RIP

3:56 PM PT -- O'Reilly is apologizing to Eric, and says "The message I tried to send was that allegations harm kids. Nothing more."

Ex-Fox News Channel anchor Eric Bolling is firing a warning shot to his old co-worker Bill O'Reilly for bringing up his son's death to the New York Times -- the message ... back off.

Bolling released a statement Monday in response to an interview O'Reilly did with the Times over the weekend -- in which the fired FNC host suggested Bolling's son, Eric Jr., was dead because of stories the paper ran about his dad. Eric Sr. doesn't mince words, even for Bill.

Bolling says, "I believe it is beyond inappropriate for anyone to bring in the tragic death of my son Eric Chase Bolling Jr. Just as Bill O'Reilly had wanted to shield his children from the allegations against him, I hope he will honor my request and avoid any future mentions of my son. My parting from Fox News was in no way connected to ... my son's passing."

He goes on to say that the coroner has indicated to him that Eric Jr.'s death was an accident ... and to also take a shot at Bill directly by saying ... "Unlike others who left Fox News amid public allegations and extensive investigations, I parted ways with Fox News in an amicable way and any reference to a firing is flatly wrong."

As we reported ... Eric Jr. died in bed after suffering emotional torture. The coroner has not announced cause of death.

11:56 AM PT -- A rep for Mia St. John tells TMZ, Mia -- Kristoff's ex-wife -- is NOT the one who called police or got the photos of him holding a gun to his head.

'Young and The Restless' star Kristoff St. John was hospitalized and placed under psychiatric evaluation after allegedly threatening to kill himself with a gun.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... an ex of Kristoff's called cops Thursday evening and told them Kristoff had been sending her photos showing the soap star holding a gun to his head.

When cops arrived, they confiscated 2 guns and placed Kristoff under a 72-hour hold for mental evaluation. Sources close to Kristoff tell us the 2-year anniversary of his son Julian's suicide is fast approaching -- November 23 -- and that had him very, very upset.

Kristoff's ex set up the "El Saber es Poder" ("Knowledge is Power") Foundation to battle mental illness following Julian's death.

The woman who claimed she became suicidal after Jim Carrey gave her herpes created an elaborate extortion scheme with fake medical records to make it seem she was clean before she met Jim ... this according to new legal docs.

Carrey now claims Cathriona White -- who committed suicide in 2015 -- had herpes before they met, but needed to change the facts. So he says she got her friend's medical records showing a clean bill of health, and then altered them to make it appear the records were hers.

According to Carrey's new legal docs, White then presented the before and after medical records, claiming it was proof -- the only change was that she started having sex with him and got genital herpes.

Carrey claims in legal docs they have a smoking gun in the form of text messages from White to her friend ... asking the friend numerous times to go to Planned Parenthood to get her medical records and one of the text messages says, "I need to see the layout ... I will need to work on it before I give it to him."

The new docs were filed in connection with a lawsuit brought by White's husband and mother, who claim Carrey gave her the disease and that's why she killed herself.

Carrey's legal team just made an ultimatum ... either ante up non-forged medical records or admit she had multiple STDs before she even met the actor.

Michael Avenatti, attorney for Cathriona's estate, tells us Carrey's new claim is "complete and utter bulls**t. When the truth comes out, Mr. Carrey and certain of his advisers are going to be criminally prosecuted for their conduct in this case. They better buckle up."

Jim Lahey will return to Sunnyvale Trailer Park in the upcoming season of "Trailer Park Boys" -- but the character won't be back after that ... TMZ has learned.

Sources involved in the production tell us John Dunsworth's character will not be recast after season 12. We're told Dunsworth completed filming for the season before his death this week.

We're told producers believe Dunsworth is irreplaceable in that role, and it would damage the franchise to put another actor in the role.

Dunsworth played the drunken cop-turned-security guard on 'Boys' since its debut in 2001.

As we reported ... Dunsworth's died Monday after a brief and unexpected illness. He was 71.

Chester Bennington was all about his modern family -- 6 children from 3 relationships -- and made provisions in his will to make sure they remained tight after he was gone.

According to Chester's will -- filed in probate court in L.A. County, and obtained by TMZ -- he said, "I request that my children's mothers or Guardians encourage and allow my children to visit with one another and with my extended family and the extended family of my Spouse on a regular and ongoing basis, so that my children know that they have a large and loving family."

He instructed the trustee of his family trust to make sure they all get money to cover travel expenses.

Chester and his widow, Talinda, had 3 children together, he had one from his first marriage to Samantha Olit -- and before that, he had one child with a girlfriend in Arizona. He later adopted that girlfriend's other son.

As for how much money the Linkin Park frontman left behind -- that's all under wraps in his trust.

One other interesting note -- Talinda is the executor of Chester's will, but the alternate executor is his former business manager, Jonathan Schwartz. We say former because Schwartz is now doing time in federal prison for wire fraud. He also managed Alanis Morissette, Mariah and Beyonce and was arrested for embezzling millions from his famous clients.

"Project Runway" finalist Mychael Knight was still hard at work one month before his death, but an intestinal disorder was already taking a visible toll on his body.

TMZ obtained a video of Mychael at what's believed to be the last fashion show he attended ... on September 8 in NYC. While the beloved designer was posing with models ... irritable bowel syndrome left him looking incredibly fragile.

As we reported ... the season 3 sensation died Tuesday morning in a Georgia hospital where he'd been getting treatment for IBS ... which he said was destroying his immune system.

He was 39.

Justin Trudeau needs a hug today, and some tissues -- the Canadian Prime Minister completely lost it while talking about the death of his friend, The Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie.

Trudeau was a huge fan of the beloved Canadian rock band, and went to their last gig a year ago.

He addressed Downie's death Wednesday, saying Gord loved Canada deeply and wanted to make it a better place. As he fought back tears, Trudeau said, "We are less of a country without [him]."

Downie died Tuesday night after an almost 2-year battle with brain cancer. He was 53.

Trudeau's news conference was just the start ... he also posted a heartfelt statement honoring his pal as "a rock star, artist, and poet whose evocative lyrics came to define a country." #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.