RIP

2:45 PM PST -- Glass' rep Jeffrey Leavitt tells TMZ ... "Ron passed late last night of respiratory failure. Ron was a private, gentle and caring man. He was an absolute delight to watch on screen. Words cannot adequately express my sorrow. "

Ron Glass, a centerpiece on the 70's sitcom "Barney Miller" has died ... according to his rep.

Glass had recently battled with various illnesses, and was an active member in the L.A. Buddhist community. He passed away at his home Friday, where'd he'd been watched by a caretaker.

Glass received an Emmy nomination for his role as Detective Ron Harris on the show ... he also made appearances on the original Hawaii Five-O, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Firefly and more recently on an episode of CSI in 2014.

RIP

Fidel Castro, former leader of Cuba's communist revolution, has died at the age of 90.

Castro had turned over the reins to his younger brother Raul, who became President in 2008. He made very few public appearances after stepping down. He was reportedly battling Diverticulitis -- a swelling of the colon -- at the time of his death.

Castro had ruled the Caribbean island since the 1959 revolution. He was at the helm when Russia and the U.S. went to the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, after Russians used the island to train nuclear weapons on the U.S.

Castro lived to see re-established relations between America and Cuba. President Obama made an official state visit to the island in Spring 2016, but never met face-to-face with Castro. He did meet Raul.

Scores of celebs have visited Cuba in recent years, as travel restrictions eased, including Madonna, Rihanna, the Rolling Stones, Paris Hilton, Jay Z and Beyoncé.

Castro is survived by at least 9 children and an unconfirmed number of grandkids.

Florence Henderson, who played the iconic TV role of Carol Brady, died on Thanksgiving Day.

Florence suffered heart failure, according to her publicist, when she died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She was surrounded by family members at the hospital.

Her role as the "Brady Bunch" mom was one of the most beloved characters for generations of TV sitcom fans, but Florence was also a huge Broadway star even before her Brady fame.

She starred in musicals such as "Fanny," "Oklahoma" and "Wish You Were Here."

She played mama Brady from 1969 to 1974 -- the show's original run -- but, of course, played the role many times again in TV specials, TV movies, and feature films.

"The Brady Bunch " -- a show about a widow with 3 daughters who married a widower with 3 sons -- ran from 1969 to 1974. It stood out partly because it was so perky and upbeat at a time of major strife ... the Vietnam war.

Florence seemed fine until a few days ago, when she was hospitalized at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in L.A. ... where she died.

RIP

She played grandma Brady in "The Brady Bunch Movie" in 1995, while Shelly Long played the character Florence created.

Florence had 4 kids and 5 grandkids. She was 82.

Mouse House fans will be able to get their hands on a rare piece of memorabilia when Walt Disney's last will and testament -- or the first draft, anyway -- auctions off for an estimated $60k!

The will was drafted in August 1941 and includes this interesting breakdown: half of his personal Disney stock was split between his 2 kids, and the other half he dropped in an "employees bonus pool." The doc isn't his final will ... Disney drafted 2 more before he died in 1966.

Profiles in History is unloading several other collector's items for animation fans, and conservative final bid estimates range from $12k up to $80k:

- Original "Peanuts" comic strips signed by Charles Schultz ($12,000)
- Wicked Queen art from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" ($15,000)
- Grinch and Max production cels from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" ($12,000)
- Walt Disney Legal License for Use of Walt Disney Inc. ($80,000)

There's a ton more available, including animation cels, when online and live bidding begins Dec. 9.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a ... tree?

Check out this tree carving New Jersey artist James O'Neal made of Muhammad Ali ... a piece that took roughly 6 months from start to finish.

O'Neal says he was inspired by the outpouring of love for the boxing icon after he passed away -- and felt the walnut tree he recently cut down was the perfect canvas.

It's not the first fighter O'Neal has carved -- he also sculpted a Conor McGregor piece.

So, who's next? O'Neal says he wants to do a female fighter ... but not Ronda Rousey. He's all about Cyborg.

Cops have arrested a doctor in connection with the death of former 3 Doors Down guitarist Matt Roberts.

Roberts died from a prescription drug overdose and West Bend, Wisc. Police believe the source of the drugs was an Alabama physician -- Dr. Richard Snellgrove. He's now been indicted for illegal drug distribution.

Snellgrove reportedly prescribed 5 different controlled substances in the names of different individuals, but prosecutors allege the intended recipient for all the meds was Roberts.

Bobby Brown says his daughter, Bobbi Kristina, had unlimited earning potential before her bf helped take her life ... and a judge put a very high dollar amount on those prospects.

Nick Gordon was ordered to fork over $36 million to Bobbi's estate Thursday after he was earlier found liable for her death.

Here's a partial list:

-- Conversion (stealing funds/assets) at $1.5 mil with punitive damages of $250k

-- Assault and battery/medical damages at $1.3 mil, plus $4.2 mil because Gordon was under the influence of drugs and alcohol

-- Pain and suffering at $13 mil

-- Loss of life at $15 mil, including her net worth and future potential income

The final tally came after tearful testimony from BK's family. The estate had originally sought $40 million in its wrongful death suit against Gordon. The obvious issue now will be when and if the estate gets a dime out of him.

Gordon was a no-show in court, just as he'd been throughout the case.

Talk about GREAT -- LeBron James is donating $2.5 MILLION to help fund a Muhammad Ali exhibit at the Smithsonian in D.C.

The exhibit -- titled, "Muhammad Ali: A Force for Change" -- will showcase how the boxing legend used his role as a world famous athlete to make real change to society.

LeBron isn't the only NBA superstar to donate to the Ali project -- Michael Jordan kicked in $5 MILLION and Magic Johnson and his family added another $1 mil.

So, what compelled Bron to donate?

"Muhammad Ali is such a cornerstone of me as an athlete because of what he represented not only in the ring as a champion but more outside the ring — what he stood for, what he spoke for, his demeanor," LeBron told USA TODAY Sports.

"8 Mile" director Curtis Hanson had a solid will in place before his September death that not only took care of his longtime companion and son, but also his extended fam and his movie biz.

Curtis and partner Rebecca Yeldham never tied the knot but have a 12-year-old son together, and the Oscar winner left most of his estate to them, including a home in Laguna Beach. He set up a trust for Rebecca, the kid and several other family members.

It's not clear how much is in it, but the docs say he had nearly $5 million outside the trust.

Rebecca's asking to be named executor of the will, except for anything related to his production companies. Curtis specified his producing partner Carol Fenelon should handle those decisions.

The man who viciously murdered Bob Crane, the star of the iconic TV show "Hogan's Heroes," may be exposed on TV after a 38 year unsolved mystery.

Crane was bludgeoned to death with a camera tripod in his Scottsdale apartment back in 1978. He and his good friend, John Carpenter, were deep into kinky sex ... secretly filming various sexual configurations involving numerous women.

Carpenter's rent-a-car was seized by cops just days after Crane's murder, and they found blood inside. Carpenter was tried for murder, but there was a problem. DNA was not perfected then, and the jury found him not guilty because there wasn't conclusive proof it was Crane's blood.

Enter Phoenix Fox 10 anchor John Hook. More than a year ago, Hook started working with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office and convinced prosecutors to release enough blood so state-of-the-art DNA tests could be conducted.

The DNA results are in. Hook is mum, but he will reveal the results Monday on the 9 PM news.

If the blood is a match with the blood found in Carpenter's car, it's close to a slam dunk he was the killer, but he can't be prosecuted for 2 reasons ... double jeopardy, and he's dead.

The bar where Jose Fernandez and his 2 friends were last seen partying and drinking before the fatal boat crash will NOT be investigated for possibly over serving the group ... officials tell TMZ Sports.

New evidence showing Jose Fernandez had cocaine and booze in his system at the time of his fatal boat crash will not sway the Miami Marlins from retiring his jersey number ... team officials tell TMZ Sports.

Former Playboy model Katie May's estate is giving the chiropractor who caused her death 2 options -- fund her daughter's education or brace for a wrongful death lawsuit.

Katie's estate says it's contacted the L.A. chiropractor who adjusted Katie's neck, accidentally tearing a major artery which the coroner says caused her death. The estate's powerhouse lawyer, Ronald Richards, tells us the coroner's finding -- first reported by TMZ, makes it clear the chiro needs to compensate Katie's heir ... her 7-year-old daughter.

Richards says he told the chiropractor he wants a settlement to avoid a lengthy, messy trial. He told us the estate is seeking something in the low 7 figures, and intends to use it to set up a college fund for Katie's little girl.

He agrees with the coroner's finding that the death was accidental, but adds ... when licensed professionals are negligent and cause death "there are some consequences."

Jose Fernandez had cocaine and alcohol in his blood last month when he was involved in a boat crash that killed his two friends, along with the famed pitcher.

Jose's BAC was .147, approaching twice the legal limit, according to the Miami-Dade Coroner's Office. Cocaine was detected in his system as well.

Fernandez's friends both had small amounts of alcohol in their system ... one also had cocaine.

TMZ broke the story ... Fernandez and friends partied at a local bar less than two hours before the fatal crash. The spot -- American Social Bar & Kitchen -- has a dock for boaters to pull up, get out and get served.

It's still unclear who was driving the boat at the time of the crash.

Robin Williams' wheels attracted some high rollin' cycling fans -- including one who paid more than $40,000 for just one of Robin's favorite bikes!

Robin's kids donated 87 of his high-end bicycles -- some custom-made -- for an online auction that closed Tuesday. One lucky bidder even scored a replica of a 10-speed Robin's pal, Lance Armstrong, rode in the Tour de France.

We know, we know. Yes ... it works without steroids.

We're told the auction, hosted by Paddle8, drew bids from 25 countries and raised more than $600k. Robin's Master Pista, La Carrera with a custom design from artist Futura 2000 was the biggest ticket item ... going for over $40k.

The boat crash that killed Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez and 2 other men is now a homicide investigation -- as officials believe the person who was driving the boat was boozed up.

TMZ Sports has obtained the search warrant affidavit into the Sept. 25th incident -- in which investigators say all three bodies pulled from the water "had a strong odor of alcohol emanating from them."