RIP

Brian Wilson had multiple respiratory issues when he passed away ... and, now we know the reason why he simply stopped breathing.

TMZ has obtained the death certificate for Wilson ... which lists "respiratory arrest" as his main cause of death. According to the American CPR Care Association, respiratory arrest occurs when the heart is still beating, but the lungs stop functioning, making it impossible for the person to get oxygen.

Sepsis and cystitis -- infection issues -- are also listed on the document ... and, associated factors include neurodegenerative disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic respiratory failure and chronic kidney disease.

Dwight Howard is mourning the loss of his beloved dog, Sunday ... saying his companion was tragically killed in an alleged hit-and-run over the weekend.

The NBA center shared the sad news with his Instagram followers on Wednesday, posting several photos and videos of the good times with his Belgian Malinois.

Howard -- now playing in the BIG3 league after 18 NBA seasons -- said Sunday lost her life on June 18 in Suwanee, Georgia, after she was allegedly struck by a car that didn't stop.

Tragic news -- influencer Tanner Martin announced his own heartbreaking death at just 30 years old, after battling colon cancer for five years, in a video released Wednesday.

In a gut-wrenching pre-recorded video shared to his IG -- just weeks after he and his wife Shay welcomed their baby daughter Amy Lou -- Tanner looked straight into the camera and said, "Hey, it’s me, Tanner. If you're watching this, I am dead."

Tanner, who got the colorectal cancer diagnosis at 25 back in November 2020, said he lived a good life -- and while death scared him, he was actually looking forward to the afterlife because there were some people he was excited to meet, and some loved ones to see again.

The man accused of killing "King of the Hill" voice actor Jonathan Joss is claiming self-defense -- according to his lawyer.

Attorney Nico LaHood says Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez -- known as "Freddy" to friends and family -- is pleading not guilty, and insists he's innocent, adding ... "It’s difficult for anyone who's been accused of something they didn’t do, especially murder."

Alvarez was arrested earlier this month after allegedly shooting and killing his neighbor, Joss, during a heated argument in San Antonio, Texas, according to cops. The late actor’s husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, immediately dubbed it a hate crime -- claiming homophobic slurs were hurled by Alvarez before the fatal shot.

9:23 AM PT -- The Chicago White Sox told ESPN a 22-year-old fan has been indefinitely banned from Rate Field over the incident.

A heckler crossed the line during the Diamondbacks game Tuesday night -- making a comment to Ketel Marte that was so insensitive, it actually reduced the baseball star to tears.

The emotional scene unfolded late in Arizona's tilt vs. the White Sox ... after a fan had made a remark to Marte around the time he popped out to end the top half of the seventh inning.

The Snakes' second baseman was seen on the game's broadcast being consoled by his teammates and coaches in the middle of Rate Field's infield ... and, initially, nobody had any clue why he was sobbing.

Bobby Sherman -- a musician who rose to fame as a teen heartthrob back in the 1960s -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

A longtime friend of Bobby tells TMZ he passed away Tuesday morning from stage 4 cancer at his home in Encino, L.A.

Bobby’s wife, Brigitte Poublon Sherman and friend John Stamos paid a joint IG tribute to him ... calling him "brave, gentle, and full of light" even in his final days, and also thanked fans for acknowledging his legacy.

Tragedy struck California's Lake Tahoe over the weekend when a boat capsized, leaving six people dead and two others missing.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the 27-foot vessel reportedly overturned due to a large swell around 3 PM. Authorities say the gold Chris-Craft vessel capsized due to a large swell.

Of the ten people onboard, six adults were pronounced dead at the scene. Two survivors were rescued and rushed to a hospital.

The suspect cops say hit and killed "Million Dollar Beach House" star Sara Burack thought she hit a traffic cone her lawyer reportedly told the court. Saturday

Amanda Kempton -- the woman who was arrested and booked on suspicion of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident -- made her first court appearance in the Hamptons ... and, the New York Post reports her attorney, William Keahon, argued his client thought she hit a cone.

Keahon reportedly said it was foggy, and Kempton didn't see Burack ... adding she only realized she hit a person when she went to a friend's house and found Burack's pink suitcase lodged under her car.

A hot air balloon trip in Brazil turned into a fatal tragedy after it caught on fire and plummeted from the sky Saturday -- and it's all on video.

The stunning clip shows the vibrant balloon quickly being incinerated by the deadly blaze ... detaching the occupied basket and sending it into a downward free fall from the sky.

The Governor of Santa Catarina confirmed on X that 21 people were onboard when the ride went wrong ... and 13 survived the flight.

Jack Betts, best recognized for his role in "Spider-Man" has died.

He died in his sleep Thursday at his Los Osos, California home, his nephew, Dean Sullivan, told The Hollywood Reporter. It is not known if he was suffering from any health concerns when he died.

The Miami-born star studied theater at the University of Miami and first found success on Broadway, landing a role in the 1953 adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Richard III," which starred José Ferrer.

Anne Burrell's death is being investigated as a possible drug overdose.

Law enforcement sources confirm to TMZ ... The NYPD is looking into the possibility the late Food Network star ingested a fatal amount of drugs.

TMZ broke the story ... Anne's husband, Stuart Claxton, found her unconscious early Tuesday morning, lying on the shower floor inside a bathroom in their Brooklyn home. Our sources also tell us police found a bunch of pills nearby.

A suspect has been arrested in the fatal hit-and-run of Netflix star Sara Burack ...  and authorities wasted little time in cracking the case.

Per the New York Post ... Amanda Kempton was arrested and booked on suspicion of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, a felony.

A family spokesperson told TMZ ... they family was not aware an arrest had been made ... and Southampton Town Police did not immediately respond to a request for more information.

Zunilda Hoyos Mendez -- a 43-year-old Colombian bodybuilder known as "She Hulk" -- was found beaten to death with a hammer this week ... and her husband was also discovered deceased from self-inflicted knife wounds, according to reports.

Local outlets say cops visited a rental home in the Spanish town of Fuengirola on Thursday after Mendez was reported missing by a friend a day prior. When officers arrived ... they discovered Mendez and her husband, Jarrod Gelling, dead in the house.

Canarias7 stated cops determined the wounds on Mendez's body showed "clear signs of violence" ... and the wounds on Gelling suggest he died by suicide. An autopsy will determine his official cause of death.

TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 calls related to the tragic accident that took the life of Baltimore Orioles minor leaguer Luis Guevara -- and in them, you can hear nearly a dozen Good Samaritans frantically trying to get the injured baseball player help.

Eleven calls in total were provided to us through a public records request ... and in one of them, a woman can be heard telling a dispatcher she saw two jet skis collide with one another while in Sarasota, FL on June 15.

Speaking with someone nearby, the caller described that one jet ski was stopped ... before another "guy ran into him. Full throttle."

Gailard Sartain -- the beloved Southern character actor from "Hee Haw," "Mississippi Burning," and "Fried Green Tomatoes" -- has died at 78, TMZ has confirmed.

Teresa Knox, CEO of The Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma, tells TMZ Gailard passed away this week after a long decline in health. No official cause of death has been revealed.

The Church Studio -- where Sartain's wife Mary Jo volunteered -- is remembering him as "an extraordinary actor, artist, and comedian."

Sara Burack -- a star of Netflix's "Million Dollar Beach House" -- was killed by a hit-and-run driver in the Hamptons ... and the cops are trying to find the person who did it.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Burack was found unconscious on a roadway on Long Island, NY, early Thursday morning. She was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Police continued a massive search Friday for the driver ... details about the car and the driver have not been released.