RIP

Joan Rivers died because she went into hypoxic arrest during her throat procedure ... cutting off oxygen to her brain -- but the medical examiner is calling it a "predictable complication."

The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner released its findings today, revealing that Joan was sedated with Propofol during the procedure.

The investigation also revealed Joan had the procedure to evaluate changes in her voice and to deal with acid reflux.

Joan suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen.

As for the "predictable complication" ... it appears the Examiner is saying her cause of death is simply a risk associated with either anesthesia, the procedure, or both.

Jenni Rivera's husband wants $35 million from the owners of the plane that crashed and killed her ... even though the couple had filed divorce papers prior to the crash.

Jenni filed for divorce from former MLB pitcher Esteban Loaiza more than 2 months before the plane she was on went down in December 2012 ... but the paperwork hadn't been finalized when she died, so they were still married.

According to court docs ... Loaiza is suing Starwood Management for $25 million in lost future income, $5 mil in past earnings, and -- get this -- $5 mil more in loss of companionship.

Remember, they'd already separated ... so you'd think the S.S. Companionship would have sailed long before Jenni's death.

Gotta hand it to him -- pitcher's got balls.

Elizabeth Pena -- who starred in a number of TV shows and films including "La Bamba" and "Rush Hour" ... has died. She was 55.

Pena died Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Pena -- whose Hollywood career spanned almost 40 years -- most recently had a recurring role on "Modern Family" as the mother to Sofia Vergara's character ... and recently completed work on the TV series "Matador."

She also starred in her own short-lived sitcom "I Married Dora" in 1987-88 ... and provided voice-overs for cartoons including "American Dad!" and "The Incredibles."

R.I.P.

The keyboardist for Jack's White's tour band was found dead in his hotel room in Mexico ... and reports say police found drugs and alcohol in the room.

Isaiah "Ikey" Owens was found dead Tuesday morning ... he had just played a gig with White the night before in Puebla, Mexico. Investigators have not yet determined the cause of death.

The 38-year-old musician has been touring with White for the last couple of years ... and also played with The Mars Volta and Free Moral Agents.

According to White's record label ... the band was scheduled to perform Tuesday night in Guadalajara ... but it's now been cancelled ... along with their remaining Mexico tour dates.

Skye McCole Bartusiak -- who played Mel Gibson's daughter in the 2000 movie "The Patriot" -- died from an accidental mix of pain killers and muscle relaxers ... and it looks like she may also have been huffing ... TMZ has learned.

According to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the primary cause of death was the combined toxic effects of hydrocodone -- typically Vicodin -- and difluoroethane with carisoprodol. Difluoroethane is a colorless gas used as a refrigerant, something huffed to get a high. Carisoprodol is a muscle relaxer.

As TMZ first reported, Bartusiak was found dead in her home in Texas on July 19.

Bartusiak was just 7 when she appeared in "The Patriot" and had appeared in only one other major film since then.

Comer Cottrell -- whose Curly Kit made the Jheri curl an insanely popular hairstyle among African-Americans in the '70s and '80s -- has died. He was 82.

Before Cottrell came along, the Jheri curl was a $200 process at a salon ... but his kit sold over-the-counter for about $8.00 ... and there was no turning back.

The hairstyle was famously parodied in "Coming to America" and the list of celebs who rocked it was epic: Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Eazy-E and Ice Cube ... and athletes like Deion Sanders, Eric Dickerson and Rickey Henderson.

He died last Friday.

Cottrell's soul is glowing in heaven now.

The soul of the sports world just lost a little of its glow ... 'cause Comer Cottrell, the man who popularized the Jheri cdeurl, has died at 82.

Cottrell founded the Pro-Line Corp in the '80s which manufactured the Curly Kit that allowed guys like Deion Sanders, Walter Payton, Pedro Martinez and Sugar Ray Leonard to ruin couches all over the country.

Apparently, there was a lot of money in dripping, because Cottrell was also part owner of the Texas Rangers from 1989-98 ... during which time Sammy Sosa was a proud curl wearer.

Jan Hooks, who worked alongside some of the biggest "Saturday Night Live" stars ... died Thursday ... TMZ has learned. She was 57.

We've learned she passed away this morning in New York City. Sources tell us Jan had been battling a serious illness.

Jan was part of the 'SNL' cast from 1986-91 ... the same time as Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey and Dennis Miller ... and was most famous for being half of the Sweeney Sisters ... and also for her impressions of Sinead O'Connor and Hillary Clinton.

She most recently played a part on "30 Rock."

Right after 'SNL', Jan joined the cast of "Designing Women." She also had a famous role in "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure."

Jan had dated fellow SNL star Kevin Nealon ... before they were both on the show. Nealon tells TMZ he and Jan had "amazing times as friends, then dating and then the incredible rush of being on SNL together."

He added, "I only wish she knew how well respected and admired she was. This is such a loss."

Jan was nominated for an Emmy in 1998 for a role on "3rd Rock from the Sun."

Trigz -- a famous tattoo artist who has worked with the likes of Chris Brown -- was shot and killed in broad daylight Thursday.

According to police, Trigz got into a verbal altercation with a man outside Black Derby Smoke Shop in North Hollywood. Police say the man (described as a Hispanic male) then shot Trigz and took off ... leaving Trigz to die on the scene.

According to his Model Mayhem profile, Trigz worked on music videos for the likes of Mobb Deep, Travis Barker, Wiz Khalifa and Tyga.

Richard Kiel -- who famously played Jaws in 2 James Bond movies -- died from serious heart problems ... and possibly a heart attack, according to his death certificate.

The certificate -- filed in Fresno County, CA -- lists the immediate cause of death as a POSSIBLE heart attack. It also shows 7' 2" Kiel had suffered from coronary artery disease for several years.

The 74-year-old actor died Sept. 10 in a Fresno hospital ... after being admitted for a broken leg. According to the document, the leg injury was a contributing factor, but not an underlying cause of death.

Paul Revere and the Raiders band leader/organist Paul Revere died Saturday at the age of 76 ... and in case you don't know they were HUGE.

The band broke the news on their Facebook page ... and even though they didn't offer up any details on how he passed -- the singer had reportedly been battling cancer since last year.

Paul Revere and the Raiders were famous for songs like "Kicks," "Hungry," and "Indian Reservation" ... and even appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.

The band added, "The world will be a lot less fun, a lot less kind and gentle without Paul Revere in it."

Kevin "Pig Virus" Metheny -- the inspiration for Howard Stern's nemesis in "Private Parts" -- has reportedly died at the age of 60 from an apparent heart attack.

Metheny's feud with Stern in the '80s was chronicled in both Howard's book and movie. The character of Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton was played by Paul Giamatti -- and it launched his career.

Metheny was still working in the radio biz ... and was most recently the Operations Manager for two different stations in San Francisco.

The man who attacked Jonathan Cheban with a knife 4 months ago was shot and killed by NYPD officers Friday after a tense standoff.

Police say Denis Volchkin had ransacked his mother's home in Brooklyn and when officers arrived he was sitting on a couch with 3 knives next to him. Cops tried to talk him into surrendering, but he eventually lunged at them with one of the knives ... and they opened fire.

Volchkin was hit once in the body, and died later at a hospital.

Law enforcement sources, and Cheban himself, tell TMZ ... Volchkin is the same man who lunged at Jonathan when he was in a Brooklyn sushi joint back in May.

TMZ broke the story ... the "Keeping up with the Kardashians" regular was leaving the restaurant after Volchkin -- who had a knife on him -- tailed JC around the spot. When Volchkin made his move, Cheban's bodyguard punched him in the face and subdued him.

Ex-Titans kicker Rob Bironas was hammered -- with a blood alcohol content njearly 3 times the legal limit -- the night he wrecked his SUV and died in Nashville.

The toxicology report shows Bironas' BAC was .218 when he died on September 20. Police released test results to his family today. The report also revealed he died from blunt force trauma ... and had a small amount of Diazepam (Valium) in his system.

Rob's wife, Rachel -- who is Terry Bradshaw's daughter -- told police Rob might have had one beer at home that night ... before he unexpectedly took off in his vehicle without telling her.

Paul Walker was all about high speed on land, but was all about kicking back when it came to the water ... according to new court docs.

Walker owned a 26-foot Radon boat -- a vessel designed for fishing and diving trips, not racing. He bought it new in 2010 ... just for the halibut.

Paul's father ... who took control of Walker's estate after his death ... filed court docs in Santa Barbara to sell the boat and its trailer to a private buyer for $120K.

Just to compare, a brand new model would cost about $135K -- but Paul Walker never dripped dry on that one.

Robin William's famous friends and family gathered for a private memorial Saturday in San Francisco ... and Billy Crystal was in tears during the emotional tribute.

The event was reportedly held at the Curan Theatre and featured speeches from Billy, Whoopi Goldberg, Bobcat Goldthwait, Bonnie Hunt, Eric Idle, Williams’ three children and his wife, Susan.

Stevie Wonder handled the tribute's music ... and the event was attended by Bette Midler, Ben Stiller, George Lucas, Penny Marshall, Danny De Vito, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jeff Bridges, Minnie Driver, Josh Groban, Seth Green, Eddie Izzard and Richard Lewis.

Robin's daughter Zelda Williams reportedly organized a majority of the memorial.