RIP

One of the passengers who died on that helicopter that crashed into NYC's East River captured the aircraft's takeoff and posted it moments before they went down.

Trevor Cadigan (closest to camera) was recording video as the Eurocopter AS350 lifted off from a New Jersey heliport. Trevor, and others onboard, smiled and gave a thumbs-up to the camera. Tragically, their flight only lasted 11 minutes.

As we reported, the chopper crashed Sunday and slammed down into the river, killing all 5 passengers. The pilot, Richard Vance, was the only survivor.

Vance told investigators a passenger's bag might have hit an emergency fuel shut-off button, causing the chopper to lose power and eventually crash. The NTSB is investigating.

Bobby Brown says he's willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Nick Gordon's girlfriend doesn't suffer the same fate as Bobbi Kristina.

Bobby -- through his attorney Christopher Brown -- says he'd like to personally lend a helping hand to Laura Leal, and offer her services through the Bobbi Kristina Brown Serenity House. Bobby says, "Domestic violence killed my daughter ... I do not want to see any more families destroyed at the hands of domestic violence and I do not want any more women to suffer like my daughter did."

The offer comes a day after Gordon's arrest for domestic violence. As we reported ... Leal told cops he struck her several times after picking him up from a bar. Cops noticed visible marks and arrested Gordon.

Hubert de Givenchy -- the legendary fashion designer to celebs like Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy -- has died at his home near Paris.

Givenchy died in his sleep Saturday night, according to his longtime partner, designer Philippe Venet.

Hepburn famously wore Givenchy's designs in several of her movies, including "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Sabrina" -- and she went on to become an ambassador for his brand.

Jackie, Iman, Candice Swanepoel and even Cam Newton rocked G's threads over the years.

He might not brag about this one, but Lindsay Lohan famously wore Givenchy back in 2012 ... during one of her many, many, many court appearances.

Givenchy founded his design house in 1952, and it's now owned by the luxury fashion company LVMH. He was 91.

O.J. Simpson never took the stand in his trial of the century, but his upcoming TV special is as close as you're gonna get to that ... according to Soledad O’Brien who's hosting it.

Soledad tells us 'The Lost Confession?' is the most bizarre 2 hours of TV she's ever worked on for a bunch of reasons. For starters, she says Simpson's mannerisms are suspect. We know ... understatement, but in particular, she was struck by the timing of his laughter.

Also, Soledad's stumped by Simpson's description of an accomplice named "Charlie." She points out investigators had zero knowledge of such a person -- but she's got a few theories.

We also told you about O.J.'s lawyer calling Judith Regan, the woman who published his book, 'If I Did It,' and straight-up said Simpson murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman ... this according to Regan herself.

Rick Ross isn't the only person to suffer a medical emergency at his home recently ... his manager died there just months before Ross' hospitalization.

According to the investigation report ... cops were called to the rapper's Florida home on December 8 because Black Bo stopped breathing. He was found lying on his back on the bathroom floor when the officer arrived.

Rick's manager was pronounced dead shortly after fire rescue arrived on scene. The captain noted there was vomit in the toilet.

According to the report ... Rick, Black and others were out partying the night before and didn't get back to Ross' home 'til around 5 AM. Rick told the cop Black didn't seem like himself at the club, and may not have been feeling well.

One of Black's friends tried calling Black several times but he didn't answer, so he went into his room and found him unresponsive in the bathroom.

According to the report, the medical examiner determined Black's cause of death was atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease ... clogging of the arteries.

Black Bo was 45.

A student dialed 911 from inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when Nikolas Cruz started shooting ... and you can feel the pandemonium and terror in his voice.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office released 10 of the 81 calls placed on February 14 ... when Cruz marched into his former high school and brutally murdered 17 people with an AR-15.

In one call, you hear the student whisper to the emergency operator that "Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is being shot up." In another call, you can hear a parent on the phone with a child in the high school, telling the student to stay locked in a classroom and play dead.

Harrison Ford is honoring his pal, Mark Hamill, but he also has their beloved co-star Carrie Fisher on the mind.

Han Solo came out to support Luke Skywalker -- sans the Millennium Falcon this time -- as Hamill finally got his well-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "Star Wars" creator George Lucas was there too, so definitely a strong presence for the Force.

The most bittersweet moment of the ceremony came when Harrison took a moment to shout out Carrie.

O.J. Simpson's sociopathic personality came out in full bloom during his interview for the upcoming FOX special as he described how he just kinda calmly tapped Nicole Brown Simpson's car with a baseball bat.

It's pretty incredible ... during Simpson's interview with Judith Regan, he describes a 1985 incident that was discussed during the 1995 murder trial, where Simpson took a bat to Nicole's car and smashed her windshield. Police were called, and as Nicole cried hysterically, the cop asked if she was Ok and O.J. jumped in, "She's my wife. She's Ok ... I broke the windshield. It's mine. There's no trouble here."

Watch the video. Simpson makes it sound like he was just calmly fiddling with the bat when it accidentally touched the rim of her car, and when Nicole protested, he hit "the front" of the car and said the ride was his 'cause he paid for it.

Simpson doesn't give a hint of the rage he was feeling as he exploded with the bat on her windshield. And just like the car, it's pretty clear from the trial he also felt he owned Nicole.

BTW ... the cop who responded to the incident ... Mark Fuhrman.

"America's Got Talent" is being sued for the wrongful death of a woman who was injured as she tried to maneuver a motorized wheelchair over cables for the show's taping ... according to the suit.

Maureen Allen was working as a volunteer at the Pasadena Convention Center in March 2017, and 'AGT' was also on the premises preparing for a taping ... according to docs, obtained by TMZ. In the suit, Maureen's estate says a large power cord protector was blocking the only disabled access ramp to the auditorium.

The estate says Maureen tried to roll over the protector, but her front wheel got caught and her scooter flipped on its side ... violently throwing her to the ground. According to the suit she suffered severe injuries to her head, arms, and hip.

She had to be hospitalized, and suffered a stroke the next day. She also had to have hip surgery and remained in declining health for several months. After 8 surgeries she was put on life support in June ... and died shortly thereafter.

Chrissy Teigen's adored bulldog -- who'd been with her and her family since the first year she began dating John Legend -- "has gone on to the pup heavens."

Chrissy shared the sad news Wednesday, saying Puddy had passed after being by her side for 10 years "through every up, down, new house, new city, new tour, new travel. He welcomed new pups and loved on new babies and new bellies. He was there for everything."

It's true Puddy loved her baby, Luna ... as shown in this sweet video of him giving her kisses.

The bulldog lived quite the life, from being Chrissy's "taste tester" to her red carpet companion ... and even getting married! That's right -- he is survived by his wife, Pippa.

The Playboy Mansion will remain one of L.A.'s most iconic properties, but it will NOT be added to the city's list of historic cultural landmarks.

The mansion's new billionaire owner, Daren Metropoulos, struck a deal with city officials in which the property will be permanently protected -- regardless of future owners -- but will not be subject to some of the normal restrictions attached to historic landmarks or monuments.

The new agreement locks in Daren's previous commitment to "not demolish the main residence and will repair the facade of the structure while maintaining its original condition as part of his extensive renovation."

Basically, the deal allows Daren to transform the mansion without a landmark status that would have added a lot of red tape. He says Hugh Hefner was aware of his renovation plans.

Bobby Brown believes Whitney Houston and their daughter are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to justice in their deaths, but says there's a way to make things right for both of them.

Bobby recently told Rolling Stone he thinks Whitney died from a broken heart, and Monday at LAX, he told us the official record -- Whitney's death certificate -- should be adjusted. The Coroner said Whitney had several drugs in her system and heart disease and cocaine use were contributing factors to her death.

Bill Cosby didn't get any sympathy points from the judge who will preside over his new trial ... His Honor rejected his bid to get the case tossed.

The disgraced comedian was in court Monday in Norristown, Pennsylvania where his lawyer, Tom Mesereau, tried to get the case tossed. The judge offered his condolences and then rejected Mesereau's bid.

TMZ broke the story ... Cosby's daughter, Ensa, died in Massachusetts last week of renal failure.

David Odgen Stiers -- best known for playing Major Charles Winchester on "M*A*S*H" -- has died after a battle with bladder cancer ... according to his agent.

The actor joined the cast of "M*A*S*H" in 1977, playing an arrogant aristocrat and talented surgeon who filled the void left by the departure of the show's Frank Burns character. Stiers did it splendidly too ... earning himself 2 Emmy nominations.

Stiers went on to have a successful career as a voice actor, as well ... voicing characters in popular Disney movies such as Cogsworth in "Beauty and the Beast" and Jumba in "Lilo & Stitch."

In 2009, David revealed he was gay and no longer afraid to hide it, saying in an interview he was "Very proud to be so."

Stiers reportedly died peacefully at his home in Newport, Oregon.

He was 75.

The hearse used to carry Martin Luther King Jr.'s body following his assassination is up for sale ... for the price of beachfront property.

After MLK Jr. was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital in Memphis on April 4, 1968, he was transported to the funeral home in this white 1966 Cadillac Superior Royale Coach with a black top. The hearse was used again the day after his funeral to take his body to the airport.

The current owner bought the hearse in 2007 -- after it was in storage for nearly 40 years -- and fully restored it to its original condition ... but wants to sell it now.

We're told the seller hopes it eventually ends up at the National Museum of African American History and Culture so it can be on display to the public ... but not before scoring him a huge payday.

The hearse can be purchased right now for a cool $2.5 mil on Momentsintime.com.

Director Curtis Hanson's baby mama took advantage of his finances in his final years, and screwed over his producing partner in the process ... according to new legal docs.

Carol Fenelon claims Rebecca Yeldham, the mother of Hanson's teenage son, moved money from Curtis's business accounts -- which Fenelon was left in charge of after his death. In docs, Fenelon says the money ended up in accounts Curtis left to Yeldham in his will.

We broke the story ... the "L.A. Confidential" and "8 Mile" director's will left almost his entire estate to Yeldham and their kid, but Fenelon got control of his production company, Deuce Three.

According to the docs, Yeldham got Hanson to sign off on the account changes long before he died -- but Fenelon claims Curtis was already suffering from dementia, and in no mental condition to make those decisions.