RIP

10:50 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, "It appears the death could be an overdose and Joel Taylor was consuming controlled substances."

A passenger who interacted with Joel tells TMZ, Joel had consumed enough GHB on the dance floor Tuesday that he was rendered unconscious and taken off the dance floor by 2 people and back to his room.

"Storm Chaser" star Joel Taylor died from a suspected overdose on a cruise ship ... this according to passengers on the boat.

Passengers on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Harmony of the Seas tell TMZ ... drugs on the party boat were plentiful, and they say 38-year-old Taylor was partaking.

A rep for the boat tells us Taylor was found unresponsive in his cabin Tuesday and law enforcement was alerted when the boat arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

We're told among the drugs ... Ecstasy and cocaine. Passengers even posted on social media when they were boarding that several people were arrested at the Ft. Lauderdale port -- where the boat departed -- for possession of drugs.

Olivia Newton-John and famous DJ duo Galantis both performed on the boat Tuesday night.

Joel Taylor, who became famous chasing storms on Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers," has died ... this according to his friends.

Joel was on the show from the beginning in 2008 and was there for the entire 5-season run. Chasing storms was not just a TV thing for him ... he was following storms long before the show aired, having studied meteorology in college.

It's unclear how he died, but it appears it was not storm-related.

His best friend and co-star Reed Timmer said, "I am shocked and absolutely devastated by the loss of my incredible, caring friend."

Joel was 38. RIP.

Charles Manson's still on ice, but the battle's heating up for his body -- and the 3 lucky finalists in line for the corpse all have some issues, which have now fallen in a judge's lap.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ and filed by the Kern County Coroner, 3 men are claiming Manson's bod. The first is Michael Channels, who submitted the first will from Manson -- but it's only partially legible. Plus, Channels is listed as a witness, which casts doubt on the will's validity.

Contestant #2 is Matthew Robert Lentz, who claims to be Manson's son and also filed a will, but his only has 1 witness -- at least 2 are required -- so it's incomplete.

Last up ... Jason Freeman -- who says he's Manson's grandson -- filed legal docs to prove he's Charles Manson Jr.'s son ... seemingly making him the murderer's next of kin. The problem here is, before his death, Manson told prison officials he had no family.

In other words ... it's legal helter skelter. Good luck sorting it out, your honor!

One of the guys who played Tinky Winky -- the allegedly gay Teletubby -- has died.

Simon Shelton died last week, according to his son, who told the BBC his dad passed last Wednesday. Shelton's niece, Emily Atack, said her uncle was "taken so suddenly."

Simon scored the "Teletubbies" role as the purple Teletubby after the original actor was fired in 1997. He stayed in the purple suit through 2001.

Tinky Winky was accused of being gay by deceased televangelist Jerry Falwell, who once wrote ... "He is purple -- the gay pride color, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle -- the gay pride symbol."

Yes, that actually happened.

Shelton was 52. RIP

Dolores O'Riordan's bandmates, family and friends gathered to lay her to rest Tuesday in the band's hometown.

The surviving Cranberries -- Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan and Fergal Lawler -- were in Limerick for her funeral service at St. Ailbe's Church ... the church where she once played and sang in the choir.

Her loved ones, as well as hundreds of fans, have been mourning for several days ... beginning with a memorial service on Sunday.

Doloroes was found dead in a London hotel room last week. As for cause of death ... her reps and police will only say she died suddenly. She was 46.

Irish radio stations simultaneously played the Cranberries '96 hit, "When You're Gone" shortly after noon.

Hollywood's oldest working actress, Connie Sawyer, died at home after an incredibly long and prolific career.

Connie reportedly passed away at her Woodland Hills home. Unclear exactly how, but she was 105 ... so presumably it's related to her age.

The longtime actress got her start in Tinseltown at the age of 18, and has over 140 acting credits to her name -- most of which were TV roles.

Sawyer's been on a number of hit shows over her six-decade career, including "The Jackie Gleason Show," "The Andy Griffith Show," "All in the Family," 'Mary Tyler Moore,' "Starsky & Hutch," "Seinfeld," ... and on and on.

She's also starred in movies like "Dumb and Dumber," "Pineapple Express," "When Harry Met Sally..." and "The Way West."

RIP

The marketing team behind "Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G" found a brilliant spot to promote the series ... right above Biggie's actual murder scene.

B.I.G. was gunned down March 9, 1997 as he left L.A.'s Petersen Automotive Museum -- on the corner of South Fairfax & Wilshire. Now, a huge billboard right above that intersection shows his face with the tagline "20 Years. Still Unsolved."

The true crime scripted series also covers Tupac's murder, which happened 6 months before Biggie's. There is no billboard up at the Vegas intersection where 'Pac was killed. Not yet, anyway.

The show premieres February 27.

#HonkforBiggie.

Dolores O'Riordan was mourned by hundreds this weekend in her native Ireland during an open coffin public reposal -- where bystanders said goodbye to the Cranberries singer.

Dolores' body was on display Sunday at St. Joseph's Church, where mourners flocked to pay their respects to the Irish rock star. The casket remained open, and some fans reportedly said she looked "at peace" ... according to the Irish Times.

Her mother and six siblings were in attendance, and her Cranberries bandmates left a floral tribute beside her coffin which read ... "The song has ended, but the memories linger on."

As we reported ... Dolores died this past week while recording in London. Her rep said she died "suddenly" and cops are treating the death as "unexplained" for now ... no further details have been released. Friends of hers told us she'd been "dreadfully depressed" as of late, and was also suffering from back pain.

Dolores will be laid to rest next to her father Tuesday at Caherelly Cemetery in County Limerick, Ireland.

RIP

Rapper Fredo Santana died Friday night from a seizure ... family members tell TMZ.

The Chicago rapper who is a cousin of Chief Keef was at his L.A. home Friday. We're told his girlfriend came over at around 11:30 PM and found him dead on the floor.

Santana had been hospitalized recently for liver and kidney problems he'd been battling for months.

The rapper had talked openly about his lean addiction ... as we've reported way too many times, lean can trigger seizures.

A number of rappers including Drake have gone on social media the last few hours to pay their respects.

He had an 8-month old son.

Fredo was 27. RIP.

Tom Petty's oasis for over a decade can be yours ... at a bargain price.

The late singer's crib in Lake Sherwood -- a ritzy area near the famed Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, CA -- hit the market for $5.495 million. The 5,300 square foot pad has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms but one of the best features is 125 feet of lake frontage on a private cul-de-sac.

It's built for a rock star -- the walls are 2 feet thick!!! And talk about location, location, location -- the house is 3 minutes from the country club and just 9 miles from the Malibu coast.

Tom bought the crib back in 2007 and put it on the market just a few months before his shocking death back in October. It was initially listed for $5.895 million but was listed just days ago with a discount.

Tom Petty's autopsy results are in, and they show the singer died from an accidental drug overdose as a result of taking a variety of medications.

The L.A. County Coroner says a number of Tom's organs failed due to "mixed drug toxicity."

The autopsy report says when paramedics arrived he was in full cardiac arrest, but CPR revived him -- but on the way to the hospital he lost pulse for 20 minutes. He went into cardiac arrest a second time in the hospital and died 21 hours after being admitted.

Tom's autopsy report shows the singer was on several pain meds, including Fentanyl patches, oxycodone (Oxycontin), temazepam (Restoril), alprazolam (Xanax), citalopram (Celexa), acetyl fentanyl and despropionyl fentanyl. The reason doctors prescribed the meds was because of a number of medical problems, including emphysema, knee problems and a fractured hip.

The family says the linchpin to Tom's demise was the fractured hip. He insisted on touring for 53 concert dates with the condition, which worsened over time and caused him to take the meds. On the date he had the heart attack he was told his hip had graduated to a full-on break that made the pain unbearable and may have caused the overuse of meds.

The autopsy says Petty suffered from coronary artery atherosclerosis.

As we reported ... Tom's official death certificate left his cause of death as "deferred," leaving it as a mystery until now.

We broke the story ... Tom went into full cardiac arrest before being taken to a hospital in L.A. He eventually died when his family took him off life support.

Fentanyl was also linked to the deaths of Prince and Lil Peep.

Tom was 66.

TMZ Sports has obtained Roy Halladay's autopsy report -- in which the coroner lists the cause of death as blunt trauma and drowning ... but points out the MLB star had morphine in his system.

The 40-year-old died in a single passenger plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico back in November. As we previously reported, Halladay was flying in an erratic pattern shortly before the crash.

The toxicology results show Halladay had zolpidem (the generic name for Ambien), as well as morphine in his system at the time of the crash. The tests also came back positive for amphetamines.

One source familiar with the autopsy tells us the results are consistent with someone who uses Rx medication.

One thing of note ... the FDA lists on its website that more than 50 ng/ml of zolpidem "appears capable of impairing driving to a degree that increases the risk of a motor vehicle accident."

Halladay's blood tested positive for 72 ng/ml.

The autopsy report notes that morphine can be found in the system as a result of heroin use -- however sources tell us there is no indication Halladay had been using heroin or any other "clandestine drug."

The report also shows Hallday suffered a subdural hemorrhage in the crash -- along with multiple rib fractures and lung, liver and spleen injuries. He also had a leg fracture.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Dept. reported at the time that Roy was the only person aboard the ICON A5 light-sport aircraft when it went down.

The 8-time MLB All-Star was a pitcher for the Phillies and the Blue Jays and a two-time Cy Young Award winner during his 16-year career.. He's one of only 2 players in MLB history to throw a no-hitter in the playoffs. He also pitched a perfect game for the Phillies in 2010.

Chelsea Handler's dog, Chunk -- who became famous on her show -- has died.

Handler made the announcement Thursday, saying, "I’m crying because of how much I loved him. My chunky monkey. I love you, baby. Softest doggy in the world."

The talk show host also lost her dog, Tammy, in August after suffering kidney failure.

Chunk was a staple on "Chelsea" and made regular appearances on her various social media platforms.

It's unclear how Chunk died, but he was recently battling health issues of his own.

RIP.

Zac Efron's coiffed hair is working in his favor when it comes portraying notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, because it appears he didn't even need a wig to pull off a spot-on impersonation.

Zac's playing Bundy in the flick "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile," which will chronicle Bundy's gross crimes. The photo mimicking Bundy's infamous mugshot is eerie.

Bundy was executed in the electric chair back in '89 after admitting to murdering more than 30 women, 12 of whom he decapitated.

The Game's father, George Taylor, died unexpectedly in his sleep Wednesday morning ... TMZ has learned.

We're told a family member found him unresponsive in his home in Apple Valley, CA ... and alerted a neighbor who called 911. The Fire Dept. arrived at 8:30 AM this morning. He was unresponsive, and transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

We're told, at this point, It doesn't appear there's any foul play. The coroner's office has George's body now, and is investigating.

Game rapped about his dad in the song, "Bloody Moon," off one of his albums. The lyrics on the track go, "My father left me when I was seven, at a home / Left me but took his chrome, I looked up and blood was gone / Man, fuck it, guess in the world I'm all alone."

They've had an off/on relationship since Game's been an adult. It's unclear what the status of their relationship was recently.

Glenn Frey was left sick and suffering during his dying days because of the poor treatment at a hospital ... according to a new suit filed by his widow.

Cindy Frey alleges the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and Steven Itzkowitz failed to properly render medical care to her husband -- the co-founder and guitarist for the Eagles -- the last couple months of his life ... until he died in January 2016.

Cindy claims the medical workers were negligent in treating Frey's ulcerative colitis, failed to properly assess respiratory issues, failed to treat infection, failed to consider side effects of medications and didn't properly advise him of the risks to his health and life.

According to the docs, first reported by the NY Post ... Frey was "rendered sick, sore, lame and disabled, suffered injuries, pain, mental anguish ... and was permanently injured and disabled until the time of his death."