RIP

Naomi Judd's death was top of mind at the Country Music Hall of Fame ceremony -- with her two daughters accepting the honor on her behalf ... and shedding tears while paying homage to her.

Ashley and Wynonna Judd were on hand Sunday at the CMA Theater in Nashville, where the Judds were inducted into the Hall. Of course, Naomi -- who made up half the duo -- had suddenly passed the day prior ... so her kids stepped up.

Their speeches were sorrowful and moving -- both AJ and WJ were weeping ... explaining how much Naomi knew she was beloved by all, which is what they say kept her hanging on for as long as she did.

Ashley also asked folks to come and see their widowed father, Larry Strickland. When Wynonna spoke, she offered up some much-needed humor ... but then said what everyone else was thinking -- that she was broken and at a loss for words.

Wynonna accepted her medallion -- and everyone gave her a huge round of applause. It was incredibly emotional all the way around ... and sorta astonishing that the Judd sisters even made it considering the shock of their mother dying.

As we reported ... Ashley and Wynonna announced Naomi's death Saturday, citing mental illness, but nothing more. Naomi was out publicly alongside Wynonna in recent weeks ... and was fully expected to make the ceremony, with no outward ailments anyone was aware of.

Naomi had been open about her mental health struggles over the years, saying she'd battled depression for a long time. The exact circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear.

The James Madison Univ. softball team will not play another game this season ... the school announced it's canceled all of its remaining contests in the wake of Lauren Bernett's tragic death.

"This was an extremely difficult decision and one that was not made lightly," JMU head coach Loren LaPorte said in a statement Monday morning.

"We are so grateful for the support of our fans all season and for the love from the softball community during the past week. We will use this time to continue healing and to honor Lauren's memory while finishing the academic semester strong."

JMU had four games remaining on its schedule ... one against Virginia on Tuesday and three against Elon slated for this weekend. The school had previously canceled games against Longwood and Delaware after learning of Bernett's death.

"We're thinking about our graduating seniors whose careers have come to an abrupt conclusion," LaPorte said. "We will make sure that they are honored for the commitment and dedication they have made as student-athletes at James Madison University."

As we reported, Bernett -- who had just won Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week honors for her roles in games in mid-April -- died by suicide last week. She was just 20 years old.

The pain Gwyneth Paltrow went through after her dad passed away was so physical, the actress thought she was going to die not long after his funeral.

Gwyneth opened up about Bruce Paltrow's death on the latest episode of Holly Willoughby's "By the Light of The Moon" ... she says the grief she went through felt like it was physically splitting her open.

The physical pain got so intense, she thought she was having a heart attack following his funeral in London. Gwyneth tried calling emergency services but she couldn't -- there was confusion over what number to call overseas.

She was only 30 when Bruce died from throat cancer in 2002, and the years passing makes everything seem odd to her -- things like your final phone call or the last meal spent together get pushed farther away.

Naomi Judd -- the Grammy-winning country star and one half of the mom-and-daughter duo The Judds -- has died ... this according to her kids.

Wynonna and Ashley Judd released a statement Saturday, saying ... "Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness." They add, "We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory." No other details were offered.

NJ's passing comes as a bit of a shock -- while she's been public in recent years about different personal struggles she's grappled with throughout her life, including depression dating back to her childhood, nobody seemed to know the extent of what she was battling.

Naomi had also made clear that her issues had left her and her country duo-daughter, Wynonna, estranged for a time ... but they'd recently reconciled and were actually due to hit the road again this year for an arena tour across the country -- the first in over a decade.

Plus, Wynonna and Naomi were supposed to appear together Sunday as inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame ceremony -- so the timing of this tragedy is stunning.

The Judds first formed in 1983 and had a massively successful career for about a decade thereafter -- during which they cranked out six studio albums, over 20 hit singles (many of which charted in the Top 10 and higher) ... and won 5 Grammys between '85 and '92.

Some notable songs ... "Love Can Build a Bridge," "Girls Night Out," "Grandpa," "Young Love," "Let Me Tell You About Love," "Maybe Your Baby's Got the Blues," "Give a Little Love," "Have Mercy," "Turn It Loose," "I Know Where I'm Going," among countless others.

The group disbanded in the '90s, during which each woman ventured out solo into their respective careers ... and Naomi even dabbled in television with one-off appearances, either as a side character or herself ... and eventually got into movies as well.

She's appeared in hit series like "Frasier," "3rd Rock From the Sun," "Touched by an Angel," "Sisters," "Maybe It's Me," and more. Naomi's also starred in flicks like "An Evergreen Christmas," "Someone Like You...," "A Holiday Romance," "The Family Tree," "Newlyweds," etc.

BTW, Ashley had her mom cameo in at least one of her films ... so they were obviously close. Naomi's survived by her husband, Larry Strickland, and her celebrity daughters.

She was 76.

Post Malone did a good deed -- a very good deed -- for students who were grieving over the death of their principal.

Post recorded a video for students at P.S. 56, The Louis Desario School in Staten Island. Principal, Phil Carollo, died suddenly last month at 49 ... apparently from a heart attack.

Phil's widow Erin tells TMZ ... her husband was a huge Post Malone fan ... the fam would take car rides and all they played was PM as the couple and their kids sang along.

Well, Phil would have celebrated his 50th birthday Friday, so folks at the school wanted to do something special. They held a carnival, and wanted Post to record a vid honoring Phil that could be played to all the students.

One of the teachers, Linda Acevado, started an online petition to get Post to record the video.

Linda was undeterred ... a colleague had a friend who somehow had a way to get to Post, and he recorded the video.

You see Linda in the video break down in tears as an emotional Post offers words of comfort to the students.

The hours leading up to Sam Bruce's death were frantic and tragic ... because a 911 call, obtained by TMZ Sports on Friday, revealed the former Miami Hurricane was trapped inside of a crashed car while having a seizure.

In the audio, a caller can be heard telling dispatch that Bruce -- a Florida high school football legend -- had just suffered a seizure at around 8:23 PM on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and crashed his car into a pole as a result.

"They can't get him out," the woman on the call said. "And, the car is still in gear."

"People are trying to assist him," she added. "But, the car is still in gear. You can see it because the tires are spinning. Can't nobody seem to get in."

The woman said Bruce, a former wide receiver, appeared to be convulsing as he was locked inside of the car ... telling dispatch, "Every time the seizure hits, the tire spins."

"Nobody seems to be able to get inside the vehicle to assist him."

Cops and medical personnel eventually arrived on the scene ... and a Fort Lauderdale Police Dept. spokesperson tells us they performed CPR on Bruce and ultimately transported him to a nearby hospital.

Sadly, Bruce passed away at the hospital hours later on Thursday morning.

The spokesperson tells us "the circumstances surrounding this incident are not suspicious and foul play is not suspected." A rep for the Broward County Medical Examiner said Friday that a cause and manner of death are still pending.

Bruce was a superstar on the gridiron during his high school football days at St. Thomas Aquinas -- blowing by defenders so often, he earned the nickname "The Samborghini."

Bruce signed to play receiver for the Miami Hurricanes in 2016 ... but he was dismissed from the school just months into his freshman year. He went to attend Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. and Southeastern University ... and he later played for the Indoor Football League.

Vogue legend André Leon Talley touched the lives of many -- including some fashion heavyweights -- many of which came out to celebrate his life.

The invitation-only funeral service was held Thursday in New York ... with a guest list that included Anna Wintour, Martha Stewart, Naomi Campbell, Gayle King, Karlie Kloss, Marc Jacobs and Kimora Lee Simmons.

As we previously reported -- the former creative director and one-time editor-at-large died back in January at a hospital in White Plains, NY. A cause of death has not been released.

ALT was a power player in Vogue's vision and direction in the '80s and '90s. He was the mag's news director from '83 to '87 just before becoming Vogue's creative director in '88.

He's not only remembered as a trailblazer in the fashion world, but for his instrumental work in getting more POC on the runway ... specifically, black models.

The Sheriff in the "Rust" shooting investigation is apparently telling the widower and son of Halyna Hutchins to pound sand, because the video the Sheriff released showing Halyna slowly dying after being shot is still available for viewing on the official website.

TMZ broke the story, Matthew Hutchins' lawyer, Brian Panish, fired off a blistering email Wednesday to Sheriff Adan Mendoza, demanding he takes down the video footage of Halyna dying on the church floor on the set of "Rust."

But, as of this post, the video was still live on the link provided by the Sheriff.

Halyna's husband ripped Sheriff Mendoza, saying he trampled the family's dignity and privacy by releasing the footage and other evidence in the "Rust" shooting case.

The footage shows Halyna bleeding as medics frantically tend to her ... and her husband argues it will cause irreparable harm to both him and their 9-year-old son Andros.

The family lawyer claims Mendoza had promised to let Halyna's husband review all the material from the case before its release, but he says the Sheriff double-crossed the family by releasing all the evidence without giving Matthew a chance to take a look first and weigh in.

We've learned the Sheriff hasn't even responded to attorney Panish's demand.

Florida high school football legend Sam Bruce -- who played briefly for the Miami Hurricanes -- has tragically died at 24 years old ... his former H.S. announced on Thursday.

In a post on the St. Thomas Aquinas football team's Facebook page, officials wrote, "R.I.P. Sam Bruce ! We Will Miss You and We Love You !"

Bruce's former 7-on-7 team, the South Florida Express, also confirmed the tragedy on Thursday ... writing in a tweet, "We are saddened to hear about the loss of one of the greatest players to ever come through SFE."

"Your infectious energy, and the ability to make anybody laugh will forever live in our hearts. We spoke with Sam's family, they just ask you to pray for their family during this time."

Further details surrounding Bruce's death have not yet been revealed.

Bruce was a superstar on the gridiron for Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas ... lighting up fields so often, he got the nickname, "The Samborghini."

Bruce eventually earned a four-star rating and received dozens of scholarship offers ... before he eventually signed with the Miami Hurricanes in 2016.

Bruce did not play in a game for the 'Canes, however, as he was dismissed for violations of team rules just months into his freshman season.

Bruce went on to attend Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. and Southeastern University ... and later played for the Indoor Football League. He said in 2021 that he had been involved in the making of the Kurt Warner biopic, "American Underdog."

Bruce's former teammates and others in the football world have been mourning his death on social media Thursday ... with Chad Johnson even posting a heartbroken emoji on his Twitter page.

Donny Davis died from alcohol and fentanyl intoxication ... TMZ has learned.

The Clark County Coroner has revealed his cause of death ... after getting autopsy results back for the longtime Vegas impersonator.

As we reported ... Donny tragically died in February in Vegas, where he was found in his hotel room bed ... after partying at a nearby hotel-casino, just hours before.

The beloved impersonator was well-known in Hollywood. He performed with Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey and Chelsea Handler ... just to name a few.

He became a regular on "Chelsea Lately" -- sometimes filling in for her go-to little person sidekick, Chuy Bravo. And, he was pals with Britney Spears for years. He was even hired as a dancer for Brit's Vegas residency show when it kicked off, back in 2013.

Donny did lots of private gigs for big stars like Paris Hilton, Victoria Beckham and Charlize Theron. But, his face also became familiar on the big screen ... appearing in 2017's "It's Gawd!" after being in "Pain and Gain."

Officials looking into the tragic death of James Madison Univ. softball star Lauren Bernett suspect she died by suicide ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Rockingham County Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson tells us ... "We are in the process of conducting a death investigation into the incident and it is currently classified as an apparent suicide."

Hutcheson declined to release further details of the probe on Wednesday ... saying an official report from the Medical Examiner's Office is still pending.

"Out of respect for her family and friends," Hutcheson said, "there is no other information to release at this time."

As we previously reported, JMU officials announced on Tuesday that Bernett -- a sophomore catcher for the Dukes -- had died at the age of 20. She had just earned Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week honors on Monday for her performances in games earlier this month.

"College athletics is great because of the people with whom we get to interact every day," JMU officials said in announcing the tragedy on Tuesday. "We are a tight family. We are grateful that Lauren has been part of our JMU Athletics community and will always consider her to be a Duke. We will miss her dearly."

"Our thoughts are with her family; her coaches, teammates and friends; the rest of our department staff and student-athletes; and the entire JMU community. JMU Nation is a close community, and we grieve together."

JMU canceled its softball doubleheader on Wednesday against Longwood following the news ... and later canceled its weekend series with Delaware as well.

Halyna Hutchins' husband and young son have been re-victimized, this time by the Santa Fe County Sheriff, who released video of her as she lay dying after being shot.

Matthew Hutchins' lawyer, Brian Panish, fired off a blistering email to Sheriff Adan Mendoza, saying he trampled on their dignity and privacy by releasing the video and other evidence in the case.

Panish says Mendoza promised to let Matthew review all the material before its release, but he double-crossed the family by releasing all the evidence without giving Matthew a chance to look first.

Panish says in his email, obtained by TMZ, "Your office trampled on the constitutional rights of Hutchins." Indeed, there's a constitutional right in New Mexico for victims to be treated with fairness and dignity, and Panish says those rights were squarely violated.

Maybe even worse, Panish notes the footage of Matthew's wife, who lay bleeding as medics frantically tended to her, will cause irreparable harm to both him and their 9-year-old son Andros. Panish writes, "We fear, for example, that this shocking footage of Andros' mother dying may be material used by bullies to emotionally abuse him in the future."

And what's especially maddening ... Panish says the Sheriff didn't have to release this evidence ... it was discretionary.

A flight on its way to Egypt ended in a fatal crash back in 2016, and a new investigation reveals it all came down to one cigarette.

The report, viewed exclusively by Italian news organization Corriere Della Sera, concludes Pilot, Ali Ali Shoukair, lit a cigarette in the cockpit of an EgyptAir flight, causing oxygen that was leaking from an emergency mask to burst into flames.

Egyptian pilots smoked frequently in the cockpit, and it wasn't banned 6 years ago, at the time of the crash.

Egyptian authorities claimed at the time the plane was brought down in a terrorist attack ... however, no group claimed responsibility.

It was also claimed explosives were found on the bodies of the crash victims, although that was late discredited.

All 66 passengers and crew on board died when the Airbus A320 -- traveling from Paris to Cairo -- crashed into the Mediterranean Sea ... the plane violently swerved back and forth before spiraling downward.

Among the dead was also 40-year-old Richard Osman, whose second daughter had been born just three weeks before the crash.

Julie Heslouin, who lost her father and brother from the crash, responded to the new report, saying "We have been waiting since 2016 to understand why we lost our loved ones and officially no one told us anything."

In 2018, France's Civil Aviation Accident Bureau claimed it was likely a fire that started in the cockpit ... there was no mention of oxygen leaks or cigarettes.

A candlelight vigil was held in Cairo for the victims after their death.

Tekashi 6ix9ine is back to trolling Lil Durk after telling TMZ he doesn't instigate matters when it comes to these things.

The rainbow-haired rapper -- who just targeted the late King Von in his latest music video 'GINÉ' -- decided to up the ante on Tuesday when he found his way in the vicinity of Lil Durk's doppelgänger "Perkio."

The footage for the encounter is pretty wild as 6ix9ine and his crew surround the TikTok star ... only to bless him with a jacket embroidered with a photo of King Von, who was shot and killed in October 2020.

The IG caption reiterates 6ix9ine's overall beef mission statement: Lil Durk and OTF haven't avenged Von's death and it contradicts their lyrics.

What's also wild is Perkio's face when the jacket is placed on his shoulders. He looks extremely uncomfortable and even appears to remove it as Tekashi barks into the camera.

Perkio and the "Fake Drake" have been getting chummy these last few days, making TikTok videos and even hitting the club together. Even better, they have the blessings of the real artists they're emulating.

The video provides a 180° turn for Tekashi's latest moves, which include a modest return to the Billboard Charts thanks to a No. 83 debut for "GINÉ" and giving away $1 million Mexican pesos to a family in need.

Betty White's L.A. home is on the market, and her estate could be millions richer for it.

Betty's 3,029 square foot home in Brentwood, CA is listed for $10.575M. It has some great views of the famed Getty Museum ... with a massive backyard outfitted with the obligatory SoCal swimming pool.

Betty spent many years here -- she moved there in 1968. She lived there with husband Allen Ludden because it was central to a bunch of studios on the Westside of L.A. Betty stayed put after Allen died in 1981 ... in fact, she lived there until she died in the home last New Year's Eve.

There's also a guest house, where Betty and Allen enjoyed playing charades with friends like Jimmy and Gloria Stewart, Dinah Shore and Burt Reynolds.

If you're a lookie-loo, don't bother ... the only people who can tour the home are prequalified buyers and will be given no interior access to the home.

As we reported, a buyer has already laid claim to Betty's home in Carmel, CA, where Betty also spent lots of time. That house is incredible, with views of the famed Monterey Peninsula. It was listed at $7.9 mil, and a bidding war hiked the final price to $10.7 mil.

Betty wanted to live out her final days in the Carmel home, but had to live in the L.A. house for medical reasons.

Andrew Woolfolk -- the longtime saxophonist for Earth, Wind & Fire, and one of the OG members through their historic run -- has sadly died.

The veteran musician, who joined EW&F in 1972, passed away Sunday after battling a long illness he'd been afflicted with for at least six years ... this according to the band's lead (falsetto) singer, Philip Bailey.

PB writes, "I met him in High School, and we quickly became friends and band mates. Andrew Paul Woolfolk was his name. We lost him today."

He goes on to say Woolfolk had transitioned to the 'forever' from the land of the living, reflecting on their great memories and his great talent. Phil adds, "Funny. Competitive. Quick witted. And always styling. Booski…  I’ll see you on the other side, my friend."

Woolfolk was with Earth, Wind & Fire through their most formative and influential years in music -- having contributed to some of their biggest hits, including "September," "Boogie Wonderland," "Reasons," "Let's Groove," "That's the Way of the World," "Sing a Song," "Fantasy," "Shining Star," "After the Love Has Gone," "Devotion" and many more.

He took a break from the band in the late '80s and early '90s -- going on to collab with other artists like Deniece Williams, Phil Collins, Stanley Turrentine and others -- but reunited with the boys thereafter to perform and tour into the 21st century.

He was part of the group that was received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and of course ... was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

The guy's sax is, no doubt, a huge part of Earth, Wind & Fire's iconic sound ... and considering he was one of just a couple saxophonists in the group -- alongside the iconic work of The Phenix Horns -- he certainly made his presence known in their tunes.