RIP

Professional skier Kyle Smaine -- who won gold at the 2015 Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships -- has died in a terrible ski accident, his family announced.

He was 31.

Smaine was in Japan skiing ... a place he enjoyed frequenting this time of year due to the "unbelievable snow quality," something he talked about on social media before the accident.

Smaine was on the trip with photographer Grant Gunderson, who recounted the frightening events in an emotional Instagram post, calling it his "absolute worst nightmare scenario."

Grant says he was tired so he decided to go down the mountain and rest. But, Kyle wanted to keep skiing. Gunderson says things took a turn for the worst when another skier triggered a large avalanche that threw Smaine 50 meters, and buried him, killing the 31-year-old.

Gunderson says rescue officials -- "two mountain guides and 4 or 5 emergency doctors" -- did everything they could to save Smaine, and another man who is yet to be identified, but tragically there was nothing they could do to save the men.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said they're "aware of the incident in Nagano Prefecture" and are working with local authorities.

Gunderson, crushed over the loss of his friend, said Smaine's death is something he will be "rehashing" for the rest of his life.

Lisa Marie Presley was on an extreme weight loss regimen in the months leading up to her death, because she wanted to look her best to celebrate the "Elvis" movie during the various awards ceremonies ... family sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say ... 2 months before the Golden Globes, Lisa Marie got plastic surgery and began taking weight loss meds. We're told she lost 40 to 50 pounds in the 6 weeks leading up to the Globes.

What's more ... our family sources say Lisa Marie was taking opioids again -- an addiction she struggled with for years.

Lisa did 2 interviews during the Globes that caused alarm ... she was gaunt, slurring her words and so unsteady she had to hold on to a friend as she spoke. Dr. Drew tells TMZ it was obvious just watching the video ... there were clear markers Lisa was on something.

Family and law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... on the morning she died, Lisa complained of abdominal pain.

Lisa's cause of death has been deferred pending toxicology results, which could take several months.

As the cause of death remains undetermined, there's already a family war brewing. Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie's mom, has filed legal docs challenging a change her daughter allegedly made to her trust. Lisa had appointed Priscilla trustee in 2010, but cut her out in a 2016 amendment replacing her with her daughter, Riley Keough. Priscilla is suggesting in the docs that the 2016 amendment is fraudulent.

TMZ has prepared a documentary on new details of Lisa's death, a possible custody fight and a battle over money.  The doc, "TMZ Investigates: Lisa Marie Presley: Unending Tragedy," airs on FOX tonight, January 30th, at 8 PM.

Actress Lisa Loring, best known for her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the iconic TV show, "The Addams Family," has died.

Her daughter, Vanessa, tells TMZ ... Lisa passed away Saturday at a hospital in Burbank, CA, after she suffered a stroke due to high blood pressure.

Lisa was just 6 when she landed the role of pig-tailed Wednesday Addams in the 1964 dark comedy sitcom. Although she played the part for only 2 years, her depiction of the character inspired other actresses who portrayed Wednesday in later films based on the TV show.

Jenna Ortega, who took on the role of Wednesday in the recent Netflix series, also gave props to Lisa in an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.

After "The Addams Family," Lisa stayed mostly in TV with appearances in "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.," "Fantasy Island" and "Barnaby Jones." She also played Cricket Montgomery on "As the World Turns" in the early '80s. Her final credit was the 2015 movie, "Doctor Spine."

Lisa was 64.

Annie Wersching -- famous for roles in a number of hit TV shows over the years -- has died.

Her publicist confirmed the news to Deadline -- and her husband, Stephen Full, issued a statement. He writes, "There is a cavernous hole in the soul of this family today. But she left us the tools to fill it. She found wonder in the simplest moment. She didn’t require music to dance. She taught us not to wait for adventure to find you. ‘Go find it. It’s everywhere.’ And find it we shall."

Full adds, "As I drove our boys, the true loves of her life, down the winding driveway and street, she would yell BYE! until we were out of earshot and into the world. I can still hear it ringing. Bye my Buddie. ‘I love you little family…’"

Wersching was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, and continued to act thereafter. It's unclear what sort of cancer she was battling ... she kept her diagnosis private for a while.

She'll perhaps be best remembered as Renee Walker on "24," for which she appeared in 35 episodes. Wersching has starred in several other TV series, though -- including "Timeless," "Runaways," "The Vampire Diaries," "Bosch," "General Hospital," "Dallas," "Extant," and more.

Other famous shows she's had guest spots on include "Charmed," "Frasier," "Angel," "Boston Legal," "Supernatural," "CSI," "NCIS," "Hawaii Five-0," "Revolution," "Blue Bloods" and others. She also voiced Tess in "The Last of Us" video game ... which just got made into a series.

More recently, she had acted in "The Rookie" and "Star Trek: Picard" -- that last show is bitter sweet, as "Star Trek: Enterprise" is noted as her first acting gig on IMDb.

She had 48 credits to her name dating back to 2002. She survived by her husband, her 3 children and extended family. A GoFundMe has been started for her loved ones.

Wersching was just 45.

The Navy veteran who claims Rep. George Santos cheated him out of cash intended for his dying dog's cancer treatment, says he'll get justice if the lyin' congressman is hit with criminal charges.

Richard Osthoff tells TMZ ... he views the alleged scam as both wire fraud and charity fraud -- calling Santos a swindler because he used an alias to get away with the whole thing.

The vet was joined by NJ Veterans Network President Michael Boll when he told us he'd already tried to bring charges against Santos -- but because he was going by Anthony Devolder back then, it led to a dead end.

Osthoff didn't fully disclose what action he's taking to now against Santos, but he tells us government agencies are looking into the case.

As we reported, his late pooch, Sapphire, was a beacon of light for him after getting out of the service and becoming homeless. He realized she needed life-saving surgery when a tumor on her stomach grew larger every day.

He claims Santos, or Devolder, told him he ran an animal rescue, and created a GoFundMe campaign that raised enough to cover Sapphire's surgery -- only to have Santos send him to a different vet, who said the tumor was inoperable.

Osthoff had no choice but to watch his pup die ... while Santos allegedly made off with the thousands raised Sapphire.

BTW -- Santos decided to put a POW-MIA flag in front of his office amid his latest scandal ... and Osthoff sees it as a huge disgrace to him and other vets.

Tom Verlaine -- the frontman and lead guitarist for the band Television -- has died.

His former partner's daughter, Jesse Smith, confirmed his death to the New York Times Saturday, saying he'd passed away in Manhattan after a brief illness. No other details were shared.

Verlaine and co. were a majorly influential group in the rock era of the '70s, carving out a whole new sound that came to be known as mainstream punk and alt rock today. They got their start as a mainstay act CBGB club in New York ... which was a music Mecca.

Television's debut album, 'Marquee Moon,' is considered a masterpiece and their defining contribution to pop culture ... having gone on to shape the sound of bands after them.

The band broke up a bit after the '70s, and Verlaine went ventured on with a solid solo career through the '80s and '90s ... cranking out a whopping 9 albums all on his own. He and Television got back together in '92 for their third and final album. They've toured together on and off over the years as well.

Verlaine is considered one of the greatest guitarists of the 20th century ... with savants putting up there with other G.O.A.T.S. like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen and so forth.

He was 73.

The special task force to which all 5 officers involved in Tyre Nichols' death belonged is being dismantled for good ... an about-face after the top dog said she wouldn't do it.

The Memphis Police Department announced Saturday they were deactivating the SCORPION Unit effective immediately ... this in the wake of public outcry following the release of body cam footage that showed 5 cops detaining and brutally beating Nichols on Jan. 7.

The department says Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis met with the remaining officers that were part of SCORPION (Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods) and mutually came to the decision it'd be best to disband the unit in light of everything.

MPD says they've made this decision after listening to the family of Tyre, community leaders and the public at large -- noting that the officers who are part of SCORPION, and who do fine work normally, "agree unreservedly with this next step."

They add, "While the heinous actions of a few casts a cloud of dishonor on the title SCORPION, it is imperative that we, the Memphis Police Department, take proactive steps in the healing process for all impacted." MPD also says they want to restore trust ASAP.

Interestingly, Chief Davis on Friday said she wouldn't be shutting down SCORPION ... telling AP, "The whole idea that the Scorpion unit is a bad unit, I just have a problem with that."

There's been a lot of digging into what this unit was/why officers who were in it had any reason to come into contact with Tyre on the night in question. SCORPION was formed in October 2021 and launched the following month ... so it's been around for just over a year.

According to a MPD description of SCORPION at the time ... the whole idea of it was to get about 40 officers split into 4 teams to patrol "high crime hotspots" all throughout Memphis.

Tyre's traffic stop-turned-chase occurred at the intersection of East Raines Road and Ross Road -- near the Autumn Ridge neighborhood ... which appears to be one of the areas SCORPION was assigned to cover. The fact five of its cops were there is no coincidence.

The Chief has since said no evidence has surfaced for why Tyre was pulled over in the first place. Reckless driving was cited, but proof of probable cause for that is nonexistent.

Protests over the brutal slaying of Tyre Nichols at the hands of police boiled over in NYC Friday night, but overall the demonstrations were peaceful across the country.

Check out this footage -- a man standing on the hood of an NYPD vehicle in Times Square packed with demonstrators marching against the 5 fired Memphis cops now charged with Tyre's recorded on-camera murder.

He stomps and punches the windshield, crushing the glass. Cops quickly swarm him, throwing him to the ground and cuffing him. Protesters gather around and film the arrest, repeatedly telling the officers ... "Easy, don't hurt him."

NYPD heard the message loud and clear ... the officers led the man through the crowd, asking people to back away so they could get through.

The suspect was booked for criminal mischief. Two women were also arrested -- one for making graffiti on a police car (not clear what she wrote) and the other for assaulting a cop.

More protests formed in cities across the country, including Washington D.C., Boston, Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta and Memphis, where Tyre was killed. But they were all largely peaceful.

Al Sharpton went in on the fired Memphis police officers accused of murdering Tyre Nichols, saying the fact the 5 ex-cops are all Black makes the situation even worse.

We caught up with the Reverend on Friday outside NBC Studios in NYC ... and he didn't mince words after the release of police body cam footage showing Tyre's deadly assault.

The Rev told us ... "I want to make it clear: these five officers are Black does not make it less. In fact, it's more egregious that some black cops in a town where MLK gave his life, that's where he was killed, would do this is outrageous."

Of course, Al was referring to the fatal shooting of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, TN, on April 4, 1968. James Earl Ray confessed to the murder and died of liver disease in prison.

What's more, the Rev said the ex-officers did a disservice to Black people trying to change the justice system from within ... "We fought to get them on the [police] force to correct the force, not to do this."

He also took a swipe at Congress for failing to pass into law the 2021 George Floyd Act, which would have increased accountability for police misconduct.

The Rev said ... "I put this at the feet of those that would not vote for federal law after George Floyd, there were no laws changed!"

Floyd, as you know, was infamously killed in 2020 by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of the homicide and sentenced to decades behind bars.

Al wrapped things up by urging anyone protesting in Tyre's name not to engage in violence. He said if they do riot it will only help the accused officers defend themselves in the criminal case.

Tyre Nichols' mother can't bring herself to watch the video of Memphis police beating her son so badly he ended up dying in a hospital -- she says it would just be too painful.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Nichols family, tells TMZ ... Tyre's mother, RowVaughn Wells, is still not interested in watching the police body cam footage ... even though it was released Friday to the public.

We're told Tyre's mom is glad the video is out now, so folks can see what really happened ... but she just can't bear to see it herself -- just as she didn't when it was first made available to the family. Ben says she probably never will watch it.

As we reported ... the video is every bit as disturbing as Tyre's family and law enforcement described, and it all started with a traffic stop Jan. 7 in Memphis.

In the footage, you see officers wail on Tyre as he screams for his mom -- punching him in the face, kicking him in the head, using pepper spray and even beating him with a baton.

After a massive struggle, cops got Tyre in handcuffs and sat him up against a police car -- Tyre writhes in pain for nearly 20 minutes before he's given medical assistance.

Following a vicious beating from cops, Tyre complained he was having shortness of breath and he was rushed to a hospital, where he died 3 days later.

While gruesome, Crump says Tyre's mom thinks it's extremely important for the world to see how police treated her son ... and she hopes the video prevents a similar tragedy from happening to another family.

The video's already being linked to the beating of Rodney King way back in 1991 ... and we're told Tyre's mom understands the footage is triggering for many, and she's preparing to be flooded with calls.

The 5 Memphis police officers involved in the incident -- Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith -- have already been fired and charged with second-degree murder.

One thing Tyre's mom doesn't want to get glossed over ... the incident isn't just a hashtag for her ... her son is dead.

Memphis police just released the graphic body cam footage from Tyre Nichols' brutal arrest -- and the video is every bit as disturbing as Tyre's family and law enforcement have described it.

In the clips, pulled from both body cam and overhead cameras, you see officers swarm Tyre -- demanding he get down and give up his hands. Although he's laying on his side with an officer on top of him, he's hesitant to lie flat on his stomach.

One officer threatens to deploy his Taser, and after about a minute-long struggle ... Tyre gets up to start running, and one of the cops fires his Taser, but he gets away.

About 7 minutes later, they catch up to Tyre in a residential neighborhood, and this is when it gets brutal. While he's pinned to the ground -- reportedly about 100 yards from his family's home -- Tyre repeatedly yells, "Mom!!!"

Then one officer kicks him twice, and another yells, "Watch out, I'mma baton the f**k out you," and then strikes Tyre twice before they pull him up on his feet.

While 2 officers are holding him with his hands behind his back ... another punches Tyre 5 times with a closed fist, sending him back down to his knees again.

Eventually, officers get Tyre handcuffed, put him up against a police cruiser and he writhes in pain for nearly 20 minutes before going limp.

As you know, the 5 Memphis PD officers stopped Tyre on Jan. 7 on suspicion of reckless driving ... but from the start, the cops were hyper-aggressive. Even the video does not make it clear why things got violent that quickly.

Once other officers show up to the scene, one of the cops involved in the beating says Tyre attempted to grab for another officer's gun -- causing them to unleash on him.

After the vicious beating ... Tyre was rushed to St. Francis Hospital because he was complaining he was short of breath. He was admitted in critical condition, and died in the hospital on January 10.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who's representing Tyre's family, reviewed the body cam footage with the family days before it was released, and likened the horrific scene to the beating of Rodney King in 1991.

The 5 Memphis police officers involved in the traffic stop -- Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith -- have been fired and charged with second-degree murder.

They also face additional charges of official misconduct, official oppression and aggravated kidnapping. Four of the 5 have posted bail and were released as of Friday morning.

Tyre's cause of death has not been released and the incident is being investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice.

The graphic footage of cops beating Tyre Nichols has Memphis City Council Chairman Martavius Jones at a loss for words, and instead, he was overcome with emotion on live TV.

CNN's Don Lemon interviewed Jones after the brutal police body cam footage was released to the public ... and Jones tells Don the video is especially hard to watch because everyone knows Tyre dies in the end.

That thought made it impossible for Jones to finish his sentence -- he broke down in tears, and needed a few minutes to compose himself.

As Don points out, lots of folks are having the same reaction to the video ... which shows cops punching, kicking and beating Tyre with a baton after pulling him over.

Tyre ended up in a hospital after the vicious beating ... and he died 3 days later.

Just as Tyre Nichols' death puts a spotlight on Memphis cops, the case of Keenan Anderson is doing the same in L.A. ... where his death has his family demanding changes in the way cops deploy Tasers.

Keenan's cousin happens to be Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, and she joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to discuss his fatal cardiac arrest ... suffered 4 hours after an LAPD officer tasered him multiple times.

Cops have already released body cam of the January 3rd incident, which Patrisse believes shows an abusive use of the taser -- she says Keenan was shocked by 52,000 volts for 42 seconds.

As an activist, and a concerned family member in this case, Patrisse started researching how many people die after getting zapped by a Taser ... and she says the data is alarming.

The Coroner's Office has yet to issue a cause of death for Keenan -- and while it's unclear if it played a role, LAPD's report on the incident says cocaine was found in his system.

For now, LAPD Chief Michael Moore says he's investigating and looking closely at the use of Tasers. Patrisse says LAPD hasn't had a policy regarding how long or often officers can safely deploy a Taser.

The family has filed a $50 million wrongful death suit against the city of Los Angeles. Ironically, Keenan had actually waved down police to help after he was involved in a car accident -- but Patrisse says armed officers aren't always necessary in cases like that.

Things have gotten almost immediately contentious in the wake of Lisa Marie Presley's death. Turns out there's apparent beef between Lisa's mom and her oldest daughter.

Priscilla Presley has filed legal docs, asking a judge to set aside an amendment to Lisa's 2010 trust, and money is on the line. Priscilla was named trustee, along with Lisa's former business manager, Barry Siegel, to run things.

Priscilla says she discovered what appears to be an amendment to the trust, eliminating both her and Siegel as trustees and appointing Riley and Benjamin Keough as trustees.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Priscilla is questioning the validity and authenticity of the amendment, claiming it was never delivered to Priscilla, the date on the document is suspicious, the document misspells Priscilla's name, and Lisa Marie's signature "appears inconsistent with her usual and customary signature."

As you know, Benjamin died by suicide in 2020, and Lisa broke ties with Siegel after claiming he gutted her assets. Since Benjamin has passed, the amendment would leave Riley as the sole trustee.

The TikTok community was dealt a devasting blow this week, with Randy Gonzalez of popular father-son duo Enkyboys dying after a battle with stage-4 colon cancer.

Trae Tha Truth is feeling the loss as well ... having befriended both Randy and Brice over the years and collaborated on several skits.

We caught Trae out in NYC as he attempted to find silver linings in losing his friend.

The Houston rapper said Randy was a "fighter" to the end and also praised him for being brave enough to share his cancer diagnosis with the world back in April 2022.

TMZ broke the story ... Randy passed away on Wednesday morning in hospice, leaving behind his wife Kimberly, 3 children and nearly 16 million followers on social media.

Trae tells us he spoke to Randy's wife following the sad news, and he's in early talks to continue on his legacy.

If there's any silver lining, Trae predicts Randy's children -- especially Brice -- will go on to accomplish big things to make their father proud.

Friends of the late Stephen "tWitch" Boss are calling out his "pal" Todrick Hall ... after he suggested the pressure around Ellen DeGeneres' workplace scandal might have been a factor in tWitch's suicide.

For those unaware, Todrick made the implication this week while promoting a new reality show he's doing ... telling Page Six he believed the public calling on the DJ to stop supporting Ellen took too big of a toll.

Referring to tWitch opting to take his life, Todrick added, "I don’t know what was going on in his life that may [have led] him to make that decision but I do understand."

A source close to tWitch tells TMZ ... it's extremely negligent and self-serving of Todrick to assume he knows what led to tWitch's death. The source also found it unfortunate he would speculate, especially while promoting his own project.

We're told tWitch loved his time on "Ellen," and had a ton of respect while working on the series ... pointing out he was even named co-executive producer in the final season.

As we reported, tWitch left a suicide note behind when he passed, which we're told referenced past challenges ... without going into specifics.

You'll recall, Ellen was accused of creating a toxic work environment while the show was running, as several former employees alleged racism and intimidation. tWitch, however, stood by the talk show host.

Ellen also expressed her intense heartbreak after his death ... telling people to love each other as she continued to mourn in late December.