RIP

Tom Cruise is remembering his late lawyer and friend, Bert Fields ... sharing an incredible story of how they first met.

The 'Top Gun' star recorded a video message for Bert's memorial service ... revealing how he first came across Bert -- at a dinner party with Dustin Hoffman.

Tom says he was seated next to Bert and they got to talking. It didn't take long for Tom to notice something different about Bert, remembering him as one of the most fascinating people he'd ever met.

The conversation was so compelling -- Tom says they talked history and swapped stories. Bert told Tom he was Dustin's lawyer, and Tom hired him on the spot.

The video message is pretty emotional ... with Tom explaining what made Bert such a wonderful guy to have around. It's clear Bert made a big impact on Tom's life, and not just as his attorney.

TMZ broke the story ... Bert died in August after a legendary career representing the likes of Michael Jackson, James Cameron, Warren Beatty, Mike Nichols, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, Jerry Bruckheimer, The Beatles and Madonna ... just to name a few.

Bert filed some huge lawsuits against media outlets on behalf of Tom, including a $100 million suit in 2001 after a magazine claimed Cruise was gay, falsely claiming it had an X-rated video as proof. The case settled, with the mag admitting, "Tom Cruise does not appear on the videotape ... [He] is not and never has been, homosexual and has never had a homosexual affair."

Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were among the mourners at a socialite's funeral, and one thing that's hard to ignore ... funeral fashion.

It was actually a Celebration of Life for J.R. Ridinger, a 63-year-old Miami socialite and co-founder of Market America. He died from a pulmonary embolism about a month ago while sailing in Croatia on his yacht.

At the event, held at Faena Forum in Miami Saturday night, Kim was dressed to the 9's in a Balenciaga gown with matching bag and shades.

J Lo and Ben were more traditional, arriving with interlocking hands and her 13-year-old child Emme in tow.

J Lo actually performed ... taking the mic with Alicia Keys playing the piano as they sang.

Rep. Sean Casten is revealing how his daughter died unexpectedly earlier this summer -- saying her heart simply gave out ... without any explanation whatsoever.

The U.S. congressman from Illinois broke the sad news Friday -- elaborating on his earth-shattering post from June ... when he told the world his 17-year-old, Gwen, had passed away suddenly. At the time, he didn't share any details ... but now, he's shedding some light.

Casten says Gwen died of a cardiac arrhythmia -- adding, "[S]he was fine, and then her heart stopped. We don't know what caused the arrhythmia, and likely never will."

The Representative says his daughter was a healthy teen who got regular checkups, exercised, ate well, didn't suffer from any behavioral health issues and had strong relationships with her friends and family. He notes ... she was also fully vaccinated.

Casten says Gwen came home one night after a night out with friends, and didn't wake up the next morning -- something doctors haven't been able to make sense of ... and ditto for the family. He says they're completely heartbroken and devastated -- exacerbated by such a freak thing with no real rational reason behind it. This is rare, he says, but it happens.

He ends his thoughts with a poignant remark ... "None of us know when our last heartbeat will come. The best we can hope for is when our loved ones do pass, we will have no regrets about the time we were lucky enough to share."

Casten finishes with this -- "So hug the folks you love a little harder today. Be present in their lives. And spread your love a little farther. Because in the end, it's all that matters."

Coolio will remain near and dear to his children's hearts -- and not just figuratively -- because they're designing jewelry to keep his ashes close.

According to the rapper's death certificate, obtained by TMZ, Coolio's body will be cremated ... and, we're told that's prompting his 7 kids to come up with the idea for some special bling.

Coolio's rep tells TMZ ... each of his children will get a pendant to hold the ashes, along with a necklace.

A few other close family members will get them as well.

We're told each of his sons and daughters will get to pick customized inscriptions for their jewelry.

The rest of Coolio's ashes will go into an urn once all the necklaces are distributed.

Coolio's always loved being a dad, according to Vanilla Ice -- who got pretty emotional when he told us how much Coolio always had family on his mind ... even in his final days.

Sara Lee -- a past winner of WWE's famous 'Tough Enough' show -- has sadly died at 30 years old, her mother announced Thursday.

No cause of death was revealed.

"It is with heavy hearts we wanted to share that our Sara Weston has gone to be with Jesus," Terri Lee said in a heartbreaking post on social media.

"We are all in shock and arrangements are not complete. We ask that you respectfully let our family mourn."

Sara competed on 'Tough Enough' during the show's sixth season back in 2015. She was lauded for her strength, and outlasted all of the other females on the program to earn a one-year contract from the WWE.

She wrestled for the org. for most of 2016, but was ultimately released in September of that year. She went on to wrestle on the independent circuit.

Sara married former WWE wrestler Wesley Blake in 2017 ... and the couple had three kids together.

Sara had just posted a gym selfie on her Instagram page earlier this week, writing in the caption, "Celebrating finally being healthy enough to go to the gym 2 days in a row 👏🥳 first ever sinus infection kicked my butt."

The amusement park free-fall ride where a teenager fell to his death in Orlando is about to be reduced to scrap metal.

Orlando Slingshot, the company that operates the 400-foot tall ride known as the "Orlando FreeFall," tells TMZ ... it's scrapping the ride as a direct result of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson's death. The company says this is what his family and the community wanted.

We're told Orlando Slingshot will honor Tyre by creating a scholarship in his name, and it's working with his family to hammer out those details.

Remember, Tyre died March 24 after falling from the ride at Orlando's ICON Park. The Orlando FreeFall -- which plummets at 75 MPH -- had only been open since December.

As we first told you, Tyre was a gifted athlete with a promising future ahead of him.

ICON Park leases land to Orlando Slingshot for FreeFall, and the park is supporting the decision to take down the ride, telling us ... "Tyre's death is a tragedy that we will never forget."

Three Florida teens stole a Maserati and drove at warp speed to elude cops, until the car flipped over and crashed, killing one of the occupants, this according to a new police video.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office released helicopter footage, tracking the teens' every move from start to finish during Sunday's INSANE wreck in St. Petersburg.

In the video, the teens are seen walking up to the parked Maserati and slipping inside the unlocked vehicle, not knowing they're being watched from above. The police were in the area on an unrelated robbery call and saw them acting suspiciously.

The kids take off in the car and drive down the street first at a moderate speed as two police SUVs begin to follow them, trying to pull them over.

Suddenly, the Maserati zooms off, hitting speeds of 123 MPH ... leaving cops in the dust. Over the radio, a sergeant orders the SUV officers not to pursue the fast-moving car.

About 20 seconds later, the Maserati loses control and hydroplanes across the road, hitting a curb and flipping over onto the hood as debris flies everywhere.

15-year-old passenger Mario Bonilla died at the scene. Driver Keondrick Lang, also 15, and passenger Malachi Daniels, 16, were hospitalized. Both are expected to survive.

Letrell Duncan -- one of the best young high school basketball players in New Jersey -- was shot and killed on Monday, authorities said.

He was just 16 years old.

Officials in Essex County, NJ told multiple media outlets that Duncan -- a sophomore at East Orange Campus High School -- was shot four times at around 3:15 PM near his H.S. He was rushed to a nearby hospital ... but tragically succumbed to his injuries.

Authorities told NJ.com no arrests have been in the case ... though investigators are looking for "a group of people and a vehicle seen in the area at the time of the shooting."

Anyone with information is being urged to call 1-877-847-7432.

Duncan, a point guard, was considered a top talent in the state. His AAU team, Garden State Bounce, had described him as a "floor general, team captain, and the best point guard our program has seen."

"He was an excellent teammate," the team added in a social media post mourning his loss, "a great friend, and a coach's ideal player."

City officials, meanwhile, said in a statement on Tuesday that Duncan's death "has shaken our community to its core." They said police patrols in schools would be increased in wake of the tragedy -- and vowed to take "aggressive action" when it comes to the fight to end gun violence.

A GoFundMe for Duncan's family has been set up -- and has already raised nearly $5,000.

Jim Redmond -- the man who famously helped his injured son, Derek Redmond, finish a race at the 1992 Olympics -- has died at 81 years old.

The Olympic Games confirmed Jim's passing on Tuesday, tweeting, "Our thoughts are with Derek Redmond and his family following the death of his father, Jim."

"Together, they brought us one of the most inspirational moments in Olympic history."

A cause of death was not revealed.

Jim famously came to his son's aid at the '92 Barcelona Games after Derek suffered a devastating hamstring injury in the middle of the 400-meter semifinal race.

Derek, while clearly too injured to run, began hobbling to the finish line -- and, after a few agonizing moments, Jim came down from his seat in the stands, pushed aside security guards and ran onto the track to help him finish the race.

Jim held Derek's left hand as the track star made his way to the end -- and the two shared an emotional brace, with Derek fighting back tears as his father hugged him.

In a 2012 interview with BBC, Derek admitted his hamstrings felt tight before the race and said he could barely walk after the injury, but his father told him they would finish together.

"He tried to talk me out of it at first," Derek told the outlet. "He was telling me that I had nothing to prove and that I didn't need to do this, but I told him I was going to finish."

"Then he said that we would do it together."

Loretta Lynn, the trailblazing country star whose song, "Coal Miner's Daughter" became not just a hit song but an award-winning movie has died.

Loretta's rep tells TMZ ... the famed singer passed away at her Tennessee ranch Tuesday morning ... the rep says Loretta died from natural causes. She was surrounded by family when she died.

Loretta suffered a stroke in 2017 and broke her hip a year later. The stroke caused Loretta to stop touring after 57 years.

Loretta is a true legend ... nominated 18 times for a Grammy, and won 3. She's amassed an incredible 21 number 1 singles and 11 number one albums.

Among her hits over her 6-decade career ... "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)," "Don't Come Home a Drinkin'," "One's on the Way," and "Fist City."

As for "Coal Miner's Daughter," the film chronicles Loretta's life, and it was a huge hit. It was nominated for 7 Oscars. Sissy Spacek won for best actress in her portrayal of Loretta.

Loretta won CMA's Female Vocalist of the Year in 1967, 1972 and 1973.

Loretta was married to Oliver Lynn for nearly 50 years. She married him in 1948, when she was 15. The couple had 6 children together. Oliver died in 1996. Her son, Jack Benny Lynn, died at 34 and her daughter, Betty Sue, died at 64 of emphysema.

Lynn sometimes touched on social issues, like birth control in a song titled "The Pill" ... and double standards for men and women in a song called "Rated X." She also wrote a song called "Dear Uncle Sam," about a woman who was widowed after her husband died in the Vietnam War. There were times country music stations refused to play some of her songs.

Loretta was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988. She also won the Billboard Legacy Award for Women in Music in 2015. And she got the Named Artist of a Lifetime by CMT in 2018.

Loretta was 90.

RIP

Tiffany Jackson -- a former WNBA player and Texas Longhorns legend -- has passed away after her battle with cancer, her alma mater confirmed.

She was only 37.

The Texas women's basketball team announced the devastating news Monday evening, saying the former UT forward -- who was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2015 -- died from the disease.

"Tiffany had a great career and was an impact player," her former UT coach Jody Conradt said.

"She was recognized for her all-around game and the fact that she was tremendously mobile and could play multiple positions. She was beloved by teammates, and we share in the sadness of her passing."

Jackson was a hoops star in high school, winning a state title and Gatorade's Player of the Year award.

The awards didn't stop after high school ... during her four years at UT ('03 to '07), she won ESPN's National Freshman Of The Year award and became the only person at the school to record a combined 1,000 points, 1,0000 rebounds, 300 steals, and 150 blocks.

Jackson was selected 5th overall in the 2007 WNBA Draft and went on to play for the New York Liberty, Tulsa Shock and Los Angeles Sparks during her 9-year career.

After retiring in 2018, she re-joined the Longhorns as an assistant coach for the women's basketball team. Then, in April of this year, she got a head coaching gig ... when she was named the HC at Wiley College.

"I know she was so excited to be the head coach at Wiley College for the upcoming season," UT current head coach Vic Schaefer said.

"She will be sorely missed by so many. Our deepest sympathies go out to her family."

Several WNBA players paid tribute to Jackson, including Tamika Catchings, who called her "absolutely amazing."

"Going to miss her smile, presence and heart for others."

Kodak Black is attempting to right at least one wrong ... blaming PnB Rock's girlfriend, and her Instagram post, for his murder -- something he now regrets doing.

A clearheaded Kodak hopped on IG Live over the weekend to apologize to Stephanie Sibounheuang, the mother of PnB's children, after learning her post was not responsible for spurring the fatal armed robbery.

Kodak explained he had woken up with a migraine headache when he learned the PnB news on September 12, and says he made the immediate mistake of following the social media groupthink.

Kodak even went as low as to tell Stephanie to "kill herself" at the time, but he's now directly apologizing and wishing her peace going forward.

TMZ broke the story ... LAPD arrested a man named Freddie Lee Trone, his 17-year-old son and his wife -- and slapped them all with murder-related charges ... with the teen being named as the shooter.

The Florida rapper wasn't the only artist who jumped out the gate targeting Stephanie. Following the shooting, Nicki Minaj went on the attack -- but Cardi B screamed the complete opposite, and she's still calling for all offenders to apologize!!!

Coolio appeared to be both happy and healthy in his final day of life, but friends say the rapper had severe asthma ... a condition they believe contributed to his death.

We've spoken with several sources close to the late rapper who each told us about his asthma, and how it was something he struggled with over the years. What's more, we know Coolio's family also told investigators looking into his death about his history with asthma.

We're told Coolio would always travel with several inhalers to keep his condition in check -- even using them on stage during some of his performances.

A recent study by the American Heart Association found people diagnosed with asthma have a higher risk of heart attack. Additionally, people who use a daily asthma medication were 60% more susceptible to heart attacks, strokes or other cardiac events.

TMZ broke the story -- Coolio died in the bathroom of a friend's Los Angeles home last week.

We're told before his death, he entered the bathroom, locked the door and apparently collapsed. Coolio's friend had to break down the door to get to him.

A Russian rapper who was opposed to his country's invasion of Ukraine jumped from a high-rise building to his death ... after being drafted to fight in the war.

27-year-old rapper Walkie posted a video in which he said, "If you are watching this video, then I am no longer alive. I can't take the sin of murder on my soul and I don't want to. I am not ready to kill for any ideals."

Walkie went on ... "I choose to remain in history forever. As a man who did not support what was happening I am not ready to take up arms and kill my own kind."

He had already served in the Russian Army, and despised the experience. This time around he tried to get a deferment because of mental illness, but that did not fly with the Russian military.

Walkie was 27.

RIP

A man attending the Steelers game on Sunday has tragically died -- after officials say the fan fell from an escalator at the Pittsburgh stadium.

The Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety said police and EMS responded to Acrisure Stadium at around 4:45 PM -- moments after the Steelers had lost to the Jets -- after receiving a "fall from height" call.

When they arrived on scene, they said they immediately tended to the man ... before transporting him to a local hospital.

Sadly, officials say he later died there from his injuries. The man's ID has yet to be released.

The Steelers said in a statement Sunday night they were aware of the situation and "are working with local authorities and helping their investigation into the matter."

At least 125 people were killed Saturday after a stampede erupted during an Indonesian soccer match.

It was a horrifying scene ... fans swarmed the field and opposing sides squared off as they fought violently.

Police were at a loss, firing rounds of tear gas. In fact, it was a fatal move, because fans ran for the exits ... causing a stampede.

Dozens were reportedly trampled to death. Others died by suffocation.

More than 300 others were injured and taken to nearby hospitals, but a number of them died en route or once they got to the ER.