RIP

Aaron Hernandez's death has been ruled a suicide by hanging by the medical examiner and officials say they recovered 3 handwritten suicide notes.

Charlie Murphy was laid to rest in NYC and his memorial service looked like a comedy hall of fame.

Dave Chappelle, D.L. Hughley, George Lopez, Eddie Griffin, Cedric the Entertainer, Donnell Rawlings and Neal Brennan all gathered to honor Charlie.

Donnell and Neal worked closely with Charlie on "Chappelle's Show" and there were many callbacks to his hysterical work on the Comedy Central classic.

For instance, Eddie Griffin captioned a pic from the service, "Darkness is spreading ... paying last respects to brother Charlie Murphy."

It's unclear if Eddie Murphy was at this particular service. He didn't appear in social media pics from the event. Charlie died last week after battling leukemia.

#RIP

NBA superstar Isaiah Thomas says "the pain I am feeling right now is impossible to put into words" following his sister's fatal car crash.

Thomas' 22-year-old sister, Chyna, died Saturday in Tacoma, WA after her car violently slammed into a metal pole. Thomas -- who played in Game 1 and 2 of the Celtics' playoff series against the Bulls -- traveled home as the family prepares for the funeral and he's clearly grief-stricken.

He said, "I never could have imagined a day where my little sister, Chyna, wouldn't be here. She and my family are everything to me ... This has been without question the hardest week of my life."

Thomas went on to say he's overwhelmed by the love and support he's received from friends, fans, the City of Boston, the Celtics org and NBA community throughout.

Aaron Hernandez's attorney, Jose Baez, tells TMZ Sports there were NO signs the ex-NFL star was suicidal in the days leading up to his death -- and now he's calling for a full investigation.

"We are shocked and surprised at the news of Aaron’s death," Baez tells us.

"There were no conversations or correspondence from Aaron to his family or legal team that would have indicated this scenario was a possibility."

"Aaron was looking forward to an opportunity for a second chance to prove his innocence. Those who love and care about him are heartbroken and determined to find the truth surrounding his untimely death."

"We request that authorities conduct a transparent and thorough investigation. The Baez law firm will participate in its own examination into the tragic events and will update the media and public on its finding when it becomes available."

Aaron Hernandez killed himself in his Massachusetts prison cell late Tuesday night using a bed sheet, this according to prison officials.

The 27-yr-old ex-NFL star had just been acquitted in a double murder case on Friday and his lawyer Jose Baez had told TMZ Sports he believed Hernandez had a real shot at getting a previous murder conviction overturned.

But Wednesday morning, officials at the maximum security Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Massachusetts found Aaron dead in his cell.

"Mr. Hernandez hanged himself utilizing a bed sheet that he attached to his cell window," a rep for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections said in a statement.

"Mr. Hernandez also attempted to block his door from the inside by jamming the door with various items."

Officials say Hernandez was discovered at 3:05 AM on Wednesday morning, and they tried to save his life. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:07 AM.

A prison official told local news there does not appear to be a suicide note at the scene.

Aaron is survived by his 4-year-old daughter.

FYI, the Souza-Baranowski CC is considered one of the most high tech maximum security prisons in the country with hundreds of security cameras installed all over the facility.

Officials say they're investigating -- we're guessing there will be TONS of security footage to go through.

Hernandez was serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd. He had also been on trial for killing Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado near a Boston nightclub in 2012 but was found not guilty of murder in that case.

The New England Patriots are still expected to visit President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday ... despite the prison suicide of former Pats player Aaron Hernandez.

The Patriots had been scheduled to visit 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. after winning the Super Bowl -- Hernandez was obviously not a part of the championship team, but people are wondering if the news of his death will be too much of a distraction to go through with the visit.

Prince is back! Six brand new songs are about to drop on iTunes, but the question is ... how long will they be there?

A Prince EP titled, "Deliverance" just popped up on iTunes listings. It features 6 tracks, including the title song ... which you can already preview.

You can pre-order the EP for a mere $3.99 but, other than the title track, the songs won't be available until April 21 -- the 1 year anniversary of Prince's death.

It's unclear if the Estate has approved the release. If you've got iTunes, CLICK HERE to get a taste ... while you can.

According to Spin ... the songs were all recorded between 2006 and 2008 and were co-produced by Prince and Ian Boxill.

A media release says the EP is being released on the independent label RMA (Rogue Music Alliance) and the "majority of sales of Deliverance will benefit Prince's estate."

Steve Stephens' victim was shot in a residential area, and several neighbors frantically called 911 to report the savage murder.

The 911 calls were just released and a man yelled, "He's not conscious. He's dead!" They also told the operator the victim was an older man. You can hear a crowd gathering around the crime scene as the operator tried to instruct the caller on how to stop the bleeding.

It's clear she didn't realize the shots were fatal.

Police are going all out to locate Facebook killer Steve Stephens ... including offering a huge reward.

Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams just announced the $50,000 reward for any information leading to Stephens' arrest. The reward comes on the heels of police saying the manhunt now covers up to 5 states.

The ATF, FBI and Crimestoppers are all chipping in to cover the reward.

Chief Williams is still imploring Stephens to turn himself in ... or at least contact a friend or relative.

Prince's death scene was riddled with pills strewn around his home ... this according to search warrants just released by Minnesota authorities.

According to new docs, law enforcement found Ziploc bags with pills as well as envelopes containing pills.

The docs bear out what TMZ has reported ... Prince's bodyguard was the person who went to a Walgreens pharmacy the day preceding the singer's death to fill prescriptions, including Percocet.

And, Prince used an alias -- Peter Bravestrong -- and cops found a suitcase with that name that contained pill bottles along with the lyrics for the song, "U Got the Look."

The main doctor who was treating Prince -- Dr. Michael Schulenberg -- admitted to a detective he had prescribed Prince Oxycodone the same day Prince OD'd on a jet -- 6 days before he died. The doctor put the Rx in Prince's bodyguard's name.

Prince would regularly get B12 injections before his concerts to feel better and they were set up through his managers.

And this is interesting ... Prince didn't use a cellphone ... apparently because he was once hacked and didn't trust it. His communications were through emails and landlines.

As we reported ... Prince died of an overdose of the powerful painkiller Fentanyl.

Gary Fisher -- aka Gary the Dog, aka Carrie Fisher's beloved French Bulldog -- came in for a soft landing at LAX Saturday, under the watchful eye of his new owner.

Corby McCoin, Carrie's assistant, is now Gary's caretaker. As we reported, initially Carrie's family said Billie would care for Carey, but ultimately it made more sense for Corby to do the honors since the dog had more of a connection to her.

Gary was flying back from The Last Jedi panel in Orlando, where he was a big hit.

FYI ... Gary should have been on a leash at LAX per City ordinance, but he's been through a lot so everyone cut him a break.

A Washington Redskins linebacker has been cast to portray slain Redskins legend Sean Taylor in a new TV show about his murder ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We've learned 25-year-old Khairi Fortt will star as Taylor on a June episode of "The Perfect Murder" on Investigation Discovery ... which will explore how cops helped solve Sean's tragic 2007 home invasion murder.

The show is a combination of real-life interviews with investigators and family members, and scenes dramatizing the actual events.

But get this ... the role of Taylor's father will be played by Fortt's father, Guy Fortt -- who was an actor working with producers on the show last year when he suggested they consider Khairi to play Sean.

Khairi got the audition and executive producers Kevin Kaufman and Rick Tirelli tell us it was an obvious fit.

Break a leg (or don't, the Redskins wouldn't like that).

Jamiroquai keyboardist Toby Smith kept his bandmates in the dark about his cancer progressing ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the band tell us they were all aware Toby had cancer. He'd been battling it for a few years, but were under the notion he was close to remission. We're told he never let on his condition was deteriorating and, in fact, they were optimistic.

One source described Toby's passing as a "surprise and complete shock."

Toby, a founding member of the band, died Tuesday night in the U.K., and we're told he was surrounded by his wife and kids.

Jamiroquai's bassist, Stuart Zender, told us ... "I have lost a soul mate. We taught each other so much about life and music. He was like a big brother to me and I spent the most transformative years of my life with him. He is loved by his beautiful family, supporters and friends. His angelic chords will live in the lives and hearts of many to come."

Mark Hamill had a moment -- an emotional one -- at the 'Star Wars' Celebration in Orlando.

Mark and Harrison Ford took this shot backstage with Billie Lourd, Carrie Fisher's daughter. As Luke put it ... "So much like her mother in so many ways- it was almost as if we were cuddling our Princess again."

Billie was in 'The Force Awakens' and will be back in the same role, Lieutenant Connix, for 'The Last Jedi' next year. She paid tribute to her late mom during Thursday's celebration. Not a dry eye.

The Force is with her.

A founding member of the band Jamiroquai has died.

Keyboardist Toby Smith recorded the band's first 5 albums between 1992 and 2002, which contained a number of the group's hits, including "Virtual Insanity," "Deeper Underground" and "Space Cowboy."

Smith, who was only 46, passed Tuesday. The band's Facebook page says he'd been fighting an illness for a long time and had "shown signs of beating it."

Smith stayed in the music business, producing and managing groups and artists.

Jamiroquai's original bassist, Stuart Zender, said in tribute, "I love you so much. My big brother Toby crossed over to the other side ... The most talented musician I have ever had the honor to make music with."

RIP

Dave Chappelle stopped by his friend John Mayer's concert Wednesday night to show the love to a friend they just lost -- Charlie Murphy.

Dave got onstage and praised Charlie for his friendship, comedy and storytelling. Then Dave told the crowd that Mayer's song, "You're Going to Live Forever in Me," always reminded him of his friend ... and Mayer performed it in tribute.

Mayer and Dave also reminded the crowd just how funny Murphy was by referencing one of his greatest lines ever from "Chappelle's Show."

Awesome and touching video.