RIP

Lucy Markovic, who rose to stardom on "Australia's Next Top Model," has died after battling a rare brain condition.

An announcement was made on Lucy's Instagram story, seemingly posted by a family member, confirming the model had passed away. The message reads, "She was at peace. Me, her mother and my mother were present with her. We ask you please give us space in these hard times."

Markovic's agency, Elite Model Management, also released a statement on her passing, saying she fought a "brave battle with brain AVM." Brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is defined as a tangle of blood vessels that creates irregular connections between arteries and veins in the brain.

A security guard tried to give a heads up to the band playing onstage right before the roof collapsed at the Dominican Republic nightclub that killed 221 people.

New video surfaced showing the moments before Tuesday's early morning tragedy at Jet Set Club in Santo Domingo -- and the guard dressed in a dark suit is seen on the side of the stage as merengue star Rubby Pérez performs in front of a packed crowd.

In the clip, the guard gestures at band members behind Pérez, then he shines a flashlight at them and says something. After that, the guard points the flashlight at the roof just before it collapses.

UConn star Azzi Fudd says she believes her Huskies got an assist from the Mamba and the Mambacita during their title tilt last weekend ... telling TMZ Sports she felt Kobe and Gianna Bryant "watching down on us" during the big game.

Some five years after the NBA legend and his daughter -- who was a massive UConn fan -- passed away in a tragic helicopter accident ... Fudd says she felt their presence as she and her teammates were taking down South Carolina in the national championship in San Antonio.

She told us it all became crystal clear to her when someone pointed out a few Bryant-related numbers in the matchup's box score.

Val Kilmer's cause of death has been revealed ... the legendary actor died from pneumonia, TMZ has learned.

TMZ has obtained the death certificate released by the Los Angeles County Department of Health. Kilmer's immediate cause of death has been confirmed as pneumonia. Underlying causes listed on the death certificate are acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, chronic respiratory failure, and squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue.

Other contributing factors include malnutrition, and a tracheocutaneous fistula. We've also learned he was cremated on April 7.

A soccer player tragically passed away after a devastating collision on the pitch during the Copa Peru over the weekend. He was 21 years old.

The horrific incident happened at Real Titan NC's match against the Defensor Nueva Cajamarca ... when Helar Gonzales Altamirano made contact with the opponent's goalkeeper while battling for the ball.

Altamirano collapsed to the ground and was unresponsive ... causing his teammates to panic as they realized the severity of the situation.

Mel Novak, the Hollywood actor best known for his starring role in Bruce Lee's classic "Game of Death," has died, his daughter Nikol Conant tells TMZ.

Novak died Wednesday morning at a SoCal board and care facility of natural causes, Nikol told us.

The iconic actor whose career spanned decades in Hollywood suffered numerous injures during his time in the biz ... 'cause he was known for doing all of his own stunts and fighting scenes. But, he was in pain daily -- especially the past few years -- from the beatings he took in front of the camera, Nikol says.

Prosecutors working the criminal case surrounding the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau are asking a judge to rule the brothers' BAC levels inadmissible as evidence.

Officials at the Salem County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey filed court documents on Wednesday ... arguing the Gaudreau bros' intoxication measurements should not be presented to the jury -- stating they're "irrelevant" to the charges levied against the Gaudreau's alleged killer, Sean Higgins.

The authorities stated in the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, "Multiple witness accounts show that it was the defendant's actions and his actions alone that caused the collision that led to Matthew and John Gaudreau’s deaths."

Liam Payne's friend Roger Nores -- who was with the One Direction singer in his final chaotic days in Buenos Aires -- is taking legal steps to drop a lawsuit he filed against Liam's dad.

Roger beelined it to court Wednesday and filed new legal docs to dismiss his defamation lawsuit against Geoff Payne.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Roger says he wants to dismiss the suit without prejudice ... meaning it could be refiled in the future.

Former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel will be laid to rest on Thursday ... after he tragically died in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday.

The former World Series champion was of the 100-plus people who perished when a roof collapsed during a Santo Domingo nightclub concert ... and his family said they will now honor his memory throughout this week.

On Wednesday, Dotel's loved ones said they'll hold an event at a DR funeral home ... before the ex-Astros closer gets a Christian burial on Thursday.

The death toll from the nightclub rooftop collapse tragedy in the Dominican Republic is on the rise ... with more than 100 people now reported dead.

General Juan Manuel Méndez -- director of the D.R.'s emergency operations center -- says at least 113 people were killed and another 155 were injured when the roof collapsed at the Jet Set nightclub. Merengue musician Rubby Pérez was among the dead.

National police are still conducting a search-and-rescue operation at the venue, located in the country's capital city, Santo Domingo.

3:24 PM PT -- MLB commissioner Robert Manfred released a statement on the passing of Dotel, Nelson Cruz's sister, Nelsy, and former pro Tony Blanco ... saying, "We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family."

"The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today."

The New York Mets paid tribute to former player Octavio Dotel on Tuesday ... hours after a nightclub roof collapsed and killed the World Series champion in the Dominican Republic.

Prior to the team's game against the Miami Marlins, the Metropolitans held a moment of silence for Dotel, who made his Major League debut with the squad in June 1999.

Beyond the moment of silence, team manager Carlos Mendoza addressed the tragic event in his pre-game press conference.

"The Queen of Versailles" star Jackie Siegel just lost another family member ... her sister died from an accidental drug overdose, only days after Jackie's husband died.

Jackie tells TMZ ... her sister, Jessica Mallery, died Monday after using cocaine laced with fentanyl.

JS tells us her sister's death "is another stark reminder of the drug epidemic and fentanyl crisis plaguing our country – and the urgent need to address substance abuse in order to save lives."

10:39 AM PT -- MLB insider Héctor Gómez is now reporting Octavio Dotel has died.

The former pitcher, according to the reporter, passed away while he was being transported from the nightclub rubble to the hospital.

Dotel was just 51 years old.

7:23 AM PT -- Octavio Dotel has been rescued from the rubble ... MLB insider Héctor Gómez reported Tuesday morning.

Former MLB star relief pitcher Octavio Dotel was inside a Dominican Republic nightclub Monday night when its roof suddenly collapsed ... though, thankfully, he's reportedly still alive.

According to MLB insider Héctor Gómez, Dotel -- who logged 36 saves for the Astros and A's in 2004 -- was partying at Jet Set in Santo Domingo, when its roof caved in.

Tragedy hit hard in the Dominican Republic when a nightclub roof came crashing down on partygoers -- leaving 18 dead and more than 120 injured in the chaos.

The terrifying moment was caught on camera -- one minute, fans were vibing to merengue star Rubby Pérez onstage at the popular Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo ... the next, the roof dramatically collapsed, plunging the place into darkness and panic.

Pérez was pulled from the rubble, and his manager, Enrique Paulino -- who reportedly had blood on his chest -- said it all happened so fast, he thought it was an earthquake ... but he managed to throw himself into a corner just in time.

Former Louisville linebacker P.J. Blue -- who was teammates with Lamar Jackson on the Cardinals -- has died at 27 years old, the school announced Tuesday.

"We are saddened by the passing of Cardinal Forever P.J. Blue," university officials said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with his loved ones."

The cause of death was not made immediately available.

Emotions ran high as a funeral for rapper Young Scooter was held today -- just over a week after his tragic death on his 39th birthday.

The funeral went down Monday at Atlanta’s Saint Philip AME Church ... with photos and clips showing Scooter’s casket carried out by heartbroken loved ones -- all while other family and friends looked visibly shaken, saying their final goodbyes. He'll be buried in his hometown of Walterboro, South Carolina.

Monday's service was marked as a celebration of his life -- white doves were released into the sky after the ceremony, symbolizing peace, hope, and freedom.