Also, re: TMZ's reporting - for as low as their reputation tends to be in almost all other aspects, the one thing they seem to have their shit almost 100% together on is celebrity deaths. Ghoulish as that is, they tend to be very accurate, and usually first, as well.
they basically run an intelligence agency in los angeles. there was a new yorker article this year that talked about how they have sources at most of the major hospitals, airlines, hotels, limo services etc who know tmz will pay well and reliably for scoops.