The founder of celebrity gossip website TMZ Jim Paratore died Tuesday of an apparent heart attack while biking in France. He was 58 years old.

A post on TMZ described Paratore as “an amazingly creative guy… a great producer… [and] the best salesman in the world”, adding: “Everyone at TMZ was touched by Jim’s brilliance and the loss is great and painful.”

Paratore was also highly involved in the development of TMZ on TV. He was also an executive producer for Ellen and Lopez Tonight and was involved in developing The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. At the time of his death, he was president of Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros.

Sad day for celebrity bloggers.

[image: UsMagazine]