RIP

The chopper used in the ill-fated New York City tour that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday was once featured in a safety video for the tour company ... and it's now quite unsettling to watch.

The eerie video is on the company’s homepage ... under a section titled "Why Choose Us" where its purported safety record is touted while showing the ill-fated chopper being inspected, according to FOX News.

As TMZ reported ... the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV came apart midair and plummeted into the water, killing all aboard -- the same make and model that was seen crashing into the water from multiple angles.

George Foreman's death is still being felt in the boxing world ... and now the filmmaker behind the "Big George Foreman" biopic is opening up on the late-heavyweight champ's impact, especially amongst the Black community.

TMZ Sports recently spoke with George Tillman Jr., the man who not only directed but also co-wrote the film that was released in mid-2023 ... a movie most fans loved.

Tillman Jr. and Foreman came to know each other well ... and with the death of Big George, we asked about the legacy the larger-than-life figure leaves behind.

The pilot of the helicopter that went down in New York City's Hudson River Thursday was a former Navy SEAL who dreamed of flying ... so says his wife, about 24 hours after the crash.

Kathryn Johnson confirmed to Gothamist that her husband, Seankese Johnson -- who went by Sean -- was flying the Bell 206 helicopter when its rotor blades flew off, and it spun out of the sky ... crashing into the water below and killing all six people aboard.

Sean had recently moved to New York City to continue his pilot career ... and, Kathryn says she's at a loss for words about the crash -- adding it's a very difficult time for her.

Ted Kotcheff -- famous for directing iconic movies the likes of "First Blood" and "Weekend at Bernie's" -- has died, TMZ confirmed.

Thomas Kotcheff, Ted's son, tells TMZ ... the filmmaker died peacefully Friday night at Hospital Joya in Nuevo Nayarit, Mexico surrounded by family.

A cause of death was not disclosed.

The helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River was literally falling apart in mid-air ... with a new angle of the incident showing multiple mechanical pieces flying off the chopper into the river.

Watch the clip -- recorded by CCTV cameras -- of the Thursday afternoon crash ... the helicopter is flying along when what appear to be huge pieces of machinery, probably the rotor blades, come off, plummeting toward the Hudson and causing the helicopter to fall like a stone from the sky.

While the majority of the helicopter causes a huge splash, the other pieces cause smaller disturbances in the water -- though, these pieces of the helicopter must have been quite large to cause such splashes.

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.