RIP

Loki the Sphynx, who raked in some 79k followers on Instagram after being dubbed "The Grumpiest Cat in the World," is dead.

Loki died unexpectedly Tuesday night, according to his owner, Sara Kjelsvig. The feline had gone in for a routine dental cleaning at his vet earlier in the day and, while in recovery, staff noticed an increase in his breathing. Loki didn't make through the night and the vet suspects he had a preexisting heart condition they didn't know about which led to his death.

Loki, not to be be confused with the furrier "Grumpy Cat," was a male sphynx cat. The breed is hairless so wrinkles in their skin are super visible, which helped attribute to his famous title. He went viral after a photo of him wearing a rainbow fur coat surfaced.

Kate Spade was depressed over her business problems and separation from her husband, which was causing her to drink a lot ... this according to cops.

Law enforcement sources tell us, Kate was alone in her apartment when she tied a scarf around her neck, attached it to her closet door knob and hanged herself in her bedroom.

We're told her husband, Andy Spade, was not in the apartment. As we reported, the couple had separated and he was living in a nearby building. Sources say Andy told cops he was separated from Kate for a couple of months. Andy added he was at his apartment when he learned Kate had committed suicide.

Andy told cops Kate "was drinking a lot," and was depressed by business problems and their separation. As we reported, he wanted a divorce but she did not.

It puts her suicide note in a somewhat different light. In the note, she tells her 13-year-old daughter it was not her fault, adding, "Ask Daddy!" One interpretation is that she blames Andy.

Kate Spade was extremely depressed in her last days of life, because her husband wanted a divorce ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We've learned Andy Spade was not living at the family home ... he and Kate had separated and he was living in a nearby apartment.

Our law enforcement sources say after their interview Tuesday they were clear ... Andy wanted a divorce but Kate did not.

It makes her suicide note particularly interesting and possibly revealing. She wrote to her 13-year-old daughter, Frances Beatrix, "Bea - I have always loved you. This is not your fault. Ask Daddy!" It's unclear what Kate meant by the words "Ask Daddy!" One interpretation is that he knows why she ended her life.

The couple married in 1994.

As we reported, Kate hanged herself in her bedroom.

Jerry Maren -- the world's last living 'Wizard of Oz' munchkin -- is now somewhere over the rainbow ... TMZ has learned.

We're told ... Jerry died over a week ago. His funeral was held over the weekend at Forest Lawn in Hollywood. The cause of death is unknown, but we're told he suffered from dementia. He passed away at a San Diego nursing care facility.

There were multiple reports he died back in March 2016 after a battle with pancreatic cancer ... but a close friend of Jerry's told us those reports were not true. Jerry still had a couple of years left in him.

Jerry had a bunch of small roles in Tinseltown ... but being a member of the Lollipop Guild was his most memorable.

Jerry was 98.

A bible Whitney Houston left behind when she moved out of her Newport Beach luxury rental is now being sold by her former landlord ... for a whopping $95k.

Whitney rented the home from 2009-2011. The owner says he found the bible in a box along with some clothes and CDs by the trash after she'd moved out. He says he had signed an NDA and contacted Houston's agent about the left-behind items, but was told he could keep them.

The bible, which is being sold through Moments in Time, has Whitney's handwriting all over it. There are pages documenting life events. For instance, under marriage Whitney scribbled in her name and Robert B. Brown and the date July 18, 1992, which matches up. Under births, it lists Bobbi K. Kristina and her birthday March 4, 1993.

The owner sold the home in 2012, and says he threw out all the other stuff Houston left behind except the bible because he thought it was "interesting." And a good investment, if he finds a buyer.

Kim Kardashian has a chance to use her influence for the good of the nation, just like Robert F. Kennedy did ... that is, if she heeds the advice of one of RFK's daughters.

We got Kerry Kennedy, Bobby's 7th child, on Capitol Hill Tuesday -- the eve of the 50th anniversary of her dad's assassination -- and asked what she thinks of the Kardashian sisters wading into politics.

It's a great question for Kerry, in particular, because she let out a hearty laugh when we raised this topic in 2013. Kerry was highly amused by our comparison of the Kardashians and the Kennedys back then.

However, on the heels of Kim's White House visit lobbying Prez Trump to commute Alice Johnson's prison sentence ... Kerry's no longer laughing. In fact, she offered the K fam guidance on how best to conduct themselves in the political arena.

You'll recall, Kourtney was also in D.C. recently working toward environmentally-friendly cosmetics.

Kate Spade's suicide note was addressed directly to her 13-year-old daughter ... TMZ has learned.

The note was found on a bed near her body and, according to law enforcement sources it read, "Bea - I have always loved you. This is not your fault. Ask Daddy!" Their daughter's full name is Frances Beatrix.

We're also told the housekeeper found her tied with a red scarf to a closet door knob in the bedroom. She was unresponsive and cold to the touch.

The housekeeper ran downstairs to the building's main floor to tell the building's superintendent ... who, we're told ... rushed upstairs, cut the scarf and attempted CPR.

6:25 PM PT -- David shared a photo of Kate, whom he calls "Katy," at his book signing ... along with a heartfelt and encouraging message.

David Spade leaned on a friend hours after getting the tragic news about sister-in-law Kate Spade's death.

The actor and comedian was out in L.A. Tuesday afternoon, looking solemn as he left home. His brother, Andy, was married to Kate and ... as we reported, he was home when she hanged herself.

David wore sunglasses and kept his head down, but was seen getting a consoling hug from a friend.

Kate and David's bro launched Kate Spade Handbags together in 1993 and got married in 1994. They have a daughter together -- 13-year-old Frances Beatrix.

We broke the story ... Kate left a suicide note behind addressed directly to Frances that said, "Bea - I have always loved you. This is not your fault. Ask Daddy!"

12:30 PM PT -- Our law enforcement sources confirm Kate's husband, Andy was home at the time she died.

11:45 AM PT -- Our law enforcement sources confirm the note Kate left behind was addressed to her daughter ... telling the 13-year-old the suicide wasn't her fault.

Iconic fashion designer Kate Spade was found dead of an apparent suicide Tuesday morning in her NYC apartment ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources confirm a housekeeper found Kate's body at 10:20 AM ET in her Park Avenue home. We're told she hanged herself using a scarf tied to her bedroom door knob. She was pronounced dead on the scene. We're also told she left a note.

Kate got her start in the '80s working for women's magazine "Mademoiselle" in Manhattan, when she moved in with Andy Spade -- David Spade's brother. She and Andy met while attending Arizona State University and working at a clothing store.

Together, they launched Kate Spade Handbags in 1993, and it blossomed into a full-scale clothing and jewelry line. Kate and Andy got married in 1994.

Kate sold her company in 2007 and took some time off to raise her daughter -- but got back in the game in 2016 by launching a new fashion brand called Frances Valentine ... named after her daughter, who's now 13 years old.

Kate was 55.

Delta Air Lines refused to hand over the dog that had been dead for hours, according to its owner and now a legal battle's brewing over what the Pomeranian's owner calls the airline's "suspicious" activity.

Michael Dellegrazie, Alejandro's owner, and his lawyer, Evan Oshan, tell us Delta wanted to keep the dog's carcass to do its own necropsy ... while Michael wanted Alejandro returned immediately in order to get his own testing done to determine what happened.

As we reported, Alejandro died in Detroit last week after traveling in the cargo hold of a flight.

Oshan says he had to get involved and claims the airline was very uncooperative once he arrived in Detroit, and he had to go to cops to force Delta to hand over the dog ... which by law, is Dellegrazie's personal property.

Delta tells us any delay in returning the dog was due to Oshan not meeting in a previously agreed-upon spot. Delta also says it offered to pay to have an independent necropsy performed right after the death, but they were turned down by the owner.

Oshan says once they finally got Alejandro's body back, they also uncovered a wet, bloody blanket ... with no explanation. Delta allegedly told them the dog had vomited, but the lawyer points out the airline didn't retain any of the vomit to help determine the cause of death.

Dunder Mifflin fans have lost a member of their TV family -- Hugh Dane, who famously played Hank the security guard on "The Office," has died.

One of Hugh's costars on the sitcom, Rainn Wilson, tweeted out the news Monday with a link to a nonprofit Hugh was involved with. The org., The Inner City Cultural Center in L.A., posted about Hugh's death late last month ... they say he died in mid-May.

It's unclear what Hugh might've died from -- the ICCC didn't provide any details about the circumstances surrounding his death. They did mention, however, he'll be honored through a memorial this weekend.

Hugh had a long acting career dating back to the 1990s. Besides his recurring role as Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch enforcer ... he's also appeared on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Martin," "Boy Meets World," "Everybody Hates Chris," "The West Wing," "Friends," "Sister, Sister," "The Steve Harvey Show," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "New Girl" and lots of other shows and films.

He was 75. Here's to Hank, and his blues ... RIP.

Ex-NFL star Dwight Clark -- the guy who made "The Catch" in the 1981 NFC Championship -- has died from complications stemming from ALS, his wife has confirmed.

"I’m heartbroken to tell you that today I lost my best friend and husband," she tweeted.

"He passed peacefully surrounded by many of the people he loved most."

"I am thankful for all of Dwight’s friends, teammates and 49ers fans who have sent their love during his battle with ALS."

Clark put together one helluva career after being selected in the 10th round of the 1979 NFL Draft -- earning his way into 2 Pro Bowls and leading the NFL in receptions in 1982.

He also won 2 Super Bowls as one of Joe Montana's favorite receivers.

His #87 jersey was retired in 1988.

Stephen Hawking was the world's most famous theoretical physicist, but according to his death certificate ... he was simply a scientist.

According to the doc -- obtained by TMZ -- Stephen's occupation is listed as such. The cause of death is Motor Neurone Disease ... an early-onset form of ALS that Stephen suffered for most of his life. The certificate also shows his body was cremated.

As we reported ... Stephen died back in March after a long battle with the disease left him wheelchair-bound and almost entirely paralyzed. The world-renowned British scientist wrote several landmark books and guest-starred on several TV shows as himself ... including "The Simpsons" and "The Big Bang Theory."

Another dog took off on a commercial airliner and when the plane landed ... it was dead.

Alejandro the Pomeranian was in the cargo hold of a Delta Air Lines jet that originated in Phoenix and was supposed to land in New Jersey with a stopover in Detroit. When the plane landed in the Motor City, we're told the 8-year-old Pom was alive ... but it was discovered he'd died during the process of transferring him to the connecting flight.

So far the cause of death has not been determined. Delta tells TMZ it's conducting a thorough investigation to find out what occurred to ensure it doesn't happen again. The airline says it's working with Alejandro's family to support them and has offered a free necropsy to have Alejandro evaluated.

The dog was owned by a unmarried couple that was relocating to New York.

The lawyer for the family, Evan Oshan, tells us ... from what he knows Delta has been pushing people to put their dogs in the cargo hold rather than the cabin, presumably because there are so many service dogs on board these days the passenger areas resemble a kennel.

Delta, however, tells us it did not push the passengers to store their dog in cargo ... it was their choice.

John Salley says the mother of the NBA G League player who died after collapsing on the court is "100% right" in her lawsuit against the league ... saying, "I think she has a case."

TMZ Sports broke story ... Zeke Upshaw's mother claims the team doctor didn't respond to her son for 4 MINUTES after he collapsed from a cardiac incident during a game back in March.

Upshaw's mother claims Zeke did not receive proper medical treatment that could have saved his life, and she's holding the Detroit Pistons and the NBA responsible.

Salley -- a 4-time NBA champ -- told us he stands with Zeke's mother, and says the league needs to do better moving forward.

"I think she has a case ... The fact that there was no professional EMS around would definitely have to fall on the squad."

In fact, Salley says he hopes the lawsuit will force the league to improve league standards when it comes to medical emergencies.

A famous psychiatrist who has worked on some notorious cases -- including the murder of JonBenet Ramsey -- has been murdered.

Steven Pitt was shot and killed Thursday night outside his office as he was leaving work. Witnesses say they heard a loud argument and then shots rang out.

Pitt was involved in the police investigation into the 1996 murder of JonBenet Ramsey. He believed the key to the case was pineapple in JonBenet's digestive tract, which showed she had eaten some not long before she died. However, Patsy Ramsey -- her mother -- had said JonBenet hadn't eaten any of the fruit in the hours before she went missing, but her fingerprints were found on the fruit bowl, leading Pitt to believe someone was covering up.

Pitt had also worked on the Baseline Killer case and many others.