Don LaFontaine -- No Longer "In a World..."
One man ... one collapsed lung ... one tragic Tuesday morning.
R.I.P. Movie Trailer Man.
1940-2008
Filed under: R.I.P.
Wrestling "Killer" Dead at 81
Legendary wrestler Walter "Killer" Kowalski passed away early this morning at the age of 81.
After a massive heart attack on August 8, Kowalski was taken off life support two weeks ago.
Kowalski wrestled for nearly 30 years and went on to train the likes of Chyna and Triple H.
Filed under: R.I.P., Talk Sports
Dr. Dre's Son Andre -- Dead at 20
Dr. Dre's son, Andre Young, Jr., was found dead over the weekend.
You may have heard reports Dr. Dre's son Andre Jr. didn't come home until 5:30 AM the day he died. Not true.
A source tells us that Andre, Jr. was home by 12:30 AM, and in bed shortly thereafter. He was found by his mother, Jenita Porter, sometime after 10:00 AM that morning, unresponsive.
A rep for the rapper tells us, "Dr. Dre is mourning the loss of his son Andre Young, Jr."
Filed under: R.I.P.
Am I the Deadest? Sho'Nuff!
Somebody better find Leroy Green! The shogun of Harlem, Sho'Nuff has passed away.
TMZ's very favorite cult villain of all time, Julius Carry III, died of pancreatic cancer last night. It was first reported by mediatakeout.com. Carry was 56.
Now only the clouds can kiss his Converse.
Story developing ...
Filed under: R.I.P.
DMB Concert: "LeRoi Gave His Ghost Up Today"
With his voice trembling with emotion, Dave Matthews broke the heartbreaking news to a packed Staples Center crowd in L.A. last night -- that his close friend and sax player, LeRoi Moore, had died.
Filed under: R.I.P.
Dave Matthews Band Member Dead
TMZ has learned LeRoi Moore, the sax player in the Dave Matthews Band, has died. He was 46.
Moore was seriously injured in an ATV accident June 30 outside Charlottesville. He had a punctured lung and broken ribs. Moore went back into the hospital last month due to complications.
Moore died in Los Angeles this afternoon, after taking a turn for the worse.
We're also told the band will perform tonight as scheduled at the Staples Center in L.A.
UPDATE: A rep for the Band just gave TMZ the following statement:
"LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. Moore had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program."
Who is the Man -- Dead at 65
Musician Isaac Hayes -- who wrote the theme song for "Shaft" -- died this afternoon in a Memphis hospital.
According to WMC, a Shelby County sheriff's deputy responded to call from Hayes' wife after she found him on the floor near a treadmill inside their home.
Hayes was taken to Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, and was pronounced dead at 2:08 PM. Cops are investigating, but do not believe foul play was a factor.
Story developing ...
Filed under: R.I.P.
Carey Hart's Brother Dies in Motocross Crash
Anthony Hart, Carey Hart's brother, died yesterday after wrecking his motorcycle at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut.
Hart, 21, crashed during a practice session for the Doug Henry New England Grand Prix, which is part of the American Motorcyclist Association's XTRM Supermoto Championship series.
Anthony was critically injured when he lost control of his motorcycle and slammed into a wall. He was airlifted to Hartford Hospital where he later died.
Carey and Pink separated earlier this year.
Filed under: R.I.P.
Bern Out -- Mac Dies at 50
Comedian Bernie Mac died this morning in Chicago after a long hospitalization from pneumonia.
Mac, whose real name is Bernard McCullough, passed away early this morning at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He was 50 years old.
His rep just issued the following statement to TMZ: "Actor/ comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital. No other details are available at this time. We ask that his family's privacy continues to be respected."
The day before he died, Mac's rep insisted he was stable, in no danger and expected to be released within the week, even though it was clear Mac was on his death bed.
Filed under: R.I.P.
Died Too Young
For some stars, their time to shine in the Hollywood limelight was all too brief. Unfortunately, the world will forever be deprived of such talents. 'Memba Them?!
Filed under: R.I.P., 'Memba Them?!
"Last Lecture" Professor Has Died
Carnegie Mellon professor turned "Last Lecture" Internet sensation Randy Pausch has died. He was 47.
Last September, Pausch's "Last Lecture" speech -- which was actually called "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" -- became a viral phenomenon and was even retold in its entirety on Oprah.
Pausch had been battling pancreatic cancer and passed away early this morning. He is survived by his wife and three children.
Estelle Getty: Thank You For Being Alive
"Golden Girl" Estelle Getty has gone to the big lanai in the sky and died at the age of 84, just three days shy of her 85th birthday.
Estelle passed away at 5:35 AM this morning at her L.A. home surrounded by her family and caregivers. Getty had been suffering for years with Lewy Body Dementia.
Although one year younger than Bea Arthur, Estelle is best known for playing her wise-cracking Sicilian mother Sophia Petrillo on "The Golden Girls." Co-star Betty White is also one year older than Estelle.
Getty is survived by her two adult sons.
Tony Snow Loses Cancer Battle
Tony Snow, the former White House press secretary, has died after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 53.
A written statement from President Bush stated, "Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend -- America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character."
Snow died at 2 a.m. Saturday in Washington, D.C.
Filed under: R.I.P.
Send in the Clowns ... Bozo is Dead
Larry Harmon, the man credited with making Bozo the Clown the icon he was, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83.
Harmon wasn't the original Bozo, but built up the character and eventually licensed it to television stations across the country.
Filed under: R.I.P.
Christina Applegate's BF Found Dead
Lee Grivas, the 26-year-old boyfriend of Christina Applegate, was found dead in his apartment.
His body was discovered on July 1 by a neighbor who found him in the living room of his Hollywood apartment. Grivas was pronounced dead at 5:25 PM.
Although the autopsy has not been completed, we're told there were no visible signs of trauma.
Applegate and Grivas dated on and off for years after the pair met through a dancer in her Broadway show "Sweet Charity."
The story was first reported by the National Enquirer.
Filed under: R.I.P.
