RIP

Tyler Sanders, a teenage actor with roles in big shows like "9-1-1: Lone Star" and "Fear the Walking Dead," is dead at just 18 ... TMZ has learned.

Tyler died Thursday in Los Angeles at home. The cause of death is currently unclear, and there will be an autopsy performed in the coming days.

Tyler's rep, Pedro Tapia, tells TMZ ... Tyler's death is being investigated and he's being remembered as a good kid who came from a good family.

TS started acting a few years ago when he was 10, and he'd already received an Emmy nomination for his work as Leo in the Amazon series, "Just Add Magic: Mystery City."

Tyler's other credits include ABC's "The Rookie" and the first season of Amazon's "Just Add Magic." He also shot a pilot back in 2017 with Leah Remini, and appeared in a bunch of shorts and a couple TV movies.

He was only 18.

RIP

Former NASCAR star Clint Bowyer struck and killed a woman in a tragic car crash earlier this month, according to new police documents obtained by TMZ Sports.

The accident, per a Lake Ozark Police Dept. crash report, happened on June 5 at around 9 PM in Missouri -- just hours after Bowyer had finished working a gig as a TV analyst for a NASCAR Cup Series race in Madison, IL.

According to the docs, the 43-year-old ex-racecar driver said he was traveling in a 2019 Nissan Rogue when he hit a pedestrian in the middle of the street.

Bowyer, cops say, immediately hit his brakes and called 911.

Officers said in the docs that medical personnel arrived on the scene a short time later, and attempted to render aid to the 47-year-old woman. They say, however, she died at the scene.

In the docs, cops say Bowyer showed "no signs of impairment" ... adding that a breathalyzer test revealed he had a .000 BAC.

According to officers in the docs, "a crystalline substance ... believed to be methamphetamine" was found near the woman's belongings ... and residents at a nearby RV park where the woman was staying believed she had been "under the influence of drugs."

Bowyer -- who did not work his role as an analyst for last Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race in California -- released a statement Thursday addressing the accident, saying, "Anyone that knows me, knows that family is everything to me."

"My thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of [the woman]. This is a very difficult time for my family and I, please respect our privacy as we move forward."

Prince William may be thousands of miles away from the United States, but his empathy for one of the victims of January 6th knows no borders.

Turns out the 2nd in line for the throne sent a heartfelt letter to the girlfriend of Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries he suffered trying to protect the U.S. Capitol.

Sandra Garza received the letter recently, which read in part, "Please forgive me if I am intruding but I wanted to write and let you know how sorry I am about the death of your partner, Brian" adding ... "Having recently watched documentary footage of the harrowing events that took place at the Capitol building I wanted to acknowledge the patriotism and selflessness of Brian."

The letter went on to praise Brian for his patriotism in protecting the Capitol, saying he hopes Sandra can "take some comfort from knowing that it is thanks to law enforcement officers like Brian that the situation did not escalate further and democracy was upheld."

Sandra told CNN she received zip former President Donald Trump, blasting him ... "Trump does not give two craps about law enforcement or Brian."

Brian was one of the 5 Capitol officers to die as a result of the insurrection. Brian died the following day after suffering multiple strokes.

Very cool gesture by the Chicago Bears ... the entire team wore No. 41 jerseys at practice to honor Brian Piccolo, who tragically died from cancer 52 years ago Thursday.

Piccolo -- who spent 4 seasons in the NFL (all with the Bears) -- was diagnosed with embryonal cell carcinoma, a form of testicular cancer, back in 1969 ... and sadly passed away at just 26 years old from the disease on June 16, 1970.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said he thought it was important for his team to be reminded of everything Piccolo did before his death, so he brought out the jerseys for Thursday's anniversary.

"He was a really good teammate and he liked to have fun with his teammates, he liked to play practical jokes on them and stuff like that," Eberflus said of Piccolo.

"Just a real man and a real person and a Chicago Bear. So, I wanted to make sure they got that message."

Piccolo, an undersized fullback, ultimately gained national fame during the 1960s for his beautiful friendship with teammate Gale Sayers.

The two grew so tight during their time as Bears, Sayers actually dedicated his George S. Halas Award (given to the Most Courageous Player) to Piccolo just before his death. The gesture -- along with the duo's friendship -- was depicted in the 1971 movie "Brian's Song."

The Bears have honored Piccolo yearly with the Brian Piccolo Award -- which is given to one veteran and one rookie who best exemplify the attributes Piccolo displayed during his life.

Former New York Mets prospect Darwyn Encarnacion died following a horrific car crash in the Dominican Republic this week.

He was just 21 years old.

According to MLB insider Hector Gomez, Encarnacion was driving an SUV on Wednesday when it tumbled off a bridge and crashed into a ditch below it.

The former outfielder, according to multiple reports, had somehow survived the initial impact, but died at a local hospital a short time later.

A Mets academy executive in the Dominican Republic confirmed Encarnacion's tragic passing to Gomez ... saying, "He was a great human being, very disciplined, respectful and polite. He played with us for just one year, in 2019. He was even using his scholarship that the team gave him when he signed and was currently studying at university."

Encarnacion signed a minor league contract with the Mets in March 2019 ... and, a few months later, played for their Dominican Summer League team.

He logged 113 at-bats in 35 games ... tallying one home run, 10 steals and a .248 batting average. He was eventually released by the team in Oct. 2020.

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis is making an astonishing donation to help the Uvalde community following the tragic shooting that left 21 dead ... pledging $1 million to increase security in the school district.

The Uvalde Leader-News reported the gesture on Thursday ... saying Davis decided to step in and help out after conversations with former Raiders star Vann McElroy, who grew up and currently lives in Uvalde, Texas.

Davis presented the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District with the check via a Zoom call this week ... saying, "We are proud to be part of something to make the children in these schools safer."

"Two weeks ago, I had a conversation with Vann. He told me about the hurt his hometown was going through."

"He said that Uvalde was in pain and needed help," Davis added. "I asked him what we would do to help ease that pain."

The donation will go toward installing impenetrable doors, security cameras inside and outside, as well as building an unscalable fence outside.

The gesture comes amid criticism of local law enforcement's response to the tragedy ... as well as the shooter's access to the school.

Hip hop mogul J Prince is sounding the alarm on an alleged Houston gang member who cops say executed his ex's daughter as revenge for a breakup ... Prince says the guy needs to be held accountable

Prince -- the Rap-A-Lot Records honcho who has a reputation for getting things done in Houston -- put the alleged killer on blast Wednesday, telling his 756k Instagram followers ... "We can't have clowns like this running around purposely killing our babies and be ok with it."

Houston police say 22-year-old Jeremiah Jones is the triggerman in a child's fatal shooting, and he's been arrested following a manhunt and booked on counts of capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Cops say Jones "executed" 9-year-old Khylie Sorrells as possible "revenge" over the girl's mother breaking up with him several months ago and allegedly seeing other men.

Police say Jones went to his ex-girlfriend's home Monday night and got into an argument with her before shooting the woman's child in the head.

J Prince appears to be making a call to action, saying ... "Stand with me on preventing this sick individual from harming another baby. I'm not advocating violence, but we have to protect our kids."

Prince also has this to say about Jones ... "I don't care what gang he's with they are no match for us."

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.