RIP

The tiger that escaped in Atlanta -- and was shot and killed by police -- was a 6-year-old star in Ringling Bros. Circus.

Suzy was one of 14 tigers being transported from Florida to Tennessee when she escaped. The company behind the circus that was handling the transfer says it doesn't know how she got away.

Suzy was one of the tigers circus trainer Alex Lacey used in his act.

Since the circus shut down, she'd been living in Florida. She and the other tigers were being sent to a different circus in Germany.

Suzy was shot by Atlanta cops Wednesday morning after she got into a backyard and reportedly attacked a small dog.

An actual tiger got loose on the streets of Atlanta early Wednesday morning -- but was shot and killed by cops after it jumped into the backyard of a home and attacked a small dog.

No word on where the tiger came from -- but it was spotted prowling around the I-75 interstate and got way too close to a Hardee's fast food restaurant. Employees at the restaurant were ordered to stay indoors as the animal walked by.

Cops were called to the scene with the intention of subduing the animal without killing it -- but when it jumped into a backyard and attacked a family pet named Journey, cops fired their weapons.

Witnesses told FOX5 in ATL they heard around 12 shots.

Captain Smith told reporters, "Due to the occupants of the home, officers made the decision to shoot the tiger."

The tiger was killed in the shooting. The pet dog is okay.

Cops are investigating ... trying to find out who owned the tiger and how the hell it got loose.

Skrillex still sees Burning Man as a wonderland ... even after last weekend's tragic death.

The DJ was leaving Catch Tuesday night when we asked him how he thinks Burning Man would be affected after a 41-year-old man ran into the festival's trademark fire ceremony Saturday and died from his injuries Sunday.

Skrillex says no doubt the man's death is tragic but what makes the festival so popular is the fact that it's a lawless affair and people have the ability to freely express themselves. And it's not the first time someone's jumped into a fire.

Members of Selena's own family were among those killed during Hurricane Harvey in Texas ... this according to her father.

Selena's dad, Abraham Quintanilla, posted the news on Facebook, explaining relatives of theirs tragically drowned when they became trapped in a van while trying to escape the rising waters.

Abraham said Manuel Saldivar -- whose mother was Abraham's dad's first cousin -- drowned along with his wife, Belia, and their 4 grandchildren. The driver of the van survived.

Selena was hugely popular in Texas -- her birth state. She toured all across TX and built her rep there before reaching international stardom. She even has a statue dedicated to her in Corpus Christi, where she died after being shot by her boutique's manager in '95.

2:47 PM PT -- 41-year-old Aaron Joel Mitchell succumbed to his injuries and died Sunday morning after running into the flames of a Burning Man statue ... according to the festival's organizers. Mitchell died after arriving to the burn center to which he was airlifted. His family was notified, and an investigation is ongoing into the circumstances of his death.

A man was airlifted to the hospital this weekend after he ran head-on into a sea of fire at the Burning Man festival ... and it was all caught on camera.

Here's how it went down ... a guy literally sprinted past fire crews Saturday night that were stationed around one of the giant burning man structures in Nevada, leaving him engulfed in flames. Firefighters leaped to the rescue and treated him on the scene.

He was then transported to an on-site medical facility, and later airlifted to a burn treatment center ... according to the festival's organizers.

Photos of the incident were captured, and they're pretty graphic. You see what appears to be a long haired man running full force into the blaze ... and then tripping and falling with fire rescuers close behind.

Tupac Shakur knew who killed him but his murder remains unsolved because the Las Vegas PD never wanted to solve it ... according to a new 2Pac special, and TMZ has the exclusive first clip.

Pac's getting his own 'Snapped: Notorious' documentary on Oxygen airing September 10. It'll run 2 hours with in-depth interviews from people who were the last to see him alive before he was fatally shot dead in a drive-by in 1996. They include close friends and rappers Danny Boy and Yo-Yo, DJ Mister Cee, Pac's first manager Leila Steinberg, music journalist Toure and others.

The trailer, obtained by TMZ, paints a vivid picture of Pac's last breaths on his deathbed in a Las Vegas hospital ... his finger shot off and nodding that he knew who did this to him.

A must watch for any 2Pac fan.

John F. Kennedy is about to make America wet all over again, 'cause his original swim trunks, jackets and other family items are up for auction ... starting at just a buck!

Guernsey's auction house is selling off some of JFK's personal items in October to commemorate what would have been the late Prez's 100th birthday -- even though he was born in May.

Some of the items being auctioned off include 3 of Jack's OG swim trunks, a couple of his coats, his U.S. flight jacket, his old rocking chair ... and even his kids' toothbrushes, bristles and all.

There are some Jackie O items up for grabs as well, such as her perfumes, belt, and one of her black lace mantillas -- which she wore to Robert Kennedy's funeral.

All the stuff is starting at a bid of just one dollar ... but something tells us it'll go for A LOT more.

Richard Anderson -- who played the government agent who cooked up the idea for "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman" in the 1970s -- has died.

Anderson passed away Thursday at his Beverly Hills home, according to his publicist. He famously portrayed OSI honcho Oscar Goldman on both TV shows. It's his voice you hear in the show open talking about making Steve Austin "the world's first bionic man."

He had nearly 200 roles during his six-decade career ... starring in movies as well as huge TV shows in the '60s and '70s, including "Bonanza," "Hawaii Five-O" and "The Mod Squad."

Richard was 91.

Safaree Samuels is destroyed over his uncle's brutal death, and he says so far his ex, Nicki Minaj, hasn't offered any comfort.

Vincent Roper was stabbed to death in his Palmdale, CA home last week. The rapper says he was super close to his mom's brother.

As for Nicki ... Safaree says when they were together she was close to Roper too, but she hasn't reached out to him yet.

We're told Minaj didn't find out until Wednesday night ... and right around that time she tweeted this ...

Roper was 64. Police currently have no suspects.

Princess Diana was clearly in the hearts and minds of Englanders Wednesday as they marked the 20th anniversary of her death ... and if anyone forgot there were plenty of visuals to jog their memories.

Kensington Palace -- where Diana lived -- was festooned with banners, posters and flowers commemorating her death.

Diana died when she was only 36. Her children, Princes William and Harry, honored their mother by visiting the Kensington Palace White Garden -- which was planted in her honor.

Prince William and Prince Harry honored Princess Diana by visiting a new garden dedicated to her ... where members of the public had already left tributes and flowers for their mother.

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, joined her husband and Harry at the White Garden at Kensington Palace in London Wednesday ... on the eve of the 20th anniversary of Diana's death.

The trio toured the grounds -- formerly known as the Sunken Garden -- to pay tribute to the Princess of Wales ... who died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997. William and Harry were 15 and 12 at the time.

The White Garden -- inspired by memories of Princess Di -- has been open since spring and includes some of her favorite plants.

Olympic runner David Torrence -- who made the finals in the 5,000 meter race in the '16 Games -- was found dead at the bottom of a pool at an Arizona apartment complex.

The 31-year-old grew up in L.A. -- but competed internationally for Peru. In fact, he set the Peru record for the fastest mile in 2017 with a time of 3 minutes 53 seconds.

Torrence's body was found around 7:30 AM on Monday morning. Unclear what happened. Cops are investigating.

The runner had moved from L.A. to Arizona a few weeks ago to train for more races.

Chester Bennington's suicide will not be used as inspiration for would-be copycats if his family has anything to say about it ... 'cause they're putting together a plan to stop that.

Sources close to Bennington's family tell TMZ ... they're planning on establishing a suicide awareness org in hopes of preventing Chester's fans, especially young people, from suffering the same fate as the Linkin Park lead singer.

We're told the family worries in the wake of 2 huge rock stars recently committing suicide -- Chester and Chris Cornell -- fans of theirs might want to glorify or somehow honor their deaths by doing the same. They're also worried trouble people might view this as an appropriate way out.

Chester's fam wants to raise suicide awareness and provide resources to those contemplating it. They feel Chester's biggest downfall was being alone, especially in his final moments ... so they want to stress the importance of surrounding yourself with loved ones.

They're still in the early stages. No word on when the new org will be up and running.

Meek Mill insists he had nothing to do with 2 people dying outside the place he performed ... and the venue claims the people suing are a bunch of racists.

The rapper filed new legal docs defending himself in a wrongful death suit filed against him ... alleging his "thug" fans incited the violence at his December concert outside the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT.

In docs obtained by TMZ, Meek calls BS on the allegation his murderous lyrics incited the violence. Live Nation, which runs the Oakdale, is also being sued -- claims the victim's family has stooped to racial stereotypes by calling the fans "thugs."

As we reported ... a hail of bullets killed 2 and injured 2 outside the Oakdale Theatre.

Jay Thomas who starred in roles on "Murphy Brown," "Cheers," "Mork & Mindy" and "Ray Donovan" has died after battling cancer.

Thomas' agent, Don Buchwald, confirmed the news, saying, “Jay was one of a kind, never at a loss for words and filled with so much fun and wonderfully whacky thoughts and behavior.”

Thomas caught his first big break as Remo DaVinci on "Mork & Mindy" from 1979-1981. However, he was best known for playing Jerry Gold on "Murphy Brown" for nearly 10 years.

Thomas' wife and two sons were reportedly by his side when he passed.

Jay was 69.

RIP

TMZ Sports has obtained the Dallas McCarver 911 call -- made by a friend who found the 26-year-old bodybuilder passed out in his apartment ... after apparently choking on food.

The friend tried like hell to help McCarver -- performing CPR and other lifesaving maneuvers -- but he wasn't able to bring him back.

The friend says McCarver had been taking Insulin -- and suggested he may have collapsed because of a medical condition related to the medicine, which usually treats diabetes.

McCarver had collapsed onstage at a bodybuilding event back in March. It seems the friend believes McCarver may have experienced a similar situation while eating, which led to the fatal choking episode.

McCarver was transported to a nearby hospital and was pronounced dead early Tuesday morning.

R.I.P.