Natalie Cole's death triggered predictable reactions ... that she was one of the greatest singers ever.

As we reported, the official cause of death was congestive heart failure, although the underlying causes were complications from a kidney transplant and Hepatitis C.

#NatalieCole, sister beloved & of substance and sound. May her soul rest in peace. #Inseperable pic.twitter.com/zn7DArSMcG

— Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) January 1, 2016

In college, I named my bass guitar Natalie! As a young stand up comic I opened for Natalie Cole. She was all that, in all ways! [ RIP ]

— Arsenio Hall (@ArsenioHall) January 1, 2016

#RIP Natalie Cole - world lost a great talent today.

— Montel Williams (@Montel_Williams) January 1, 2016

Click here... it's not over yet

A shocking end to 2015 ... Birdman and Lil Wayne partied together at Drake's New Year's Eve bash!

The crew raged in Miami at E11even nightclub. 

It's hugely significant ... Lil Wayne has been on the Birdman attack for more than a year, claiming Daddy screwed him out of millions of dollars.  Wayne sued Birdman to fly the Cash Money coup.

It's unclear if the pic is evidence of a peace treaty or just a good party.

Khloe Kardashian ended 2015 with a clear message to everyone ... she's still very much with James Harden.

Khloe and the Houston Rockets' star gave each other a passionate kiss at a Houston club.  

Khloe posted the pic and is clearly calling BS on stories that James pulled the plug on their relationship.

She's doing double duty ... spending time with James and, at the same time, visiting Lamar Odom as he struggles to recover.  It's apparent Lamar's her husband in name only.

Matt Barnes is ringing in the New Year in a very special way ... BY DESTROYING THOSE WHO CROSSED HIM IN 2015 ... Rihanna, and Derek Fisher.

In an Instagram post that'd make 50 Cent proud ... Barnes calls out a pop star who "lied on him" saying he's got texts -- and pics --  to prove their relationship was real.

You might remember ... Barnes told TMZ Sports he and Rihanna were hanging out -- and could be a thing -- only to have her viciously and publicly shoot down his claims on social media.

Barnes went even harder on Fisher ... calling him an "snake" who banged his ex Gloria Govan on the sneak tip ... then snitched to the NBA and police when he "got dealt with."

We wonder how the league might feel about the Fisher stuff ... being that they slapped Barnes with a 2 game suspension for allegedly attacking the Knicks coach last summer.

BTW Barnes had one more message for EVERYONE ... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Thank God For 2016! 2015 hands down was the worst year of my life! * *Lost the women I loved,the mother of my kids, my Dogg.. I had to walk away from the only thing I've wanted, MY OWN FAMILY! "They call that karma" *To being traded away from a team & city I love! "They call that the business" *Lied on by a pop star Who's lucky I stuck to the script & didn't expose her lien ass Funny thing about texts & pics is they DONT LIE! "I Guess" "They call that getting played" *Last BUT NOT LEAST... Being stuck in the "triangle offense" w my ex & snitch, I mean former teammate & friend.. Who went behind my back, messed w my ex, got caught, got dealt w for being a snake, then ran & told the Police & NBA.. Instead of taken that ass whoopin like a man & kept it moving....! WHERE THEY DO THAT AT? Guess cause I didn't SNITCH, I get a 2 game suspension by the league "They call that LIFE" WHEN IT RAINED, IT POURED in 15 All this played out like a bad reality show, a nightmare, for your amusement & entertainment! For you to critique, make fun of, crack jokes & laugh about.. "What I shoulda did" or what "y'all would have done" Hmmmm... I say all this not for sympathy, because I had a hand in all the bad $h!t that happened.. I was never perfect in my relationship, I didn't see eye to eye w my head coach.. I was warned SEVERAL times about ole girl & I introduced love ones to people who I "thought were FRIENDS"... Lesson Learned!! This is for all of you who had a F@#%ed up year... To let you know I'm right there w you, We In this together! Everyone has ups & downs in this game called LIFE... It gets better.... "I think" Hahaa nah it does, trust me! --- -Remember God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers!!! -Stay positive, hold ya head, tighten your circle & stick to your instincts.. -It's not about how many times you fall down, it's about how many times you get up! Heres to freeing your hands of all the bullshit of 2015 & preparing for the blessing God has in store for us all in 2016!  HAPPY NEW YEAR, LOVE #THEBADGUY

A photo posted by matt_barnes9 (@matt_barnes9) on Dec 31, 2015 at 7:42pm PST

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin have always said they're just friends, but seriously ...

The Biebs and Baldwin spent New Year's Eve together in Anguilla, and they were overtly affectionate ... check out the video below ... he's givin' her a wet willy.

For her part, Hailey posted the pic above ... where she's kissing the nape of his neck.

Enough evidence?

Kanye West dropped a new song on New Year's Eve, in which he declared nuclear war on Nike.

The Yeezy's creator skewered his competitor, claiming Nike treats people like slaves and opened the vault to keep Lebron from bailing.  He goes on to say Drake's all Nike's got now.

And Kanye's got some choice words for Bill Cosby ... "Do anybody feel bad for Bill Cosby, did he forget the names just like Steve Harvey?"

And Kim Kardashian's hubby bragged about his wife's latest venture, boasting they made a million bucks a minute off the kimojis.

Bill Cosby was a man of few words on New Year's Eve, but they show he's still in the fight.

Cosby thanked his friends and fans for their support in the wake of the felony sexual assault charge he now faces.

Cosby's lawyers say they will wage legal war, claiming any sexual contact with Andrea Constand and the others was consensual.

The comedian's legal team is also slamming the Montgomery County District Attorney who announced the charges. Kevin Steele made the announcement days before he even became  D.A.  Steele ran on a platform that Cosby should be prosecuted, and Cosby's lawyers say putting a prosecution in the hands of voters is a gross abuse of the criminal justice system.

Pam Anderson looked pretty amazing as she left LAX on New Year's Eve day for Miami ... but when the clock struck 12 ... well, she was a mess.

The 48-year-old hosted the Ultra Lounge at the Viceroy ... and by all appearances she did a bang up job.

Happy New Year!!!

Mark Salling's movie metamorphosis may never be seen in theaters, but we got hold of a couple of pics.

Mark had a starring role in 'Gods and Secrets,' which is still in production. He plays a tortured villain and looks every bit the part.

As we reported, it's more than likely that his role will be recast and reshot in the wake of his child porn arrest.

So how was your New Year's Eve.  Safe bet it wasn't as good as Leo DiCaprio's.

Leo tooled around on his awesome yacht -- complete with water slide - in St. Barts.  Robin Thicke and his girlfriend hopped aboard and joined in the fun.

Unlike his boat movie, this one had a happy ending.

Tommy Lee got nailed on the Cruecifixion on New Year's Eve.

Motley Crue was performing at Staple's Center in downtown L.A. when his signature roller coaster just stopped with Tommy and his drum set hanging in mid air.

And check out the video below ... Vince Neil gives a tearful goodbye to fans ... it was the band's last show.

After this dude was born on New Year's Day he went on to be known for taking down the international man of mystery. Can you guess who this New Year's Day baby is?