King became famous in 1991 when he was the victim of police brutality at the hands of the LAPD. The officers involved in the incident were acquitted the following year and the announcement of the verdict led to the Los Angeles riots. TMZ spoke with King about two months ago, where he seemed upbeat and introspective.  

Oceanside Police Chief Frank McCoy said police received an emergency call at about 9:35 a.m. from a woman who identified herself as Seau's girlfriend. She told them that she had found Seau unconscious with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Police and fire personnel were sent to Seau's beach-front residence in the 600 block of The Strand, McCoy said. They found Seau in one of the home's bedrooms, and paramedics unsuccessfully attempted to revive him, he said.

"This case at this point is being investigated as a suicide,'' the chief said outside the home. ``A handgun was found near the body.''

Technicians from the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office arrived at the home shortly after noon. Police cordoned off Seau's home. Helicopter video showed dozens of police officers outside the home. Other officers were going in and out of the home.

Medical Examiner's technicians removed Seau's body from the home at about 1:30 p.m.

Investigators did not find a suicide note, Oceanside police Lt. Leonard Mata said. They have not found any sign of foul play, but the investigation is still active, Mata said.

Police withheld the name of Seau's girlfriend and would not comment on the details of her relationship with the NFL great.

      

Seau's  mother, Luisa Seau, tearfully implored the crowd gathered in front of his seaside house to "show your love to my son.''

"I prayed to God, `Take me, leave my son,' but it's too late, too late,'' she said in a grief-choked voice.

Seau, who had been a standout athlete at the University of Southern California, played 20 seasons in the National Football League, most for the Chargers, but also for the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots.

Considered one of the best linebackers in the game, he was elected to 12 consecutive Pro Bowls as a member of San Diego's NFL franchise.

The Chargers issued a brief statement at midday, saying the entire organization was "in complete shock and disbelief'' over Seau's death.  "Everyone at the Chargers is in complete shock and disbelief right now," the statement  said. "We ask everyone to stop what they're doing and send their prayers to Junior and his family."

  

Team President Dean Spanos later described himself as "shocked and devastated'' and called the loss of Seau "one of the worst things I could ever imagine.''

"Junior was my friend,'' Spanos said. "We all lost a friend today. Junior was an icon in our community. He transcended the game. He wasn't just a football player; he was so much more. He was loved by everyone in our family, our organization and throughout the NFL. ... It's heartbreaking.''

Head coach Norv Turner said he had "no words to describe the passing of Junior Seau.''

"It is a sad, sad day for not only me, but for the whole sports community,'' Turner said. "I worked with Junior here and later in Miami. I can tell you no one had more character and true leadership ability than Junior. He brought passion to the game of football that was unmatched. His commitment to charitable causes in the community was inspiring. It was an honor to know him.''

In 1992, Seau created the Junior Seau Foundation, an organization formed "to educate and empower young people through the support of child-abuse prevention, drug and alcohol awareness, recreational opportunities, anti- juvenile delinquency efforts and complimentary educational programs.''

In 1996, he established what would become a popular Mission Valley sports bar-restaurant bearing his last name.

Signs of personal trouble in the local sports icon's life surfaced a year and a half ago.

On Oct. 18, 2010, Seau was arrested after his 25-year-old live-in girlfriend reported that he had assaulted her during an argument. Later that morning, five hours after bailing out of jail, he drove his 2004 Cadillac Escalade over a rocky 30-foot coastal cliff and onto Carlsbad State Beach, suffering minor injuries.

Seau told police he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

The San Diego County District Attorney's Office declined to file charges against the football star over the alleged domestic abuse.

USC head football coach Lane Kiffin said Seau recently attended the Trojans' spring game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

"This is a very sad day,'' Kiffin said. "The USC football program and the entire Trojan Family extends our condolences to Junior's family. He was one of the greatest Trojans of all time.''

USC athletic director Pat Haden added, "Junior Seau was one of the greatest legends in USC football history. He will always be remembered by USC as the original No. 55.''

Seau is survived by a daughter and two sons.

  

On the evening of April 5th, two passengers aboard a Santa Monica Big Blue Bus became involved in an argument that turned into a fistfight.

As a result of the fight, Luis Contreras suffered a serious head injury and is now fighting for his life at a local hospital. The bus was traveling in the area of Westwood Boulevard and Rochester Avenue in West Los Angeles when the incident occurred.

"This fight apparently started over one individual stepping on the foot of the other. Words were exchanged and punches were thrown," said West Bureau Homicide Detective Luis Carranza.

Police are seeking the public's help to identify the individual involved. "We need someone to watch the video and look at the photographs," Carranza siad. "Anyone with information can contact us. We just want to know why this unfortunate incident occurred. We want to speak with him to get his side of the story."

Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call LAPD West Bureau Homicide Detectives Armando Acero or Luis Carranza at (213) 382-9470. Anonymous tips can be called into 1-877 LAPD 24-7, Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or by texting 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.

The late rapper made his return to the stage from beyond the grave as a hologram during Dre and Snoop's set at the music festival held in Indio, California.

Thanks to the hologram technology, a shirtless Tupac seemed to take the stage, bearing greetings to Dre and Snoop before addressing the audience with, "What the f*** is up Coachella?"

Hologram Pac gave a surprisingly realistic and lively performance of "Hail Mary," followed by "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" with Snoop. The rapper died in September, 1996 after being shot multiple times by an assailant.

And that wasn't all: Dre and Snoop were also joined by (in the flesh, not holograms) Eminem, 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa and Kendrick Lamar, MTV reports. It was previously rumored that Nate Dogg was going to appear at Coachella as a hologram, so we're hoping to see him as well as Pac on stage when Dre and Snoop repeat their Coachella closing set this Sunday, April 22.

Distributors for the Dallas Mavericks Ultimate Fan Shop tell TMZ, the moment Lamar's exit was announced they busted out clearance signs ... and slashed prices in an effort to unload every last remnant of #7(ironic) merchandise.

As you can see by our photo-enhancing skills -- the jerseys originally sold for $110 dollars a pop, but then dropped to $89.99. Now, the jerseys are going for a paltry $44.99. All other Odom merchandise was similarly marked down.

But it's not exactly helping sales -- we're told the store has only hocked TWO of the jerseys collector's items since cutting prices.

  

If the fee is not paid by April 20, Gingrich will be disqualified from the ballot.   "Our office certifies the candidates to the county clerks on April 24," Thomas said.   The check bounce comes as no surprise as Gingrich confirmed a debt of almost $4.5 million to ABC News on Tuesday. The last Federal Election Commission report from February showed a debt of less than $2 million.   Gingrich told ABC News today that the debt increase was because the campaign got "very excited in Florida" after his South Carolina win.   "Romney spent $20 million in Florida in three weeks and I think some of our guys decided to try to match him and we didn't have Wall Street," Gingrich said. "I am going to spend some time paying it off. It is something I have done several times in my career."   Gingrich said his campaign did "exactly what a conservative should do" who is in debt.   "We cut our expenses, we cut our staff, we are now in the process of paying it off but I think what happened is, they got really involved in the fight in Florida and didn't stop and just say to themselves, 'Wait a second.' I can beat Mitt Romney in ideas, I can't possibly compete with him in money," Gingrich said.   On the day Rick Santorum suspended his campaign, Gingrich sent an email to supporters saying he was "the last conservative standing." The campaign emailed to voters that the goal was to achieve 12,000 donations by midnight.

Sources at the scene tell us ... the woman had been smoking a cigarette in a non-smoking area inside Concourse B around 8:45 AM ... with her clothes on ... when airport staffers asked her to put out her butt.

That's when the woman inexplicably took off all of her clothes ... and nonchalantly asked the airport staffer if she could reprint her boarding pass.

Airport security responded to the scene ... but according to FOX31, the woman was not arrested -- instead she was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.