RIP

David Lander, the actor who played Squiggy on "Laverne & Shirley" has died, TMZ has learned.

David's wife, Kathy, tells us he died Friday at around 6:30 PM at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. ... as a result of complications from multiple sclerosis, which he battled for 37 years. Kathy, their daughter Natalie and her husband were at David's bedside when he passed.

David had his sights set on acting at age 10. He studied at the High School for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Tech and NYU.

He had a great career, but the pinnacle was absolutely "Squiggy," which he played during the show's run from 1976 to 1983. The yang to his yin was Lenny, played by Michael McKean.

The 2 guys actually met at Carnegie University in Pittsburgh ... that's where they developed the 2 characters.

They both appeared in Steven Spielberg's "1941," and in Robert Zemeckis's, "Used Cars."

They also voiced an animated TV series, "Oswald," which ran for 2 years beginning in 2001. Their voices brought the penguin cousins Henry and Louie to life.

Operation Warp Speed is a misnomer, according to a Johns Hopkins doctor ... the frustrated doc says it's more like Operation Turtle Speed.

Professor Marty Makary is angry the FDA hasn't gone the route of Great Britain by approving the COVID vaccine and injecting its citizens.

Dr. Makary says he can't believe the FDA is still reviewing the efficacy and safety of the 2 promising vaccines -- courtesy of Pfizer and Moderna.

He says, "FDA regulators are wasting precious time in greenlighting a COVID vaccine as more than 2,000 Americans are dying each day and the pandemic continues to starve American society."

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday, most Americans who are not in high-risk groups will probably have the vaccine available to them by April. Fauci had said he believed England cut corners in approving the vaccine and that the FDA was the gold standard and would be more thorough. He apologized for his comment the next day, presumably because it undermined confidence in the vaccines.

Fauci's feelings don't sit well with Dr. Makary, who shot back ... the FDA could have approved the vaccine within 24 to 48 hours without cutting any corners. He does not explain why he thinks the FDA process could be accelerated without rolling the dice on safety.

The sad reality is this ... there are now models suggesting more than half a million Americans will be dead from COVID by late April. The country is now in the grip of the virus ... more than 100,000 people are in the hospital and on Friday more than 2,600 died.

Whitney Collings -- one of the early members of TV's "Bad Girls Club" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Whitney's mom revealed the sad news on Facebook, writing ... "I am completely broken and will never get over this. Life is so unfair. She was kind with a big heart."

We don't yet know what caused Whitney's death, but we're told she passed Thursday morning in a hospital near Boston ... her hometown. The medical examiner currently has Whtiney's case and will determine the cause and manner of her death.

Being from Boston was a big part of her persona on 'BGC' back in 2008-09 when she appeared on Season 3 of the show ... as you can see.

She was only 21 when she was on the reality series, and was known as a straight-shooter with a temper ... but also for her sense of humor.

However, her time as a "bad girl" was cut short after she was kicked out of the house due to a physical altercation.

We're told Whitney was 33.

The Queen is down to just one dog after the passing of her dorgi named Vulcan.

Queen Elizabeth's dog died at Windsor Castle -- according to Buckingham Palace -- where she and Prince Philip have been staying amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 94-year-old British monarch is known for her love of dogs, and Vulcan was one of the 4 that appeared with her in a set of portraits shot for her 90th birthday by famed photog Annie Leibovitz.

Vulcan's death leaves her with just Candy, another dorgi, after a lifetime of owning multiple corgis and dorgis since she was gifted a corgi named Susan for her 18th birthday.

Though her last purebred corgi that was a descendant of Susan died in 2018, the Queen reportedly engineered the dorgi mix -- corgi and dachshund -- years ago by breeding her corgis with her late sister Princess Margaret's dachshunds.

Bottom line -- the lady loves her pups and has been photographed enjoying their company for decades. However, in 2015 she stated she didn't want to get any more dogs for fear of leaving a young pooch behind ... so Candy might be her last pet.

Sadly, news of Vulcan's death comes just weeks after Prince William and Kate lost their family dog too ... a cocker spaniel named Lupo.

Tragic news from Washington Nationals catcher Tres Barrera and his wife, Lindsey ... the couple just announced their baby boy passed away during delivery last week.

"2020 has been a tough year for many, but it has definitely beaten us more than anything before," Tres said on Instagram on Friday.

"On Sunday November 29,2020 my wife delivered our son at 7:12 am. Unfortunately our God decided he needed him in heaven before he was able to take his first breath."

He continued ... "The emotion, the pain, are all things that one can not describe. As we mourn the loss of our baby boy, our faith remains strong and we will continue to take strides one day at a time in His name."

Tres and Lindsey -- who tied the knot back in January 2018 -- shared the news of the pregnancy back in September ... saying they couldn't wait to meet the "little man."

Tres praised Lindsey's strength through the challenging time ... saying, "I am most proud to call my myself the husband of my wife Lindsey. She is the strongest person I know and she will forever be my hero."

"Forever our angel ... Kaius Lee Barrera"

Goodbye, Stadio San Paolo ... hello, Diego Maradona Stadium!!

The City of Naples has announced it will officially change the name its soccer stadium to honor legend Diego Maradona, who spent 7 years playing there.

Maradona -- who passed away at age 60 on Nov. 25 -- led the Napoli team to 2 Serie A titles during his run with The Blues from 1984 to 1991.

(Watch some of the highlights below, just NASTY stuff).

Despite the fact he's from Argentina, Maradona clearly made an impression on the locals -- who fell in love with the guy.

In fact, just HOURS after Diego's death ... Naples mayor Luigi de Magistris proposed the resolution to rename the stadium after Maradona.

The resolution went to the Naples City Council, which ultimately voted to approve the name change ... which should now officially happen soon.

The death of ex-Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh was tragic enough, but now his family is shocked because they believe he might not have written a will for his reported $840 million net worth.

Tony's father, Richard, and brother, Andrew, are asking a Clark County, Nevada judge to appoint them special administrators of Tony's estate. No shocker there, but in the docs, obtained by TMZ, they claim he didn't have a will in place when he died the day after Thanksgiving.

Tony's fam says they're "unaware of the existence of a fully executed estate plan" and "have a good faith belief" that Tony, who was unmarried and had no kids, died without leaving a will. The family's asking for access to Tony's accounts and safe deposit box to see if there are any estate planning docs in them.

The family also says a special administrator is needed to tend to Tony's "business obligations and commitments that require funding from assets that are presently frozen."

Forbes estimated Tony had a net worth of $840 million before he retired as Zappos' CEO earlier this summer. Tony, who made his initial fortune after selling his internet advertising company to Microsoft in 1998, died last week after sustaining injuries suffered during a house fire in Connecticut.

Hugh Keays-Byrne -- the actor who impressively played the bad guy in both the original "Mad Max" and "Mad Max: Fury Road" 36 years later -- has died.

Filmmaker Ted Geoghegan announced the Australian actor's passing and hailed him as "an unsung hero of Aussie cinema" -- adding he's "continually floored" Hugh played the main villain in both 'Mad Max' movies.

It's true -- Hugh became famous for starring opposite Mel Gibson in the 1979 film as the central antagonist, Toecutter ... then returned to face off against Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy as Immortan Joe in 2015.

As you'd imagine ... he's the only actor to appear in both flicks, and he and director George Miller had a very good working relationship over the decades. Miller also cast Hugh in the scrapped DC movie, "Justice League: Mortal."

That's not all he's known for though -- Keays-Byrne also starred in several British and Australian projects, including "Stone," "The Chain Reaction" and "Resistance."

He had more than 50 acting credits to his name spanning nearly 5 decades.

So far, Hugh's cause of death is unknown. He was 73.

Rafer Johnson -- a decorated Olympian and American hero -- has died, TMZ Sports has confirmed. He was 86.

Johnson passed away Wednesday morning at his home in Sherman Oaks, CA surrounded by his family.

Johnson lived such an amazing life as an athlete, actor, philanthropist and hero -- it's hard to pick where to start when telling his story ...

How about this ... he was one of the brave men who tackled and subdued gunman Sirhan Sirhan seconds after Robert Kennedy was assassinated back in 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in L.A.

In fact, Johnson ripped the gun away from Sirhan and hid it in his own pocket to prevent any more violence.

As an athlete, Rafer won a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1960 Olympics in Rome ... four years after he won silver in the same event at the 1956 Olympic Games.

He was a 2-sport athlete at UCLA -- running track and playing basketball.

And get this ... he was such an insane athlete, the L.A. Rams selected him in the 28th round of the 1959 NFL Draft as a running back despite never playing a single down of college football!

After his storied career as an athlete, Johnson became an actor -- appearing in a bunch of movies including "Wild in the Country" with Elvis Presley, "Pirates of Tortuga" and even the 1989 James Bond flick, "A License to Kill."

Rafer was also a key figure in launching the Special Olympics in 1968 -- and co-founded the California Special Olympics in 1969.

Johnson served on the CSO board of directors for 2 decades before joining the Board of Governors.

Oh, and he also worked for the Peace Corps!

Johnson married his wife Betsy in 1971 and they had 2 children together -- daughter Jennifer Ann Johnson and son Joshua Ray Johnson.

Both kids were also star athletes at UCLA!

For those interested in making a donation in Rafer's honor, the family asks to go through The Special Olympics Southern California Rafer Johnson Tribute Fund -- which can be accessed here.

Lionel Messi was just hit with a fine for his in-game tribute to late soccer legend Diego Maradona -- but it only amounts to $725.

... which is NOTHING to a rich guy like Messi.

The 33-year-old captain paid homage to his fellow Argentinian after scoring the final goal in Barca's 4-0 win over Osasuna on Sunday ... by ripping off his shirt to reveal a Maradona #10 jersey from his Newell’s Old Boys days.

It was an emotional moment for Messi ... who blew a kiss to the sky and hugged his teammates following the goal.

The tribute drew a yellow card due to Messi removing his shirt ... which resulted in a 600 euro fine handed down Wednesday. Messi can appeal ... and given the circumstances, he may have a shot at getting the decision overturned.

Messi was close pals with Maradona ... and grieved the loss after his passing on Nov. 25.

"A very sad day for all Argentines and for football," Messi said at the time. "He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal."

"I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him and I wanted to take the opportunity to send my condolences to all his family and friends. RIP."

WWE legend Pat Patterson -- the man who created the "Royal Rumble" -- has died, the organization confirmed. He was 79.

"WWE extends its condolences to Patterson’s family and friends," the company said Wednesday in a statement.

Patterson -- who considered himself wrestling's "first gay superstar" -- was a key part of WWE for decades, widely known as Vince McMahon's right-hand man.

He began wrestling in the 1950s -- and finally joined up with WWE in the late '70s, where he famously engaged in a series of awesome matches with Sgt. Slaughter. Pat became the company's first Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion in 1979.

Patterson later became a color commentator for WWE -- and continued to work in the ring and in the booth until he retired in 1984.

At that point, Patterson joined McMahon as a WWE exec -- and in 1988, he pitched the idea for the Royal Rumble.

In his book -- "Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE" -- Patterson explained how the Rumble came to be.

"The first Royal Rumble was on January 24, 1988, in Hamilton, Ontario. The difference between WWE’s Royal Rumble and a traditional over-the-top rope battle royal is that the participants come into the match at two-minute intervals -- not all at the same time at the beginning of the match. I wanted to create something special."

Pat famously came out as gay during a 2014 episode of "WWE Legends House" ... opening up in front of guys like Roddy Piper and Jimmy Hart. It was a powerful moment.

Patterson was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996.

RIP

The tributes are already pouring in ...

Vince McMahon -- "Pat Patterson was more than the first Intercontinental Champion & father of the Royal Rumble Match. He helped lay the foundation for WWE as we know it. His mentorship shaped careers, his creativity sparked innovation and his friendship lifted spirits. Love you, Pat. We miss you."

The Rock -- "Rough phone calls to get this morning to tell me, our dear family member, Pat Patterson who was my pro wrestling mentor and father figure has passed away."

"He was also responsible for calling Vince McMahon when I was training to become a pro wrestler (my $7 bucks days) and said, 'Vince you gotta see this kid work in the ring.'"

"Vince flew me to RAW a few weeks later and I had my first match EVER in Corpus Christie, Texas. The rest is history and years later, here I am writing this post."

Triple H -- "No words can describe what he gave to us. His body as an in-ring performer, his mind as a storyteller, and his spirit as a beloved member of our large WWE family. I will miss him for so many reasons ... it’s never goodbye, it’s see ya down the road. Love you, Pat. Abooze."

Shane McMahon -- "I can not express how crushed I feel right now with the loss of Pat Patterson. A true member of my family, mentor and dear friend. I love you Pat. God speed."

Jim Ross -- Just heard of the passing this morning if the great, Pat Patterson. True legend of the pro wrestling business.  A wonderful mentor who taught me so much. RIP old friend."

Dave Prowse, the actor who played Darth Vader in 'Star Wars,' has died.

Dave's agent, Thomas Bowington, said ..."It’s with great regret and heart-wrenching sadness for us and millions of fans around the world, to announce that our client Dave Prowse MBE has passed away at the age of 85.”

Dave played the iconic villain in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy.

Prowse was born in 1935 in Bristol, England. Before acting, he was immersed in the world of bodybuilding, even competing in Mr. Universe competitions. He was so strong, Jack the Ripper -- that was Dave's stage name -- would shred phone books as a test of strength.

Even in his bodybuilding days, he hung out with famous folks, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno. He also trained Christopher Reeve for "Superman."

Dave's shining moment was shrouded in costume ... playing Darth Vader in the 'Star Wars' franchise. He was recruited by George Lucas, because he was a well-known bodybuilder and he had seen him in 'Clockwork Orange' and it seemed to fit the vibe. Dave actually auditioned for the roles of both Darth Vader and Chewbacca. Lucas offered him either role.

When asked why Dave chose the role of DV, Dave said, "Everyone remembers the villain." True that.

There was a problem, however -- Dave's British accent. His voice was dubbed over by James Earl Jones in post-production.

He almost instantly became an iconic figure when the first 'Star Wars' hit in 1977.

In addition to 'Star Wars,' Dave appeared in "The Saint," "Doctor Who," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "A Clockwork Orange" and a bunch of horror films.

Dave said back in 2014, “Many people will know me for being the ultimate screen villain, Star Wars’ Darth Vader. But being a “goodie goodie” and heading up the Green Cross Code campaign, helping to save thousands of lives has always been the ultimate honour.”

Dave was married for 57 years to Norma Scammell and had 3 kids. He was 85.

RIP

Lil Yase -- an up-and-coming Bay Area rapper -- was shot and killed this weekend in what amounts to a mysterious murder with no explanation thus far ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Yase tell us ... he was, indeed, shot early Saturday morning -- and his body was discovered somewhere in the southern section of the East Bay ... which is miles away from where he was last seen.

Our sources tell us Yase was hanging out with his crew late Friday night at a recording studio in Marin County -- slightly north of San Francisco -- and left on his own at one point around 11:30 or midnight, telling his buddies he'd be right back.

We're told no more than an hour and a half later, word came in that Yase had been shot dead somewhere in the East Bay -- which is damn near an hour away by freeway, depending on what part of town you head to down there.

We're told folks in Yase's inner circle are dumbfounded -- as he had no known enemies and had done nothing they can see leading to something like this. Our sources say Yase might've played tough in his music, but in reality ... all he was really about was rapping, promoting his label (Highway 420 Productions) and labelmates, and gaming. That's it ... he had no beef with anyone anywhere, we're told.

He had just posted a photo of himself on Friday, showing his Thanksgiving festivities ... with a caption that read, "If my n**** trippin den I’m trippin it’s up wit UNK😤😈 #HappyThanksGivin🦃" It's his last post on IG -- and has since gotten tons of tributes from fellow artists in the Bay Area and beyond in the comments.

Yase started releasing music as young as 18 years old, but truly burst onto the scene with his single "Get It In" in 2015 -- which he went on to create a remix of that garnered even more national attention the following year.

He released a string of hits that racked up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube over the years -- including songs like "No Diss," "Demon," "What You Mean," "Yeah Yeah," "Furl," "Bum B****," "Mad," "Workin" and many others.

Yase collaborated with artists such as Yalla, A.B. Milli, Cash Kidd, G-Val, That Boy Tyson, Stunna June, IamSu!, Shoreline Mafia and several other musicians, both local and otherwise.

We've reached out to Alameda County to confirm Yase's body is in their possession, and if any suspects have been apprehended -- so far ... no word back.

Lil Yase -- a Sunnydale native -- was only 26 years old. RIP

Chadwick Boseman would have turned 44 this weekend, and to honor the late actor ... Disney worked a tribute into the opening of his landmark film with them.

Starting Sunday morning, "Black Panther" on Disney+ featured a new opening credits sequence which shows off the Marvel logo ... something done in all Marvel movies. Only now, when you watch 'BP,' you'll see Chadwick's face all over it.

Marvel posted the new opening credits for "Black Panther," and captioned it ... "Long live the King. #WakandaForever." There's photos and footage of Chadwick also embedded into the Marvel logo artwork, both from the film and in real life.

Disney honcho Bob Iger teased the new change in a tweet Saturday, saying that if you watched "Black Panther" late that night on their streaming service ... you'd see a surprise in honor of Chadwick's 44th birthday, whom they loved.

As we reported ... Chadwick died earlier this year from colon cancer -- an ailment he was battling privately and which really didn't come to light until he had passed.

The tributes have poured in from all over since then -- taking the form of creative art pieces, murals, tattoos, re-worked comic books, proposed statues ... and even action figure wakes that kids themselves put on to pay their respects.

Safe to say ... the remembrances will continue, as they should.

Sean Connery died in his sleep from pneumonia, heart failure and old age ... according to his death certificate.

TMZ obtained Connery's death cert and it shows he died from respiratory failure as a result of pneumonia, old age and atrial fibrillation ... an irregular heart rate that can increase the risk of strokes, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

The doc shows he died on October 31 at 1:30 AM at his home in the Bahamas. His occupation is listed as a retired actor. As we reported ... Sean's wife, Micheline Roquebrune, said Sean died peacefully in his sleep. He was 90.

Sean, of course, became a huge star in 1962 after "Dr. No" was released. He went on to star in 7 Bond films between 1962 and 1983 -- "From Russia with Love," "Goldfinger," "Thunderball," "You Only Live Twice," "Diamonds are Forever," and "Never Say Never Again."

He also starred in "The Hunt for Red October," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "The Rock."

Soccer legend Diego Maradona did not have to die because he's the victim of "criminal idiocy" ... so claims his lawyer.

Attorney Matias Morla says it took upwards of a half-hour for an ambulance to arrive at Diego's Buenos Aires home Wednesday ... where he had suffered a heart attack.

Prosecutors appear to be looking into the lapse as well, although it's unclear why. There's been no allegation of foul play.

Diego, arguably the best soccer player that ever lived, underwent brain surgery earlier this month to remove a blood clot. It's unclear if the heart attack was in any way connected.