RIP

Master magician Ricky Jay -- known for being one of the greatest sleight of hand artists of all time -- has reportedly died in Los Angeles of natural causes.

Ricky's attorney confirmed his death to Variety.

In addition to being a famous magician, Jay was a writer and an actor, known for his roles in "Boogie Nights," "Tomorrow Never Dies" and as the narrator in "Magnolia."

He also consulted on films about magic -- like "The Illusionist" and "The Prestige," in which he also appeared -- and authored several books about magic and its history.

A classic profile in a 1993 issue of "The New Yorker" detailed Ricky's sleight of hand mastery -- specifically with card tricks. He was also known for card throwing and incredible memory feats.

His one-man Broadway show -- "Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants" -- was recorded in 1996 for an HBO special. He played Eddie Sawyer on the popular HBO series, "Deadwood," as well.

Ricky was the first magician to be profiled on the PBS series "American Masters" in 2015, and was the subject of a 2012 documentary called "Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay."

He was 72.

2:00 PM PT -- A forlorn Diddy was spotted sitting next to Kim's gravesite looking deep in thought. Several mourners -- including Usher -- later gathered on the cemetery lawn to watch the fireworks show for Kim.

Meanwhile, Diddy shared a touching tribute to her on his Instagram with the caption ... "The truest definition of a MOTHER."

Diddy and hundreds of other mourners have filed out of Kim Porter's funeral service at the Cascades Hills Church in Columbus, Georgia ... and family and friends are en route to her final resting place.

The procession is heading to Evergreen Memorial Park, where Kim will be buried next to her mother. We're told the fire department is already there because fireworks will be shot off in her honor, and police are on hand for security.

Diddy spoke at Kim's service along with many others -- including her son Quincy, Mary J. Blige and Dallas Austin ... while Yolanda Adams and Faith Evans paid musical tribute. Bishop Noel Jones delivered the eulogy.

Kim's being laid to rest in a golden casket. We're told as the procession left the funeral home, Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" was playing.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim was found dead at her home last week after her family members say she was battling an illness.

She was 47.

Laura Avila, the Dallas realtor who ended up in a coma after a botched nose job procedure in Mexico, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Laura's death comes days after her family made the difficult decision to move her to hospice care, following deliberations with her medical team.

As we reported ... Laura slipped into a coma after surgeons in Ciudad Juarez botched her nose job by incorrectly administering anesthesia. She had gone south of the border for the procedure to save some money ... and was stuck there for 8 days before her family was able to transfer her back to Texas.

Laura's attorney, Larry Friedman, tells us ... "She had the best of life in front of her until this tragic, unfortunate and senseless death. So that her death is not in vain, people should think of Laura before they look for cross border discount surgery. They should do their homework and investigate the experience, training and track record of anyone BEFORE they sign up."

He adds ... "Always LOOK before you leap!"

10:19 AM PT -- TMZ's obtained a photo from inside the funeral, before Diddy arrived. Kim's golden casket's front and center topped with a bouquet of beautiful flowers, along with a black and white photo of her. We're told a band and church choir are providing music.

11:30 AM PT -- Several speakers delivered eulogies for Kim during the service, including Mary J. Blige, Dallas Austin, Bishop Noel Jones, her son Quincy Brown and Diddy. We're told Quincy's dad, Al B. Sure!, joined him and Diddy on stage when Quincy broke down while speaking.

We're told Yolanda Adams performed "Just a Prayer Away", and Faith Evans sang "His Eye is On the Sparrow."

The hearse carrying the body of Kim Porter arriving at Cascades Hills Church in Columbus, Georgia.

The funeral is scheduled for 11 AM ET. We're told Diddy hopes to deliver a eulogy, however, it's possible he will bow out at the last minute because of what we're told is a fragile emotional state.

Kim will be buried next to her mother, Sarah Lee Porter, who died in 2014.

The Combs and Porter families are there in force for the service, which is expected to be large ... an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 mourners are expected to attend.

Porter's two sons and Diddy were seen leaving her wake in Georgia on Friday night. Quincy Brown and Christian Casey Combs attended the private service at Charles E Huff International Funeral Home, in Columbus, alongside friends and family, including Kimora Lee Simmons and her husband Tim Leissner.

Houston Texans owner Bob McNair -- who made a fortune in energy plants and brought the NFL back to Houston after the Oilers bolted for Tennessee in 1997 -- has died.

McNair died peacefully in Houston Friday surrounded by his wife, Janice, and family by his side, the team announced. McNair had reportedly been battling skin cancer for several years now. McNair's son, Cal, is expected to continue to run the team.

McNair was awarded the 32nd NFL team in 1999 and paid a whopping $700 million for the expansion team that would ultimately become the Texans, which joined the league in 2002. He was the team's owner since the franchise's inception.

While McNair was one of the most powerful owners in the NFL, he was no stranger to controversy. McNair drew tons of backlash in October 2017 when he said, "you can't have the inmates running the prison" when it came to players kneeling in the NFL.

McNair apologized but his players still let him have it -- star WR DeAndre Hopkins skipped practice in the wake of the comments and tons of players took a knee during the anthem a couple days later.

Texans president Jamey Rootes released a statement saying McNair "was an amazing champion for Houston and worked hard to make sure our city received maximum value from the presence of the Texans and the NFL ... We will all miss him dearly."

The last LFO member Brad Fischetti delivered an emotional tribute to Devin Lima, tearfully saying he believes his comrade in arms is in a better place.

Brad is now the lone survivor of the group ... this after Devin died Wednesday after a yearlong battle with cancer. The group originally was a trio, but the third member, Rich Cronin, died after a long fight with leukemia.

In the video description on YouTube, Brad wrote that a few days before Devin passed away he told him, "Bro, when it's over, just tell them I disappeared."

TMZ broke the story ... Devin died after battling stage 4 cancer.

The group was super popular in the '90s. Their biggest hit, "Summer Girls," which was released in '99, peaked at #3 on Billboard Hot 100. They also scored with "Girl on TV" and "Every Other Time."

LMO released the song "Perfect 10" last year. They were supposed to go on tour in the spring of 2018, but it was canceled after Devin was diagnosed.

LFO singer Devin Lima has died after a yearlong battle with stage 4 cancer ... TMZ has learned.

Devin died early Wednesday morning ... according to a family member.

Devin was half of a duo ... the other half being Brad Fischetti. The group originally was a trio, but the third singer, Rich Cronin, died after a long fight with leukemia.

The boy band was popular in the '90s. Their biggest hit was "Summer Girls" in 1999 which peaked at #3 on Billboard Hot 100. Other hits included "Girl on TV" and "Every Other Time." They recorded 2 albums, "LFO" and "Life is Good." The group released the song, "Perfect 10," in the summer of last year.

LFO planned to do a tour in the spring of 2018, but doctors discovered a football-sized tumor sitting on Devin's adrenal gland and pushing against various organs, including his heart. They removed the tumor and discovered it was malignant, and it turned out to be stage 4 cancer.

The band's publicist, Alaina Bendi, told Billboard in 2017 ... "We were really hoping that if this wasn't cancer that we could actually get Devin back in shape so the guys could be on track to get on tour in February. He needs to focus on his health so, LFO's touring will be canceled indefinitely."

Devin was 41.

Venus Williams has reached a settlement with the family of the man who died in the Florida car accident she had last year ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court docs filed in Palm Beach County, Jerome Barson's estate and the tennis star reached an agreement last week. It's unclear how much money changed hands, but according to the docs there was a financial settlement that will cover certain expenses.

Both sides are paying their own attorneys' fees in the wrongful death suit. TMZ Sports obtained surveillance video showing the brutal accident.

Jerome's wife was driving and he was the passenger in the sedan that T-boned Venus as she drove through a busy Palm Beach Gardens intersection in 2017.

Venus was cleared of criminal charges after cops determined she was "caught in the middle" of the intersection when her light turned red.

Rams stars Jared Goff and Andrew Whitworth shared an emotional moment with victims of the horrific Thousand Oaks massacre after the L.A. win Monday night ... nearly coming to tears at midfield.

The QB and the left tackle passed on celebrating their epic 54-51 win with their teammates to meet with family members of those killed at Borderline Bar and Grill near L.A. earlier this month.

The players and the victims embraced for several seconds ... and the families couldn't thank Goff and Whitworth enough for their actions.

"I'll tell you what, you sometimes realize things are bigger than yourself," Andrew told reporters after the game.

"Coming off of a win, you realize quickly, man, there's a whole lot of things more important than football."

L.A. also hung up a banner with pictures of the victims and the words, "Together we mourn. Together we stand."

Family members of fallen Ventura County Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus also lit the ceremonial torch pregame ... and Andrew donated his entire game check to the survivors.

Kim Porter will be laid to rest in the same place she was raised ... and Diddy is making sure the ceremony is befitting the woman he says was more than a soulmate.

Sources close to Diddy tell us Kim's funeral will be held Saturday in Columbus, Georgia. Porter grew up in Columbus, and graduated from Columbus High in 1988. It's also the same place her mom, Sarah, was buried in 2014.

Our sources say Friday night, Kim's friends and family will gather in town for a dinner. The funeral will be held the following day and the family is currently planning some event for Sunday.

As for the funeral ... we're told Diddy wants an extravagant ceremony. Our sources say he's talking about Kim's casket will travel by carriage, pulled by horses.

Celebrity Pastor T.D. Jakes will conduct the service.

Diddy held a memorial for Kim Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, where nearly 100 people attended and shared memories of Porter -- celebs like French Montana and Mary J. Blige and Pharrell.

Earlier Sunday, Diddy broke his silence on her death, saying, "For the last three days I’ve been trying to wake up out of this nightmare. But I haven’t. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you baby."

Diddy continued ... "I miss you so much. Today I’m going to pay tribute to you, I’m going to try and find the words to explain our unexplainable relationship. We were more than best friends, we were more than soulmates. WE WERE SOME OTHER SHIT!! And I miss you so much. Super Black Love."

TMZ broke the story ... Porter was found dead in her L.A. home Thursday. Sources close told us she recently fell ill with the flu and complained she wasn't feeling well Wednesday night before she went to bed. Family members tried waking her Thursday, to no avail. She was pronounced dead at her home.

It's unclear if the flu was an underlying cause of death. Kim had traveled to Africa shortly before her death and authorities are looking into the possibility she contracted something there.

The cause of death should be known in 4 to 6 weeks after toxicology results are in.

No surprise here ... but Roy Halladay has officially been placed on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame ... 1 year after his tragic death in a plane crash off the Gulf of Mexico.

Halladay's nomination was NOT advanced due to his death -- he last pitched in 2013, satisfying the usual 5-year waiting period.

Most experts agree Halladay is a 1st ballot lock -- since he was an 8-time All-Star and won 2 Cy Young Awards during his 15-year MLB career.

In 2010, Halladay famously threw the 2nd no-hitter in MLB postseason history -- when the Philadelphia Phillies blanked the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the NLDS.

Halladay died on Nov. 7, 2017 while piloting a new ICON A5 single passenger amphibious plane over the Gulf of Mexico.

Witnesses had said Halladay was flying dangerously and lost control of the plane -- which eventually plunged into the water.

Halladay was 40-years-old.

Other big names on the 2019 Hall of Fame ballot include Mariano Rivera, Todd Helton and Andy Pettitte.

Pettitte could be an interesting one to watch considering he admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs during his MLB career.

Diddy hosted a private memorial to honor Kim Porter -- the mother of 3 of his children -- and the event was filled with friends, family and stories about Kim's life.

More than a hundred people came to Diddy's Bel-Air home Sunday to remember Kim. The house was filled with photos of Porter and the family. A candlelit walkway lined the entrance as guests arrived.

French Montana, Mary J. Blige and Pharrell were among the guests.

There were heaters in the back for comfort ... it's getting cooler in SoCal.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim was found dead in her Toluca Lake home on Thursday. The 47-year-old mother of 4 had recently fallen ill with the flu, and complained she wasn't feeling well before going to bed Wednesday night.

Mohamed Sanu honored comic book legend Stan Lee on his cleats during the Falcons game on Sunday ... and the final product would make the Spidey creator proud.

TMZ broke the story ... the man behind the Marvel Universe died last week at 95 years old after suffering several illnesses over the past year.

Sanu -- a huge superhero nerd -- paid homage to the guy who created icons like Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and Black Panther with custom cleats which he busted out to use against the Dallas Cowboys.

The artist behind the shoe design is Dez Customz -- who has done work for other huge NFL stars like Leonard Fournette and Cam Newton.

The Falcons ultimately lost 22-19 ... but Sanu won the kick game for sure.

11/19 -- Diddy continued his tribute to Kim with a slideshow of the 2 of them and their kids, writing, "I'll raise our family just like you taught me to. Love you forever!!!"

2:12 PM PT -- Kim's son, Quincy, just posted a message about his late mother, saying ... "I am broken...& the only thing that makes sense right now is that you were way too good for this silly world we live in. I love you so much MOMMY. Please give Mee-Maw the biggest hug and kiss for me."

Quincy is Kim's son from her relationship with Al B. Sure. Diddy took him in as his own at a young age. He's the first child of Kim's to address her death.

Diddy just addressed the tragic death of Kim Porter for the first time with a touching video and message about the mother of his children ... this almost immediately after he took an incredibly solemn-looking walk in public.

The Bad Boy honcho posted the tribute Sunday on Instagram, which shows him and Kim doing a maternity photo shoot with Essence magazine in December 2006 ... as he cradles a then-pregnant Kim, and they share kisses between shots.

He captioned the video with a somber message that read ... "For the last three days I’ve been trying to wake up out of this nightmare. But I haven’t. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you baby."

Diddy continued ... "I miss you so much. Today I’m going to pay tribute to you, I’m going to try and find the words to explain our unexplainable relationship. We were more than best friends, we were more than soulmates. WE WERE SOME OTHER SHIT!! And I miss you so much. Super Black Love."

His tribute came after paps caught him taking a stroll through Westwood Village, where he was wearing his heartbreak on his face. Sad is an understatement ... Diddy looks absolutely devastated here.

We broke the story ... Kim was found dead at her home Thursday from complications stemming from either pneumonia or the flu. She birthed 3 of Diddy's children -- D'Lila, Jessie James and Christian. She was pregnant with D'Lila and Jessie during this shoot.

Chris Cornell's son stepped into his late father's shoes in the emotional new music video for "When Bad Does Good," the posthumous title track off the newly released box set that spans Chris's entire career.

Christopher Cornell, Chris's son, plays a paperboy on his route in Seattle, a job his father once held. Along his route, he passes different locations associated with his father's career including the iconic Sub Pop Records, Soundgarden's early record label. Famous lyrics from Chris are also on display throughout the city.

Christopher Cornell says, “For me this video represents my dad and all the art he created throughout his life and what his music meant then and what it means now, not just to me and my family but the city of Seattle and all of his fans.”

Bill Maher thinks Stan Lee is partly to blame for the dumbing down of America.

Bill wrote an essay on his blog, saying he has nothing against comic books, but they're for kids ... and when you grow up you should "move on to big-boy books without the pictures."

He mused that around 20 years ago, adults had a revelation ... "They didn't have to give up kid stuff. And so they pretended comic books were actually sophisticated literature."

He pulls back slightly and says, "I'm not saying we've necessarily gotten stupider." But, then he bores in ... "The problem is, we're using our smarts on stupid stuff."

And, then he goes in for the kill ... "I don't think it's a huge stretch to suggest that Donald Trump could only get elected in a country that thinks comic books are important."

Mike Judge, the creator of "Beavis and Butt-Head" and co-creator of "King of the Hill" and "Silicon Valley," had a very different view of Stan.

Stan Lee died Monday at age 95.