RIP

Chris Pousson grew up with Shamsud-Din Jabbar -- the terrorist who killed 14 people in New Orleans in the early hours of New Year's Day -- and reconnected with him online in recent years ... but he says Jabbar never gave any indication of being a killer.

Chris joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and told us about his relationship with Jabbar, who he knew as Sham.

The friends went to high school together after meeting in middle school, and Chris says when they graduated he enlisted in the Air Force and Jabbar went to the Army ... so they lost touch for a while before finding each other on Facebook.

John Capodice, a veteran character actor who appeared onstage and screen for decades -- including in memorable roles in 'Ace Ventura' and 'General Hospital' -- has died, TMZ has learned.

Capodice's passing was announced on the Pizzi Funeral Home website in New Jersey Thursday. His cause of death was not revealed.

Capodice was born on Christmas Day, 1941, in Chicago, and he served in the U.S. Army in Korea in the mid-1960s, before moving to New York City to begin his acting career in Off-Broadway stage productions.

The younger brother of New Orleans terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar is reportedly blaming "radicalization" for his kin's rampage that killed 15 people and injured scores more.

Abdur Jabbar told the New York Times Shamsud-Din was a practicing Christian in his early years in Beaumont, Texas, but then turned to the Muslim faith, spending most of his life studying Islam.

But, Abdur noted, "What he did does not represent Islam. This is more some type of radicalization, not religion."

Former college football standout Tiger Bech was killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack early Wednesday morning, his brother announced. He was just 27 years old.

Bech -- an all-conference kick returner for the Princeton Tigers -- was in New Orleans for the holiday when he was struck by the pickup truck that drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street around 3:15 AM local time.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was held on life support until his family arrived at the facility, according to local outlets.

Swiss-born New York socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein, often referred to in the media as 'Catwoman' due to her surgically enhanced cat-like features, has died at the age of 84.

Paris Match reports Wildenstein passed away in a Parisian palace on Tuesday in Paris from a pulmonary embolism.

Wildenstein -- famous for her dramatic feline-like cosmetic transformation -- married billionaire art dealer Alec Wildenstein in 1978, and their subsequent divorce in 1999 was widely publicized.

Former college basketball star Mike Babul has passed away, UMass announced on Tuesday. He was 47 years old.

The school broke the news just minutes ago ... saying in a heartfelt statement the Minutemen fanbase is grieving the loss of an iconic member of the community.

"Babul was a true Massachusetts basketball legend on the court, serving as a positive force in his community and on many sidelines as a coach," the school said.

The only two survivors aboard the plane carrying 181 passengers that crashed in South Korea lucked out and had their lives spared because of their seating arrangement, according to news reports.

The fortunate flight attendants -- a man and a woman -- were reportedly seated in the tail section of the Jeju commercial airliner, which was landing at Muan International Airport after taking off from Bangkok, Thailand on Sunday.

When the plane touched down on the runway, it veered off and rammed into a wall, exploding into flames.

Liam Payne was advised by his psychiatrist just weeks before his death ... he needed a "higher level of care" than she could provide.

In a letter, filed with the court in Argentina and obtained by TMZ ... the One Direction star's psychiatrist informed the British singer in September she could no longer provide psychiatric care for him.

As the psychiatrist put it ... she decided to stop treating Liam "after careful consideration and assessment," but advised him to continue with a treatment plan -- which included taking medications only as prescribed, avoiding heavy drinking while on medication, weekly therapy, meeting with a primary care doctor, and further testing.

Angus MacInnes -- a prolific actor who appeared in the original "Star Wars" film -- has died ... according to a Facebook post by a family member.

In the statement, his family reveals MacInnes passed away peacefully on December 23, surrounded by loved ones. They did not list a cause of death.

Angus' family says he took great pride in appearing in some unforgettable projects during his career ... adding that fans of "Star Wars" held a special place in his heart.

Linda Lavin -- best known for her lead role in the 1970s TV sitcom "Alice" -- has died, TMZ has confirmed.

The actress passed away Sunday in Los Angeles from complications of lung cancer with which she was recently diagnosed, according to her reps.

Lavin began her career in the late '60s on Broadway before heading west in the '70s to Hollywood.

Several people connected to Liam Payne's death are facing formal charges in Argentina ... according to local reports in the Latin American country.

Infobae -- an Argentinian online newspaper -- revealed Saturday that sources with direct knowledge of the case confirmed five people have been charged by a judge.

Among them ... Liam's friend Roger Nores -- who says he left Liam at the CasaSur Palermo hotel about an hour before he fell to his death -- who authorities have charged with negligent homicide.

Jimmy Carter -- the 39th President of the United States, a renowned philanthropist and a Nobel Peace Prize winner -- has died.

The news of his death was confirmed by his son, Jimmy Carter III also known as Chip to the Washington Post on Sunday.

The Carter Center tells TMZ ... Jimmy passed away at home surrounded by family. He was the longest living former president in history when he passed away.

Matthew Gaudreau's wife just gave birth to their son ... four short months after he and his brother Johnny were killed by an alleged drunk driver.

Madeline Gaudreau announced the news on Instagram early Sunday morning ... sharing a photo of their baby boy holding tightly to her hand -- and revealing she named him Tripp.

In her caption, Madeline writes Tripp is "Mommy & Daddy’s world" ... keeping Matthew's presence within the family alive. BTW, Matthew helped choose the name before he passed, it seems.

Donald Trump's showering praise on the late Jimmy Carter ... saying he did his best to improve the lives of his fellow Americans -- and, the country owes him a debt.

The president-elect posted to his social media platform, Truth Social, Sunday ... only about an hour after the Carter Center announced the former president had passed away at 100.

In his message, Trump writes that anyone who has been president knows it's a very exclusive club ... and, only members in its ranks can understand the responsibility of leading the country.

The Boeing passenger jet that crashed over the weekend killing hundreds was reportedly warned of a bird strike minutes before it attempted an emergency landing.

According to the country's Transport Ministry, air traffic controllers alerted the crew the aircraft had experienced a bird strike before the fatal accident on Saturday that killed 179 people.

News1 Agency also reports a passenger allegedly sent a text message to a family member minutes before the crash claiming there had been a bird strike somewhere near or on the plane's wing.

A Boeing passenger jet crashed in South Korea Sunday ... reportedly killing dozens of people after what authorities are labeling a failure of the landing gear.

The Boeing 737 -- en route from Thailand -- veered off the runway at Muan International Airport around 9 AM local time

Video taken at the airport shows the plane sliding across the asphalt ... unable to stop itself before it runs into what looks like a wall and explodes.