RIP

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten is opening up on the sudden death of his 17-year-old daughter, Gwen ... he says she went to bed Sunday night and never woke up.

The Congressman from Illinois posted a touching tribute to his late daughter Wednesday, revealing the moments leading up to her tragic and unexpected death.

Rep. Casten says Gwen went out for a few hours with some friends Sunday night after having dinner with the family, returned home, said goodnight to her parents, texted a friend and didn't wake up the following morning.

Sean says the only thing the family knows about Gwen's death is that it was "peaceful." Casten's office announced Tuesday Gwen had died, but details at the time were scarce.

Gwen had recently graduated from high school and was getting ready to enroll at the University of Vermont, where Rep. Casten says she was going to study environmental science.

Rep. Casten says Gwen's sudden death offers a powerful lesson -- savor every moment with loved ones.

Sad news ... South Korean hockey player Cho Min-ho -- who scored the first-ever goal for the country's Olympic team in 2018 -- has passed away after battling cancer.

He was only 35.

The International Ice Hockey Federation confirmed Min-Ho's passing in a statement on Wednesday -- saying the forward died at a Seoul hospital after an eight-month battle with lung cancer.

"The Korean ice hockey family will remember him not only as a great player," IIHF officials said, "but also as a great human and leader on and off the ice."

Min-ho started playing for South Korea's national team in 2008 -- and became a hero during the PyeongChang Olympics.

Within the first few minutes of the team's preliminary round game against the Czech Republic, Min-ho scored ... making him the first-ever Korean player to hit the back of the net in Olympic men's ice hockey history.

In total, Min-ho competed in 11 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments ... and was named the team captain for the South Korean national team at the Final Olympic Qualification for the 2022 Olympics in 2021.

A zookeeper in Mexico was attacked by one of the tigers he was caring for ... dying of a heart attack shortly after the incident.

The whole thing went down Monday in West Mexico, when a 23-year-old zoo keeper, by the name of José de Jesús, summoned a Bengal tiger through a fence to pet the animal before a feeding.

De Jesus touches the animal without incident, but it suddenly changes its attitude, clamping down on his outstretched right hand and causing the zookeeper to yell out in agony.

José was reportedly taken to the hospital, but didn't want medics to amputate his hand. His health quickly deteriorated after the attack, until he died of a heart attack.

Just seconds before Arizona Cardinals defensive back Jeff Gladney died in a car accident last month ... he was both "swerving" and "flying" down a roadway, this according to a crash report obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the official documents, authorities say Gladney was driving a 2019 Mercedes-Benz with his girlfriend, Mercedes Andrea Palacios, at around 2:20 AM on May 20 on the Woodall Rodgers Service Road in Dallas.

According to the docs, a witness told investigators Gladney sideswiped a Lexus while traveling at "a very high rate of speed."

Investigators say Gladney then lost control of his ride, traveled into a nearby grassy area, and flipped into a bridge pillar. The collision, according to the report, caused the car to burst into flames.

In the docs, authorities say a witness on the scene filled out an affidavit claiming Gladney was both "swerving" and "flying" prior to colliding with the Lexus. The witness, investigators say, claimed Gladney caused the crash.

In the docs, investigators noted neither Gladney nor Palacios were wearing seatbelts. They listed "unsafe speed" and "faulty evasive action" as contributing factors in the accident.

Authorities also noted in the docs that responders arrived eight minutes after they were initially notified of the wreck.

As we previously reported, both Gladney and Palacios were tragically killed in the crash. Gladney was just 25 years old; Palacios was just 26.

It's unclear if either alcohol or drugs played a role in the accident, the crash report notes specimens were not taken at the scene. The Dallas County Medical Examiners Office, meanwhile, told TMZ Sports on Wednesday autopsy results for Gladney are still pending.

Gladney -- a former Minnesota Vikings first-round pick in 2020 -- had just signed with the Cardinals this offseason and was expected to compete for a starting cornerback role.

Michael Jackson's children, Prince and Paris Jackson, honored him in a special way ... sharing kind words as they introduced a tribute performance of his Broadway musical at the Tony Awards.

The duo introduced a performance from "MJ the Musical" -- the Broadway show all about the making of Jackson's 1992 Dangerous World Tour.

Prince told the audience, "A lot of people seem to think our dad Michael Jackson changed popular music forever,' before adding: 'And, who are we to disagree?"

"But, what people may not know is he loved musicals, on film and on the stage. That's why we are so incredibly honored to introduce the night's first nominee for best musical, 'MJ', which, using many of his iconic hits, looks at the complexities and brilliance of our father's process."

Paris added, it was a great honor to be on stage introducing the musical performance,  along with actor Myles Frost, who plays their dad ... and the rest of the cast. The show was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

ZZ Top's frontman Billy Gibbons was thrilled when he heard Dusty Hill's estate was going up for sale ... until he learned his family had nothing to do with it.

We got Billy at LAX, and he says he had some cool finds he was hoping to contribute to this weekend's estate sale, but was turned off once he found out there's a random person -- with deep pockets -- behind the event.

Billy tells us an anonymous buyer snatched up Dusty's house after he died last July ... and they went through the place, taking any cool memorabilia they could find and turning it into this weekend's big sale.

He finds the whole thing a major bummer ... he was excited to contribute his personal stuff to the estate of his comrade-in-awesome-beards -- hoping true ZZ Top fans would be interested -- but now he thinks folks should steer clear.

As for what's actually up for sale -- his guess is it's not exactly Rock and Roll Hall of Fame quality items.

The case against five suspects who were charged with murdering Puerto Rican boxer Hector 'Macho' Camacho in 2012 has been dismissed ... after the key witness took off to Florida.

As we previously reported, the 50-year-old former champ was shot in the face while sitting with his childhood friend in a Ford Mustang outside a bar in Bayamon in November 2012 ... and later died from his injuries.

His friend, Adrian Mojica, was also killed in the shooting.

Almost 10 years after the murder, five men were charged for the tragedy in March 2022 ... three of who were already serving time in a Florida prison.

But, a judge in Puerto Rico dismissed the case on Friday ... after authorities say the witness fled the island.

Prosecutors requested to get a second chance for the case to be heard ... as they reached out to Florida law enforcement to assist in locating the witness.

Camacho -- who boxed from 1980 to 2010 -- was a three-weight class world champ ... winning the WBC super featherweight and lightweight, and WBO junior welterweight title.

TikTok star Cooper Noriega has died at the age of 19 ... just hours after a very eerie social media post about dying at a young age.

Law enforcement sources tell us a passerby called 911 Thursday after discovering Cooper unconscious in a mall parking lot outside Los Angeles. We're told paramedics arrived on scene shortly thereafter, but were unable to revive the young social media star.

Our sources say Cooper was not in a vehicle, and there were no signs of trauma on his body. At this time, we're told there's no foul play suspected and an autopsy will be performed.

Just hours before Cooper died, he posted an image of himself in bed on TikTok with the caption, "who else b thinking they gon d!€ young af."

Simiso Buthelezi's opponent has terrifyingly admitted he's having suicidal thoughts after the boxer tragically died following their fight last weekend.

Siphesihle Mntungwa made the troubling admission this week to Sowetan Live, a daily newspaper in South Africa, saying he's received threats and horrible messages accusing him of causing the 24-year-old's death during their sanctioned bout on Sunday.

"I came under heavy criticism and insults on social media platforms when Simiso was hospitalised," Mntungwa said, "it has taken another level now that he has passed away."

"I just can't take it anymore. One thing is left for me -- I am going to kill myself."

Mntungwa went on to say that he did not kill Simiso, nor was it his intention to end the fighter's life. Rather, the 27-year-old said he was just competing in a boxing match, focusing on winning the title so he could provide for his family financially.

"I did not kill Simiso," he said. "We may have been involved in a boxing fight but it was not a matter of life and death."

"All I wanted was to win the title, which maybe was going to help change my life and that of my family."

As we reported, Simiso became so disoriented during the 10th round of the contest with Mntungwa in South Africa that he began punching thin air -- forcing the referee to end the match.

Simiso, who collapsed in the ring following the scary scene, was rushed to the hospital ... but unfortunately, later died there.

Mntungwa's trainer, Mmeli Mkhize, said he's seeking professional help for Mntungwa following the fighter's disturbing admission to the outlet.

He added that the threats against Mntungwa have been so bad, they can't even pay their respects to Simiso out of concern for what people might try to do them there.

"We will not even be able to attend the funeral because we are scared," he said.

George Thompson, one of the greatest players in the history of Marquette basketball, has died at 74 years old, the school announced on Wednesday night.

The university shared the sad news in a tweet ... saying Thompson passed away due to complications from diabetes.

"George made a tremendous impact, not only on the program, but the entire Milwaukee community after his arrival on campus," school officials said. "RIP Brute Force."

The Brooklyn native was a standout at Marquette from 1966 to 1969, playing under legendary coach Al McGuire. In 87 career games at the school, spanning three seasons, he averaged 20.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

He went on to be selected by the Boston Celtics in the 5th round of the 1969 NBA Draft ... but chose to start his pro career with the Pittsburgh Pipers of the American Basketball Association.

George spent 5 total seasons in the ABA -- playing for the Condors/Memphis Tams for 2 years -- before taking his talents to the NBA to play for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The 3-time ABA All-Star only played one season with the Bucks, but his iconic #24 jersey hangs in the rafters at Fiserv Forum thanks to his storied career at Marquette.

Thompson -- a member of Marquette's Hall of Fame -- was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.

Indianapolis Colts star linebacker Darius Leonard is stepping up in the midst of tragedy ... by donating $15K to help pay for the caskets of the Uvalde shooting victims.

Leonard and his wife Kayla made the generous donation through his foundation -- The Maniac Foundation -- to the owner of Soulshine, the Texas company that provided custom caskets for all the victims.

"Once I heard the terrible news about the Uvalde school shooting, I knew that I wanted to do something to help those suffering," Leonard said.

"I am pleased to announce that The Maniac Foundation has donated 15k to Soulshine who provided each victim of the shooting with a custom casket."

Soulshine owner Trey Ganem said when his team was asked to help with the caskets, he agreed without hesitation ... explaining he knew God would send an army to help them fulfill their mission.

21 innocent people, including 19 kids, were savagely murdered inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX on May 24.

The devastation from the senseless violence has reverberated throughout the sports world ... with many high-profile names from LeBron James to Warriors coach Steve Kerr making impassioned pleas to politicians to fix the issue.

Atlanta hip hop culture is having a really rough go of it this year -- but one of the city's beloved rappers, Trinidad James, says the ATL will power through these hard times.

We caught up with the "All Gold Everything" rap star Wednesday at LAX, and it's clear he was traveling with a heavy heart.

Between the murder of Metro Boomin's mom at the hands of her own husband to Young Thug, Gunna and much of YSL's RICO indictments to Lil Keed's sudden death ... ATL rappers have had an extraordinary bad luck streak.

Trinidad attributes the downward spiral to the fact Atlanta's been on top for several years now, and as he puts it -- when you're at the top, "there's all types of energies, people and situations just trying to take you down."

The murder of Def Jam rapper Trouble also weighed on Trinidad ... in the wake of the alleged killer surrendering to cops.

Trinidad told us about a recent text exchange with Trouble, which was their last communication, and it was a lighthearted -- and slightly racy -- joke between friends.

Lifelong friends and victims of the Uvalde school shooting will be buried next to one another -- a decision made by their parents -- who say the two shared an incredible bond.

Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez and Xavier James Lopez will be laid to rest at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde this week -- their parents will have the friends side-by-side, according to an interview with ABC News.

The 2 were close friends that attended Robb Elementary School, first meeting as toddlers and continuing to build their friendship as they grew up together.

As they got older, they'd text each other things like "I love you" at night ... and Annabell would wear a necklace with a photo of Xavier on it.

On the day of the shooting, both students received awards at school, posing for a pic together before returning to class ... and just one hour later is when tragedy struck.

The residence Bob Saget called home before his unexpected death has hit the market.

The home which was newly renovated when Bob bought it in 2003 is listed for $7.765 million. Bob's nephew, Adam Saget at Compass holds the listing.

As expected, the property has a ton of entertaining space -- including a pool, spa and barbecue hosting space -- complete with 6 bedrooms, including a guest house. The home was first built in 1964, but got a total renovation when Bob bought it for $2.895 million.

Bob shared the home with his wife, Kelly Rizzo, but recent reports said she felt the home had become a burden -- even though it was also filled with happy memories.

The listing comes just before the Netflix premiere of "A Tribute to Bob Saget" which is set to release June 10 -- featuring some of the industry's best comedians, who Bob called friends.

It was back in January when Saget died at The Ritz-Carlton in Orlando after suffering a brain bleed. Investigators believe the comedian struck his head -- possibly on the hotel headboard -- before he went to sleep.

Family members of the victims of the Buffalo mass shooting are trying to make sure their loved one's deaths are not in vain -- they want Congress to do something, anything, about firearms and white supremacists.

We got Ben Crump and the families he represents Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are hearing testimony from survivors and loved ones of the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde.

Michelle Spight, whose cousin Markus Morrison was one of the 10 killed in Buffalo, says she's tired of the rhetoric coming from Congress ... and she wants more done to combat white supremacy, because the gunman in their case followed that ideology.

Dominique Douglas, another of Markus' cousins, says if Congress members do nothing in the wake of multiple mass shootings, they should be voted out of office.

Crump says the bodies of the Buffalo 10 were so mangled by the shooter's assault rifle, they're the modern equivalent to Emmett Till ... and he's calling on lawmakers to put people over politics to enact gun reform before there's another public tragedy.

The Foo Fighters and family of the band's late drummer, Taylor Hawkins, are working together to honor the musician with tribute shows to honor his music and memory.

In an announcement Wednesday, Hawkins former bandmates -- Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear and Rami Jaffee --- along with other artists Taylor idolized, will perform songs that he fell in love with and the ones he shared with the rest of the world.

The Hawkins tribute shows will be held at London's Wembley Stadium on Sep. 3 and on September 27, at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

The announcement reads, in part, "As one of the most respected and beloved figures in modern music, Taylor’s monolithic talent and magnetic personality endeared him to millions of fans, peers, friends and fellow musical legends the world over."

Along with the tribute announcement, his family released a statement thanking fans for their support and love.

As we've reported, Taylor Hawkins died March 25 while he was in Bogota, Colombia with the Foo Fighters for a scheduled performance. The medical examiner says a urine test revealed 10 different substances -- including opioids, tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines in his system when he died.