RIP

The Tragically Hip's frontman Gord Downie lost his battle with brain cancer Tuesday night.

Gord was diagnosed with incurable glioblastoma after suffering a seizure in December of 2015. Instead of calling it quits, Gord and the rest of The Tragically Hip announced they'd be doing a final 15-date tour the following summer and played their final gig in Kingston, Ontario on Aug. 20, 2016.

The band produced 14 albums, at least half of which went to #1.

He continued to release solo albums until his death. His last album, the 23-song double album, "Introduce Yerself," will be released later this month.

The Band said this ... "Gord knew this day was coming – his response was to spend this precious time as he always had – making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss… on the lips."

Gord was 53.

Former "Project Runway" finalist Mychael Knight died Tuesday morning in a Georgia hospital ... TMZ has learned.

Knight died after recently checking into the hospital. We're told he'd been getting treatment for intestinal issues when he passed at around 7:30 AM. While it's still unclear what caused his death, a few months ago Mychael revealed he'd been battling IBS -- irritable bowl syndrome -- and made it clear it was wreaking havoc on his immune system.

Knight was famous in the fashion world after his successful run on season 3 of 'Runway' ... going on to launch his own lines of clothing and lingerie. He also once designed for Starbucks, and even created his own fragrance brand, MajK.

Knight placed fourth during his season on 'Runway,' and won the Fan Favorite Award as well.

He was only 39.

Tom Petty was honored this week in a private service that appears to have been attended by only his family and closest friends ... at the same place a Beatle was laid to rest.

Tom's daughter, AnnaKim Violette Petty, posted a handful of photos from the service Monday, which was held at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in the Pacific Palisades. George Harrison's funeral was also held there in 2001. He was a bandmate of Tom's in The Traveling Wilburys.

Not many details about the procession were immediately released, but the temple was closed to the public on Monday.

We broke the story ... Tom died earlier this month after going into full cardiac arrest ... and ultimately being taken off life support by his family.

His official cause of death is still a mystery ... as the results of a complete autopsy are pending.

"Trailer Park Boys" actor John F. Dunsworth -- who played Jim Lahey on the show -- has died.

Dunsworth's daughter told a Canadian outlet her father died after a brief and unexpected illness.

John was a part of the show's original cast, and played a former cop-turned-security supervisor at Sunnyvale Trailer Park.

He broke into show biz as a casting director in the late '80s before making it big on the Canadian comedy. "Trailer Park Boys" has been on air for 11 seasons.

Dunsworth was 71.

R.I.P.

Chester Bennington was in good spirits, and singing his heart out less than a week before his death ... as seen in the Linkin Park Carpool Karaoke episode that just aired.

James Corden and the folks behind "Carpool Karaoke: The Series" just dropped the episode which had Chester behind the wheel, and Ken Jeong riding shotgun.

Chester looked happy, jamming to his hits as well as other artists' ... including OutKast's "Hey Ya!"

Chester hanged himself 6 days after filming this episode. Corden said Chester's family had final say over the episode airing.

The man killed in the Venus Williams car crash suffered major internal injuries -- including lacerated organs and broken bones in his back ... this according to the autopsy obtained by TMZ Sports.

The Medical Examiner has released the report regarding 78-year-old Jerome Barson -- who was in the passenger seat of a 2016 Hyundai which slammed into Venus' Toyota Sequoia on June 9.

The reports shows Barson was rushed to the hospital with a lacerated spleen, a tear in his small intestine, damage to his colon, a broken pelvis and multiple spinal fractures.

The ME says Barson remained in critical condition in the hospital ICU until he died on June 22 from complications from injuries he suffered in the crash.

Barson's family is suing Williams -- claiming she's to blame for the accident since her car was in the intersection when it wasn't supposed to be ... causing Barson's car to slam into it.

Ralphie May was in absolutely no condition to meet fans after his final performance, but somehow managed to do just that ... hours before his death.

The comedian was scheduled to do a meet-and-greet after his final show Thursday at Harrah's in Las Vegas around midnight. Problem was ... Ralphie already showed signs of his deteriorating condition -- no color in his face and glassy eyes.

During the show, we're told Ralphie talked a lot about how he'd been suffering from pneumonia, which clearly had taken its toll -- he couldn't make it up a ramp, forcing him to meet fans backstage.

TMZ broke the story ... Ralphie got back to a friend's house last Friday around 1 AM, and it was the last time anyone saw him before an assistant discovered his body just after noon.

Ralphie died of cardiac arrest. He was 45.

TMZ has obtained Tom Petty's death certificate -- which does not identify his official cause of death.

The document, filed with L.A. County, says Petty passed away at 8:43 PM on Oct. 2 at UCLA Santa Monica.

The certificate lists the immediate cause of death as "deferred" -- which could mean officials are still waiting for autopsy results.

Here's what else is listed on the certificate:

-- Marital status: Married to Dana Marie York

-- Full Name: Thomas Earl Petty

-- Education: High school graduate

-- He lived in Malibu for 43 years

-- Race: Caucasian

-- Career: Songwriter & musician who worked in the field for 40 years

As we first reported ... Tom was rushed to the hospital after he'd gone into full cardiac arrest and was found unconscious and not breathing. He was eventually taken off life support, and died last Monday.

He was 66.

It's not exactly a dream ad for Jack in the Box ... Ralphie May chowed down on Jalapeno Poppers and a Chicken Sandwich at 1 AM Friday, and 12 hours later he was dead.

We now know Ralphie's last hours. After performing at Harrah's Thursday night, he and a few other comedians went to Jack in the Box, got take out and went to the private residence where Ralphie was staying with a fellow comedian.

Ralphie took his bag of food into his room at around 1 AM, shut the door and that's the last time anyone saw him alive.

He had a habit of sleeping until noon, so no one thought of checking on him, until Ralphie's assistant showed up just after 12 PM and opened his bedroom door. The assistant found Ralphie unconscious on the floor. We're told it appears he was sitting on the side of the bed when the heart attack struck and he fell over. Paramedics came but said there was nothing they could do. He was dead.

We're told there were no drugs found. In fact, Ralphie famously carried a vape pen, but it had been a long stretch since he used it. One source who was with him nightly says although Ralphie had been battling pneumonia for 6 weeks, he was "80 to 90% better" the night before he died.

We're also told he was in good spirits, although there was one serious source of conflict ... his divorce and his estranged wife. Ralphie felt his wife would not let go of their marriage and was trying to punish him, using their 2 kids as a weapon.

People in Ralphie's life are extremely upset, because his estranged wife now has complete control of his estate since the divorce was not final. We're told she had closed off many of the people who were close to Ralphie and worked with him.

Ralphie May was found in the bedroom of a private residence, and there was no point in trying to revive him ... he was already dead.

TMZ broke the story ... Ralphie May died Friday from cardiac arrest after battling pneumonia for 6 weeks.

As we reported, Ralphie had performed at Harrah's the night before and afterward went to a private residence. He was in a bedroom -- presumably sleeping -- and was found Friday just after 1 PM.

Paramedics showed but Ralphie wasn't taken to a hospital. He was pronounced dead at 1:28 PM.

The coroner is now investigating, but by all accounts Ralphie died of a massive heart attack.

Tom Petty will be honored in his birthplace ... just as soon as the Mayor and citizens of Gainesville come up with a unique enough concept to honor the rock legend.

Mayor Lauren Poe -- who went to the same high school as Tom -- tells TMZ he's putting together a proposal to honor their hometown hero, but says no street sign or symbolic "Tom Petty Day'' will do.

Poe says if the city approves a Petty memorial, in theory, his next move will be fielding innovative and interactive suggestions from the public. He's looking for something recurring and interactive -- like an annual gathering for fans that would double as a memorial.

Hizzoner will get plenty of pitches -- we're told local musicians have been covering Petty tunes nonstop since his death Monday, and tribute bands are already reaching out to the Mayor.

Anton Yelchin once again stood among loved ones at his burial site this weekend and will remain that way thanks to his family ... TMZ has learned.

A bronze statue of Anton was unveiled Sunday above his grave at Hollywood Forever -- where the deceased actor was laid to rest after his tragic death more than a year ago.

Sources close to the service tell TMZ ... his family wanted their only son to have a ground monument, which is why he was moved from Mount Sinai Cemetery to Hollywood Forever shortly after he died. Mount Sinai does not allow ground monuments.

We broke the story ... Anton was crushed to death by his car after it rolled back and pinned him against a brick mailbox pillar at his home. His parents have been in a legal battle with Fiat Chrysler ever since, claiming their product caused his death.

Eyewitnesses tell us a few celebs came out to pay their respects to Anton during Sunday's service -- including Jennifer Lawrence, Zoe Saldana, Demi Moore and Simon Pegg.

Ralphie May was so sick a couple weeks before he died that he was forced to call in for a radio interview instead of being in studio ... and he sounded awful.

The comedian's interview with Albuquerque's "Carlos & Kiki in the Morning" from September 22 is telling -- he reveals he's been battling bronchitis for several days and is completely worn down. Still, he tells them he fought through it and did 8 shows in 6 days ... despite struggling to walk.

Ralphie's poor health didn't stop him from doing what he always did best during the call, though -- cracking jokes.

We broke the story ... May died of cardiac arrest Friday at a private residence in Vegas. He was 45.

1:50 PM PT -- TMZ has learned Ralphie died at a private residence in Vegas Friday morning. We're told he had been battling pneumonia for 6 weeks and died of cardiac arrest. According to his rep, someone in the residence discovered his body.

He had performed Thursday night at Harrah's in Vegas.

Comedian Ralphie May died Friday at the age of 45 ... TMZ has learned.

Ralphie had been battling pneumonia over the last week, but kept performing his scheduled gigs in Las Vegas.

Ralphie's stand-up comedy career took off after he finished second on "Last Comic Standing" in 2003. Since then he's had several televised comedy specials -- mostly on Netflix and Comedy Central -- and he's continued touring, almost nonstop, around the country.

His manager, Judi Marmel, tells us, "As his manager and his friend, I will miss his laugh, his generosity to fellow comedians, his trademark orneriness, and his enormous love of life. He left us entirely too soon -- and we can only wonder where his comedy might have taken all of us. We send our love to his family, his fans, and all the comics who shared stages with him across the country."

In 2015 he and his wife Lahna Turner, also a comedian, filed for divorce. Ralphie was devastated by the split and the ensuing custody battle over their 2 kids, April June May and August James May.

It's the end of an online era ... AOL is officially ending AIM.

"We’ve made the decision that we will be discontinuing AIM effective December 15, 2017," a rep for the company confirmed.

So, say goodbye to your buddy list ... kiss that yellow running man goodbye.

So, why is AIM being laid to rest?

"AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed," the company said.

Text messaging. Social media. Etc ... it's obvious it all played a role in AIM's demise.

Fun while it lasted, though.

Hugh Hefner's got game even in death, because someone made out with his crypt.

TMZ broke the story ... Hef's family had a very private, small ceremony last Saturday at L.A.'s Westwood Village Memorial Park, where he was entombed next to Marilyn Monroe.

Well just days later, someone planted lipstick kisses on Hef's crypt, and a few for good measure on Marilyn's.