RIP

Magic Johnson says he's crushed by the death of his "good friend" Prince -- saying the legend is one of 2 musicians he actually followed around the world to see in concert.

"I am so devastated by the passing of my good friend Prince," Johnson tweeted.

"This is so tragic. First MJ and now Prince! Two icons gone too soon!"

"Prince and Michael were the only artists I actually followed around the world to see their stellar performances live."

Several huge sports figures are also mourning the death of the music legend, including:

Sugar Ray Leonard -- I met Prince and had brief discussions with him and he was without question, a Special individual! RIP."

Mark Cuban -- Im in shock #Prince

Deion Sanders -- #RIPPrince. When we lose 1 our TRUE entertainers & pioneers it makes u rethink your life & stop taking people & things for granted. #TRUTH

3:43 PM PT -- The medical examiners office has received Prince's body and will perform an autopsy Friday.

12:25 PM PT -- The Sheriff's department says Prince was found in an elevator at Paisley Park. They performed CPR, but were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 10:07 AM Central Time.

11:27 AM PST -- The Carver County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ they are now investigating the circumstances of Prince's death. At this time, there are no signs of foul play.

The artist known as Prince has died ... TMZ has learned. He was 57.

Prince's body was discovered at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota early Thursday morning.

Multiple sources connected to the singer confirmed he had passed. We've obtained the emergency dispatch call for a "male down, not breathing."

The singer -- full name Prince Rogers Nelson -- had a medical emergency on April 15th that forced his private jet to make an emergency landing in Illinois. But he appeared at a concert the next day to assure his fans he was okay. His people told TMZ he was battling the flu.

At the show, Prince prophetically told the crowd, "Wait a few days before you waste any prayers."

There are no signs Chyna intended to die, based on what police found inside her apartment -- and she'd been deceased for at least a day ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us there was no suicide note left in her Redondo Beach, CA home. We're also told it appears the WWE legend had passed away a "day or two" prior to Wednesday evening ... when a friend found her body. The last known contact she had with anyone happened on Sunday evening.

As we first reported ... there were no illegal drugs, but officers did find legal prescription bottles. Our sources described the number of bottles as 3 or 4 ... "nothing out of the ordinary." Also, the bottles were not emptied.

We're told several neighbors told investigators they suspected "overdose" as the cause of death since she'd seemed "under the influence" lately.

Hulk Hogan is mourning the death of his former co-worker Chyna ... saying he's "devastated" over her death.

WWE legend Chyna -- real name Joanie Laurer -- has died ... and officials are investigating as a possible overdose, TMZ Sports has learned.

We've learned she was in her apartment in Redondo Beach, CA ... south of L.A. -- and police got the call around 7:30 PM. Our law enforcement sources say she had not been seen or heard from for a few days. A friend went to check on her yesterday and found her unresponsive in the bedroom of her home and made the call to police.

Officers were on the scene late Wednesday investigating the death as a possible overdose -- due mainly to her history with drugs. Prescription bottles were found in the home, but there were no illegal drugs ... according to our sources.

Cops say there are no signs of foul play.

Chyna was 46 years old.

A statement was posted to Chyna's official Twitter account confirming the death ... saying, "It is with deep sadness to inform you today that we lost a true icon, a real life superhero."

"She will live forever in the memories of her millions of fans and all of us that loved her."

Laurer's manager first confirmed the death to ProWrestlingSheet.com.

She posted a video to her YouTube page earlier this week -- she looked like she was struggling.

Chyna was a game changer during her stint with the WWE -- famously teaming up with Triple H to become one of the original members of D-Generation X. She was also the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble.

Chyna went on to pose for Playboy before transitioning to reality TV. She appeared on "The Surreal Life" in 2005.

Later, Chyna got into porn ... releasing 6 films from 2004 to 2013.

She later went to Japan to teach English.

Chyna struggled with addiction for years -- and appeared on 'Celebrity Rehab' back in 2008.

Doris Roberts' death is causing turmoil for a movie she was set to headline ... because she's the third big name attached to the flick who has died.

One of the last movie roles Doris signed on for was the female lead in "Old Soldiers" ... which is still securing its last bit of financing before it starts production.

Problem is ... 2 of the other major roles belonged to Mickey Rooney and James Best ... who died in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

Producer Dave Rotan -- who is adamant on using actual WWII-era celebs for the road trip comedy -- tells us he's still optimistic about the film, but admits his "window of opportunity is quickly closing" on filling out a cast of elderly legends.

Rotan tells us he's not going to recast Doris' role yet -- for fear of jinxing anyone else -- and is still banking on Clifton James (94), Hugh O'Brian (91), and Rance Howard (87) to make it through filming.

Godspeed.

Doris Roberts, the beloved mom from "Everybody Loves Raymond," has died ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Doris passed away Sunday at home in L.A.

She won 5 Emmy awards, 4 of them for 'Raymond.' She's also starred in tons of other TV shows and movies, like "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and "Grandma's Boy."

She's survived by her son, Michael Cannata Jr., who she had with her first husband. Doris' second husband, William Goyen, died in 1983.

Doris was 90 years old.

We last saw her about a month ago where we frequently got her -- going to the movies at the ArcLight in Hollywood. Doris said she wasn't feeling great, but she was as witty as ever.

The widow of a pilot killed on the set of Tom Cruise's Pablo Escobar movie says her husband only died because the filmmakers put his life in the hands of an incompetent flier.

Alan Purwin, a veteran Hollywood stunt pilot, was working closely with Cruise on "Mena" last year. He was a passenger onboard a small plane that went down in the Colombian jungle on the last day of filming.

Kathryn Purwin is suing Cross Creek Pictures, the film's producer, saying Carlos Berl -- the man at the stick when the plane went down -- didn't have the "necessary skills" and had no business flying the aircraft. Berl was also killed in the crash.

Conor McGregor says he was ringside at the MMA fight in Dublin -- in which a fighter was beaten so badly, he died from his injuries ... and calls the whole situation "truly heartbreaking."

Conor was at the fight to watch his teammate Charlie Ward take on Portuguese fighter Joao Carvalho. Joao lost by TKO in the 3rd round ... and died a few days later from head injuries suffered in the fight.

"Terrible news regarding Joao Carvalho," McGregor said in a statement.

"To see a young man doing what he loves, competing for a chance at a better life, and then to have it taken away is truly heartbreaking."

"We are just men and women doing something we love in the hope of a better life for ourselves and our families. Nobody involved in combat sports of any kind wants to see this. It is such a rare occurrence that I don't know how to take this."

"I was ringside supporting my teammate, and the fight was so back and forth, that I just can't understand it."

"My condolences go out to Joao's family and his team. Their man was a hell of a fighter and will be sorely missed by all."

NFL running back Pierre Thomas says he'll be forever scarred after watching his close friend, Will Smith, get shot to death in New Orleans ... saying, "These images that I have in my head will never leave me."

Thomas was at the scene when Smith got into it with Cardell Hayes -- and says the whole thing erupted after a "f**king fender bender" ... not a revenge plot as some speculated.

Here's Pierre's post in its entirety:

"The last few days has been a whirlwind and I am still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing. I flew out of New Orleans last night and back to Chicago because I couldn't think straight... I witnessed a close friend, teammate and a man that I thought of as one of my big brothers in the NFL shot to death OVER A F**KING FENDER BENDER!!!!"

"Why!? I just don't get it... these images that I have in my head will never leave me and I understand that and will have to live with it."

"I want to thank each and everyone of you, my family, friends, fans and the entire Who Dat Nation for all of your thoughts and prayers.... But let's send them instead to Will's family- his wife and 3 kids who have to be strong during this difficult time."

"People!! When is this sh*t going to stop?"

"There is so much senseless killing going on in our world, and I'm not saying that I have the answers to fix it."

"But I am willing to do my part to help and find a solution. My heart is heavy and I wish I could turn back the hands of time, but what is done is done."

The NFL Players Association has reached out to several of Will Smith's former NFL teammates to offer support and professional counseling to help with the grieving process.

TMZ Sports spoke with NFLPA spokesman Carl Francis who says the Assoc. wants to do everything in its power to help players who may be taking the death especially hard.

"We're here to support the players. We've been in contact with the players and their reps. Counseling is available."

Smith played 9 seasons in the NFL -- all of them with the Saints (he did spend some time with the Patriots but never played in a game for them).

Tiffany "New York" Pollard is taking a step back on an attempt to capitalize on her notorious David Gest death fumble.

A rep for Pollard tells us they just removed a listing for the "David is Dead" shirts, which the reality star had been selling on her website. Gest was found dead in London earlier Tuesday.

Pollard's merchandise poked fun at her viral moment on UK's "Celebrity Big Brother" back in January. Pollard broke into hysterics after Angie Bowie told her "David is dead" -- Pollard mistook David Bowie's death for that of housemate David Gest.

The Ohio State football program is paying tribute to Will Smith at the annual Spring Game this weekend -- honoring the late Buckeye with a customized helmet decal.

OSU's athletic director Gene Smith announced ... "Honoring Buckeye great Will Smith Saturday at our Spring Game. Tribute to include helmet decal & moment of silence."

David Gest, Liza Minnelli's ex-husband, has died in London.

Gest was found dead in the Four Seasons Hotel at the Canary Wharf ... according to police.

London cops said, "Police were called at 10:17 on Tuesday to the Four Seasons Hotel, to reports of an unexplained death of a man in his 60s. London ambulance service were called to the scene."

It's unclear what caused his death. Police say an autopsy has been scheduled, but they tell us at this point it appears to be "non suspicious."

Gest and Liza were married from 2002 to 2007. He famously accused Liza of physcial abuse during their relationship.

He was on UK's "Celebrity Big Brother" earlier this year, but left the house early for undislcosed medical reasons.

He was planning to do a tour later this year with several soul singers. The title of the tour? "David Gest Is Not Dead, But Alive with Soul."

Gest was 62.