RIP

An acrobat fell 100 feet to his death during a performance before Green Day took the stage at a music fest in Spain ... and the fatal moment was caught on video.

The acrobat -- Pedro Aunion Monroy from Brighton, UK -- was high above the stage in an illuminated cage during a tribute to Prince when something went terribly wrong and he fell out of it. The performance was in between sets of Alt-J and Green Day at the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, Spain.

The disturbing footage shows some of the 35,000 people in the crowd scream as they see Monroy free-falling to the ground.

Green Day is taking heat for playing their gig less than 30 minutes after the tragedy, but the band issued a statement saying they weren't informed of Monroy's accident until they walked off stage.

Joan Lee, the wife of Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee has died, according to a spokesperson for the Lee family.

The rep said Joan died Thursday morning surrounded by family. Joan reportedly suffered a stroke earlier this week and was hospitalized before passing away.

Stan and Joan got hitched back in 1947, and have been together ever since. They had 2 children together -- one of whom passed away shortly after birth.

Joan was a British hat model in her younger years, and met Stan when he went to her store to ask someone else out on a date. Joan, who was married, moved to Nevada with Stan to get a quickie divorce from her then-husband.

The couple would have celebrated their 70th anniversary in December. Joan was 93.

Aaron Rajman, a teammate of several UFC superstars at the American Top Team (ATT) gym, was murdered during a home invasion in Boca Raton, Florida ... local authorities announced on Tuesday.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office say several men got into an argument with Rajman after entering the fighter's house late Monday night ... firing at least one shot before fleeing the scene. Rajman, who just turned 25, passed away the next day.

Detectives told the Sun Sentinel they're treating this as a homicide. There are currently no motives or suspects in the case.

Rajman was famous for being one of the few orthodox Jews in MMA. He often talked about his religion publicly -- though it's unclear if he was targeted for that reason.

A local fight promoter says Rajman's teammates at ATT are in shock.

UFC champions Amanda Nunes and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, as well as former heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos, are some of the gym's higher-profile members.

Tupac broke off his sexual relationship with Madonna because she was white.

The rapper poured out his heart to the singer in an extremely revealing letter he wrote in jail.

Tupac writes, "For you to be seen with a black man wouldn't in any way jeopardize your career, if anything it would make you seem that much more open and exciting."

The legend then confesses, "But for me at least in my previous perception I felt due to my 'image' I would be letting down half of the people who made me what I thought I was."

It's an amazing letter. Tupac clearly knows he devastated Madonna by the rejection, saying, "I never meant to hurt you."

John Blackwell Jr. -- who toured with Prince as his drummer for over a decade -- died Tuesday.

John's wife, Yaritza said he died peacefully in her company. She said, "Thanks God for his life and thanks everyone for their support."

The cause of death is unknown but Blackwell battled a brain tumor last year after undergoing a battery of tests at a hospital in Japan. Yaritza setup a GoFundMe page last July ... and as of date it's raised over $78,000 to help cover medical expenses.

Blackwell took up drums at 3 years old, inspired by his father who was himself an accomplished drummer. Blackwell toured with Patti LaBelle before he met Prince, and he also toured with Justin Timberlake on his FutureSex/LoveSounds album.

John was 43.

#RIP

Smith Hart -- the oldest sibling of the Hart wrestling family, and brother to Bret Hart -- has died after a battle with cancer.

Former WWE wrestler David Hart Smith -- Smith's nephew -- posted a message Sunday saying his uncle had died. Smith's own Facebook page posted a message as well confirming his death.

Smith was the oldest of 12 in the Hart wrestling family, and appeared in WrestleMania 26 alongside his younger brother, Bret ... who wrestled Vince McMahon in 2010. Smith wrestled professionally through the '70s, '80s and '90s, and made appearances on WWF and WWE.

Smith was apparently foreshadowing his death for a while now. He posted a pic of himself at his younger brother Owen's grave site ... with the caption "Thought I'd visit with Owen today. I'll see you soon brother." Owen died tragically in 1999 during a WWF pay-per-view event due to an equipment malfunction.

Smith has been in the hospital fighting terminal cancer since at least June of this year.

He was 68.

Prodigy's memorial service ended with a showdown between NYPD and one unruly mourner ... who ended up getting hauled away in cuffs.

TMZ obtained this video of the man outside the public service Thursday evening in NYC. A large crowd gathered outside the Frank E. Campbell "Funeral Chapel" immediately following the service, and cops say the suspect was blocking pedestrians.

A dozen cops were on the scene when police told him to move to the other side of the street ... and that's when things got heated. First, a shouting match between the man and an officer -- and then a full-fledged fight when cops tried to take him into custody.

In the end, NYPD arrested the guy for resisting arrest, obstruction and disorderly conduct.

The service went off without a hitch inside. As we reported ... LL Cool J, Remy Ma and Ice-T were among the celebs who showed up to pay their last respects to the Mobb Deep rapper.

LL Cool J, Remy Ma, Ice-T, 50 Cent and Fat Joe are only some of the East Coast rappers who showed up to pay their respects Thursday at Prodigy's funeral in NYC.

Services for the Mobb Deep rapper took place at the Frank E. Campbell "Funeral Chapel" on the Upper East Side. Questlove and chef Eddie Huang were also there. Louis Farrakhan showed up in a giant SUV procession.

We're told Prodigy's rapping partner, Havoc, also attended.

Prodigy died last Tuesday after a lifelong battle with sickle cell anemia. Following the ceremony a public service will be held for fans from 2 to 5 PM.

1:40 PM PT -- Venus is now breaking her silence ... calling the incident an "unfortunate accident" and insisting she explain what happened from her point of view.

"Ms. Williams entered the intersection on a green light," her attorney Malcolm Cunningham said.

"The police report estimates that Ms. Williams was traveling at 5 mph when Mrs. Barson crashed into her. Authorities did not issue Ms. Williams with any citations or traffic violations."

"This is an unfortunate accident and Venus expresses her deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one."

Venus Williams caused a car accident that sent a 78-year-old man to ICU where he died 14 days later ... according to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

The driver of the other car -- the wife of the victim -- told cops she was approaching an intersection westbound in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on June 9 when Venus' northbound SUV suddenly darted into the intersection. The other driver says there was no time to stop and she T-boned Venus' vehicle.

Venus told cops she was trying to make it through the intersection but there was a traffic backup and she had to slow down to a crawl, with her car exposed in the intersection.

The driver's husband, Jerome Barson, suffered head trauma and was taken to a hospital and placed in ICU. He never recovered and died 2 weeks later. Barson's wife was also taken to the hospital with broken bones and other injuries, but survived ... according to her attorney Michael Steinger.

Cops say Venus caused the accident. According to the police report, "[Venus] is at fault for violating the right of way of [the other driver]."

Police say in the report there was no evidence Venus was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They also say there's no evidence she was distracted by an electronic device.

We reached out to Williams for comment -- so far, no word back.

Prodigy's funeral should bring together some huge names -- his fellow legends of hip-hop ... especially from the East Coast scene.

Sources connected to the service tell us Prodigy's family has invited an A-list of rappers who worked with Mobb Deep or came up at the same time ... including Nas, Lil Kim, Big Daddy Kane, Ice-T, Naughty By Nature, Onyx. Of course, Prodigy's partner, Havoc, will also be there.

We're told the private ceremony will go down Thursday at NYC's Frank E. Campbell "Funeral Chapel." A public service for fans to pay final respects will happen there from 2 to 5 PM.

TMZ broke the story ... Prodigy died last week in Las Vegas after a lifelong battle with sickle cell anemia.

Gary DeCarlo, the lead singer of Steam, has died after battling cancer ... TMZ has confirmed.

Gary and Steam are, of course, best known for their number one hit, "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." The song topped the charts in 1969, but went on to become one of the most ubiquitous tracks of all time.

Gary's close friend, Pat Horgan, tells us the singer died in hospice care in Connecticut. He had lung cancer, which spread all over his body. Horgan says Gary's wife was by his side when he passed.

As for his huge hit -- y'know you hear it ALL the time. It's the standard sing-along at sporting events when one team loses, and it's been featured in tons of movies -- most notably, "Remember the Titans."

Most recently, the song was even sung in Congress .... after the House passed the Obamacare repeal bill.

Gary was 75. RIP.

Now everybody sing along ...

MTV's "Ridiculousness" star Sterling "Steelo" Brim is mourning the loss of his 3-year-old nephew who drowned in his swimming pool ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the boy wandered into the North Hollywood backyard Friday morning when adults weren't looking and fell in the pool. It's unclear how long the boy was in the pool before he was discovered.

We're told paramedics rushed to the house and the child was taken to a nearby hospital. He was pronounced dead just after noon the same day.

We're told the boy's family was visiting Steelo from Chicago.

The death's been ruled an accidental drowning.

Michael Bond -- the creator of the cuddly Paddington Bear that sparked a series of famous children's books -- has died.

Bond's publisher HarperCollins announced the author died Tuesday in his home following a short illness. Bond's first book in 1958 -- "A Bear Called Paddington" -- sparked a hugely popular series of children's books, an animated TV series and, ultimately, the successful 2014 flick.

The books alone were a worldwide phenomenon ... selling more than 35 million copies. There's a sequel slated to be released later this year.

The marmalade-loving, friendly bear who traveled from the "deepest, darkest Peru" to London came about when Bond spotted a lonely teddy bear sitting on a shelf in a shop back in 1956. He called it Paddington because he was living near a station with the same name.

Bond was 91.

Boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez's brother, Rafael, was murdered in Mexico during a botched armed robbery ... local authorities announced Monday.

According to a Sinaloa state prosecutor, two men entered Rafael Chavez's Culiacan home Sunday night and demanded money. One of the men was armed.

During the robbery, Chavez resisted and was shot and killed in front of his family.

Prodigy's close friends, including his Mobb Deep partner, Havoc, Lil Kim and Busta Rhymes got together to pay their respects at a post-BET Awards event.

Fat Joe and Remy Ma were also out Sunday night at the Palm Restaurant ... where they all signed a photo of Prodigy, and shared stories about their pal.

Lil Kim didn't seem the least bit concerned about being a "person of interest" in an armed robbery.

She and Havoc presented during the awards and paid homage to Prodigy.

Prodigy got the honoring he deserved at the BET Awards ... and it came courtesy of his partner in rhyme, Havoc, Lil Kim and a surprise mention from Kendrick Lamar.

We broke the story ... Havoc and Kim followed through on plans to give a special shout out to Mobb Deep's Prodigy Sunday while presenting the Best Male Hip Hop Artist Award to Kendrick.

Even Kung Fu Kenny -- in what appeared to be an impromptu nod -- paid his respects to the fallen rap legend ... saying he inspired his first mixtape at age 16.

As we reported ... Prodigy's cause of death has been delayed pending toxicology results. His camp suggested he died after a lifelong battle with sickle cell anemia, and our sources tell us he also choked on an egg in the hospital shortly before he died.