RIP

Gregory Itzin, star of "24," "NCIS" and several other huge TV hits, has died ... according to a close friend and co-worker.

Gregory played U.S. Prez Charles Logan for 6 years on "24" ... a brilliant role, alongside Kiefer Sutherland, that earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

Sorry for the spoiler (it's been more than 10 years, though), but Itzin's villain turn in the series is pretty epic.

"24" executive producer Jon Cassar shared the news of Gregory's death Friday morning on Twitter, saying "He was one of the most talented actors I had the honor to work with, but more than that he was an all around great guy. He'll be missed by his 24 family who had nothing but love & respect for him."

Itzin went on to nab roles on "NCIS" -- as Director Charlie for several seasons -- "The Mentalist," "Judging Amy" and "Star Trek: Enterprise" ... where he played Admiral Black.

He even had a bit role in the Phoebe wedding episodes of "Friends."

Gregory is survived by his wife Judie and their 2 children.

He was 74.

The amount of support for "Outer Banks" stand-in Alexander "AJ" Jennings has been massive since his untimely death ... but his family says the best way to honor him would be to donate some cash to a charity.

LuJean Jennings, Alex's mother, tells TMZ ... they've been offered help for funeral costs from "Outer Banks" cast and crew members, but she thinks a donation to the Red Cross would make more sense, given the deep ties he has with the org -- and it's not just his CPR and lifeguard certification.

Alex, who stood in for Chase Stokes on the Netflix series, was born in Russia and was adopted from an orphanage when he was 18 months old. He was proud of his heritage ... up until Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- something he found extremely upsetting.

Being a 22-year-old actor, Alex didn't always have the means to make financial contributions of his own, but his family would often send money to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The fund assists people leaving Ukraine with shelter, basic aid items and medical supplies.

Alex's family is asking those wanting to show support for the late actor to help the refugees by chipping in to the IFRC instead.

As we reported, Alex was struck and killed by two vehicles early Tuesday morning in Charleston, both of which fled the scene. According to preliminary reports, he was walking along the main thoroughfare between James Island and Folly Beach when he was hit.

Derek Chauvin was just sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights during his murder.

The former Minnesota cop took a plea deal back in December, admitting he kept his knee pinned on Floyd's neck when Floyd became unresponsive, and was sentenced on Thursday ... getting 245 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.

Chauvin was in the courtroom when the judge read the sentence, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, and waved to his mother and friends in the gallery when he was brought in.

Floyd's brother, Philonise, gave a victim impact statement ... saying George was murdered in broad daylight for the world to see, accusing Chauvin of using excessive force that went against his police training.

George's brother also remarked how George would not be there to see his daughter grow up ... and Philonise said George's life mattered.

Chauvin's mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, also spoke in court ... telling her son she would visit him often in prison and hoping she would still be alive when he's released.

James Caan, the legendary actor made famous for his roles in films like "The Godfather," "Brian's Song" has died.

This was just posted on James' Twitter account -- "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6. The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time."

Caan's breakout role came in 1972, when he played Sonny on "The Godfather." He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as well as a Golden Globe.

He reprised the role in 'Godfather II.'

Before 'Godfather' Caan played Brian Piccolo in "Brian's Song."

James was in numerous movies ... including "Misery," "Dick Tracy" and "Elf."

Caan was born in the Bronx ... the son of Jewish immigrants from Germany. His dad was a butcher.

James played football at Michigan State University.

Caan was a fixture at the Playboy Mansion in the '70s and '80s ... he loved to party and was never shy about speaking his mind.

He has 5 kids, including Scott, an actor himself who starred in "Hawaii Five-0."

James was married most recently to Linda Stokes from 1995-2009.

James was 82.

Kazuki Takahashi, creator of the hit TV series "Yu-Gi-Oh," and eventual inspiration for the trading card game, has passed away in Japan, according to the country's Coast Guard.

He was 60.

A spokesman told the New York Times that Takahashi -- who had been traveling alone while vacationing -- died from unknown causes while snorkeling.

His body was found Wednesday floating off the coast of Nago -- a city on Okinawa Island in Southern Japan -- the spokesman said.

The Coast Guard is investigating his death.

Takahashi's success with anime began in his early 20s, but it wasn't until 1996 -- when he created "Yu-Gi-Oh" -- he would realize just how popular the series would become.

Takahashi said in 2019 that when he created the manga, the original concept was to show different ways to battle each week. However, after two weeks of drawing out the characters he created, he decided to make the series about a trading card game.

Of course, the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game -- which debuted in the United States in March 2002 -- went on to become one of the most popular card games in the country rivaling the likes of Pokemon.

The franchise is estimated to have made over $17.1 billion, including over $960 million in sales of Takahashi's manga series, according to Newsweek.

Fans of Yu-Gi-Oh were shocked once they learned Takahashi died ... including former NFL player Cassius Marsh, who posted a picture of Yugi -- the show's main protagonist -- on his Instagram story with a sad emoji.

R.I.P.

"One Tree Hill" star Bevin Prince is suffering through the devastating loss of her husband, who was struck by lightning.

According to a local report, William Friend was near Masonboro Island in North Carolina over the weekend when he was hit by a lightning strike. Friend, the CEO of Bisnow, a digital media company, was only 33 years old.

NBC affiliate WECT says deputies performed CPR on Friend at the scene for 20 minutes, but the life-saving efforts weren't enough ... he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bevin and William married in 2016, the pair owned a fitness business in North Carolina.

A release from Bisnow read, in part, "Friends and former colleagues marveled at Friend's ability and willingness to take on new challenges — whether or not he was ready. He demonstrated that tenacity at an early age."

An investigation is underway at SoFi Stadium after dive teams found a body in the lake in front of the Rams and Chargers' home venue in L.A. on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles County Fire Dept. says firefighters were dispatched to the stadium at around 6 AM after they received reports that someone had jumped into the man-made body of water in Inglewood and never resurfaced.

Dive teams searched the lake for hours, using sonar operations, and eventually recovered the body of what officials said was a 45-year-old male.

Inglewood Mayor James Butts said Wednesday afternoon a motive for the man jumping into the lake was unknown. Butts added surveillance video showed it "kind of" looked like the man "didn't know how to swim."

"This is someone that made a conscious decision to trespass onto the property, get into the lake and he ended up having some distress and difficulty," Butts said. "So I don't think there's anything SoFi could've done to prevent this."

The lake -- located just south of the stadium -- is 5.5 acres big, around 15 feet deep and holds up to 11 million gallons of water.

It was reportedly designed to capture rainwater to water the plants around the stadium.

A stand-in for Chase Stokes on the hit show 'Outer Banks' was killed this week in a horrific car accident -- this as the new season continues to film in South Carolina.

22-year-old Alexander 'AJ' Jennings was struck by two vehicles early Tuesday morning in Charleston, both of which fled the scene. He passed away as a result of injuries sustained from the double hit-and-run -- the coroner's office has his time of death listed at 3:13 AM.

According to preliminary reports, Jennings was walking along a main thoroughfare between James Island and Folly Beach when he was hit around 2 AM. The first vehicle left him for dead, and not too long after that ... Jennings was apparently hit by a second vehicle that also split -- although that driver was reportedly later pulled over in a traffic stop.

Life-saving measures were unsuccessful ... Jennings succumbed to his injuries. His employer, Kimmie Stewart Casting, confirmed Jennings had been working on 'OB' as a photo double/stand-in for John B -- the main character of the Netflix series, portrayed by Chase.

KSC writes, "I cannot fathom the shock and tragedy of AJ's sudden loss and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time. I understand this message may be difficult to process for those of you that met & became fast friends with AJ."

The agency adds that Netflix has grief counseling available to those who need it -- as AJ appears to have had a lot of friends on the production. One of those friends, it seems, was Chase himself ... who also honored AJ by taking to social media.

He writes, "Still trying to process why certain things happen, and why the world works in the ways that it does. My heart is shattered. Your life was just starting. We JUST talked about how pumped you were about your tunes, how far you'd come with that ole 6 string and your want to keep creating art. Always always making others hearts warm and being so damn selfless." CS went on to say AJ had touched all of their lives, adding ... "Fly high angel."

Bryan Marchment -- a former NHL defenseman and the father of current Florida Panthers forward Mason Marchment -- has passed away, the league announced on Wednesday.

He was 53 years old.

No cause of death has been revealed at this time.

"The National Hockey League mourns the passing of San Jose Sharks scout and former NHL player Bryan Marchment," the league said in a statement.

"Our deepest condolences go out to his family, the Sharks organization, and Bryan's many friends, former teammates, and fans."

Selected 16th overall in the 1987 draft, Bryan made his NHL debut at 19 for the Winnipeg Jets.

The defenseman played 17 total seasons in the NHL ... including stops with the Oilers, Sharks, Whalers, Blackhawks, Lightning, Avalanche, Maple Leafs and Flames.

Jayland Walker's older sister says she's not ready to watch her brother getting gunned down by cops ... and believes the story officers are giving of the moments that led up to his killing has been planted to put him in a bad light.

Jada Walker was understandably emotional as she recalled her brother's life during an interview with ABC News Wednesday, saying the Jayland she knew isn't the one depicted by officers of the Akron, OH police department ... she also says she never knew him to own a gun.

Jada says she can't bring herself to watch the body cam footage, choosing not to remember her brother in such a horrific manner. She also thinks the photo that was circulated showing a gun in Walker's vehicle was staged.

As you know, body cam footage was released Sunday that showed Jayland Walker being hit by gunshots at least 60 times, killing him. The shooting happened shortly after a traffic stop turned into a car chase throughout the city, ending in a foot pursuit.

A 2-year-old child was left to fend for himself after both of his parents were killed during Monday's mass shooting at the July 4th parade in Illinois.

37-year-old Kevin McCarthy, and 35-year-old Irina McCarthy, both died after a 21-year-old armed with an assault rifle opened fire on the unsuspecting crowd.

The McCarthy’s son, Aiden, was reportedly separated from his parents and got lost in the chaos.

Apparently, a couple found the young boy in the midst of Monday's mayhem and brought him to the local fire department.

Reports say the 2-year-old was eventually reunited with his grandparents at a hospital.

As we've reported, 7 people have died and at least 30 were injured during Monday’s massacre. The shooter fired off close to 70 rounds.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help support Aiden, who is now without both parents. The creators of the page wrote, "We took him to safety under tragic circumstances, came together to locate his grandparents, and prayed for the safety of his family."

Tyler Sanders' death is being treated as a suspected overdose ... sources connected to the death investigation tell TMZ.

We're told Tyler, who had roles in big shows like "9-1-1: Lone Star" and "Fear the Walking Dead," had a history of drug use and cops found a plastic straw and white powder in the room where he died.

TMZ broke the story ... 18-year-old Tyler was found dead June 16 in his Los Angeles home.

Our sources say Tyler's friends called police to conduct a welfare check because they had not heard from him following a night out ... and that's what led to his body being discovered.

Tyler was laid to rest in Houston ... and someone who attended the funeral tells us Tyler's dad, David Sanders, delivered the eulogy and told the crowd Tyler died of an apparent drug overdose.

We're told Tyler started battling depression when he began filming '9-1-1' and his father repeated some of Tyler's own words at his funeral, talking about how Tyler's brain was wired to where he could not feel happiness.

Hip-hop trailblazer and legendary dancer Bruno "Pop N Taco" Falcon has died ... this according to his loved ones.

His sister, Diana Wolgamott, tells TMZ ... the longtime Los Angeles-based breaker and choreographer passed away Saturday at his Long Beach home. She says she believes he may have died from a possible heart attack. We're told his death is considered natural, and no autopsy will be conducted.

Bruno was a staple in the dance scene throughout the '80s and '90s -- specifically, through a style he sorta carved out as his own in locking ... which he popularized in the cult classic film "Breakin'" where he played one of the main characters, Electro Rock 1 opposite Ice-T.

Speaking of, the rapper confirmed his death on Twitter ... replying to a fan who asked if he'd heard of Bruno's death and saying, "Yep, just got a text. He was to young. Smh."

The guy went on to act in other films such as "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey," "Thumbelina" and even Michael Jackson's "Moonwalker." He actually had a pretty tight relationship with MJ ... having danced on and off with the superstar for years, even appearing in some music videos.

He might best be remembered as one of the dancers on "Smooth Criminal" who did the iconic lean dance sequence. Bruno is also said to have taught Michael a thing or two about popping and locking ... a style MJ employed often in his career. Bruno was with Michael during his HIStory tour in the '90s -- he appears to have served in a choreographer capacity.

Bruno has also danced with other Jackson family members including La Toya and Janet. He's also appeared in music videos for Lionel Richie and Chaka Khan, among other storied artists.

He was 58.

Lamar Odom says he still feels the presence of his late friend and former teammate, Kobe Bryant ... telling TMZ Sports, "He comes to me in dreams."

Odom, wearing the incredible Kobe and Gigi tribute pendant he got as a gift earlier this year on the anniversary of the duo's tragic death, told us out at LAX this week that it actually happens "often."

"[He's] just talking to me all the time," Odom said of the dreams. "'Hang in there. Keep fighting.' A lot of s***."

LO -- who played with Kobe from 2004-2011 and stayed good friends with him in retirement -- tells us the dreams he has with the Mamba usually involve them shooting around, sometimes even in actual games.

"His spirit, it's so strong," said Odom, who also has a tattoo of Kobe on his neck. "To me, he's like not too far away. Especially when you're dreaming of someone, and they talk to you in that dream, you're definitely going to remember it."

Lamar tells us Kobe continues to inspire him to this day ... and added that the NBA legend is a big reason why he loves flying into the City of Angels.

Baltimore Ravens pass rusher Jaylon Ferguson died last month due to "the combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine," officials announced on Friday.

In a statement to TMZ Sports, a spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, Maryland added the death was ruled an accident.

No further details were made available.

As we reported, Ferguson was found unresponsive at a Baltimore residence on June 21 and, according to cops, never regained consciousness. He was pronounced dead by medics on the scene.

At the time, cops did not suspect foul play ... and added they were investigating the possibility that Ferguson had suffered an overdose.

He was just 26 years old.

Jaylon was selected by the Ravens in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft ... and played in 38 total games for the team the last three seasons, tallying 4.5 sacks and 67 tackles.

He had previously starred at Louisiana Tech, where he set the NCAA record for most career sacks.

A serious head injury caused by a freak baseball accident changed Jeremy Giambi's demeanor in the six months leading up to his death, a new medical examiner's report reveals.

According to the documents, obtained by TMZ Sports on Thursday, the ex-MLB player was struck in the head by a baseball while working as a pitching coach in August 2021.

The accident caused a serious injury -- investigators say he suffered a fractured zygomatic bone, and required surgery to fix the issue.

But, according to the report, witnesses told them that in his recovery from the injury, Giambi became "very emotional, very negative and would let the smallest things ruin his day."

Another witness, according to the docs, had described Giambi as "very emotional, depressed, and paranoid" in the months following the surgery. It was noted Giambi "had scans done and saw a neurologist but was not diagnosed with anything."

Giambi -- the brother of ex-MLB star Jason Giambi -- killed himself roughly six months after the injury on Feb. 9 at his parents' home in Claremont, Calif. Officials said he left a suicide note at the scene.

Investigators wrote in the docs that Jeremy had a past history of drug use, but he was not believed to be abusing any drugs in the months prior to his death. Lab results show he had no alcohol or drugs in his system at the time of his passing.

Jeremy -- who played six years in the MLB and gained national fame for his time as an Oakland A -- was just 47 years old.