RIP

Just one hour before the news broke about Robin Williams' death ... we had what turned out to be a strange encounter with Philadelphia 76ers player Nerlens Noel.

Our camera guy ran into Nerlens at the famed Rucker Park in NYC, and asked him to tell us the last movie that made him cry.

Nerlens struggled to come up with a title, but he did eventually tell us about the movie he had recently watched at home. A classic, for sure.

Casey Kasem's body is about to top James Brown's on the mileage front ... because we've learned it's being moved again ... this time thousands of miles away.

Casey's body is currently in a Montreal funeral home -- nearly 2 months after he died in Washington.

Sources tell us ... Jean Kasem is making arrangements to have the body flown to Europe ... possibly Oslo, Norway.

The move is significant. TMZ broke the story ... the Santa Monica Police Dept. is investigating Jean for elder abuse ... after one of Casey's daughters filed a complaint alleging Casey developed a fatal infection as a result of Jean taking him on a multi-state car ride to evade the family.

The Santa Monica PD wants a full autopsy ... which so far has not been performed. Casey's kids believe Jean is on the run because she knows if the family finds the body and gets a court order it could be incriminating for her.

The FBI, U.S. Attorney and Washington D.C. PD have opened a homicide investigation into the death of former Reagan Press Secretary James Brady who died this week ... 33 years after he was shot.

It's a weird turn ... John Hinckley Jr. shot Brady and Reagan outside a hotel in 1981, paralyzing the Press Secretary and seriously wounding the President.

Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and the legal experts we spoke with say it is NOT a case of double jeopardy. Hinckley was charged with assault with intent to kill when he was tried. Murder is a separate crime.

Actor Danny Murphy -- who appeared in comedy classics like "There's Something About Mary" and "Kingpin" -- has died of cancer at the age of 59 ... TMZ has learned.

Danny was famous for his hilarious cameos in Farrelly brothers' movies. Peter Farrelly was a childhood friend, and gave him his first acting role.

Murphy became a quadriplegic in a diving accident when he was 19, and didn't decide to get into acting until much later in life. He was 40 when he got the "Kingpin" role.

Danny's agent Cynthia Kazarian confirms he died in Florida ... where he'd recently moved to do other things outside of acting.

Gunnar Hansen -- who terrorized actress Marilyn Burns as Leatherface in the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" -- says Burns appeared skinny and frail in recent years ... and appeared to be in declining health before her death.

Hansen tells TMZ ... he and Burns remained close after the 1974 horror flick, and says her health issues were obvious to him in the last few years. But he adds, they never discussed any specific ailment.

TMZ broke the story ... the 65-year-old Burns was found dead Tuesday at her home in Houston. An autopsy is being conducted to determine cause of death.

Hansen -- who continues to act in slasher/horror flicks -- says he spoke to Burns once a month and would visit her at home -- calling her a wonderful woman who was humorous and generous.

He says he and other actors from the original film -- including Allen Danziger and Ed Neal -- are making arrangements to attend Burns' funeral.

The heroine of the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" ... Marilyn Burns was found dead today at her home in Texas ... TMZ has learned.

Burns was found by a family member in Houston, according her rep ... who adds they don't know a cause of death yet.

Burns became a cult superstar after the release of the 1974 horror flick. Her character, Sally Hardesty, is the sole survivor of Leatherface's bloody rampage.

Burns also had cameos in the 1994 and 2013 reboots ... but didn't act in a ton of other films. She did have a role in the 1976 TV movie "Helter Skelter."

The Medical Examiner's Office in Houston confirms they have Marilyn's body ... and an autopsy will be performed.

She was 65 years old.

Former "American Idol" contestant Michael Johns may have been dead for more than an hour before he was discovered ... according to the friend who found him.

TMZ has obtained the dramatic 911 call. Michael's friend tearfully tells the dispatcher he had left Johns 2 hours before and he seemed ok, but when he returned Michael was motionless ... and not breathing.

The friend tells the dispatcher he fears Michael is dead and says Michael was cold to the touch and it appeared rigor mortis had set in.

You hear the friend breathlessly perform CPR ... to no avail.

The autopsy on former "American Idol" contestant Michael Johns has been completed, but the medical staff at the Orange County Coroner's Office is deferring the cause of death ... pending toxicology results.

TMZ first reported ... Johns had sprained his ankle and the swelling spread up to his knee. He went to the doctor Thursday ... the day before he died. We're told he was in great pain.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the police were informed Johns had engaged in heavy alcohol use at some point prior to his death. And we're told he was a heavy drinker.

One law enforcement source tells us ... it would be fairly routine if the doctor who saw Johns on Thursday prescribed pain meds.

If there was a blood clot, it would appear it was not clearly the cause of death ... or else the case would be closed. The fact that toxicology tests are being performed suggests the Coroner wants to know if alcohol and/or drugs played a part in Johns' death.

Michael Johns had been drinking heavily at some point before he died Friday ... TMZ has learned.

As TMZ previously reported ... the "American Idol" Season 7 contestant died Friday at a friend's home in Orange County. TMZ reported there was evidence of a blood clot. We're told Johns had sprained his ankle and it swelled to his knee. He sought medical attention the day before he died.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... police were told Johns had been heavily drinking. It's uncertain what the time frame was ... as in how close to his death he was boozing.

We don't know if Johns had received pain meds from the doctor. Obviously, there would be concerns about mixing alcohol with pain meds.

We're told when EMTs got on scene Johns was in full cardiac arrest and could not be revived.

An autopsy is being performed.

James Brady -- the White House press secretary who was paralyzed by a bullet during a 1981 assassination attempt on Pres. Ronald Reagan -- has died.

Brady's death was announced by his family. They did not reveal the cause of his death.

Brady was shot in the head March 30, 1981 when John Hinckley Jr. opened fire on Reagan and his entourage outside a D.C. hotel.

He was left partially paralyzed, and he became a strong advocate for gun control. The federal law requiring a background check for all handgun buyers bears his name.

Although Brady was unable to return to his role as press secretary, he kept the title and his salary until Reagan left office in 1989.

5:00 PM PST -- Sources close to Michael Johns tell us he went to a doctor on Thursday to check out the pain he had been feeling in his ankle ... the swelling and bruising had made their way up to his leg.

Doctors didn't find any problems however -- so they cleared him to go home.

We're told the next afternoon at his friends apartment ... Johns' body was found on the couch unresponsive. When paramedics arrived, he was already dead.

"American Idol" finalist Michael Johns died Friday at the age of 35.

The singer's death was caused by a blood clot in his ankle ... sources tell us he had twisted his ankle earlier and was in a great amount of pain.

People close to Johns tell us ... it appears the ankle injury triggered the clot. We're told he died in his sleep.

The singer placed 8th in Season 7 (2008) and following his exit from the show he continued to record music. He recorded an album -- "Hold Back My Heart" in 2009.

He'd also done a tremendous amount of charity work with former executive producer Nigel Lythgoe.

Lythgoe tells TMZ, "He was a great talent and dear friend. My boys and I are devastated."

Johns was married to Stacey Vuduris. They married in 2007.

The singer's family says, "Our family is devastated by the passing of our beloved Michael, a wonderful husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend. We appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from all corners of the globe."

The last time we shot Michael he was in great spirits.

Jessica Blyth Barrymore, the half-sister of Drew Barrymore, was found dead in her car early Tuesday morning in San Diego.

Jessica's body was discovered by one of her neighbors, who told 10News ... she had a soft drink between her legs, and there were dozens of white pills scattered on the passenger seat.

Jessica and Drew had the same father -- John Drew Barrymore -- but they were not close. Jessica's mother is actress Nina Wayne ... who was John's 4th wife.

Through a rep, Barrymore tells TMZ, "Although I only met her briefly, I wish her and her loved ones as much peace as possible and I'm so incredibly sorry for their loss."

A massive heart attack killed actor James Garner.

According to the death certificate -- obtained by TMZ -- Garner died from acute myocardial infarction.

"The Rockford Files" star died July 19 at his Los Angeles home.

The death certificate says Garner -- who also starred in "The Notebook" -- suffered from coronary artery disease.

Garner was one of the first stars to become mega-successful on both TV and in the movies. Among his many achievements ... "Maverick" -- a massive TV hit from 1957 - 1962. He co-starred with Mel Gibson in the big screen version in '94.

For the second time in days, a "Big Brother" houseguest got shocking news from the outside world about a family member's death -- this time it was Derrick Levasseur's grandfather.

On tonight's live feed, houseguest Derrick was handed a note from producers -- like Frankie Grande on Wednesday evening -- and learned of the death in his family.

It's eerie … Derrick purposely lost the Head of Household competition on Thursday so Frankie would get a chance to see photos of his grandfather who died on Tuesday.

Derrick shared his news with Frankie in the house tonight … and said his family isn't as close. He said he wasn't planning to leave the house for the funeral on Sunday.

Jean Kasem just made another enemy -- her attorneys are cutting her off ... claiming she's a pain in the ass client who also happens to owe them a ton of cash.

According to documents filed in Casey Kasem's conservatorship ... attorneys at Haney & Young are asking the court to relieve them as counsel for Jean, ASAP.

The lawyers claim Jean rarely responds to their emails -- and refuses to communicate by phone -- and she's ignored mounting fees (temporary conservator, Casey's attorney and others) against Casey's Estate ... which they say could end up totaling $500,000.

In a letter to Jean, the firm says if she doesn't deal with the bills -- and also pay her tab to the firm -- the total will come out of Casey's Estate.

"Big Brother" producers broke the news to Ariana Grande's brother late Wednesday that his grandfather passed away -- and the whole 'BB' house is rallying around him.

TMZ broke the story earlier today ... Frankie Grande's grandpa died on Tuesday, but Ariana obeyed his final wish -- to let Frankie continue on 'BB" despite his illness.

But this evening producers passed a note to Frankie from his family ... which revealed the sad news.

According to bloggers watching the 'BB' live feed -- Frankie broke down in tears and shared the news with everyone else in the house. Some of the other house guests are crying too.

Frankie's grandfathers death has hit Zach. Zach is crying in the lounge alone. Zach: "This sucks!" #BB16

— BigBrotherLeak (@BigBrotherLeak) July 24, 2014