RIP

JD Vance was one of the last people who saw Pope Francis alive, meeting with the pontiff on Easter Sunday at the Vatican in Rome before his death.

President Trump's VP briefly interacted with Francis in a reception room of the Vatican guesthouse known as Domus Santa Marta, where the Pope chose to reside.

Their pleasant exchange — coming after Francis blasted the Trump administration's mass deportations of migrants — was caught on video.

New details have surfaced in the fatal police shooting of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" alum Lydia McLaughlin's brother ... police say he grabbed the cop's taser and assaulted the officer before getting shot during a traffic stop.

According to Newport Beach Police, Geoffrey Shyam Stirling "managed to remove the department-issued taser from the officer’s duty belt and attempted to deploy it multiple times against the officer" during the traffic stop Thursday in Orange County, CA. The department claims, "at that point, an officer-involved shooting occurred."

The PD went on to confirm what law enforcement sources told us on Friday ... that Geoffrey was uncooperative and assaulted the cop.

Four people from Wisconsin were killed over the weekend when a small single-engine plane crashed in Illinois.

According to the Illinois State Police, the plane went down around 10:15 AM on Saturday. All four people on board were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to CBS News, the crash happened after the plane struck a set of power lines.

Benson Boone still rocked "Bohemian Rhapsody" despite Brian May appearing lifeless onstage ... which makes sense, since the actual guitarist was replaced by a cardboard cutout.

The singer-songwriter took to the Coachella stage Friday night for Weekend 2 of the biggest music festival of the year, and he performed the hit Queen song again for the raucous crowd.

While Boone sang “I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all,” he brought out the cutout of May ... all while a real guitarist played the famous solo -- though Boone pretended like it really was May shredding.

A college football player in Missouri has died ... and cops say they suspect an accidental gunshot wound was the cause.

Todric McGee -- a four-year player at Missouri State -- was hospitalized Friday after injuries sustained at his residence, according to the Missouri State Athletic Department.

The Springfield Police Department tells TMZ ... they received a call about a wellness check Friday morning -- arriving on scene to find a man later identified as McGee, who they believe sustained a "possible accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound." We're told he was transported to the hospital, where he passed away from his injuries Saturday.

Alabama father Jacob Couch has died almost two weeks after he was attacked by a hatchet-wielding maniac who nearly chopped off his head in broad daylight ... at a bus stop!

The 32-year-old died Thursday night after being on life support at University Medical Center Tucson following the horrifying attack in Tucson, Arizona, police confirmed. His sister-in-law Erica Sims told KGUN 9 News that he developed pneumonia and his heart gave out.

His wife, Kristen Couch, remembered him Friday by sharing several throwback photos of them together and heartbreakingly noting she thought they would have "so many more" years together.

Two victims killed in the mass shooting at Florida State University have been identified ... one was a food services executive and the other worked in a dining hall.

Robert Morales worked as a dining coordinator at FSU ... his older brother, Ricardo Morales Jr., identified him as one of the shooting victims in a heartfelt social media post.

The other deceased victim was identified as Tiru Chabba ... he was a father of two from South Carolina who worked for Aramark and was on campus during Thursday's mass shooting.

Police in Idaho just released body cam video of a fatal interaction with an autistic teen ... and everything happens super fast.

Cops released footage Thursday and it shows officers from the Pocatello Police Department opening fire on 17-year-old Victor Perez just seconds after arriving at the scene and getting out of their squad cars.

Police say a home connected to Austin Metcalf -- the teenager who lost his life during a stabbing incident at a track meet earlier this month -- was swatted on Thursday.

According to the Frisco Police Department, authorities rushed to a Metcalf family home in Frisco, Texas after receiving a call regarding a gunshot.

An FPD spokesperson, though, said officers on the scene quickly determined it was a swatting call -- aka a hoax aimed to disturb the Metcalfs -- and they left.

Soccer star Joe Thompson has passed away after a long battle with cancer, his wife confirmed this week. He was only 36.

Chantelle Thompson shared the devastating news on Instagram ... saying her "brave and courageous" husband died at home surrounded by his family.

"It’s been a long battle, and one that he fought with all his might and he did things HIS way!!" Chantelle said.

Wrestling legend Kevin Von Erich is opening up about a major tragedy -- recalling the gut-wrenching call he got from his brother Kerry shortly before he took his own life.

In a teaser for the new doc "The Real Iron Claw" -- Kevin recalls the devastating 1993 phone call when he begged Kerry not to shoot himself, pleading with him not to leave him completely alone after the deaths of their other brothers.

It’s heart-wrenching stuff -- Kevin said Kerry eventually reassured him he’d be fine during the call, but deep down he knew something was wrong, so he called their dad, Fritz Von Erich, to warn him.

"American Idol" alum Doug Kiker -- who was known by the moniker "The Singing Garbage Man" -- died from an opioid overdose, TMZ has learned.

According to the City and County of Denver Medical Examiner's report obtained by TMZ, Doug died from the combined toxic effects of fentanyl, methadone, and amphetamines, with recent cocaine use -- and his death has been ruled an accident.

Kiker died last month, as confirmed to TMZ by his brother William and mother Joyce -- with his ex-fiancée, Valerie Cook, telling us she hates that her kids lost their father.

Three people tragically died in a boating accident at a Major League Fishing event Wednesday, officials announced.

The crash occurred during the second day of the org.'s Tackle Warehouse Invitational -- which was taking place at Lewis Smith Lake in Alabama.

A bass fishing boat collided with another vessel while out on the water, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said, killing three ... and leaving multiple others with injuries.

Michelle Trachtenberg's cause of death is official ... with NYC authorities saying she died from complications of diabetes.

The actress -- who passed away in February -- died from "complications of diabetes mellitus" according to the medical examiner, who cited lab results. Diabetes mellitus is the more technical name for diabetes. It doesn't denote whether Michelle had type 1 or type 2.

The ME is classifying Michelle's death as "natural" ... meaning the investigation into Michelle's death is pretty much closed at this point.

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa were still madly in love right up until their tragic deaths -- a stack of love notes found on their property makes that heartbreakingly clear.

Santa Fe authorities released the touching notes -- in one, Hackman sweetly thanked Betsy, who had been caring for him through his advanced Alzheimer’s, for helping him make her own birthday dinner, and signing it off with, "Love you and the guys, G."

It was clear the pair -- who married in 1991 -- loved the old-school way of showing affection ... with Gene calling Betsy a "lovely girl," and in another note saying he was thinking of her.

Former MLS star Aaron Boupendza -- who helped FC Cincinnati win the Supporters' Shield in 2023 -- has tragically passed away after falling from a balcony. He was just 28 years old.

The pro footballer, who was playing for Zhejiang FC, died on Wednesday at his apartment building in China.

Local police have launched an investigation into Boupendza's death, reportedly treating it as "suspicious."