RIP

Comedian Tony Knight died following a freak accident ... when a large tree branch fell on top of him and several others at a festival in France.

Knight died in June while attending the "Rock'&'Cars" festival in Lavaur, France, a family member told Fox News Digital.

The family member says, “He was fit, healthy, happy and had everything going for him. He was charismatic, funny, passionate and so very loved by [his partner] Hayley, his family and his friends all over the world.”

Late Crazy Town frontman Shifty Shellshock was sober and happy a few months before his accidental drug overdose ... and seemed committed to staying on the wagon.

TMZ obtained footage from one of Shifty's final interviews before his sudden death, and he was talking sobriety with Mayra Dias Gomes.

The singer -- real name Seth Binzer -- was an invited guest at a Rock to Recovery benefit concert last August at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood, but he made a rare public appearance.

A piece of Willie Mays' historic career is hitting the auction block ... and the winning bid could end up being a fortune!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Mays' game-worn and autographed threads from the 1969 All-Star Game -- when Mays played for the San Francisco Giants -- are up for grabs via Heritage Auctions.

The No. 24 gray, orange and black jersey features the SF name on the front ... with a sweet John Hancock from the "Say Hey Kid" himself. It also has "Mays 42/3 1969" and the "W.A. Goodman & Sons" label on the front tail.

Danny Trejo's saying farewell to his beloved Chihuahua Dixie ... a mini-yet-mighty dog that certainly made fans laugh, but Danny tells TMZ she also struck fear into the hearts of his other pets.

Dixie died this week at 16, and Danny's obviously heartbroken -- but he told us he's also full of joy for the smiles and laughs the tough-as-nails pooch provided by scaring the hell out of his pit bulls and Rottweilers. As he puts it, Dixie ran his house!

DT says fans used to be baffled when they saw him with Dixie ... most assuming he would be holding back two massive, brutish K-9s, but Dixie was his baby and always slept with Dad.

Shocking new video makes it clear Florida rapper Julio Foolio had almost no time to react when gunmen approached him outside a hotel and fired into his car, killing him.

The shooting went down in Tampa on June 23 just -- 2 days after the Jacksonville native's 26th birthday -- and this surveillance video from the shared parking lot of a Hilton and a Holiday Inn shows the gunman waiting for Foolio's black car.

Foolio had been in town celebrating with friends when the party moved from an Airbnb to the hotel ... a move he chronicled all over his IG shortly before the shooting.

KeKe Jabbar, famous for starring on OWN's "Love & Marriage: Huntsville," is dead.

The reality TV star's death was announced Tuesday by blogger Marcella Speaks during a YouTube live stream, where she read a statement she said was from Keke's family.

In the statement, her fam says Keke died "peacefully at home surrounded in love." They did not mention a cause of death.

Robert Towne, a super-famous screenwriter who won an Oscar for his script for "Chinatown," is dead.

Robert died Monday at his L.A. home, according to a statement Tuesday from his publicist, Carrie McClure. The cause of death was not revealed.

In addition to winning an Academy Award for 1974's classic movie "Chinatown," Robert also wrote two other big movies in the 70s ... "The Last Detail" and "Shampoo."

The Cleveland Browns are dealing with a heartbreaking loss on Tuesday -- the team's live mascot, Swagger Jr., has passed away.

He was just five years old.

The team posted a touching message in the Bullmastiff's honor minutes ago ... saying, "We are sad to announce the passing of our beloved mascot, SJ. We are so grateful for his many years of loyal support and cherish all of the wonderful memories he helped create for fans young and old."

Devastating news in the sports world ... rising Badminton star Zhang Zhijie died after collapsing during a match on Sunday. He was only 17.

The tragic incident occurred during the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia ... as China's Zhijie faced Japan's Kazuma Kawano.

Footage of the incident, which we will not share, shows Zhijie collapsing, sending him crashing to the floor, where he appeared to convulse ... as his opponent and other officials stood watching.

The saga of Charlotte the Stingray has come to a sad end ... as the famed fish has died.

The Aquarium and Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina shared the heartbreaking update ... Charlotte passed away Sunday amid treatment for an illness.

After thanking fans for their love and support during Charlotte's unconventional journey, her caretakers noted the aquarium will remain temporarily closed ... but the other fish will still be looked after during this time.

Kate Beckinsale had an odd way of mourning the death of her cat Clive ... She showed off her naked butt.

In a video posted Monday to Instagram, the actress was standing with her bare ass against a window inside a room while wearing sweatpants pulled down in back.

Kate then bent over and mooned Harvey Nichols – the London Department store across the street. She also uploaded a second video showing cars cruising past the store on the street below.

Andrew Jury -- famous for being one of the grooms on the first season of "Married at First Sight New Zealand" -- is dead.

Andrew died Thursday while he was in custody at Mt Eden Corrections Facility in Auckland, New Zealand ... his father, Roy Jury, told The New Zealand Herald.

The cause of death is unclear ... and prison officials reportedly rushed to save Andrew's life.

Jimmy Rollins says he wouldn't mind it if an MLB player never wore the No. 24 again ... telling TMZ Sports he'd be down to see Rob Manfred retire Willie Mays' famous number league-wide.

The possibility of the honor has been floated by baseball fans all over the country the past few days ... after Mays sadly died at 93 years old on June 18.

Seamheads have argued that due to his impact on the league, Mays' old number should get the same treatment that only Jackie Robinson's No. 42 has previously earned from the MLB.

Renuald White -- a soap opera star who broke down barriers for Black people in modeling -- has died ... according to one of his longtime friends.

Fashion designer Jeffrey Banks revealed the news to Women's Wear Daily -- a popular fashion magazine -- Friday sharing that White died last week while under hospice care in Manhattan. He did not provide a cause of death.

White rose to prominence via modeling in the 1970s ... becoming just the second Black model to appear on the cover of GQ in 1979 -- two years after Urs Althaus.

Prince Harry isn't fit to receive the Pat Tillman Award at the ESPYs, and it's shocking ESPN let him ... at least, that's what the late veteran's mother thinks.

Mary Tillman -- mom to former NFL safety Pat Tillman who joined the U.S. Army after 9/11 and died in a friendly fire incident -- spoke to Daily Mail about ESPN choosing Prince Harry to receive the ESPY named in Pat's honor ... and, suffice to say, she's not happy with the decision.

Tillman says, "I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award."