RIP

Smash Mouth's lead singer, Steve Harwell, has died ... TMZ has learned.

The rock band's longtime frontman -- who was one of the original founding members dating back to 1994 -- passed away Monday morning at his home in Boise, Idaho as a result of liver failure -- this according to his manager.

We're told he was surrounded by family and friends and passed peacefully and comfortably.

TMZ broke the story ... Steve had been in hospice and was given only days to live this past weekend. As such, he was receiving end-of-life care at home with friends/family. We'd been told he succumbed to his health battles over alcohol abuse, among other ailments.

Remember, SH announced he was retiring from performing a couple years ago following a show in which he was found to have been slurring his words and acting erratic onstage.

His passing marks a tragic day for Smash Mouth fans -- of which there are many. His band skyrocketed to fame in the late '90s and early 2000s, on account of their album "Astro Lounge" ... which featured some of their most famous songs, like "All Star."

Of course, their involvement in the "Shrek" film put them on another level of fame -- as did their cover of The Monkees' hit song "I'm a Believer." Around this time, they were huge. Other notable tracks that Steve contributed to ... "Walkin' On the Sun," "Then the Morning Comes," "Can't Get Enough of You Baby," "Pacific Coast Party" and "Why Can't We Be Friends."

Steve dealt with hardships through much of his life -- his infant son died at only 6 months due to leukemia -- and he himself had been diagnosed with illnesses over the years too.

Despite this, he carried on with a smile and did what he loved in music and performing ... bringing joy to many, many listeners throughout his career. Steve was only 56.

Burning Man has been calamitous this year ... leading to a death.

The Pershing County Sheriff's Office confirms ... they are investigating a death that occurred as rain poured down over the venue. The Sheriff has not gone into detail, but by the description, it might be rain-related.

As we reported, the event -- which was being held in the Nevada desert -- was flooded Saturday, causing cars and campers to become immobilized. It got so bad, concertgoers were told to shelter in place.

Diplo and Chris Rock fled the event on the back of a truck. Diplo said he walked 5 miles to get the hell out.

It's not looking better for Sunday ... they're expecting even bigger storms with heavy rainfall and hail, as well as 40 mph wind gusts.

Unclear if the plug has been totally pulled ... the gates to Black Rock City are locked up tight. No one can drive in the area except emergency vehicles.

Margaritaville is mourning the death of Jimmy Buffett, and one of the ways is the symbolic flag-lowering.

The Margaritaville in Palm Springs, and presumably elsewhere, lowered its flag to half-mast in honor of the legendary singer/songwriter.

Jimmy was known as the Mayor of Margaritaville, so in a way it's an official title that makes flag-lowering appropriate.

As we reported, Jimmy died late Friday night. We're told he was diagnosed with skin cancer 4 years ago and it turned into lymphoma.

He was receiving hospice care since Monday. On Friday night, we're told the house was filled with people, just hours before his death. Jimmy was in an upstairs bedroom, and he passed peacefully.

And, as we reported, Sir Paul McCartney went to the South Hampton home a week ago to sing for Jimmy and his family.

A number of people posted tributes, including Elton John, Kenny Chesney and President Biden.

Jimmy was 76.

Pour out a margarita for Jimmy Buffett, the legendary musician is dead.

The "Margaritaville" singer died Saturday surrounded by his friends, family, music and dogs, according to an announcement posted on his website.

The statement read ... "He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many."

We're told Jimmy had been sick for a while, and he was recently receiving hospice care.

As we reported ... Jimmy was forced to cancel a May show in South Carolina after being hospitalized at the last minute for an issue requiring "immediate attention."

The idol of all parrot heads everywhere, Jimmy was also forced to cancel a ton of gigs in 2022 because of health issues and a different hospital stay. He played Jazz Fest in New Orleans in May 2022 but had not been on stage a lot since.

In addition to "Margaritaville," Jimmy's been cranking out hits since the 1970s with classic tunes like "Come Monday," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," "Volcano," "A Pirate Looks at Forty," "Fins," "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" and "Why Don't We Get Drunk" ... just to name a few.

JB also collaborated with Alan Jackson for another huge hit folks love listening to when they pour a drink ... "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere."

Jimmy's brand reached way beyond music and his huge concert following ... he was also the face of the hotel and restaurant chain Margaritaville, and he even turned the experience into a cruise line.

Jimmy was 76.

RIP

Mohamed Al-Fayed -- who verbally attacked the Royal Family after his son Dodi was famously killed with Princess Diana in a 1997 car crash -- has died.

The billionaire business magnate passed away Wednesday -- exactly one day before the 26th Anniversary of the fatal accident in London on August 31, 1997. Dodi and Diana were in a Mercedes and being pursued at high speeds by paparazzi when the tragedy occurred. Their bodyguard survived though their driver was also killed.

Al-Fayed's family issued a statement Friday, confirming his death due to old age.

In 2021, Forbes listed his net worth at $1.8 billion, which he amassed from his lucrative businesses, such as Harrods Department Store, Punch Magazine and Kurt Geiger shoes and accessories. He also owned major real estate properties at 75 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan and the Hyde Park Residence apartments in London.

But Al-Fayed was perhaps better known for hurling vitriol at the Royal Family after his son's deadly car wreck. For example, Al-Fayed called the royals a "Dracula family" while attending the 2008 inquest into Diana’s death.

In court, Al-Fayed vowed to find evidence contradicting the official police narrative that Dodi and Diana were killed in a tragic accident, instead of being murdered as some people believed. He also promised to stay the course "until I die," even if it meant losing “everything to find the truth.”

As a result, the British royals dropped Al-Fayed like a bad habit. Their strained relationship was showcased last year in the fifth season of “The Crown."

Al-Fayed was 94.

Bob Barker's animal rights legacy is something PETA wants to honor with a street name change on the most iconic boulevard in L.A. ... which could actually happen!

A rep for PETA tells TMZ ... they've made an official request with the City of Los Angeles for an honorary add-on to Sunset Blvd. -- to pay tribute the late 'Price Is Right' host, who just died last weekend.

Don't worry ... this isn't as wacky as it sounds. PETA assures us this would only be a minor change, and it wouldn't even require the removal of an actual "Sunset Blvd." sign hanging from street lights.

Basically what we're talking about is a second sign -- under one of the Sunset Blvd. signs -- that would read "Bob Barker Blvd." The PETA rep says they'd love to have this on their block on Sunset.

There's also this ... PETA tells us they've actually taken steps to make this happen. They've contacted City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, who reps their area. We're told PETA brass and Soto-Martinez's staff are scheduled to meet in the coming weeks.

PETA says they're pushing this because Bob actually made a generous donation way back when that allowed them to open this L.A.-based office, and they wanna return the favor.

Legendary Dallas Cowboys scout Gil Brandt -- who helped America's Team draft Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach -- has died ... Jerry Jones announced.

According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame ... the former talent evaluator passed on Thursday morning.

He was 91 years old.

"We are so deeply saddened by the passing of Gil Brandt – a true icon and pioneer of our sport," Jones said in a statement. "Gil was at the very core of the early success of the Dallas Cowboys and continued to serve as a great ambassador for the organization for decades beyond that."

Brandt joined the Cowboys in their inaugural season in 1960 -- and helped the team select its first-ever draft pick ... Hall of Famer Bob Lilly.

He would go on to work for the org. for nearly 30 years ... drafting legendary players like Staubach, Aikman, Rayfield Wright and Bob Hayes.

Brandt became known for his implementation of computers and psychological tests to grade prospects ... and his systems ultimately led to the creation of the now-famous NFL Scouting Combine.

Following his departure from the Cowboys after the 1989 season ... he would go on to be a key contributor and draft analyst for NFL.com.

"His dedication to, and passion for, this game left a lasting impact on generations of Hall of Fame players and coaches," Jones said. "There are very few people that have been able to have the kind of generational impact that he did. Gil was as dedicated to growing this league and sport as anyone ever was, and we are all grateful and better for it."

The explosion at Caleb Farley's home that took the life of the NFL player's father was so mortifying ... multiple people phoned cops in a panic, saying it "sounded like a bomb" had gone off in the neighborhood.

TMZ Sports has obtained several 911 calls from the night Farley's residence in Mooresville, N.C. blew up without a moment's warning ... and you can hear in the audio, people were terrified.

One caller told dispatch that the explosion was so loud, it woke them up ... and rattled their doors and windows.

"I'm telling you," the caller said, "it went off. You could feel it. Then it rippled all through. It sounded like thunder coming through."

Another person who had dialed 911 urged first responders to arrive quickly ... saying the blast was so violent, "I thought somebody was actually kicking my door in."

As we previously reported, Farley's home exploded just around midnight on Aug. 22. The Tennessee Titans cornerback's dad, Robert Farley, was found deceased in the rubble. Another man was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Stan Van Gundy is getting a ton of support from his Orlando Magic family after the loss of his beloved wife ... with a ton of former players and staffers coming together to visit the coach -- including Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and Patrick Ewing.

Marcin Gortat -- who played center on the Magic from 2007 to 2010 -- shared a photo of the crew with Van Gundy on his Instagram just days after Kim suddenly passed away at the age of 61.

Several stars smiled as they posed with coach ... with the big man explaining the meeting was all about SVG.

"We all came out to support our leader and one of the best coaches in history of the game," Gortat said." Coach Stan Van Gundy. #nba #family #orlando #florida."

Howard -- who played under Van Gundy for five seasons -- penned an emotional Instagram post when Kim passed away ... saying he would always be there for him.

"We've been through it all, and these are the times that we need each other the most. My deepest condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to you from the bottom of my heart," Howard said.

"I want you to know that myself and everyone from our Orlando team loves you and has your back through this time!"

Amy Sedaris celebrated Michael Jackson on his birthday this week -- but some aren't happy about her giving him a shout-out ... proving he's still divisive, even today.

The actress threw up a major bday tribute to the late entertainer Tuesday, which marked what would've been his 65th birthday if he was still alive. She attached a bunch of MJ clips, showing off his talent and iconic cultural moments in showbiz ... including music videos.

She wrote, "On what would've been his 65th birthday, let's all groove to some of the timeless music that @michaeljackson made." Amy also added the hashtag #heavenlybirthday.

Clearly, she's a fan of the guy -- at least on the professional front -- and felt it was appropriate to honor him 14 years after his death ... but many of her followers were pissed.

There's a handful of naysayers who don't approve of Amy giving Mike the spotlight ... and, yes, it all has to do with his controversial history of being accused of sexually abusing minors -- something MJ denied throughout his life, and for which he was famously acquitted.

Still, that doesn't mean people are over it ... and they let Amy know in her comments. One person wrote, "Let's not glorify him anymore." Another chimed in, saying ... "We still out here celebrating pedophiles, smh." Even Bravo's Andy Cohen commented, writing ... "Oops!"

Now, Amy doesn't appear to have responded to any of these folks ... but the fact a good amount of people are responding this way is a testament to an unspoken rule among A-listers in Hollywood -- don't talk about Michael, and just leave it to the normies. FWIW, Mike has many, many defenders online ... but not very many who are notable public figures.

Fact is, high-visibility stars tend not to address the topic one way, or another these days -- and it seems obvious why ... there are still countless individuals who believe all his accusers.

Seeing how Amy is bucking that trend and giving him love regardless is interesting ... she seems able to separate the art from the artist -- that, or she believes he's innocent, period.

The abuse allegations persist in 2023 ... namely, through the claims of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who are pushing lawsuits through the CA court system.

Paris Jackson is defending herself after not wishing her dad, Michael Jackson, a happy birthday on social media -- a choice that has some fans telling her to kill herself.

The singer did post Tuesday -- which would've been MJ's 65th birthday -- about the extreme reaction of fans, saying some had been coming after her all day for not paying tribute to her pops online, which she thinks is ridiculous.

She says her dad was never into birthday celebrations, and he'd go to great lengths to keep his big day a secret ... but despite her honoring MJ's past wishes over the years, Paris points out the drastic things she's been hit with when she doesn't post about him on his birthday.

FYI, Paris goes on to share a clip from her concert on Tuesday, where she actually paid tribute to Michael with the crowd ... before reminding her followers big celebrations are something he was totally against.

As we reported, actress Amy Sedaris caught flack for honoring Michael online for his birthday -- with many commenters taking anger in the fact that she's paying tribute to a singer who had a controversial past of allegedly sexually abusing minors.

Travis Scott is ready for a nationwide tour performing his new album ... and he's making a couple tour stops in Texas, with one notable exception ... Houston.

The rapper just announced dates and cities for his upcoming "Utopia" tour, and he's got shows in almost every major American market, except for the place where his infamous Astroworld concert left 10 dead and dozens injured.

Travis going with a full tour -- 26 stops in the U.S. plus two in Canada -- makes it seem like he's not sweating Astroworld all that much ... but it's interesting he's skipping Houston in favor of two other shows in Texas, performing in Austin and Dallas instead.

Of course, a grand jury in Houston recently decided against indicting Travis on criminal charges for the deadly November 2021 concert in H-Town.

Travis is still facing some civil lawsuits in Houston over Astroworld, and with that in mind it seems his hometown is not safe territory ... at least for this tour.

Bob Barker was still a big TV man during his final chapter, and now that he's gone -- his legacy lives on in a massive donation to 501(c)(3)s ... TMZ has learned.

The "Price is Right" host's longtime rep, Roger Neal, tells us Bob spent quite a bit of time checking out the tube in his last days of life ... including a lot of reruns of "Two and a Half Men" -- which, to people around him, reminded them Bob still had his sense of humor.

We're told Bob would also check out new episodes of his old show every now and then, and always thought Drew Carey had done well to carry on the torch after his retirement.

Now, as for what's going to happen to Bob's estate in the wake of his passing ... we're told a majority of it is going to be divvied up and donated to a number of causes he was passionate about, especially as it pertains to animals and vets.

Neal says a bulk of Bob's assets will be dispersed among over 40 different animal rights orgs and military nonprofits -- including the DonkeyLand Rescue in Riverside, CA, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ... as well as a bird conservatory.

Some of the estate's assets are also going toward the United Activists for Animal Rights charity -- which BB's girlfriend, Nancy, leads as President. We're told she did well taking care of him over the past year ... making sure he was attended to round-the-clock.

Neal says Bob left Nancy in charge of pretty much everything -- noting he enjoyed life and lived in the moment. Bob was 99.

'Bachelorette' contestant Josh Seiter, who was always open and honest about his struggles with mental health has died.

A statement posted to Josh's Instagram Monday reads, "It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua's unexpected passing. As all who knew him can attest, Joshua was an incredibly bright light in an increasingly dim world."

They continue, "His fearless voice and indomitable spirit helped thousands of people in their darkest moments feel just a little less alone. Although our heartache at Joshua's passing pains us beyond measure, we find comfort knowing that he is finally at peace."

The statement does not reveal Joshua's cause of death but includes a phone number for people to call who may be experiencing a mental health crisis.

Josh has always posted about his issues with mental health, and just 4 days ago posted a photo smiling with the caption, "Surviving depression and anxiety one day at a time with a smile."

He's been extremely open and honest about his struggles over the years, at one point taking to social media to write, "I’m Josh Seiter, and I’m a suicide attempt survivor. I battle OCD, Bipolar Depression, and GAD, but I refuse to give up. What did you survive?"

Josh appeared on Kaitlyn Bristowe's season of "The Bachelorette" back in 2015, and was eliminated on week 1.

Josh was 36.

Students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill resorted to climbing out of windows and jumping out of buildings after bullets started flying on campus.

In new video from Monday's deadly school shooting, you see college students fleeing a building through an open window ... dropping their book bags to the ground and then jumping to safety.

Amid spreading reports of an active shooter on campus, the students are left to climb out a window and onto a ledge, where they take a few steps to find a soft spot to land ... jumping down into some bushes.

The university shots were fired inside a chemistry lab Monday afternoon around 1 PM and the suspect, Tailei Qi, a UNC doctoral student, was taken into custody around 2:30 PM after a faculty member was shot dead.

WWE superstar Bray Wyatt experienced a series of heart complications in the months leading up to his death, and a doctor-recommended heart defibrillator was not with him when they found his body ... TMZ has learned.

According to law enforcement records, obtained by TMZ, Wyatt -- real name Windham Rotunda -- told his girlfriend he was going to take a nap Thursday, and she became concerned when she heard his alarm going off about an hour later without stopping.

The report says Windham was discovered in his bed, not breathing, and was turning blue. Windham's girlfriend called 911, as her mother attempted CPR ... but he was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Cops spoke with Windham's immediate family members who said he had COVID in March 2023 and developed heart complications -- causing him to have a "weak lower part of his heart."

In fact, just a week before he died, Windham was hospitalized for a heart issue. He had a follow-up appointment with doctors the morning he died and was advised to continue to wear an external heart defibrillator -- a device designed to treat people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.

Though it's not known if the device would have saved his life, investigators determined Windham was not wearing the defib at the time of his death ... they later located it inside his vehicle parked in the driveway.