RIP

Chrissy Teigen, John Legend and their entire family are mourning the loss of their beloved French bulldog.

Chrissy announced Pippa's passing Thursday night, saying her beloved little Pippa "just died in my arms, not long ago." She got sentimental in an emotional IG post ... remembering the day she picked her up from Florida and documented their trip home.

She said, "[Pippa] was a sassy broad - loved her pearl necklace and never took sh*t from ANY new dog we brought in. Our road dog with Sade, a tour dog for years. [W]e loved her so much. We love you sweet girl. I know you’re giving puddy hell up there. Thank you for giving us your whole life."

Puddy was Chrissy's 9-year-old English bulldog that died in 2018.

John also shared the devastating news ... posting a pic of Pippa "living her best life" because she's "on the road with her dad, wearing pearls." He called Pippa "smart, fancy" and a dog who "didn't take any sh*t."

Pippa was 10 years old.

The family's sad news comes on the heels of Chrissy saying how much it sucks to be part of the "cancel club" following her cyberbullying scandal.

Whitney Collings -- one of the early members of TV's "Bad Girls Club" -- died from a toxic mix of booze and hard drugs ... including fentanyl and cocaine.

According to her death certificate, obtained by TMZ, Whitney's immediate cause of death was acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, cocaine, alcohol and clonazepam ... which is a prescription medication used to prevent/control seizures and prevent panic attacks.

Whitney died at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital in Boston. The manner of death is listed as accidental and she was buried in Peabody, MA on December 10.

Interesting side note: Her occupation is listed as sales in the cannabis industry. Recreational weed is legal in Massachusetts.

TMZ broke the story ... Whitney died on December 3 at the age of 33. Her mother revealed the news on Facebook, saying "I am completely broken and will never get over this. Life is so unfair. She was kind with a big heart."

Legendary guitarist Jeff LaBar, famous for playing in the rock band "Cinderella," has died.

Jeff's first wife, Gaile LaBar-Bernhardt, tells TMZ ... Jeff was found dead Wednesday inside his apartment in Nashville.

We're told Jeff had gone off the grid the past few days, with friends and family unable to reach him, so his ex-wife went to go check on him ... and that's when she found him dead.

The cause of death remains unclear.

Jeff's son, Sebastian, who he shares with Gaile, is remembering his late father as his hero and idol ... and he shared some photos of all the fun times they had.

Cinderella was one of the biggest hard rock bands in the 1980s, famous for their big hair and smash hits “Nobody’s Fool” and “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” ... the band’s biggest Billboard hit. Jeff replaced the band's OG guitarist Michael Schermick.

Jeff also launched a solo career, releasing one record called "One For The Road" ... and he also played in a smaller band with his Cinderella bandmate, Eric Brittingham, the "Naked Beggars."

LaBar was 58.

RIP

Former Marshall football star Jaquan Yulee tragically died in a horrific car crash in Virginia on Tuesday ... law enforcement officials confirmed.

He was just 24 years old.

According to the Suffolk Police Department, Yulee was driving alone in a rural area of Suffolk when his car was involved in an accident and flipped on its roof.

Cops say they arrived on the scene at around 7:12 PM Tuesday ... and pronounced Yulee dead a short time later.

Officials say an investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.

Yulee was a touted recruit at Indian River H.S. in Virginia back in 2016 ... and despite receiving offers from Alabama, Clemson and Florida, he decided to go to Marshall instead.

The 6-foot-1, 242-pound linebacker played a key role for the Herd after redshirting in 2016 ... logging 42 total tackles, 3 forced fumbles and 1 sack in his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons.

He got his first career start in his junior year in 2019 ... but in that game, he broke his neck and didn't play for the rest of the season.

Yulee, though, worked his ass off the last two years and was finally medically cleared to play again just last month.

He had been looking to enroll at Virginia State University, Central State University or Virginia Union University for his next college football stop.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of former Marshall football student-athlete Jaquan Yulee," the Marshall football team said in a statement Wednesday.

"His energy and ability to connect with so many in our fanbase was exemplary. He will be missed by so many in the Thundering Herd."

A new tribute to DMX is finally complete -- a huge mural in his hometown of Yonkers, NY ... and TMZ has a first look at the art.

We got these images of the mural designed by NYC artist Floyd Simmons ... no relation to DMX, by the way. He painted it on a wall near the Calcagno Homes on School Street, the same public housing where DMX once lived -- and it will be unveiled to the public Tuesday morning.

Floyd, pictured above in front of the unfinished wall, tells TMZ ... residents at the housing project reached out to him because they liked another famous mural he'd done in Harlem back in the '90s.

The DMX project was supposed to last a week, tops ... but a heat wave followed by rain caused a delay and complicated matters. The project ultimately took a little over 2 weeks to complete.

As if that wasn't enough ... Floyd says he broke his pinky in the middle of the job when he got it jammed between the cherry picker lift and the wall.

But, when it was all said and done, the mural -- 35 feet by 22 feet -- featured a stoic DMX front and center and a verse from his "Look Thru My Eyes" track ... which pays homage to the very same neighborhood.

WWE Hall of Famer Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff -- the man who famously had epic matches with Hulk Hogan in the 1980s -- has died, his family announced Monday.

He was 71 years old.

Orndorff's son, Travis, did not reveal his father's cause of death, but said in a statement, "It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my father, Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. He is better known as "Mr. #1derful” Paul Orndorff."

Travis continued, "Most of you will remember him for his physique. Many will remember his intensity. But if I could only get you to understand and see his heart. He will always be Pop, Paw Paw, and Daddy at home."

"And as much as many of you hated him as a wrestler, he absolutely loved you for it."

Orndorff became a star in the 1980s ... after he was a headliner in the first-ever Wrestlemania in 1985.

In that matchup, Orndorff partnered Roddy Pipper in the main event to face off with Hogan and Mr. T.

Orndorff went on to have plenty of storylines and matches with Hogan ... before he officially retired in 2000. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

"RIP my brother," Hulk said in a statement Monday. "Love you and thank you for always making me fight for everything in our matches. Heaven just got even more wonderful. love U4LifeHH."

After retirement, Orndorff still made appearances at wrestling events -- even getting back into the ring at a tag team event in 2017 at 67 years old.

"He was an amazing father that showed me more love than I ever deserved," Travis says, "I love you Daddy."

Suzzanne Douglas is getting an honorary homegoing from the sorority she championed, and helped lead, for well over a decade.

Beverly Smith, National President and CEO of Delta Sigma Theta, tells TMZ ... the 108-year-old organization is already planning a special memorial service to honor the veteran stage and TV actress who recently passed away.

We're told the service Suzzanne's getting is called the Omega Omega service ... which is a final rite of passage and farewell service for the sorority's sisters. The org, BTW, is an historically Black sorority whose notable members include Barack Obama's former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

While most members have their Omega Omega service held at the local level ... we're told Suzzanne's service will be a nationwide celebration of her life and similar to its memorials for Aretha Franklin and Cicely Tyson.

Former national presidents and leaders for the sorority will be present. It'll be open to the public ... though the org's still trying to figure out where the event will be held.

For those who can't make it, we're told there will be a live stream. Cicely's live stream drew upwards of 30k viewers.

The sorority clearly meant a lot to Suzzanne. She was inducted into honorary membership in 2004 and served as Honorary Co-Chair of the National Arts & Letters Commission from 2013 to 2017. She was active in local, regional and national initiatives since her induction.

As we reported ... Suzzanne -- best known as the matriarch in the WB sitcom "The Parent 'Hood" and who recently appeared in the Netflix series "When They See Us" -- died from complications of cancer.

Wendy Williams made light of the murder of TikTok star Swavy on her TV show -- something for which his mother and brother say she now needs to apologize ... because she painted him in a bad light and outright disrespected him too.

We spoke with Swavy's mom and older sibling -- Chanell Clark and Rahkim Clark, respectively -- about the segment Wendy did earlier this week on-camera ... where she introduced Swavy to her audience by comparing social media followers, and throwing up a not-so-flattering photo of him -- this before getting to the lede ... namely, him being killed.

You can see the clip for yourself ... and it's obvious why Chanelle and Rahkim are upset -- not to mention scores of people who watched this at home, who were outraged by her handling of such a sensitive topic. The Millers are in the same boat, as it turns out.

Check out our interview ... Rahkim takes the lead on explaining why Wendy's words were so hurtful. As he points out -- this isn't just another celebrity news gossip story she may normally cover in her day-to-day lineup ... this is their own flesh and blood, and it's real life for them.

As angry as he is, it's probably nothing compared to Chanelle -- whom, BTW, says she saw her son get shot in Delaware Monday, and was actually with him during his last breaths. She flat out tells TMZ ... Wendy owes her/the fam a huge sorry for discussing her boy that way.

The Millers say they felt Wendy misrepresented Swavy as a thug or as someone who dabbled in the street, and that couldn't be further from the truth. So, they're demanding a full mea culpa ... and a correction for good measure.

Fact is ... the young man was already blowing up online, but his mother and brother feel she exposed him to a whole new demographic in the worst possible way -- tarnishing his legacy.

Tragic news from Chris Eubank ... the boxing legend just revealed his 29-year-old son, Sebastian, has died ... with reports he was found dead on a beach in Dubai.

Eubank made the emotional statement Friday, saying "Never did I ever imagine I would write these words or experience the feeling I now have at the loss of my son."

"My family and I are devastated to hear of the death of Sebastian just days before what would have been his 30th birthday."

According to reports, Sebastian drowned near his home in Dubai ... where he lives with his wife, Salma, and one month old son, Raheem.

Sebastian is the third oldest of Eubank's five kids -- his mother, Karron Meadows, married Eubanks in 1990 and divorced in 2005. They have 4 children together.

His dad was a big time fighter in the '80s and '90s ... and held the WBO middleweight and super-middleweight belts in the early and mid 1990s.

Chris is considered one of the best British boxers of all time.

Sebastian was following his father's footsteps as a pro boxer ... he went by the ring name "Alka Lion" and won 2 professional fights (last fight in March 2019). He just made his MMA debut last year.

He was also a professional trainer.

Eubank continued ... "As well as being a personal trainer and professional boxer, Sebastian was also a deep thinker who liked to challenge accepted wisdom."

"He was loved and respected by all who knew him and will be forever in the thoughts of friends and family."

Steven Avery -- the man at the center of the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" -- is dealing with another personal blow ... the death of his mother.

Dolores Avery passed away Thursday morning, according to Avery's attorney, Kathleen Zellner. Zellner included a message to Avery's fans, saying, "He needs your support now more than ever." She also included his mailing address at the Waupun Correctional Institution in Wisconsin.

Steven's brother, Earl, tells us Dolores had been in hospice care for 3 weeks before her death ... ultimately passing from dementia. He said the last time she spoke to Steven was likely 8 or 9 months ago.

Dolores, who always maintained her son was innocent, died just one day before Steven's 59th birthday.

Steven and his nephew, Brendon Dassey, were convicted of killing photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005 after cops say her remains were discovered in a burn pit on the Avery family's property. Steven was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2007.

Zellner took on Steven's case in 2016, arguing he had his rights violated and detectives had gathered evidence that went beyond their search warrant. More recently, she's stated she has more witnesses that should warrant a new trial for Avery.

Zellner has asked the appeals court to put Avery's recent appeal on hold and send his case to circuit court to hear the testimony of the new witnesses.

Dolores was 83.

Ex-NBA superstar Dwyane Wade is paying his respects to the victims of the devastating Surfside condo building collapse on Thursday ... getting emotional and meeting with those participating in search and recovery efforts.

The Miami Heat legend visited the memorial fence set up to honor the 60 victims of the collapse ... leaving a touching message of support for those grieving.

"Sending prayer, love, strength and healing ..." Wade etched on the memorial ... adding his autograph and "Miami Heat" underneath.

The future Hall of Famer -- who's beloved in South Florida -- was moved by the visit ... putting his hand to his face as he's overcome with emotion.

Wade also gave an inspiring speech to the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue team on Thursday ... thanking them for their service and stepping up to help after the incident.

Of course, there have been several Miami pro athletes showing support following the tragedy -- from Heat guard Tyler Herro to Dolphins players Jaylen Waddle and Jerome Baker and more joining the effort to help those affected over the past few weeks.

Kobe Bryant's legacy will live on at the Tokyo Olympics ... with Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum honoring the late NBA Hall of Famer by wearing #10 for Team USA.

Of course, Kobe is one of the greatest players to suit up for the Red, White and Blue ... winning gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Games.

Tatum -- who Bryant mentored in the years prior to his tragic death -- is set to wear the same digits as his idol as the United States prepares to win its 4th-straight Olympics this month ... a tribute he holds close to his heart.

"With this being the first Olympics since we lost him, it holds that much more value," Tatum told the AP. "It’s not something I take lightly."

As it turns out, #10 is Tatum's favorite number ... and it all had to do with his obsession with being like the Black Mamba.

"I remember that first team when I was hoping, wishing, that I got #10," Tatum said. "Kobe, everyone knows that was my favorite player. I was 15 years old and got to wear the number of my favorite player. It just felt like I had some level of connection with him."

Robert Downey Sr. -- whose credits included filmmaking, directing, writing, acting and fathering Robert Downey Jr. -- has died at the age of 85.

Sr. died in his sleep at home in NYC Wednesday after a battle with Parkinson's Disease, according to his wife, who spoke to the NY Daily News.

Downey Sr.'s career started back in the '60s with directing and writing smaller projects before moving on to big-budget films in the '70s with "Greaser's Palace." He also appeared in "Boogie Nights," "Magnolia," and other films.

Sr. fathered two children with actress Elsie Ann Ford -- Allyson and Downey Jr. -- but the couple divorced in 1975. He went on to marry two more times ... Laura Ernst, who died in 1994, and 4 years later he married Rosemary Rogers, whom he remained with until his death.

Sr.'s most recent film, "Rittenhouse Square," wrapped in 2005 about the everyday happenings in a park in Philadelphia.

Robert Downey Jr. has not yet commented publicly on his dad's passing.

Robert Downey Sr. was 85.

RIP

Matt Mauser -- who lost his wife in the helicopter crash that also killed Kobe and Gigi Bryant -- gave an emotional audition for "America's Got Talent" on Tuesday ... and the performance is incredibly moving.

The 51-year-old shared his tragic story with judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel ... before singing a rendition of "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins.

Mauser -- who met Christina at a bar in 2004 -- broke down his final memories of his wife ... saying she kissed him goodbye and said "I love you" before the fatal helicopter ride in Jan. 2020.

Mauser got teared up before performing the cover ... as he brought his 3 children on stage.

Not only is his story powerful, but Mauser has some serious pipes ... giving it his all.

After completing the audition, Mauser got a standing ovation from the judges and the audience ... and there may not have been a dry eye in the house.

Mandel applauded Mauser for being able to move an entire room full of strangers ... with each judge giving him a resounding "yes" to move on to the next round.

Darnella Frazier, the teenager whose video of George Floyd being killed went viral, has been left shaken by a death at the hands of police once more -- but this time, it's personal.

The teen's uncle -- 40-year-old Leneal Frazier -- was struck in his car by an oncoming Minneapolis Police squad car early Tuesday morning as the cops were pursuing an armed robbery suspect ... an impact that ended up killing him, and seriously hurting the officer.

Leneal was not involved in the chase whatsoever -- he was simply making his way to his girlfriend's house through what some are saying was a residential area. According to reports, the cop car changed lanes heading northbound, hitting Leneal at an intersection.

Darnella's mother confirmed to local media that it was her brother who was killed -- and Darnella herself took to FB to share the tragic news with a devastating post.

She writes, "I honestly can’t believe I’m making this post right now...I’m so hurt...nothing feels real. I woke up to the most horrible news. MINNEAPOLIS police Killed my uncle MY uncle... Another black man lost his life in the hands of the police! I asked my mom several times “he died??”. I couldn’t accept what I was hearing and still can’t."

Darnella went on to describe how she was still processing Leneal's death, and how she was filled with sadness, adding this as well ... "Minneapolis police has cost my whole family a big loss...today has been a day full of heartbreak and sadness ... It’s not fair how the police can just go around killing people." She's also angrily questioning why cops were engaged in a high speed chase on residential roads.

Of course, Darnella's famous for being one of the few who recorded Floyd's murder under Derek Chauvin's knee last May. Her now-viral video was central to Chauvin's conviction, and also earned her several commendations, including one from the Pulitzer folks.

As we've reported ... observing Floyd's death emotionally scarred Darnella, so losing her uncle in another police-involved incident seems like textbook PTSD.

Suzzanne Douglas -- best known as the matriarch in the WB sitcom "The Parent 'Hood" and who recently appeared in the Netflix series "When They See Us" -- has died, TMZ has confirmed.

The veteran actress' husband tells TMZ ... Suzzanne died Wednesday at her home in Martha's Vineyard from complications of cancer. Her husband said, "Her energy and creativity will be missed by all."

Suzzanne's cousin Angie Tee posted a heartwarming tribute to her on Facebook. Angie said, "She warmed our hearts on movie screens and television sets all over the world."

She added, "I can remember growing up, there weren't very many black actresses who had starring roles but there was my cousin with the lead role in "Tap" starring alongside great dancers such as Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr."

Angie said Suzzanne "also performed with Angela Bassett and Whoopi Goldberg in 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back.' 'The Inkwell,' 'Jason's Lyric' and so much more the list goes on. The world will miss your talent but your soul will live on forever Rest in Paradise my beautiful cousin Suzzane you will be missed RIP."

Suzzanne starred as Jerri Peterson opposite Robert Townsend on "The Parent 'Hood" ... which ran from 1995 to 1999 on the WB.

She earned an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture in 1989 for her lead role in "Tap."