RIP

Charlie Murphy was gracious to the end ... taking time for a fan weeks before his death.

The pic was snapped March 11 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Michael Brodie asked Charlie for a pic before boarding a plane for Newark, and Charlie was more than accommodating.

Michael says Charlie was super nice.

Turns out Charlie was in and out of the hospital, undergoing chemo but kept his illness secret to almost everyone.

TMZ broke the story ... Charlie died Wednesday after battling leukemia.

Damon Wayans has fond memories of Charlie Murphy -- none of which were more moving than the time they kissed on the neck.

We got the 3rd eldest Wayans sibling Wednesday at Catch and asked for his favorite Charlie moment before his tragic passing this week. Damon doesn't skip a beat.

Sounds like they were running through lines for Eddie Murphy's "Vampire in Brooklyn" -- you know, 'cause of the neck "kiss" -- but it sure left an impression on Damon. He's happy to reenact it, too.

Eddie Murphy is reacting to the sudden loss of his older brother, Charlie Murphy, saying their family will never be the same.

Eddie says on behalf of his family, "Our hearts are heavy with the loss today of our son, brother, father, uncle and friend Charlie. Charlie filled our family with love and laughter and there won’t be a day that goes by that his presence will not be missed."

He added thanks to Charlie's millions of fans for their "outpouring of condolences and prayers."

As we first reported ... Charlie's family was aware he was battling leukemia, but was under the impression he was getting better -- making his death Wednesday a complete shock.

Charlie Murphy had his down days on the set of "Black Jesus" but NEVER complained about his health issues ... according to his co-star and friend Gerald "Slink" Johnson.

Slink, who plays Jesus, says he's heartbroken Charlie mostly kept his leukemia battle to himself. As we reported ... he did the same while shooting "Power" with 50 Cent.

But Slink said the thing he'll remember most about Charlie is his relationship with his 3 children.

TMZ broke the story ... Charlie died Wednesday in NYC at the age of 57.

Charlie Murphy, Eddie's older brother, and a very successful and popular stand-up comedian in his own right has died ... TMZ has learned.

According to Charlie's manager, he died from leukemia Wednesday morning in a NYC hospital. He'd been going undergoing chemotherapy. Family members tell us they're absolutely shocked because they thought he was getting better.

We're told the family would call him frequently, and he'd even joke they were calling too much.

Charlie famously co-starred on "Chappelle's Show" in some of Dave's most memorable skits ... including the nights Charlie partied with Rick James and Prince.

Charlie also co-wrote some of Eddie Murphy's movies, like "Norbit" and "Vampire in Brooklyn." He co-starred in "Are We There Yet?," "The Boondocks" and "Black Jesus."

He recently toured with Cedric the Entertainer, Eddie Griffin, George Lopez and D.L. Hughley on "The Comedy Get Down."

Charlie's wife, Tisha Taylor Murphy, died in 2009 from cervical cancer. They had 2 children, and he had another from a previous relationship.

Charlie was 57.

#RIP

Charlie Murphy kept his battle with leukemia so private, most people who worked with him on "Power" had no idea he was sick.

Production sources on the show -- which stars 50 Cent -- tell us they had no idea Charlie was dealing with cancer. We're told he never told anybody on set and put in the work like everybody else.

Charlie played a prison guard named Marshal Williams on the show.

Family sources tell us Charlie only disclosed his cancer battle to very close friends and family members. We're told he said he didn't want his illness to define him.

And, we're told, even the family members who knew he was struggling were shocked when he died ... they didn't know the situation was that desperate.

A rep Starz, where the show airs tells us, "Starz sends our deepest condolences to Charlie's family and friends. He joined 'Power' for our upcoming season, and his talent shines in every scene. We were fortunate to have worked with him."

Jackie Robinson's wife and children are among the special guests committed to attend the statue ceremony at Dodger Stadium this weekend honoring the MLB legend ... the team says.

Rachel Robinson, along with Jackie's daughter, Sharon, and son, David, will be front and center on Saturday ... the 70th anniversary of Robinson breaking MLB’s color barrier on April 15, 1947.

The 10 foot tall bronze statue will be the very first one installed at Dodger Stadium. The first 40,000 fans will receive a smaller replica.

Several Dodgers legends will also be in attendance including Vin Scully, Tommy Lasorda, Sandy Koufax, Don Newcombe and Dodgers owner Magic Johnson.

Don Rickles' official cause of death is end-stage renal disease detected in the last couple months of his life, along with years of other health issues ... this according to his death certificate obtained by TMZ.

The legendary comic passed away Thursday morning ... and the document confirms kidney disease led to his death at his home in Los Angeles.

The death certificate also says hypertension and type 2 diabetes contributed to his death.

The document also notes Don was in the entertainment industry for 74 years.

Don was 90.

#RIP

Charlie Murphy's legacy of being a seriously funny guy is being remembered in all sorts of ways by his friends including Chris Rock, Gabrielle Union, MC Hammer and many more ...

David Letterman's mother, Dorothy Mengering -- who endeared hearts among the masses that watched her son's late night show -- died in her home Tuesday.

The former church secretary became a staple on the 'Late Show' as a correspondent during the Olympics in Norway, Japan and Utah. She was also featured on her son's famous "Top 10" lists and "Cooking with Dave's Mom" segments.

Dorothy died 1 day before Dave's 70th birthday.

Dorothy's survived by her three children, five grandchildren and her sister.

She was 95.

#RIP

John Warren Geils Jr., founder of The J. Geils Band, was found dead in his home Tuesday in Massachusetts.

John's body was found in his home in Groton. Police say the death is not suspicious.

John's namesake band released their first album in 1970. Their first big hit, "Love Stinks" came in 1980, and they finally scored a number one with "Centerfold" in 1981. The album it came from, "Freeze Frame," was also number one for 4 weeks, and stayed on the charts for 70 weeks.

Just to give you an idea how the big band was in the early '80s -- the Eagles, U2 and Billy Joel all opened for J. Geils on the road.

Geils was 71 years old.

Story developing ...

Peter Hansen -- who played Lee Baldwin for 5 decades on the iconic soap opera "General Hospital" -- died Sunday in Santa Clarita, California.

Peter's character started out as an addiction counselor at the hospital, and then the role morphed into Mayor of Port Charles.

Hansen won an Emmy for his alcoholism story line in 1979.

Hansen was also known for his role in the movies "When Worlds Collide" and "Dragonfly" ... and has over 100 acting credits to his name over an almost 70-year career.

He is survived by his son and daughter and 3 grandkids.

He was 95.

MTV issued a statement about Clay, saying, "We are saddened by the news of Clay Adler's passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time."

Reality TV star Clay Adler is dead after intentionally shooting himself during a trip to the desert with friends ... TMZ has learned.

Clay appeared on 2 seasons of the MTV reality show, "Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County." Law enforcement sources tell us Clay and his pals went shooting in the desert on March 25. In the middle of firing, we're told he turned the gun and shot himself in the head.

He died in the hospital on March 26 of the gunshot wound.

Our sources say there were no drugs or alcohol in his system, but Clay had struggled with mental illness in the past.

Clay also did some acting, and became pals with Jennifer Lawrence when they were both starting out in Hollywood.

He was an avid surfer, and friends and family honored him with a paddle out in Newport Beach last weekend. Clay was 27.

RIP.

Tupac fans will have a brand new place to pay their respects when a bigger than life, $500,000 statue of him is erected in Georgia.

Jim Burnett owns the amphitheater formerly known as the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, and tells us he's installing a new 'Pac monument to replace the old one the rapper's family took when they sold the Center in 2015.

Burnett's hired artist Nijel Binns -- who's done statues of Michael Jackson and Shirley Temple -- to lead the project. Binns says he's creating a 7-foot bronze statue based on a 13-inch clay model, which Burnett estimates will cost more than half a million bucks to complete.

They're planning to unveil the new statue in September, around the 21st anniversary of Tupac's death. We'll say this ... the new one's way more gangsta than the OG.

Ex-NHL player Dave Gove -- a member of the Carolina Hurricanes 2006 Stanley Cup team -- died this week and officials believe a heroin overdose is to blame.

Gove struggled with addiction and had entered a rehab facility in Pittsburgh. He was reportedly found dead at the treatment center on Wednesday with bags of heroin near his body, according to KDKA.

Gove only played briefly in the NHL before becoming a coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins minor league hockey team in West Virginia.

While Gove wasn't a star on the Hurricanes, he did get a Stanley Cup ring -- which he eventually auctioned off in 2015.

Jimmy Kimmel smiled, laughed and broke down crying Thursday night while remembering his close friend and beloved comedian Don Rickles.

Jimmy opened "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" by reflecting on his time with Rickles over the years and telling some heartwarming and hilarious stories. Rickles became a very close friend of Kimmel's ... even helping Jimmy through the death of his uncle.

Don's final TV project is a reality show yet to air in which he chats with celebrities -- including Kimmel -- at some of his favorite restaurants around Los Angeles.