RIP

Stephen A. Smith says he's devastated over the death of his friend Rasual Butler -- telling TMZ Sports they knew each other for years ... and the NBA player was a really good dude.

"Just incredibly sad," the ESPN star said ... "He's a good guy. We have Philly roots together. I've known him for many years. I love his wife. Love his family."

"The world lost a good brother."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Butler lost control of his Range Rover in Studio City, CA early Wednesday morning and slammed into a wall -- killing him and his wife, who was a passenger in the car.

Ex-NBA player Rasual Butler and his wife -- a singer who appeared on "American Idol" -- were both killed in a single car crash in Studio City, CA early Wednesday morning, TMZ Sports has learned.

38-year-old Butler -- who was drafted by the Miami Heat in 2002 -- lost control of his Range Rover around 2 AM, struck a parking meter and slammed into a wall. The car flipped.

Officers believe the car was speeding before it lost control.

Butler had a long NBA career after an impressive run at La Salle -- where he was a 2-time First Team All-Atlantic 10 Player. He's a member of the La Salle Hall of Athletics.

He went on to play in the NBA until 2016 -- with stints on the Hornets, Clippers, Bulls, Raptors, Pacers, Wizards and Spurs.

Rasual most recently played in Ice Cube's BIG3 league.

Butler's wife Leah LaBelle, 31, was an R&B singer who was signed to Epic Records. She placed 12th on the 3rd Season of "American Idol" back in 2004.

Rasual is survived by a daughter from a previous relationship, Raven Butler.

R.I.P.

Rasual Butler's death is hitting the NBA hard -- with his friends and former teammates sending their condolences to Butler's family.

John Wall -- "I will always remember the time we shared together as teammates, you were the big brother. I appreciate the advice you shared, not just about basketball but life. Sending my deepest condolences to the families of Rasual and Leah. May you both rest in peace."

Blake Griffin -- "You were a great teammate and an even better person. Rest in peace my friend."

LaMarcus Aldridge -- "Devastated to hear the news about the passing of my former teammate, Rasual, & his wife. My thoughts and prayers go out to their families during this difficult time. Rasual was an amazing teammate and an even better person. He will truly be missed!"

Kyle Lowry -- "I remember I called you when you got drafted on draft night and I was at a camp and I wanted to show off because I knew you and you answered the phone for a 16 year old who was one of your biggest fans.. this is truly a sad day for me !! RIP Sual bop my oldhead!!"

Austin Rivers -- "It was a pleasure meeting you man. Getting to work with you last year was amazing. For you were not only a knowledgeable player....but more so a great man! Smh Crazy this just happened. May you and your wife RIP in heaven."

Kevin Love -- "Incredibly sad news to hear about Rasual Butler and his wife Leah. Prayers to both of their families through this tough time."

Ray Allen -- "I cannot believe this!!!!!!!!!My heart is heavy!!! We lost a good one today! RIP Rasual you were such a great talent on the court but an even better man off it! My thoughts are with the entire Butler family as they mourn the tragic loss of their son/brother and his beautiful wife, Leah. Gone too soon. Rest in power."

Reggie Miller -- "Saddened by the news and the loss of Rasual Butler and his wife Leah. Talk about a great dude and family man. I know he had many stops during his 13 year NBA journey, but he was beloved becasue of his work ethic in Indiana. New guardian Angels."

Paul Pierce -- "So sad this morning to here about my friend and teammate 😢 RIP Rasual Butler appreciate the people around u because u never know."

Chauncey Billups -- "I’m shocked, saddened and in disbelief about the news on my friend Rasual Butler and his wife Leah. May God be with their families. We will miss you 'Sul.'"

Allen Iverson -- "Rest easy my brother. See you when I get there!!!"

Shaq -- "Still can’t believe the news about my main man SOOL BOP. #riprasualbutler🏀#THELILHOMIEFROMPHILLY."

Kobe Bryant -- "Rest In Peace my brother #RasualButler."

Miami Heat -- "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Rasual Butler and his wife, Leah LaBelle. Our sincere condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the family and many friends of Rasual and Leah. They will be missed."

L.A. Clippers -- "The L.A. Clippers are deeply saddened by the loss of Rasual Butler and his wife, Leah LaBelle. Rasual will long be remembered not only for his accomplishments on the court, but for his vibrant personality, positive outlook and the compassion he had for everyone around him."

Disney star Adam Hicks' world was crumbling long before his arrest for armed robbery, due to his brother doing time, and his mother passing away ... TMZ has learned.

Adam's little brother, Tristan, was the driver in a 2014 car crash in Vegas that killed a 17-year-old girl. Police say she died after she was ejected from the car.

Tristan, who was 18 at the time, took off on foot. He was eventually arrested for fleeing the scene.

Sources tell us Adam had recently gone to Vegas to testify at his brother's parole hearing. Adam paid for Tristan's bail and most of his legal fees during the case.

Things went further south a year later when Adam's mother, Lucy, died unexpectedly from a heart attack. We're told Tristan's accident had weighed heavily on her.

Jane Lynch is clearly struggling with Mark Salling's apparent suicide ... for several complicated reasons.

Jane was out in L.A. just a few hours after TMZ broke the story her former "Glee" co-star was found dead. Police believe he hanged himself. Jane said the news was "sad and very tragic."

As for how she'll remember Salling? Watch the video, and you can tell Jane was reaching for the right words -- especially in light of the fact Salling had entered a guilty plea to child pornography charges.

Ultimately, she took the high road and shared a story about his early days on the "Glee" set.

11:05 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us Salling's body was found hanging from a tree.

10:45 AM PT -- We're told police received a call to do a "welfare check" on Salling and somehow that led them to the baseball field where his body was found. We're told Salling had been dead for some time.

Our sources say a family member came to the LAPD station at 3 AM Tuesday to report Salling as a missing person.

We're told homicide detectives are on scene to rule out foul play, but they say all signs point to suicide by hanging.

Mark Salling committed suicide by hanging, according to law enforcement ... TMZ has learned.

We're told his body was found near a riverbed in Sunland ... the area where he lived. Law enforcement tells us Salling was hanging from a tree.

We've learned the address where Salling was found dead near a little league field adjacent to a creek.

The former "Glee" star was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors.

Prosecutors say he had 50,000 images of underage children.

Sentencing in the case was set for March. He was expected to get 4 to 7 years in prison as part of a plea deal.

TMZ broke the story ... Salling had cut his wrists back in August and it appeared to be a suicide attempt, although his lawyer denied it.

Salling was 35.

Gene Simmons wants rockers to say no to drugs ... not just because it's killing the musicians, but mostly because of its impact on fans.

We got the KISS frontman Monday at LAX and asked him to elaborate on his upcoming memoir, "27," in which he details stories about famous rock stars who died at that age.

Gene, who says he's never boozed or done a drug, says his fellow rockers gotta remember there are kids out there following their every move ... and the drug use influences them.

The alleged grandson of Charles Manson has just lost his bid to get the killer's remains.

A judge just ruled Jason Freeman does not have a right -- at least not now -- to pick up the remains from the prison where Manson died.

Freeman is one of 3 people who have tried to take possession of the remains and Manson's estate.

It appears the reason the judge rejected the claim was because Freeman filed his case in Los Angeles and Manson died in Kern County ... in other words, the judge lacked jurisdiction.

Roddy Piper's kids were downright emotional when talking about how much Ronda Rousey means to their family ... and what a special moment it was to see her wearing the WWE legend's jacket.

TMZ Sports spoke with Colt Toombs and Ariel Teal Toombs about the plan to let Ronda wear Roddy's trademark fashion accessory at the Royal Rumble ... and the backstory might make you cry.

Of course, Roddy passed away in 2015 ... and both Colt and Ariel tell us Ronda personally vowed to them that she would do everything in her power to keep his legacy alive.

FYI, Ronda has always said Piper was her inspiration ... and she had personally asked him for permission to use his nickname back in the day. He obliged.

Now, Roddy's kids say she's doing a damn fine job keeping his spirit alive and they support her 100% moving forward.

The mother of Joe McKnight's 8-year-old son tells TMZ Sports ... the man who shot the ex-NFL running back is a cold-blooded killer and is begging the court to keep him locked up for LIFE.

We spoke with Michelle Quick -- who dated Joe back in the day and stayed on close, good terms with him over the years as they co-parented their son, Jaiden.

In fact, Michelle attended Ronald Gasser's trial every day and strongly believes he should have been convicted of 2nd degree murder instead of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Gasser is facing up to 40 years in prison for shooting and killing McKnight in Dec. 2016. The sentencing phase of the case is set for March 15.

"He never needs to walk the streets ever again," Quick tells us ... "I think the proper sentence is life in prison. He never needs to be out in society."

Gasser is 56-years-old -- so the maximum 40-year sentence would essentially serve a life sentence.

McKnight's son Jaiden -- with the permission of his mother -- told us he loves and misses his father tremendously and in our video he explains why his dad was the best ever.

Prince's estate says it's won a legal battle with the producer who's fighting to put out unreleased music ... and they're asking the court to sign off on the victory.

According to docs filed by the estate ... George Boxill never responded to the estate's lawsuit. Boxill says he has unreleased tracks he worked on with Prince between 2006 and 2008. The estate sued to block him from putting out the tunes.

Boxill had until Jan. 23 to respond, but the estate says he's been radio silent.

If the court signs off ... Boxill will have to come up with a good excuse, or the estate will get an injunction blocking him from cashing in on Prince's music.

The Playboy Mansion desperately needs a fix up, and the work just got approved by the folks who will, most likely, designate Hef's old crib a city landmark ... TMZ has learned.

The mansion's new owner, Daren Metropoulos, has been cleared to replace plumbing and to repair dry rot and termite damage. The city of Los Angeles issued permits for the work earlier this week, but Daren had an extra hurdle due to the push to make it an Historic-Cultural Monument.

City officials tell us the Monument application is currently under consideration, which means renovations would normally be on hold. We're told the permits were approved in this case because the mansion's in a bad way, and it was critical for the work to be done ASAP.

As we reported, Playboy sold the mansion to Metropoulos in 2016 for $100 million, and Hugh Hefner was allowed to live in the crib until he died in September 2017.

The cruise on which "Storm Chasers" star Joel Taylor allegedly died of an OD continues to be party central ... with abundant drug use.

A "White Party" was held Thursday night on the cruise ship and passengers tell us drugs were everywhere ... including ketamine and ecstasy.

TMZ broke the story ... law enforcement sources tell us they believe Taylor's death was an OD. Passengers told us Taylor consumed enough GHB Monday night to lapse into unconsciousness on the dance floor. He was taken back to his room where he was later found unresponsive.

Joel Taylor's death is officially off the FBI's plate -- for now at least ... TMZ has learned.

Carlos Osorio -- a spokesman for the FBI's San Juan Division -- tells TMZ the feds have been pulled off the "Storm Chasers" star's case, and it's been passed back to local authorities.

Osorio says FBI members conducted a preliminary investigation on the cruise ship Taylor died on this week, and concluded his death was not the result of a violent crime. That, coupled with other factors he wouldn't elaborate on, made U.S. officials determine the case was no longer in the FBI's jurisdiction.

Here's the catch -- if it's determined Taylor's death is linked to murder ... we're told the feds could reopen the investigation. That doesn't seem likely -- Taylor's death appears to be tied to a drug OD.

As we reported ... Taylor was so out of it after consuming what we're told was GHB that he was rendered unconscious on the dance floor and had to be carried to his room. Passengers told us drug us was rampant on the cruise ship as passengers partied.

No arrests have been made, and local police in San Juan are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding Taylor's demise.

The cruise line on which "Storm Chasers" star Joel Taylor died of an apparent OD this week does not allow illegal drugs on the boat ... which raises the question -- how did they ignore a river of drugs on board?

Royal Caribbean International tells TMZ they have a "zero tolerance" policy when it comes to drugs. If the crew finds them, they confiscate them.

So the question ... multiple passengers tell us drug use was out in the open ... flagrant and notorious. The parties were drug-fueled and, as we reported, Taylor was so out of it he fell into unconsciousness on the dance floor and had to be carried to his room after allegedly consuming GHB.

As we reported ... we're told several passengers suspected of drug possession were stopped after drug-sniffing dogs zeroed in on them at the Ft. Lauderdale port where the ship departed.

TMZ broke the story ... the FBI is now investigating Taylor's death and has already spoken to folks at the cruise line to find out what went down on board.

The apparent drug overdose that led to the death of a "Storm Chaser" star on a cruise ship has triggered an FBI investigation ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

TMZ broke the story ... "Storm Chaser" star Joel Taylor had been doing GHB late Monday night going into Tuesday morning, dancing during a wild party, when he lapsed into unconsciousness. Taylor was carried into his cabin and left there. He was pronounced dead later that morning.

We're told there were huge quantities of party drugs on board the ship, including cocaine, Ecstasy and GHB. Our sources say several people were arrested before the ship left the Ft. Lauderdale port.

After Taylor died, the boat docked in Puerto Rico and passengers tell us there was a lot of commotion involving drugs on board the Royal Caribbean ship, Harmony of the Seas.

Passengers tell us, the night Taylor apparently OD'd, drugs were flowing freely among many of the partygoers.

We're told the FBI is investigating the circumstances of Taylor's death, how the drugs got on board and who supplied them.