RIP

Soul singer Ben E. King -- most famous for his classic, "Stand By Me" -- died on Thursday ... according to his publicist.

King reportedly died at his home in New Jersey after suffering a heart ailment. He was 76 years old.

King's mega hit song made it to Billboard's top five in 1961 -- but "Stand By Me" returned to the charts in the '80s. It was also covered several times by other artists ... including John Lennon ... and made the charts 9 times.

He started his career with the Drifters in the '50s and had hits like "Save the Last Dance for Me" and "There Goes My Baby."

Ben E.'s passing comes just 2 weeks after the death of another soul legend -- Percy Sledge, who sang "When a Man Loves a Woman."

Jean Nidetch -- the woman who founded Weight Watchers -- has died.

We're told the 91-year-old passed away in the Ft. Lauderdale area early Wednesday morning.

Jean came up with the groundbreaking idea in 1961, not to start a business, but to help her in her own struggle. She had been overweight since early childhood, and at the time she was 5'7" and weighed 214 lbs.

Jean started following basic tips ... don't skip meals, eat fish 5 times a week, veggies, etc. She soon started inviting friends over and they would talk in her living room about their common goals.

It caught fire, and in 1963, Weight Watchers was born, and Jean became a celebrity, even appearing on Johnny Carson's show.

In 1978 Weight Watchers was sold to the Heinz Co. for $71 million. Even after she retired, she was known as the first lady of Weight Watchers International.

Jean was living in a one bedroom apartment and, by the way, she wasn't a slave to diet. She drank regular sodas, stocked the fridge with Klondike bars and liked Mallomars, which she kept in her laundry hamper.

Jean died of natural causes.

Jack Ely, the lead singer of the group the Kingsmen which recorded the hit "Louie Louie" -- a song that prompted an FBI investigation -- has died.

Ely's controversial song was a monster hit in 1963. He almost slurred some of the words, making them very difficult to understand and subject to considerable interpretation.

The FBI launched a probe to determine if some of the lyrics were obscene. Many junior high school students were buzzing that one of the lyrics included the phrase, "f*** you girl, oh, all the way," and "I felt a boner in her hair."

He ws 71.

RIP

The youngest "Partridge Family" star Suzanne Crough died Monday at her home in Nevada ... TMZ has learned.

Crough starred as the tambourine-shaking daughter Tracy Partridge ... during the classic sitcom's run from 1970 to 1974.

She was 52 years old. It's still unclear what caused her death, but a family member confirmed Suzanne's passing and said it was sudden.

Suzanne was married with 2 daughters ... one of whom is getting married this summer.

She last reunited with her 'Partridge' co-stars for an appearance on the 'Today' show back in 2010.

David Cassidy tells TMZ he was saddened to hear about the sudden passing, adding, "Although, we did not know each other very well due to our age difference during our Partridge days, I always thought fondly of Suzanne and her family."

Andrew Getty -- the grandson of billionaire titan J. Paul Getty -- was targeted in death by thieves who stole some very expensive flatware.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, within 2 weeks of his death at the end of March, burglars broke into his gated home near Mulholland Drive and stole his silverware.

Cops tell us the thieves gained entry by forcing open a door.

The 47-year-old heir, whose father was reportedly worth $2 billion, had all sorts of eccentric items, including mechanical devices for a horror film he was producing.

We're told as far as cops know, the only thing the thieves took was silverware. Weird.

Bravo fitness star Greg Plitt allegedly made a handshake deal with a filmmaker to create his popular fitness show, but never paid the guy ... who's now going after Greg's estate to get the cash.

According to docs ... filmmaker Devin Coury says he and Plitt had an oral contract for his online "Raw Series" back in 2009. Coury says he shot the footage for the program, and was owed $50,000 for his services.

Of course, Plitt died last year when he was hit by a train -- but Coury says he never got a dime of the 50 large. In the docs, Coury says he saw Plitt one last time in 2013, and got his word he would make things right ... but that never happened.

As for proof there was really a deal -- Coury's submitted invoices he sent to Greg.

Coury admits trying to get the money from his dead friend's estate is a "fragile situation" -- but he's pressing forward with his claim.

Sawyer Sweeten was upbeat, looking to the future and showed no signs of depression, which is why his family is absolutely shocked he committed suicide.

As we reported, the 19-year-old shot himself Thursday morning. We're told it happened in a family member's Texas home. Sweeten was upstairs while unsuspecting relatives were downstairs.

Sources close to the "Everybody Loves Raymond" star tell TMZ he was a "very positive person." We're told he was especially excited for the upcoming 10 year anniversary of the show's finale. And sources say Sawyer never showed signs of depression.

Sawyer Sweeten -- one of the twins from "Everybody Loves Raymond" -- committed suicide Thursday morning, according to his sister.

19-year-old Sawyer reportedly shot himself while visiting family members in Texas. His older sister Madylin Sweeten -- who was also on 'Raymond' -- confirmed the death to TMZ, saying ... "This morning a terrible family tragedy occurred. We are devastated to report that our beloved brother, son, and friend took his own life."

Sawyer played Geoffrey Barone -- one of Ray Romano's twin boys -- on the series from 1996 to 2005. He not only co-starred with Madylin, but also his real life twin brother Sullivan.

His 20th birthday was just a few weeks away.

Madylin posted on Facebook on Thursday afternoon ... "At this time I would like to encourage everyone to reach out to the ones you love. Let them have no doubt of what they mean to you.”

Paris Hilton’s O.G., and most famous dog, Tinkerbell died after 14 years of ridiculous luxury -- leaving us with memories of all the amazing things she got to do ... that we never will.

Sleep well, sweet princess.

The woman who became Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter -- the symbol of American women working on the home front during World War II -- has died at the age of 92.

Mary Doyle Keefe died Tuesday in Connecticut after a brief illness ... according to her daughter.

Keefe met Rockwell when she was 19-years-old and working as a telephone operator. She was paid $10 to pose for Rockwell's iconic painting ... which showed a woman with her sleeves rolled up, rivet gun on her lap, and eating a sandwich during a break.

The image debuted on the Saturday Evening Post in May 1943.

In real life, Keefe wasn't anywhere near as beefy and muscular as Rockwell's Rosie. He later apologized to Keefe for the image, saying he needed to make her "sort of a giant."

The painting was eventually used to sell war bonds -- and Beyonce even struck her own version of Rosie last summer on Instagram.

Paris Hilton's beloved pooch has gone to the big Barbie doghouse in the sky -- Tinkerbell passed away at the age of 14 human years ... roughly 72 small dog years.

Paris purchased Tink -- her first dog -- from an online breeding company in 2002. She was reportedly inspired to get the chihuahua after seeing the movie "Legally Blonde."

Tinkerbell's led a charmed, yet difficult life. Growing up in the Hilton lap of luxury (and Paris' purse) has sometimes made her a target. In 2004, Tink went missing after burglars hit Paris' home.

Paris offered a $5,000 reward, but 6 days later Tinkerbell mysteriously reappeared. Paris never offered any details of how she got the dog back.

Tinkerbell's also had to fend for Paris' affection ... since mommy now owns nearly 2 dozen other dogs.

Paris announced the loss on Instagram, saying ... "My heart is broken. I am so sad & devastated. I feel like I've lost a member of my family."

She added, "I love you Tinky, you are a Legend & will never be forgotten." #RIP

FOX Sports announcer Steve Byrnes died Tuesday of cancer ... just 2 days after NASCAR fans, drivers and crew members paid him an emotional track side tribute.

Byrnes -- one of FOX's leading reporters for its NASCAR coverage -- was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in August of 2013. He was forced to take an indefinite leave from the job last year in October.

FOX and NASCAR teamed with Stand Up to Cancer to dedicate Sunday's race at Bristol Motor Speedway to Steve. Before the race people in the stands ... and crew members on pit road held up signs with Steve's name.

Steve watched the race on TV, and afterward tweeted his thanks for the show of love and support.

Byrnes is survived by his wife Karen and their 12-year-old son Bryson. He was 56.

The WWE is cashing in on Eddie "Hot Stuff" Gilbert even though he's been dead for 20 years ... at least according to his family, which is dragging the league to court to get a cut of the action.

According to docs ... Eddie's dad, Tommy Gilbert, is in charge of the estate and says the WWE is plastering his son's image and likeness all over TV and other media platforms without permission -- and, more importantly, without paying them a dime.

Tommy says old wrestling footage of Eddie -- a pro from '79 until his death of a heart attack in '95 -- is being used to promote the WWE.

Interestingly, Eddie's fam isn't suing to block use of the footage -- they just want a judge to force the WWE to fork over a share of its profits, plus damages.

A WWE rep tells us, "Through the years, WWE has acquired the legal rights to library footage of various former wrestling organizations including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Mid-Southern Wrestling among many others. WWE has made substantial investments to acquire these copyrighted works and has the legal right to use them."

Johnny Kemp -- the guy who sang the 80s party anthem "Just Got Paid" ... died Thursday at the age of 55.

Originally from the Bahamas, Kemp died while vacationing in Jamaica. He was reportedly found floating on a beach in Montego Bay. It's unclear at this point what caused his death.

Kemp released his biggest hit in 1988 -- it reached #10 on the Billboard charts and #1 on the dance charts. It also got a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song.

R.I.P. Johnny. It's Friday night ...

R&B legend Percy Sledge -- famous for his hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" -- died at home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Tuesday morning after a long battle with cancer.

Percy took his signature song to #1 in 1966. It was his debut single and went on to become an international hit. It was re-released in the U.K. in 1987 and still made it to #2 on the charts.

Michael Bolton's cover version also hit #1 in 1991 -- and it's one of Hollywood's favorite tunes ... appearing on the soundtracks of well over 20 movies.

Percy had a few other hits -- "Warm and Tender Love" and "Take Time to Know Her" -- but nothing that matched his first blockbuster hit.

He continued performing until about a year ago -- and this Thursday marks the 49th anniversary of the release of "When a Man Loves a Woman."

Sledge was 73.

We got Percy out in NYC a couple years ago. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee was just awesome.

Lauren Hill is still having a major impact on the war on cancer ... even after her death -- TMZ Sports has learned her foundation received a major surge in donations in the hours after she passed away.

A rep for The Cure Starts Now Foundation tells us ... they received more than $42,000 in donations through Lauren's Club 22 fundraising organization since Friday from people wishing to honor Hill's memory.

So far, the foundation has received more than $1.5 million in donations through Club 22 -- named after Lauren's basketball jersey number.

A memorial for Hill will be held tonight at Xavier University -- where Lauren played her first college basketball game for Mt. Saint Joseph.

We're told event organizers are expecting a packed house ... and sadly, may have to turn some people away if they hit capacity.

A private funeral will take place on Wednesday -- but it's only for close friends and family.