RIP

Veteran soul singer Bobby Womack died Friday.

Womack's sister says he passed away in his sleep ... she says they don't know the cause of death.

Bobby struggled with multiple health problems throughout his life ... including diabetes, pneumonia, colon cancer and the early signs of Alzheimer's.

Bobby and his brothers formed a group in the '60s called "The Valentinos" and they recorded the song "It's All Over Now" before the Rolling Stones released their version -- the group's first #1 hit.

Bobby also recorded the songs "Across 110th Street" and "If You Think You're Lonely Now."

In 2009, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Survivor" star Caleb Bankston -- who died in a freak train derailment Tuesday -- will be buried Thursday in Alabama ... and the railroad company where he worked will foot the bill for the funeral ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for Watco Companies -- which operates the Alabama Warrior Railway where the derailment occurred -- says it's been in contact with Bankston's family ... and has promised to cover all of the burial expenses.

TMZ broke the story ... the 26-year-old train engineer was crushed between two rail cars when one of the cars unexpectedly jumped the tracks.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation.

Michael Jackson's devoted fans made their annual pilgrimage to Forest Lawn Cemetery Wednesday to pay their respects on the 5th anniversary of his death.

Many of the fans wore iconic MJ threads as they placed flowers and pics near his final resting place.

The scene was decidedly more respectful than the sight of Conrad Murray thumbing his nose
at the Jackson family.

"Survivor" star Caleb Bankston was crushed to death by 2 rail cars when the train on which he was riding derailed ... TMZ has learned.

Bankston -- a contestant on "Survivor: Blood vs. Water" last year -- was checking on something in the small space between two of the cars when the train went off the tracks. Cops say the rear car slammed into the forward car ... with Bankston caught helplessly in between.

Since this is an industrial accident, Birmingham PD says the Federal Railroad Administration and the railway company’s safety officer will conduct separate investigations.

Dr. Conrad Murray mocked the 5-year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death by popping into a convenience store for a bottle of milk.

In case you don't remember, Michael's code word for Propofol -- the drug that killed him -- was milk.

Murray has commemorated June 25th in various ways ... having his pic snapped in a tearful pose at MJ's mausoleum, dancing at a wedding and various other hijinks.

This is Murray's first MJ anniversary since being sprung from L.A. County Jail.

R.I.P.

Andrew Stern -- the husband of "Deal or No Deal" showcase model Katie Cleary who committed suicide Sunday -- went on a downward spiral after undergoing hormone replacement therapy for his libido ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ broke the story ... Stern shot himself in the head at a San Fernando Valley firing range. Sources say he was deeply depressed, largely over the meltdown of his marriage.

Close friends of Andrew tell us ... 2 years ago he went to a Beverly Hills health and wellness center because he was feeling lethargic and had a waning libido. We're told the center gave him a kit, which included human growth hormones and testosterone. Both were injectables.

The friends say he started experiencing drastic mood swings and became extremely irritable. Andrew kept the regimen up for a year but couldn't take it anymore and stopped cold turkey.

We're told abruptly stopping such therapy is extremely dangerous and in Andrew's case he spiraled into a deep depression, which got much worse because his business failed and everything then took a toll on his marriage.

The friends tells us ... Andrew -- who filed for divorce in April -- went nuclear after seeing pics of his wife in Cannes, nuzzling up to Leo DiCaprio. Katie's rep says the pics didn't have an impact on Andrew, but his friends scoff and say it had a HUGE affect.

One friend tells us he spoke with Andrew the day before he killed himself -- Andrew said he was having "a tough day" but assured him he'd be OK.

Caleb Bankston, a contestant on "Survivor: Blood vs. Water" died Tuesday in a train accident.

The 26-year-old -- who appeared on the show with his fiance last year -- worked for the Alabama Warrior Railway. He was working on one of the trains when it derailed Tuesday, killing him.

Caleb worked as a locomotive engineer/conductor.

It's unclear what caused the derailment but both OSHA and the Federal Railroad Administration have already been contacted.

Charles Manson will NOT be glorified in porn ... so vows the sister of Sharon Tate.

Debra Tate is incensed over the impending casting of "Manson Family XXX" ... a porn parody of the twisted Manson family murder spree that rocked L.A. in 1969.

Adult film director Will Ryder -- whose credits include "Not The Wizard of Oz XXX" -- will cast Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, Linda Kasabian, Charles "Tex" Watson, and others. Manson is the central figure who has sex with all of them.

Debra Tate calls it the lowest of lows ... vowing to sic her lawyers on producers if they dare use Sharon's name or likeness.

"Deal or No Deal" model Katie Cleary says her husband's suicide over the weekend had nothing to do with photos that surfaced of her hanging with Leo DiCaprio and Adrian Grenier ... but the husband's friends tell a different story.

TMZ broke the story ... Andrew Stern -- who married Cleary in July 2010 -- shot himself in the head Sunday, and law enforcement tells us he was suffering significant stress over marital problems.

Just last month Katie was in Cannes partying with Leo and Adrian ... and reports surfaced that she was involved with Leo, although he denies it.

Now Katie's rep tells us ... the couple split 8 months ago and Stern filed for divorce in April. The rep says Cleary and Stern discussed the photos and they were a non-issue.

But several of Andrew's friends see it differently, telling us the pics really bothered him. They say Andrew still loved Katie but filed for divorce because she was humiliating him by globetrotting and hobnobbing with celebs.

Katie's rep also says Katie and Adrian have been friends for a while, and she had never even met Leo until the night of the photo, where they talked about animal conservation and that's all.

The husband of "Deal Or No Deal" suitcase model Katie Cleary shot himself to death ... just weeks after she was photographed getting cozy with Leo DiCaprio and Adrian Grenier.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Andrew Stern shot himself in the head Sunday while he was at a shooting range in the San Fernando Valley.

The 40-year-old businessman was married to Katie ... who was also a contestant on "America's Next Top Model." Katie was photographed in Cannes last month with Leo and the two seemed tight. There are also photos of Katie in Cannes with "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier.

We're told law enforcement interviewed various people after the suicide, including Katie, and they were told -- among other things -- he was suffering significant stress over marital problems.

Our sources say Katie told law enforcement she and Andrew -- who appeared on "Millionaire Matchmaker" before he got together with Cleary -- were in the process of getting divorced.

A source close to Leo tells us Katie and the actor never hooked up and he left the club with his GF Toni Garrn.

In addition to marital problems, law enforcement says Andrew had a history of depression and had financial issues.

Casey Kasem's children wanted him to die so they could collect on his sizable life insurance policy -- so claims the DJ's widow, Jean Kasem.

Jean tells TMZ ... Kerri Kasem called the funeral home and asked how quickly they could issue a death certificate. Jean thinks it's a money grab --- "Their impatience for Casey to die was obvious when they killed him and now their impatience to collect on the life insurance is even more telling."

Jean also scoffs at the private memorial Casey's children held over the weekend ... telling us, "We have had to once again handle all of their incessant sleaze peddling while preparing the arrangements for a befitting funeral for Casey."

Speaking of which ... it's unclear why Jean hasn't had Casey's body flown down to L.A. for a burial ... more than a week after his death.

Kerri tells us it's pretty clear ... Jean is deflecting a looming criminal investigation for elder abuse.

Nate Estimada -- the "Men of the Strip" star who committed suicide Wednesday -- had been suffering from depression before he drove off a cliff ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell us it was clear something was wrong with Estimada during his final performance in Boston last Friday ... but Nate wasn't receptive to talking about it with his co-stars.

We're told Nate's close friend -- one of the other dancers -- told the rest of the cast Estimada had been getting treatment for depression ... and he was just having a rough time dealing with things.

As we previously reported, Nate drove his car off a cliff ... and cops say he plunged 300-400 feet into a landfill area.

According to an eyewitness ... he heard the Mustang engine rev up very loudly before it launched off the cliff. We're told Nate was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.

Nate Estimada -- one of the stars of the male revue "Men of the Strip" -- committed suicide Wednesday by driving his car off a cliff ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say the 24-year old Estimada drove his Mustang in a mountainous area near the City of Industry in L.A. County during the daytime Wednesday ... and accelerated off the cliff, dropping at least 40 ft. into a landfill.

We're told authorities have determined the plunge was intentional and they're conducting toxicology tests to determine if drugs were in Estimada's system.

A rep for the show released a statement saying, "The cast and management of Men of the Strip thank you for your heartfelt condolences and expressions of love and support."

We got video of Nate's final performance last Friday in Boston -- and If you've never seen one of their shows, this is your warning ... the dancers grind hard.

One of the women who co-starred with King Kong in his iconic scene atop the Empire State Building has passed away at age of 103.

Pauline Wagner is the actress who stood in for the legendary Fay Wray during key reshoots for the 1933 classic. Wagner died last month outside Los Angeles. Her manager confirmed the death to the Hollywood Reporter today.

'Kong' producers needed to reshoot the climactic finale, but Fay was already in England working on another film -- and that's when Wagner stepped in ... donning a wig to fight off the giant ape.

Wagner said in a 2011 interview ... "I worked for four hours and that was it." Still, it was a bigger break than most get in Hollywood, and it secured her place in movie history.

Wagner went on to have small roles in several other films like "Lady Killer," "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town," and "King of Jazz." She also helped James Cagney form the Screen Actors Guild.

4:45 PM PT -- The Giudice's rep just told TMZ, "The ONLY focus of both Joe and Teresa is their family right now, especially the girls. No decisions about the court case or the show are being addressed today."

"Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Joe Giudice -- who is facing years in prison on fraud charges -- just got struck with a profound tragedy ... his dad just collapsed and died in Joe's garden.

Frank Giudice -- who also appears on "Real Housewives of New Jersey" along with Joe and Teresa -- was building a chicken coop in the garden when he fell to the ground.

We're told Frank had no apparent health issues. Joe and Teresa believe he suffered a massive heart attack, but it's too early to tell. EMTs are still at the house at the time this story was posted.

Casey Kasem has gone to that great radio station in the sky, but his legend lives on through "American Top 40" replays -- and the awesome cartoon voices of Batman and Scooby Doo’s sidekicks.

Like, wow ... that guy had crazy range!