RIP

Patrick Dempsey is heartbroken over Eric Dane’s death ... revealing he’d spoken to his "Grey’s Anatomy" costar just a week before he passed -- and the decline was devastating.

Speaking Friday on "The Chris Evans Breakfast Show," Patrick said Eric’s condition had worsened dramatically ... he was bedridden, struggling to swallow, and losing his ability to speak when friends visited.

Patrick said his heart especially aches for Eric’s kids ... while remembering Eric as the funniest guy on the "Grey’s" set, the one who brought the fun no matter what was going on.

Eric Dane’s death has left a massive hole in people's lives -- not just for his family, but across Hollywood -- and here at TMZ too, where he was a familiar face we’d catch out and about over the years.

Roll the clip ... we ran into Eric everywhere from 2008 through 2022, owning sidewalks in every candid moment like the true A-lister he was.

A couple years after our last run-in, Eric revealed he’d been diagnosed with ALS last April -- the nervous system disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Still, he kept working to the very end, recently filming scenes for Season 3 of "Euphoria."

Eric was 53.

Hollywood is celebrating Eric Dane, who just lost his battle with ALS -- and the tributes are pouring in.

Dane's publicist announced his death Thursday night after the actor was diagnosed last April with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- a nervous system disease that impacts nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. 

A slew of celebs -- including Ashton Kutcher, Selma Blair, Nina Dobrev, John Stamos and Alyssa Milano -- took to social media after hearing the sad news to remember the "Grey's Anatomy" and "Euphoria" star.

Kutcher jumped on X to say he's going to miss his buddy, referencing a celebrity fantasy football league the two actors belonged to. They starred together in the 2010 film "Valentine's Day."

Eric Dane filmed episodes for "Euphoria" Season 3 before his death on Thursday, TMZ can confirm.

The actor played Cal Jacobs, the troubled father of Jacob Elordi's Nate Jacobs who enjoys secret hook ups with in motels with young men and trans women ... and abuses alcohol, leading to explosive outbursts.

Dane's rep confirmed to TMZ he shot episodes for the upcoming season. Filming wrapped in late 2025. People was first to report the news.

We are learning more about the circumstances surrounding the death of rapper Lil Poppa ... and it's pretty shocking.

TMZ broke the news ... the rapper -- real name Janarious Mykel Wheeler -- was pronounced dead yesterday in Georgia at the age of 25.

Hapeville Chief of Police Bruce Hedley tells TMZ ... Lil Poppa was in a single-car accident on Interstate 85 south of Hapeville ... which is when he called his manager asking what he should do. The car was still drivable.

Idaho State Police have released nearly 3,000 photos from the crime scene left behind by Bryan Kohberger when he stabbed 4 unsuspecting University of Idaho students to death at their home in the small town of Moscow ... and now we're getting a look at their bedrooms -- some splattered in blood, while others remained seemingly untouched.

You can see some bedroom photographs are right out of a nightmare -- blood stains are splattered across walls, sheets and clothing. These rooms belonged to the 4 students who lost their lives to Kohberger's knife in November 2022 -- Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle.

Other images show typical bedrooms belonging to college students -- maybe a bit messy, nothing out of the ordinary ... some clothing and school supplies strewn about, no blood in sight. Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke were the 2 survivors from that dreaded night ... completely untouched.

Peter Greene fatally shot himself ... TMZ has learned.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in New York City tells us Peter's official cause of death is a gunshot wound of the left axilla with injury of the brachial artery ... and the manner of death has been classified as an accident.

In other words, Peter accidentally shot himself in the left armpit, and the bullet damaged the artery that supplies blood to the arm, elbow, forearm, and hand.

Shirley Raines -- also known as activist and founder of Beauty 2 The Streetz, "Ms. Shirley" -- passed away from hypertensive heart disease.

Shirley's daughter Danielle confirmed the news to TMZ ... telling us Shirley had a history of high blood pressure, which she was being treated for at the time of her passing.

A private service is scheduled for next Monday ... while a public one will be held at a later date.

Catherine O'Hara's family and friends laid her to rest on Valentine's Day ... coming together to say their farewells two weeks after her sudden death.

Her funeral service was held at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Los Angeles ... according to a booklet from the service posted on social media by actress Kelly Lynch.

Catherine's funeral service booklet featured an old photo of her, seemingly from her high school days ... and Kelly captioned the post, "Rest in peace darling Catherine 💔."

James Van Der Beek was working right up until the end ... and now fans are getting a chilling first look at his final film role, with the former teen heartthrob stepping into seriously sinister territory.

A week after James died from stage 3 colorectal cancer at 48, Lionsgate has dropped the first trailer for the thriller "The Gates" ... casting him as a creepy pastor named Jacob, who's witnessed committing a murder by three college students cutting through a remote gated community.

James fully leaned into the darkness, delivering a spine-tingling performance that fans can catch when "The Gates" hits theaters March 13.

Huge update in Food Network star Anne Burrell's tragic death ... cops in New York say they found a suicide note in her bedroom.

The NYPD says an investigator found a "suicidal note" in the primary bedroom of Anne's Brooklyn home after her June 2025 death, which was later officially ruled a suicide ... a law enforcement source confirms to TMZ.

In addition to the suicide note, the NYPD investigator reportedly found "suicidal" journal entries on a bed in the same room as the note.

The cause of death of Tommy Lee Jones' daughter, Victoria Jones, has been released --  officials confirm to TMZ she died from the toxic effects of cocaine.

The San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner also determined Victoria's death was accidental.

TMZ broke the story -- Victoria, the daughter of Tommy and his first wife, Kimberlea Cloughley -- was found dead in the upscale Fairmont San Francisco hotel on New Year's Day.

James Van Der Beek passed away Feb. 11 ... but not before professing his love for his wife Kimberly one last time.

According to People, the couple renewed their vows from bed just days before James' death.

The publication reports James and Kimberly's family and a few close friends gathered in their bedroom for the "simple and beautiful and moving" ceremony.

More friends watched over Zoom as instrumentalist Poranguí played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to close out the occasion.

Hours after Reverend Jesse Jackson's death, President Donald Trump memorialized the civil rights pioneer in a way only Trump could ... by making it all about Trump -- and he threw in a jab at former President Barack Obama for good measure.

POTUS shared a tribute to Jackson on Truth Social, listing all the ways he helped the late minister. Trump says he gave Jackson office space in one of his buildings, responded to Jackson's requests for criminal justice reform, and passed long-term funding for HBCUs ... "despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a Racist."

Then he inexplicably throws shade at Obama, writing, "He had much to do with the election, without acknowledgment or credit, of Barack Hussein Obama, a man who Jesse could not stand."

Reverend Jesse Jackson, the civil rights pioneer and Baptist minister who twice ran for U.S. president, has died, according to his family.

Jesse's family issued a statement Tuesday morning, celebrating the icon ... "Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world.”

They went on ... “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”

Jackson died peacefully with his loved ones at his side ... his official cause of death has not yet been released.

In November, Jesse was hospitalized after living for over a decade with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), according to his Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The disease impacts patients’ ability to walk and swallow and has dangerous complications. Jesse was also diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2017.

"Dawson’s Creek" actor James Van Der Beek was dealing with a massive six-figure tax debt years before his death ... TMZ has learned.

The actor and his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek were hit with a lien in November 2021 for unpaid taxes for the years 2018 and 2019 -- the IRS declared the duo owed $95,438.31 for 2017 ... and $173,890.31 in 2019 ... for a total of $269,328.62.