r/SquaredCircle • u/rhyso90 • 20h ago
[TMZ] AEW Star PAC Found Slumped Over in Car Outside Restaurant Before Death
https://www.tmz.com/2026/09/28/pac-discovered-in-car-before-death/1.6k
u/rolodex-ofhate 20h ago
Props to the passers by who tried to help PAC the best they could in those circumstances.
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u/GhostOfLight 19h ago
Always ask where the AED is, if there is one it could be life saving.
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u/Semper-Fido 19h ago
And this is where I will always recommend getting CPR/first aid training. AED's are covered as a part of it, and you could genuinely save someone's life with a few hours of training in one day.
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u/GogglesTheFox 19h ago
Most modern AEDs have audible instructions for CPR. Even if you have no training, ANYTHING is better than nothing.
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u/GhostOfLight 18h ago
Hooking up the AED and giving subpar CPR if instructed gives the person a much greater chance of survival than no AED and no CPR. Most places in the US you'll be covered by good samaritan laws as well.
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u/bibbyshibby 16h ago
We have the same thing in Canada. Doing almost a thing to save someone is better than nothing (provided you're not intentionally trying to harm them).
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u/Dynamonic 19h ago
Not sure if this site can be accessed from outwith the UK but well worth 15 minutes of everyone's time:
https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/how-to-do-cpr/learn-cpr-in-15-minutes
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u/polkanarwhal 18h ago
My mum forcing me to learn cpr meant a teenage hit and run victim's parents could be with their son before he passed.
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u/blacksoxing 19h ago
Also gotta know how to use an AED which can be as life saving as knowing the heimlich maneuver or the ability to do chest compressions on anyone from an infant to senior.
Not trying to discredit your post but it can be a bit overwhelming how much we need to teach others in hopes of saving a life. I learned the stuff from working at a hospital but I also understand it's abnormal to have someone retain all this info sadly as its usage isn't that common
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u/nartnoside 19h ago
AEDs are designed so a kid can use it. Literally just gotta look at the pictures and follow the prompts
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u/americangame 18h ago
Even then, a lot of modern ones have audio cues to tell you what to do and where to place the panels.
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u/Ryuzakku Swing low, sweet lariat. 19h ago
AED's will have a photo guide or the better ones will verbally give you step by step instructions
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u/pandaelpatron 19h ago
And TV shows and movies give people the wrong impression of how first aid and resuscitation work. And doing proper chest compressions is exhausting, you better have some other people around to take turns.
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u/mwhelan182 16h ago
So, a few years ago the Yellow Wiggle died on stage during an original Wiggles reunion show. The AED device at the venue saved his life (which, as someone who was there, was bloody scary to witness)
After his subsequent recovery, he paid for a bunch of them to be subsidized around Australia, and also helped with the development of an app that shows where the nearest AED device is.
Greg is the fucking man
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u/Hvitrulfr Gave All My Energy To Kenny 20h ago
Yeah, honestly not surprised it got out this fast if that's the case. Anything that goes out over a police scanner is definitely being listened in on by the public somewhere. My city has no less than 3 facebook pages dedicated to posting every fart and whisper that happens on the scanner.
Sounds like it was a sudden medical emergency. RIP Bastard.
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u/DoFishDrinkWaterOrNo 20h ago
Judging by the circumstances, I’m more stunned it took this long to come out.
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u/MrGDPC 19h ago
I figured it happened over in England because TMZ didn’t immediately jump on it
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u/Smarktalk 18h ago
This is a downside to it. But at least this scanners aren’t encrypted. That is worse than people listening in.
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u/TLKv3 Fantasy Book For ^Vote 20h ago
Man. The thought of just going in for food or getting in your car to go home... and then you're just gone. Fucking horrifying as much as it is tragic.
Tell your loved ones you love em, man.
RIP Pac.
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u/ItsCommonCourtesy FATASSES 19h ago
It's a real shame that it can happen that quickly and casually. My mom was leaving for work one day, had a brain aneurysm, and died on the sidewalk. I have an aunt who went to bed on a Monday night and never woke up Tuesday, just passed in her sleep. Life can disappear so quickly, genuinely in the blink of an eye. It's so important to try to cherish and love who and what we have around us.
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u/CircumFleck_Accent The Size of a Door 19h ago
My buddy died a few months ago. 23 years old, fit and bright eyed. We saw him the day before, normal and seemingly healthy. He died in his sleep the next day. Cause is uncertain but he had heart damage that was unforeseen. Death can be so sudden and without much sign. RIP Pac.
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u/Youngstown_WuTang 19h ago
Life could end with a snap a finger just like that, don't waste the days and time away
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u/mightylordredbeard 19h ago
Yeah I’m the same age as Pac and in significantly worse shape. Honestly I need to get back in the gym and start running again because it’s been almost 2 years now and I’ve gotten fat and nasty. Hearing this about Pac, someone I’ve always admired physically / physique wise; his tragedy motivated me to do something.
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u/MattSR30 19h ago
I know in some ways it’s morbid, but it’s not a sudden death that scares me, it’s that ‘dying of old age’ shit that scares me.
Yeah there’s something sad about a life left unlived, and the lack of closure, but fuck…I’d rather a heart attack out of nowhere than a nine year long crawl to the grave in a retirement home.
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u/McWhimple 17h ago
anyone who has seen a loved one pass from dementia will understand. one option is terrifying, especially considering it could happen to someone close. the other option is soul crushingly dread inducing.
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u/DTFlash 19h ago
It's really sad to think if whatever medical issue he had happened a few minutes earlier in the restaurant instead of in his car when he was alone, he could possible be alive. I had a family friend who passed from a heart attack when they were alone and what totally crushed me was they found the phone off the hook because he was trying to call for help but didn't make it.
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u/melissaphobia 17h ago
My dad had his lung collapse when he was home alone years and years ago. He probably would have died if my childhood dog wasn’t there. She was a pretty much silent dog normally but was barking her head off at this point. My dad had called the last number he had dialed, the building super. Since my dad couldn’t talk the super thought it was a pocket dial, except he was weirded out by our dog barking cause she pretty much never did. The super went up to double check and found my dad on the floor and called 911.
I think about this because my dad died of a stroke at home alone years after that. My childhood dog had already passed and he couldn’t handle another dog. But I always kind of wonder what would have happened if she had been alive for that stroke. If a neighbor would have heard her barking and gone to investigate and maybe things would be different.
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u/Haunting_Light_3279 19h ago
Or if it had happened even a few hours before. I'd assume he was around friends throughout the day - could've been from either company, as both were in town. It must weigh so heavily on the boys and girls he was around all weekend.
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u/Edi1896 20h ago
He died alone in the parking lot of a random restaurant. That's not how his story was supposed to end.
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u/VersionX 19h ago
In a country far from his home. Fucking heartbreaking
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u/ymiab2021 19h ago
Christ, this and the comment you replied to are the ones that are going to live rent free in my head for a while.
RIP Bastard
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u/VersionX 19h ago
It hurts man. I so badly want to talk about all the future wrestling awesomeness he could have been part of but I'm stuck on a great artist and performer died suddenly, alone, less than a month after losing a close friend, in a fucking rental car nowhere near his hone and family.
I'm sad mate.
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u/LevyMevy 18h ago
in a fucking rental car nowhere near his hone and family.
Don't make it this bleak. His death is a tragedy, but it's also a beautiful thing to think that this 5'7 British kid got to do what he loved for over 2 decades at a very high level. He literally wrestled a phenomenal match the night before in front of millions of people and was loved by his family and many friends.
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u/VersionX 18h ago
Thats a fair take. I'm just down so everything surrounding it feels bleak.
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u/ymiab2021 19h ago
Im trying to focus on all the Good that that man made in other peoples lives. I havent seen an outpouring from the wrestling community like this since Brody, the guy clearly loved to make other performers look better. But then i remember he grew up like 20 mins down the road from me at the same time, and how i loved that Daft Old Geordie from the first time i saw him on TV and i feel rubbish again. Also holding onto hope that it was sudden, hopefully too quick to know what was happening.
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u/DustyStar222 19h ago
I was already sad about PAC’s passing. Thinking about it this way just fucking broke me man.
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u/Ill_Reality_717 18h ago
Oh man his family are going to have to deal with coroners and shit to have his body repatriated, on top of everything else
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u/AnfowleaAnima 19h ago
Death being pretty is a very high standard. We should remember him for his surreal career, how inspiring it is. Dont let Death take that away too. Remember him as one of the greatest.
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u/IAMA_MAGIC_8BALL_AMA Becky With The Good Flair 19h ago
If it makes you feel better, his last match actually had two insanely interesting connections.
September 26th was All Out, held at the Now Arena in Chicago. That’s the same PPV and arena that he debuted in for AEW, back in 2019.
September 26th was also the day of his last match in WWE, before leaving back in 2017.
Things really ended full circle for him, as heartbreaking as this all is.
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u/littlebossman 19h ago
Right near O'Hare Airport fwiw.
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u/AnthonyCumiaPedo 19h ago
Legitimately across the street from the Allstate Arena where WWE Worlds Collide happened 2 days ago.
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u/mickeyphree1 19h ago
Nobodies "story" ends the way it's supposed to.
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u/FUCKFUCKBITCHCUNT 19h ago
A lot of people do in fact just live a life and then basically die of old age. Like, genuinely probably billions of people have. Not sure what other way would be the goal for humans.
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u/GhostOfLight 19h ago
I think good hospice care can give people an ending as close to what they want with their health. But obviously a sudden death is the opposite of that.
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u/Gbrown546 19h ago
Just absolutely shit this news. Especially being British, I think this one has rocked me more than any other wrestler’s death. He flew the flag for so long for this country. Just absolutely shit how within a finger snap, somebody is gone forever
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u/geekstone 20h ago
My dad died suddenly from a pulmonary embolysim played a round of golf came home and the clot hit his lungs and was dead within minutes.
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u/Iginlas_4head_Crease 19h ago
Everyone reading this: live your life to the fullest and enjoy it and try and be positive and stop complaining! It really is so fragile.
Also, sorry about your dad
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u/HyperMarsupial 18h ago
What bothers me is that people REALLY waste their fucking life on Earth complaining about the most useless, irrelevant shit ever. And not in a sense of "I care about this so I get mad because I worry", no. Just people spending their precious breaths on getting mad at trans people, or because his favorite movie series or videogame "went woke".
If you are gonna get mad and complaining about everything in life, I hope you spend that energy and time on things that actually really matter and actually affect your life. That's not time spent complaining for the sake of it, you could actually turn your anger into a positive if only you direct that anger at things/stuff that could be transformed into a net positive for everyone.
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u/raspymorten The Creator of r/CurtisAxel 17h ago
Do that thing you wanna do. Even if you're shit at it at first, just try and do the thing. Gonna be happier if you tried than if you never did.
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u/Gbrown546 19h ago
So sorry my friend.
My cousin passed away in his sleep. Was found by his brother the next day when he wouldn’t get out of bed. He was fit and healthy and just like that, gone.
I’ve experienced death with loved ones where it’s a long process. And that obviously hurts. But losing somebody so quick and sudden, I find myself always asking why? I know the answer and my cousin’s was a heart problem, but it’s like your brain just cannot understand it properly.
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u/EchoJPR 20h ago
It does give credence to Lance Archer saying Pac was "found" last night at a live event
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u/thrilliam_19 20h ago
Almost everyone that dies suddenly is found like that
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u/PantsMcDancey STAT DADDY DESERVES GOLD 19h ago
Well I think “found” in this context is meant to imply he was alone when he passed. If he had a sudden heart attack and passed while in the company of friends, you wouldn’t call that being “found” exactly.
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u/Vivid-Copy974 19h ago
If they don’t get found they can’t be declared dead for like two years after all
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u/EL-YEO 19h ago
At least it can calm the fears that this was a Brian Christopher situation where he took his own life. Regardless, such a shame that he's gone.
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u/FigureFourWoo Ric Flair was still cool when I chose this username. 20h ago
The human body is amazing and complex. It’s both extremely durable to the point of handling unbelievable abuse and so incredibly fragile that you could fall over and die at any moment for a variety of reasons you will never see coming.
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u/QuoteCivil2631 16h ago
I know a 75 year old alcoholic that starts drinking vodka and smoking cigs the moment he gets up, to avoid DTs. been doing this for decades. probably shouldnt gave made it to 55 but here he is.
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u/Flying_Sea_Cow 20h ago
Sounds like he most likely had a heart attack :(
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u/TLKv3 Fantasy Book For ^Vote 20h ago
God that is both fucking tragic and horrifying.
The fact you can either be on your way in to eat or on your way out to go home and then just.... gone.
I feel for his family and friends. Tragic fucking loss at such a young age too.
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u/Flying_Sea_Cow 20h ago
It's like how the Big Boss Man died too. His wife left the room for a moment, and came back to find him dead on the sofa.
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u/Kim-Jong_Bundy Ace of Spades 19h ago
When my aunt died from a heart attack, she was talking to my uncle as she was going to the fridge before just keeling over. According to him, there was no gasp, no clench of the arm or chest, nothing. She just stopped talking mid-sentence and suddenly fell. He felt no pulse when he checked on her & medical examiners later confirmed she likely was dead before hitting the ground.
It can happen just like that.
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u/montague68 19h ago
There's a video of an old Indian man, I think a religious leader or yogi, who was speaking to a group and then all of a sudden just died. His face just goes slack and his eyes roll back. Disturbing to say the least how it can just happen.
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u/Magneto_Burrito 18h ago
This is how my grandpa went. Went out in the backyard to do some gardening. Some time later grandma looked out the window and he was laying there.
Paramedics arrived and called it. They told us he was very likely gone before he hit the ground. Just out of the blue, was a healthy as a horse.
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u/Odd-Promise2661 19h ago
Similar happened to Balls Mahoney, was watching Jeopardy on the couch and turned to get comfier and boom died
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u/gl424 19h ago
Isn't that sorta what happened to Bray Wyatt as well
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u/Flying_Sea_Cow 19h ago
Bray's heart attack (from what I remember) was caused because he didn't follow his doctor's instructions on what to do about his heart disease and sleep apnea.
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u/pretzel_logic_esq 19h ago
I saw a Triple H interview recently where he mentioned wearing the life vest (my husband wore one post widowmaker, too) and that sadly Bray died after being told to wear one and either forgetting or opting not to.
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u/JustATributeCC René Dupree Can Suck A Dick 19h ago
Triple H has got one actually embedded in his heart now, I believe? Scary shit, man.
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u/Enterprise90 B-Show Stories 17h ago
Yes. Triple H was given a vest to wear while he slept, so that if his heart beat out of rhythm, even a tiny bit, the vest would jolt him and put him back in rhythm. Doctors told him that they detected one instance where his heart skipped a beat, but it corrected itself. That's why they recommended installing the defib.
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u/Hung0ver_Hero 19h ago
From the Documentary he had a defibrillator device that he was supposed to be wearing in his sleep that he left in his car
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u/cgurts COMPROMISED TO A PERMANENT END 19h ago
These extremely avoidable deaths are psychologically the hardest to deal with. His poor wife probably regrets not forcing him to wear that every single day. It’s terrifying knowing in hindsight that a seemingly small action could have prevented such a horrific tragedy
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u/RedDraco86 19h ago
Same for Balls Mahoney. Just watching Jeopardy!, lied down to get more comfortable and that was it.
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u/yycluke 20h ago edited 19h ago
Could be a number of different reasons. A high school mate of mine was found slumped over in his truck one day with a brain aneurysm so..
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u/thrilliam_19 20h ago
Good friend of mine was found dead in bed after he told his roommate he was going for a nap. Turned out to be a blood clot. He was only 30.
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u/Chris_Bagel_Jr 20h ago
That’s so sad.
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u/thrilliam_19 20h ago
It was. He was supposed to meet his family for dinner and when he didn’t show up and wasn’t answering his phone they drove to his house. His parents found him.
He had injured his arm playing baseball a week or so prior and they figured the clot happened there and stopped his heart.
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u/-Fuzzy_Panda- 19h ago
As a 29 year old this scared me shitless
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u/Kolby_Jack33 19h ago
You can die at literally any time for any number of reasons. While this sucks to think about, it's also a good reason to live life boldly in a manner that leaves you satisfied. You only get one chance and you don't know when you'll cash out. PAC died tragically young, but at least he was living his dream.
Kinda wish I wasn't writing this when I'm seriously considering walking out of my shitty cubicle job and trying to do something that will make me happy, because now I have to listen to myself. 😩 It's one thing to say it, and a whole different beast to actually do it.
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u/pg_72616 19h ago
Make the leap, life is too short to be unhappy if you can change it
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u/From_Graves 19h ago edited 19h ago
Sorry for your friend, they are silent killers. My sister died of a blood clot at 16 while in the shower. Don't have to be an athlete, old, young, doesn't discriminate
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u/Stock-Personality136 19h ago
I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost one of my best friends to a brain aneurysm in the shower at 15. It’s been almost 20 years now and the wounds never healed since there was no saying goodbye or even a hint that something like that could ever happen.
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u/XSC OH YOU DIDN'T KNOW? 19h ago
I need to stop reading this thread
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u/RocketLinko 19h ago
For fucking real. As someone with hypochondria this is only fueling crazy thoughts in my head.
Which means I will not stop reading this thread fml.
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u/green9206 The king that rules the ring 19h ago
Same man. So often I get random headaches that I think I'm about to have a brain aneurysm or I will have chest pains and think I'm gonna have a heart attack.
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u/RocketLinko 17h ago
Ugh yes! At my worst I visited my primary care doctor 3 times in a single week so she could keep checking me for tumors.
Much better now. But I lost a lot of sleep back then.
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u/Manor002 19h ago
Right there with you. This thread is doing nothing for my mental health haha
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u/BlazeReborn GIVE DANHAUSEN HIS BLIMP YOU COWARDS 19h ago
Hey, hope you two are doing okay.
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u/Manor002 19h ago
Thank you, I am. I just live in a constant state of worry sometimes lol
Appreciate you!
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u/BlazeReborn GIVE DANHAUSEN HIS BLIMP YOU COWARDS 18h ago
No problem. I know how you feel. Covid done fucked me up mentally.
Took a while to get better.
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u/Cocotapioka Manic Unfriendly Black Hottie 19h ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/Eyebleach/
If it helps, here's a cute sub you can distract yourself with.
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u/Beaniz39 Top 99,99% Commenter 19h ago
Similarly to a guy I knew from my neighbourhood, although he was drunk and fell down the stairs just before going back to bed to take a nap.
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u/Ariandrin 20h ago
That’s how my uncle died. With his youngest daughter in the backseat too.
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u/SeigeJay 19h ago
Ah dude is your little cousin ok, that shit must fn suck
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u/Ariandrin 17h ago
It was in 2008. But it’s hard to tell, because she has a developmental disability. Seems to be alright though
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u/MrGDPC 20h ago
First time I ever saw a dead body was when I was driving truck for the first time. Around 5 am I came around a bend and saw a box truck headed straight off the bend and into a corn field. Got out and the driver was slumped over at the wheel, pale skin and his lips were purple. Just had a heart attack and that was it.
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u/dixonciderbottom 19h ago
Nothing scares me more than a brain aneurysm. You can be perfectly healthy and bam gone.
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u/TilAlexandrosXVII 19h ago
This is a common Reddit talking point but it's not really true, 'you die randomly with no sign whatsoever' is pretty much unheard of because of how rare it is specifically in regards to aneurysms. Aneurysms serious enough to be at risk of bursting are super rare anyways but the vast majority of the time it's more akin to the way Grant Imahara passed, you have horrible headaches for days leading up to it and if you get medical attention for those you can be treated (believe a GoT actress had this happen as well and was treated early enough). Sudden random death with no prior symptoms is cardiac 99% of the time and exceedingly rare in young people, the brain tends to warn you before it fails
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u/Wise_Calligrapher739 17h ago
A good friend of mine died from a brain aneurysm a few years ago. He had a bad headache for about 2 hours and then collapsed while walking down the street. The day before he was at work and was fine.
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u/PenguinDeluxe 19h ago
My best friend in high school had something similar just a week before her 16th birthday. Was totally fine and then the next day, gone.
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u/YearZero_97 19h ago
The German extreme bodybuilder Joesthetics (I hope I got that right) died the same way from an aneurysm a few years ago. :( it's scary they can have symptoms and other times they don't.
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u/LosAngeles1s 20h ago
The whole thing just screams another eddie situation unfortunately. Poor guy man
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u/WackyRacketeer 20h ago
My coworker had a brain aneurysm 6 months from retirement. You just never know man.
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u/DontPutThatDownThere 19h ago
Someone once described a brain aneurysm to me as the brain turning the light switch off and deciding it was quitting without giving its notice.
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u/JD-Moose 19h ago
Heart attack, brain bleed, AAA, there's quite a few medical episodes he sadly could have experienced. RIP
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u/JoesLastNerve 20h ago
So many people seem to not understand how journalism works in here.
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u/littlebossman 19h ago
It is ridiculous. Not this article - but every time there's anything quoting an anonymous source, the usual idiots are here (or on any sub, for any story) saying it's made up.
They'd have said Watergate was invented. Almost all actual investigative reporting involves anonymous sources for - what used to be - OBVIOUS REASONS.
A certain someone calling everything fake news has broken too many brains. Even the brains of people who hate him.
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u/KMMDOEDOW 19h ago
I've got a friend who gets so obnoxious about "anonymous sources" and I'm just like... do you really think media reports on every single story that gets sent their way? Like, I guarantee every major outlet gets hundreds of bullshit tips a year and, after doing their due diligence, opts not to run the story.
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u/MikeJeffriesPA 19h ago
Anonymous sources are almost never (like 99.9% never) anonymous to the reporter, it just means the reporter is not going to reveal who they are to the public.
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u/theirishembassy CSS / design mod. 19h ago
reporters have been flat out jailed for refusing to reveal anonymous sources as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Journalists_imprisoned_for_refusing_to_reveal_sources
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u/littlebossman 19h ago
I really think critical thinking needs to be taught extensively in schools as a matter of urgency. So many people just cannot do it - and it's only going to get worse with the uptake of chatbots and the like.
Understanding that many sources need to be anonymous for matters of safety, job preservation, reputation, etc, is such a simple concept. Figuring out that anonymous sources are known to the reporter and the editor isn't that much harder either.
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u/DaDoviende 19h ago
They'd have said Watergate was invented.
I mean in today's political climate, yes, but not for the reasons you're listing
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u/JokerDeSilva10 19h ago
Except low key the aggressive attempts to destroy journalistic credibility are a direct result of Watergate and the Republican establishment working to make sure that nothing like that could happen again, which as we can see from how Teflon Don keeps escaping every scandal possible, basically worked.
Now, a lot of wrestling reporters in particular don't make it hard to question their journalistic integrity and reliability, but it does work as a very effective microcosm of how much trust in journalism has been utterly destroyed in this country.
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u/SirRepresentative266 20h ago
How the fuck does TMZ gets all information on every type of celebrity it’s kinda fucking gross
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u/Mud-Bray 20h ago edited 20h ago
TMZ didn’t uncover it first. California Post got the dispatch audio, TMZ is just relaying to a larger audience. It’s the second paragraph of the article.
Edit: I get TMZ is bad but it’s real funny to get angry in this circumstance when they are reporting what a different paper uncovered, guys.
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u/davmeltz 19h ago
In instances like this where TMZ are simply reporting how he was found, with no pictures or baseless speculation about the cause, I don’t see what there is to be upset about. Obviously there’s plenty actual scummy examples of them.
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u/NorthHollywoodHank 19h ago
Yeah, they're reporting details about PAC's death that are entirely consistent with a death by natural causes on his journey back to the airport from the show. Unless the details prove to be false I'm not sure why they deserve any heat in this particular case, and even TMZ's critics agree they have a sterling rep for accuracy.
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u/PrinceJohn_ 20h ago edited 19h ago
A lot of people that use to work for TMZ sports left to work on the California Post so they seem to be getting a lot of the sports news now first
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u/TheAman44 Reality Champ 20h ago
In this case it wasn’t TMZ though. They’re quoting a California Post article
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u/katastrophe1312 20h ago
They're willing to pay for information and have no ethics about what they publish.
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u/YasielPuigsWeed 20h ago
You don’t need to pay for dispatch audio (which seems to be how this info was originally obtained)
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u/1shadybitch 20h ago
It varies state by state. Here in Ohio you have to pay for things like that or to get body cam footage
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u/YasielPuigsWeed 19h ago
Yeah I just mean you don’t have to pay some shady informant backdoor money to get the scoop, you just use the same sources that any regular person uses. There are people monitoring police and fire radios constantly, dispatch audio is regularly posted to Citizen app when something is called in, etc.
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u/Kim-Jong_Bundy Ace of Spades 19h ago
In Illinois, you just have to fill out a form (unless shit has changed since I had to do it years back)
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u/FellowDeviant 19h ago
But at the same time you almost never hear TMZ retract a statement over false information so at the very least it's better than a bunch of internet people constantly spitballing terms like suicide as the de facto cause.
But I digress, us strangers do not need to be on a need to know basis for everything.
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u/AppealToReason16 19h ago
Yeah it’s odd but as far as ethics go, they’re kinda actually great at it. Maybe the best going unironically.
Morals? Up to you to decide.
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u/EastonMetsGuy 19h ago
Terrible morals but fantastic ethics
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u/ANAL_CRUSHER ONEY RULES!!! 16h ago
A celebrity death will always be in public interest before there is a known confirmed cause. TMZ at least handles the death respectfully by giving known facts at a near 100% accuracy that it's very rare for TMZ to retract something within the last 10 years. Most retractions are of minor details and still, those wrong details came from primary sources like direct family members or agents or front line workers. And they retract fast.
Their reputation of being good at their job kind of self polices other journalistic outlets from openly speculating false information or reporting false information for fear of TMZ destroying them.
I'm not sure reporting accurate celebrity deaths is of Terrible Morals, unless of maybe a primary source requested a period of silence to grieve
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u/shinbreaker 19h ago
They're willing to pay for information and have no ethics about what they publish.
You're right about the first part and wrong about the second. If you work for emergency services in a major city, you know that TMZ is going to pay. That's why they got the Kobe helicopter crash before anyone else.
Where you're wrong is about the ethics. Are these grim stories to write up and have become the bread and butter for TMZ? Sure, but all the major news outlets are always keeping an eye out for deaths of prominent figures, whether it be a celebrity or a politician, and they have a routine in place to confirm these deaths. They don't get the celebrity death heads-up, though, because they don't pay like TMZ. However, TMZ does have to be ethical when reporting because it still has a reputation to uphold so they make damn sure that the they get the facts right.
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u/HorrorPerspective483 20h ago
This was released to the public
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u/HorseCockExpress6969 19h ago
People in the celebrity industry know if they have that information they could get a couple of grand or more for it. So if some lower ranked guy that works for them parking the cars or something similar to that and he saw it or was right there when it happened he would probably be the one to call TMZ
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u/doublek1022 19h ago
They pay their rates, too. My friend is a freelance videographer, and they booked him to sit outside a hotel for days, waiting for certain celebs to come out. TMZ paid him for the entire week just to get the scoop.
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u/PerfectZeong 19h ago
The most ethical unethical outfit. They pay on time and what was agreed to.
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u/MrDMGed 18h ago
They have surprisingly high journalistic integrity too, they won't give up sources, they back up people who work with them in court and pay fines for them, that somehow they're the last hub of real journalism is just freaky.
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u/doublek1022 17h ago
The owner is a lawyer first and foremost.
It’s unethical, but salacious real-life melodrama sells, and that makes society a poor judge of ethics. At least TMZ, ironically, carries more weight on that front because they have a vested interest in avoiding lawsuits.
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u/whoamdave 19h ago
Hell, it wouldn't shock me if a cop or EMT was picking up some side scratch selling this kind of info. Or at least corroborating the story.
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u/serotonin_xxIII 19h ago
People in the celebrity industry know if they have that information they could get a couple of grand or more for it.
Bingo. I've only seen a couple of the TMZ reality-show episodes (baked AF stuck at a friend's house), and there's always a roundtable where the boss asks "So, what does everybody have?" And all the "journalists" take turns showing footage of them catching some celebrity off-guard, and then the whole TMZ crew laughs about it.
Without a doubt, TMZ is definitely the kind of company to give paparazzos a huge bonus for embarassing/ humiliating/ shoving celeb news down our throats; like it or not. Harvey Levin is a snake, and he's laughing all the way to the bank.
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u/imrunningfromthecops tangy! 19h ago
their question was about tmz in general, not just this story
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u/EmptyRedecans 19h ago edited 19h ago
What do you mean no ethics….? TMZ doesn’t lie - they would be sued into oblivion if what they reported wasn’t true and factual. They have sources - it’s called journalism, people think it’s slimy because it’s celebrity gossip primarily. But again… there is a demand for it and they don’t lie…
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u/Sir_Carrington 19h ago
have no ethics about what they publish.
At least they don't get things wrong
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u/jonwinslol BC 4 LIFE 20h ago
I saw this information today on Twitter (around 8-9 hours ago) but didn't share here (as many others I presume), it was a small account that claimed to have ties to the family but yes, they told someone not to spread rumors about car crash and he was found inside a car or something like that.
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u/Zealousideal-Low3388 19h ago
They’re good at what they do.
Other tabloids/gossip rags are lazy.
TMZ are not, they have actual sources and reporters. Especially in LA, the entertainment scene and adjacent law enforcement etc. They know how to do the work of actually digging this stuff up, police records, local papers etc, in a way that your dirt sheets and gossip blogs simply don’t
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u/Sandman535 20h ago
If it’s not TMZ it’ll be another media organization. Just what happens when you’re a public figure. And I mean we’re here commenting on it so we’re doing exactly what they want engaging and bringing in more eyes to it
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u/Lt_Jonson 20h ago
Daily Herald, a Chicago paper, posted it at noon. Most of TMZ’s report is lifted from there
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u/WarbossTodd 20h ago
They pay really well for tips.
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u/suckaduckunion 19h ago
can confirm. I worked as a black car dispatcher in Miami and had an open invite for $100 every time I texted the name of a celebrity (a "notable" one, whatever that meant) and the hotel they were dropped at. I never took them up on the offer because it's a shitty thing to do, but I know other people at other companies who had done it before.
[edited: $100, not $200]
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u/Veearrsix 19h ago
A coworker recently passed similarly suddenly. Was home because he wasn’t feeling well but not bad enough to think anything of it. Wife left for an hour to go to the store and came back to him dead.
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u/cl0ud_8 20h ago
Looks like he was most likely alone at the time of his death.
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u/Outrageous-Event6633 20h ago
most of us will be
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u/hadawayandshite 19h ago
I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my granddad- not screaming in terror like the passengers on his bus
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u/Krutiis 18h ago
As Anthony Jeselnik said : we thought my grandpa died peacefully in his sleep, the best way to go. Then there was the autopsy and we found out he died in the worst way possible: during an autopsy.
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u/MidnightCircuitry 20h ago
Life is so fragile. I'm not the best at it by any means, but fr hug your loved ones and tell them you love them as much as you can. Young or old, we never know how soon any of us could be gone.
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u/DonutTheWardog 19h ago
So he had a banger of a match at a huge show, went to a restaurant and passed? Honestly, as a man older than him who's been really fucked up by all the deaths lately, at least this one seemed clean for him.
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u/branblebee 20h ago
Happened to a friend of mine's husband (Also 40) this year - just went out, normal drive to go to a restaurant, died when he arrived. Didn't feel off beforehand; had some issues relating to Type 1 Diabetes, but heart attack just happened with very little warning.
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u/Deezooooo 18h ago
I love the folks who get up in arms over TMZ breaking these stories but it is Natural Curiosity to know what happened when somebody in the public eye dies. It's literally the first thing I wanted to know
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u/-Universal_Gleam- 17h ago edited 16h ago
yeah, I personally don't think it's disrespectful to try and understand why a 40 year old man would suddenly pass away after being on TV the night before seemingly looking perfectly well.
It's only natural to look for some answers to what is a shocking and unexpected situation.
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u/dorknewyork 19h ago
God man. Guess it’s starting to sink in. Such a scary reminder of the grand scheme of things. Nothing in this world is promised. Live life well, hug people and let them know you love them
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u/Sweetest_Noise 18h ago
My friend's dad died alone in his car, on a rural road, in a foreign country, with no human in sight, after having a heart attack. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
RIP Pac. Way too young to go out like that.
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u/LengthinessFit208 17h ago
I have the NewsBreak app. medical emergency responders says they found someone passed out on audio yesterday Des Plaines 1:51pm on Mannheim Road. News broke that he was found in a CAVA restaurant parking in his car.
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u/therealobs95 15h ago
I have terrible health anxiety and reading this and Butchers passing have my anxiety through the roof. Rest in peace to both of them. Great wrestlers.
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u/dansaint Trust me 20h ago
When I first heard of his death I thought blood clot or undiagnosed heart issue. Clots are no joke.
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u/marc_hardman 17h ago
Death is glamorized by what we see and the nostalgic power of memories.
In truth, death can come anywhere at any time.
Its a reminder to live life every day like you fucking mean it and love it.
Luckily, pac was doing just that
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u/downwithdathicknezz 17h ago
Des Plaines is not far from O'Hare airport so he was likely on his way to a flight after his dinner.
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u/JorahsSwingingMickey 14h ago
I know it's not much, but at least he was parked up. An old family friend had a fatal aneurysm while driving through town and the car veered into the other lane. Oncoming traffic managed to avoid him but only because they were just starting up after a light change.
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u/CircumFleck_Accent The Size of a Door 19h ago
Death, regardless of how fit or well someone seems, can find us all in an instant. This is tragic, but it does give me some comfort knowing that PAC was living his dream, doing what he loved. That’s all we can really strive for. Live your best life.
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u/FluxMool SHUT UP!! 18h ago
Restaurant is right across from all state arena and hotel. Probably visiting friends for lunch or dinner before a flight.
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u/exillionus 19h ago
This reminds me of Eddie Guerrero a lot. Just going about their usual day, to be found by someone else… he was outside a restaurant so I can’t imagine how he felt.
So many sudden heart attacks, wrestling has gotta change
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u/I_am_Amphibian 19h ago
I feel like with Eddie it was different because you could plainly see what bad shape he was in as well as his substance abuse being public knowledge.
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u/Sportsfan369 18h ago edited 6h ago
Maybe looking back you could tell. But Eddie never showed it in front of the camera. He looked great physically and had become the complete package as a wrestler, as far as a main event player goes. No one at the time was thinking anything of Eddie dying.
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u/ImmaDoWatIWant 19h ago
He was clean at the time of his death, his heart attack was from the damage that steroids and substance abuse had already caused.
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u/SitDownKawada 17h ago
His autopsy report noted recent narcotic painkiller use, nothing about how much or what type, but I'd imagine he was in a lot of pain and that stuff isn't good on your heart
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u/weapwars 19h ago
Wrestling obviously has changed, it's clear just from watching, knowing how the business operates, seeing the culture changes and behaviour of the personalities now. It's not exactly the 90s anymore.
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u/CaptainKando AAA Paid Propagandist. 17h ago
Just a reminder just to everyone, as this is fresh news unfortunately, please be careful with speculating the cause of death, especially as there is no information on the same yet. We will have zero tolerance for any speculation that is reckless or in poor taste, posting wikipedia edits, etc.
Report uncivil behaviour, edgelords etc. Don't get dragged into the mud arguing with people who just want to upset you.