RIP

Alec Baldwin and his actor siblings are sharing some sad news ... announcing the death of the famous family's matriarch.

Carol M. Baldwin, the mother to actors Alec, Daniel, William, and Stephen has died ... according to Alec and his brothers.

The Baldwin matriarch died Friday, though the cause of death is unclear. She was diagnosed with breast cancer way back in 1991, going on to raise millions of dollars for cancer research.

In a lengthy tribute posted on social media, Alec remembered his late mother, saying ... "My mother taught me about second acts. And third ones, too. She spent the last 25 years of her life as a fighter and a champion for the cause to which she devoted her life. We are all enormously proud of her accomplishments."

Carol was also the mother of two daughters, Elizabeth and Jane, and she met her future husband, Alec Jr., when they were attending Syracuse University in New York.

Alec's mom raised all 6 of her children herself, then got a job at a marketing research firm when her last child made it to their teenage years.

Carol is not only survived by her 6 kids, but also her 25 grandchildren, including Hailey Bieber, and 14 great-grandchildren.

She was 92.

John Calipari is mourning the loss of college hoops legend Reggie Warford -- the first Black basketball player to graduate from the University of Kentucky -- after he died on Thursday morning.

Cal called the former hooper his "brother" in an emotional tweet ... and added, "I know how much Reggie meant to Kentucky & how he inspired others."

"Reggie and I worked together at Pitt in the 80s and have remained friends," the Wildcats head coach said. "I'm going to miss my brother, may God bless you Reggie."

No cause of death has been revealed ... though the Kentucky icon battled various health issues in the waning years of his life -- requiring several transplants.

He was 67 years old.

Warford played at Kentucky from 1972-1976 and was the program's second-ever Black player. Tom Payne, who signed with the Wildcats in 1969, was the first.

Over the course of his four-year career, Warford played in 50 total games -- scoring 206 points.

Warford went on to graduate from UK with a degree in arts and sciences ... making him, at the time, the first Black four-year player to accomplish the feat.

Kentucky officials remembered the college standout on Thursday while emphasizing the "important role" he played in the landscape of Wildcat sports history.

"It is with great sadness we share the passing of Reggie Warford," the school said in a statement. "Our deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends and teammates."

"Warford was an NIT Champion and the first Black men's basketball player to graduate from the University of Kentucky."

Reggie is survived by his wife, Marisa, and sons, Grant and Tyler.

Meghan Markle is expressing her grief over the tragic elementary school shooting ... by making a surprise visit to the memorial in Texas honoring the slain teachers and students.

Meghan made the long trip from Montecito, CA to Uvalde, TX to pay her respects to those killed in Tuesday's horrific shooting ... leaving a bouquet of white roses at a makeshift memorial.

The shooting, which claimed the lives of 19 innocent children and 2 teachers, happened at Robb Elementary School ... and the memorial Meghan visited is outside the nearby Uvalde County Courthouse.

Meghan walked around the memorial, which borders a square pond and features the names of the dead on white crosses with blue hearts.

The Duchess of Sussex wore jeans, a white shirt and a faded navy baseball cap ... but didn't exactly keep a super low profile.

As far as we know, Meghan has no direct connection to Robb Elementary or the small town of Uvalde, which is about 80 miles west of San Antonio.

Ray Liotta is dead ... the actor passed away while in the Dominican Republic.

Ray was shooting a movie called "Dangerous Waters" on the island, and a source close to the actor tells TMZ ... he died in his sleep. We're also told there was nothing suspicious about the death, and no foul play is suspected.

Ray's fiancée Jacy Nittolo was with him in the D.R. while he was working on the project.

Deadline first reported his passing.

Liotta is most known for his starring role in the 1990 Martin Scorsese masterpiece, "Goodfellas," where he played mobster Henry Hill alongside Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

Ray lobbied hard for the role, and the film's success opened so many doors for him in Hollywood ... he worked almost nonstop.

The year before "Goodfellas" he had co-starred with Kevin Costner in another iconic film, "Field of Dreams" ... in which he played Shoeless Joe Jackson.

Ray went on to star in countless other films, including "Cop Land," "Corrina Corrina," "Operation Dumbo Drop," "Unforgettable," "Wild Hogs" and "Blow" ... in which he played Fred Jung, father to Johnny Depp's character, George Jung.

Jacy and Ray got engaged in 2020, right around Christmas. He excitedly shared the happy news on Instagram.

He has one daughter, Karsen Liotta, from his previous marriage to Michelle Grace. Karsen is following in her dad's acting footsteps.

Ray was 67.

Depeche Mode founding member and keyboard player, Andy Fletcher, has died at the age of 60.

The group announced Thursday, "We are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member, and bandmate Andy "Fletch" Fletcher."

The statement continues, "Fletch had a true heart of gold and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh, or a cold pint. Our hearts are with his family, and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts."

Fletcher, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore and Dave Gahan officially launched Depeche Mode in 1980 ... though Clarke left shortly after the group released its debut album.

Later on in his career, Fletcher worked as a DJ, and actually went on tour around Europe in 2015.

Fletcher and Depeche Mode were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

In what was already a nightmare situation for the family of a teacher killed in the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting -- more heartbreak -- as the woman's husband has now reportedly died of a heart attack.

Irma Garcia was one of two teachers killed in Tuesday's mass shooting, and now her family has announced her husband of 24 years, Joe Garcia, is dead too.

Garcia's nephew, John Martinez, posted, "EXTREMELY heartbreaking and come with deep sorrow to say that my Tia Irma's husband Joe Garcia has passed away due to grief, I truly am at a loss for words for how we are all feeling, PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY, God have mercy on us, this isn't easy."

Local reporter, Ernie Zuniga, says Garcia suffered a fatal heart attack ... and that the two had 4 children together. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.

Irma had reportedly died trying to protect the children in her classroom. As we told you, 19 children and 2 teachers were killed in the mass shooting, carried out by an 18-year-old armed with an AR-15 which he purchased legally in the state of Texas.

The slaughter at the Robb Elementary School in Texas is almost impossible to comprehend, but this video -- as difficult as it is to watch -- unearths the human toll it has taken on the parents of the dead.

CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke to Angel Garza, the father of 10-year-old Amerie, who was among the 19 children shot and killed.

His pain is unbearable, and his story is simply hard to process. Angel, a medic, was outside the school just after the shooting when he saw a little girl covered in blood. He thought she was injured so he tried to help her. She tearfully explained she was ok, but she watched her best friend get shot. She told Angel the girl wasn't breathing and was apparently dead, and then she revealed the identity of the victim -- it was Angel's daughter, Amerie.

Angel's grief is palpable ... he sobs, telling Anderson his daughter had just made the honor roll, and was actually trying to help in the emergency by calling 911 when she was shot.

Angel and his wife have a 3-year-old son who was clearly attached to his big sister, and they've tried telling him Amerie is not coming home ... ever again.

Anderson asked how Angel's wife is doing, and he doesn't answer directly ... only to ask people to pray for her.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Brooks Raley says the shooting in Texas on Tuesday hit very close to home for him ... revealing Wednesday he actually attended Robb Elementary School as a kid growing up in Uvalde.

"I walked those halls," the 33-year-old reliever told media members at his locker. "I can't imagine what they experienced yesterday."

Raley said he learned that a gunman had killed 19 students and two teachers at the school from family and friends who still live in the city ... and called it all an absolute tragedy.

"Obviously growing up there, going to that school, it kind of hits home," said Raley, whose parents and brother still live in Uvalde. "Having young children myself, you just feel for those families."

"And you pray for them, and your thoughts are with them."

Raley -- who moved out of Uvalde as a teenager to go to college at Texas A&M -- called the community surrounding Robb Elementary "small" and "close-knit" ... and added that he's really feeling for them.

Parents are doing anything to keep their kids safe on the heels of another school mass shooting -- and that means an all-new run on bulletproof backpacks.

Former Secret Service agent, Mike De Geus, is the founder and CEO of Leatherback Gear, and he says his company has seen an 800% spike in sales for their fortified knapsacks since Tuesday's shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Mike, who protected former Presidents Trump, Obama, Bush and Clinton when he was a Secret Service agent, says his brand's backpacks offer the same amount of bulletproof armor he had when he was protecting POTUS.

We're told most of the sales are for a $249.99 Sport One Jr. backpack that separates into two pieces, creating a bulletproof vest in seconds, covering the user's front and back.

Mike says the backpack was designed with active shootings in mind.

Another bulletproof backpack manufacturer, TuffyPacks, says it's seeing a noticeable uptick in sales for armor inserts that can go inside any bag. Owner Steve Naremore says the products are being shipped all over the country, with sales up 300%.

It's interesting ... TuffyPacks is based in Texas and they say they work with several school districts across the country, but not the one in Uvalde, where 19 students and 2 teachers were gunned down.

A third company, Guard Dog Security, says it's seen an increase in demand from consumers and retail partners who carry their bulletproof bags, including Lowe's and Dick's Sporting Goods.

The company's president, Yasir Sheikh, tells TMZ the brand donates a portion of its proceeds to Make Our Schools Safe, an organization founded by the parents of a student killed in the 2018 Parkland shooting in Florida.

The National Rifle Association will be without one of its performers this weekend ... singer Don McLean will no longer play at the event after the elementary school shooting in Uvalde.

McLean tells us, "In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA at their convention in Houston this week. I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans."

He continues, "I share the sorrow for this terrible, cruel loss with the rest of the nation."

McLean, the voice behind the 1971 hit, "American Pie," was one of several performers scheduled to take the stage in Houston this weekend -- some of the others include Lee Greenwood, Danielle Peck and Larry Gatlin.

As we reported, 19 children inside a 4th-grade classroom and two teachers were killed when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire with an AR-15.

Beto O'Rourke just crashed a news conference on the deadly school shooting in Texas ... confronting Governor Greg Abbott and other Republican leadership, including Ted Cruz, and getting escorted out.

Beto showed up unannounced to Wednesday's press briefing in Uvalde, where 19 children and 2 teachers were shot and killed the day before at an elementary school, and went off on the state's GOP leaders.

Video shows Beto approaching the stage, where Abbott is sitting on the dais along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and blames them for the tragedy, saying the blood is on their hands.

Beto says to the group, which includes Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn ... "This is on you until you choose to do something." He also says the incident was predictable.

Beto's been vocal about the school shooting on social media, mostly going after Abbott, but now he's literally taken the crusade to the Governor's feet.

Someone on stage shoots back at Beto, who is running for Texas Governor, telling him this isn't the time or the place to get political and calling him an "a**hole." There are reports the man is Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin.

Beto's then escorted out by law enforcement, but not before turning back to say his piece  ... while some folks in the crowd call for him to be able to speak.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson joined us on "TMZ Live" and called for background checks on anyone trying to buy a gun in the country.

Eva Mireles, the 4th-grade teacher who was killed in the Texas school shooting, is being remembered as a hero in a touching tribute from her daughter, who says her mom used her body to shield students from bullets.

Eva's daughter, Adalynn, says her mom "selflessly jumped in front of her students to save their lives" and adds ... "I'm so happy that people know your name and that beautiful face of yours and they know what a hero looks like."

The teacher's daughter says she's heartbroken by the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, which claimed the lives of another adult and 19 children, expressing disbelief and saying she never imagined writing a goodbye to her mom.

Eva sounds like a great mom ... her daughter says they were best friends who laughed over TikToks, sang karaoke together, woke each other up from naps, talked on the phone every day after work and fought over the stupidest things only to laugh about it later.

Adalynn she's proud Eva was her mother ... and she's promising to take care of dad and the family dogs.

A nightmare is unfolding in Texas as another mass shooting is being reported -- this time at an elementary -- where at least 14 children and one teacher have been killed.

Reports out of Uvalde, Texas say a gunman first opened fire near Robb Elementary School before running inside the building. Once inside, he allegedly barricaded himself inside a classroom where the shooting continued.

At this time, Governor Abbott says 14 children and one teacher are dead.

It appears the last day of the school year for students in the district was Thursday, Robb Elementary has a student population of about 500 students.

The elementary school mass shooting comes just 10 days after 10 people were killed and 3 other people were injured when an 18-year-old opened fire. Gendron's attack was racially motivated, declaring himself a white supremacist and carrying a Bushmaster XM-15 rifle with "n*****" and other racist references written in sharpie on the gun.

It's currently unclear who the shooter at Robb Elementary is, but they're reportedly dead as well.

Oleg Prudky -- a two-time Ukrainian boxing champion -- was killed while defending his country against Russian troops, the Ukrainian Boxing Federation announced on Monday.

He was just 30 years old.

"It is with sorrow that we inform you that the master of sports of international boxing class, the champion of Ukraine Oleg Prudky, was killed in the fights with Russian occupiers," the Ukrainian Boxing Federation said in a statement on its Instagram page.

"Boxing Federation of Ukraine expresses condolences to the boxer's family. Eternal memory to you Olezh."

Prudky was working with the Cherkasy Police special forces and was one of the four officers that were killed during an attack on Sunday, police said in a statement to talkSPORT on Tuesday.

"On May 22, defending the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, our colleagues, police officers of the Special Operations Department of the KORD Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police, were killed," the police said.

"They defended Ukraine – the dead police heroes of Cherkasy region."

Before joining the forces to defend his country, Prudky boxed in amateur and semi-pro leagues and competed in several European championships.

The super-lightweight became a two-time amateur champion and was part of the Ukrainian Otamans team in the World Series of Boxing semi-pro competition.

Prudky leaves behind a wife, Mariana, and two daughters. His wife tragically wrote on Instagram following his death, "How do I tell them that they will never see you again."

"You are my ANGEL! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH"

Late NBA player Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife Sherra Wright, who pled guilty in 2019 to facilitating the murder of her hooper husband ... was denied parole in a hearing, and must remain behind bars.

The Tennessee Board of Parole unanimously voted to deny Sherra's request for release ... less than 5 years into her 30-year prison sentence.

In 2019, Sherra admitted to orchestrating the heinous killing of her husband, a 12-year NBA vet. Prosecutors say Wright hired someone (Billy Ray Turner) to help her with the crime, before luring Lorenzen to a desolate field, under the guise they were meeting someone for money.

But, it was all a lie ... and Lorenzen was shot, and left to die, all alone.

Ultimately, Sherra plead guilty to facilitation of murder and facilitation to commit attempted 1st-degree murder. In exchange for the plea, she received a three-decade-long sentence.

As for Sherra's case to be paroled after serving so little of her sentence ... her attorney argued Wright was a model inmate inside, and therefore, should be freed.

However, Lorenzen's mom asked the board to deny the request ... stating Sherra should serve the entire 30 years.

Today's decision doesn't mean she's got 25 years remaining ... but it ensures she isn't getting out anytime soon.

The D.A. in Shelby County, where the case was prosecuted, called the decision "welcome news" for Lorenzen's family and friends, saying, "To have released this defendant after she has served less than five years of a 30-year sentence for murder conspiracy would have diminished respect for the law by declaring a policy of tolerance for violent criminal behavior."

If Wright serves her full sentence, she will be in her 70s upon release.

Investigators are revealing more details surrounding Dwayne Haskins' death ... saying in reports released on Monday the QB "drank heavily" and ingested ketamine in the hours leading up to his passing, and also had a blood alcohol level of .24 at the time of the April 9 accident.

According to a Broward County Medical Examiner's Office investigation report ... a rep for the Steelers told investigators Haskins had trained with teammates in the Miami area all day on April 8, before eventually heading to a club in the evening with a "friend/cousin."

In the documents, investigators say the rep told them Haskins "drank heavily" ... and then got into a fight.

Hours later, Haskins was found dead on a Florida highway after being struck by a dump truck.

Investigators say at the scene, they found Haskins' vehicle and a "female companion" inside of it. The investigators said the woman told them Haskins had left the car on foot to try to find a gas station. The woman's relationship with Haskins was not disclosed in the documents.

According to an autopsy report that was also released on Monday, two of Haskins' blood samples tested positive for alcohol -- with one revealing a .20 BAC, and the other a .24.

The report also showed Haskins' urine samples tested positive for ketamine and norketamine.

Investigators ruled Haskins died due to multiple blunt force injuries. They said the manner of death was an accident.

Since the tragedy, several memorials have been held in his honor. And, his wife, Kalabrya, also got a sleeve of tattoos to remember her late husband.