-staff -- Rene was Canadian and well-respected.

Celine also lost her brother to cancer just days after Rene died.

Glenn Frey, co-founder and guitarist for the Eagles, has died ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the cause of death was a combination of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia.

Frey had been battling intestinal issues for months and had surgery in November. We're told in the last few days his condition took a turn for the worse. He died in New York City.

Glenn co-wrote and sang on most of the Eagles hits, including "Take It Easy," "Tequila Sunrise," "Lyin' Eyes," and "Heartache Tonight," to name a few. He also co-wrote "Hotel California" and "Desperado" with Don Henley and took home 6 Grammys with the band.

After the Eagles' 1980 breakup, Glenn launched a successful solo career, recording numerous hits ... most notably "The Heat Is On" and "You Belong to the City."

Glenn also got into acting, snagging a recurring role on "Miami Vice."

He reunited with the Eagles in '94 for their monster Hell Freezes Over tour and recorded music till the end, releasing what would be his fifth and final solo LP, "After Hours," in 2012.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had been fighting intestinal issues for awhile but his condition relapsed before the holidays, forcing the Eagles to pull out of their Kennedy Center Honors appearance in December. At the time, the band said he needed major surgery that would require a lengthy recovery.

Don Henley said, "He was like a brother to me; we were family, and like most families, there was some dysfunction. But the bond we forged 45 years ago was never broken."

He added ... "We built something that has lasted longer than anyone could have dreamed. But Glenn was the one who started it all. It will be very strange going forward in a world without him in it. But I will be grateful, every day, that he was in my life. Rest in peace, my brother. You did what you set out to do, and then some."

Glenn was 67. RIP.

Celine Dion's older brother Daniel has died from cancer ... TMZ has learned.

Daniel, 59, passed away early Saturday morning surrounded by family in Celine's native Montreal. He had been fighting brain, tongue and throat cancer.

A memorial will be held next Saturday in Charlemagne Quebec, where the family was raised.

Celine's husband, Rene Angelil, passed Thursday from throat cancer.

Rene Angelil will be laid to rest in the same cathedral where he married Celine Dion 21 years ago ... TMZ has learned.

Our Celine sources tell us Rene's funeral will be held at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal. There will be a public viewing next Thursday ahead of a religious service on Friday evening.

Celine's also planning a celebration of life for her late husband in Las Vegas. That will be held February 3rd at the Caesars Palace Colosseum, where Celine regularly performs.

Fans are invited to make donations to the Azar-Angelil Research Chair for ORL Cancer -- a charity Rene helped launched in 2011.