Justin Bieber did not start his Salt Lake City concert on time Saturday night ... because he made a pit stop at a children's hospital to visit a 7-year-old leukemia patient.

Millie Flamm was too sick to attend the concert, so Justin gave her a private show, holding her hand while singing a song.

You gotta give Justin his due ... this was not to deflect stories about him smoking pot.  He regularly visits sick kids at children's hospitals in cities where he performs.

Justin Bieber is under the influence ... of a rapper named Lil Twist -- and the rapper may be leading JB down a dangerous path.

Twist was with Bieber in a Newport Beach hotel room last week, where, we're told, the rapper was happily rolling blunts for J.B. and others.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... JB and Twist have become tight ... and have been smoking together on a number of other occasions.

You'll recall ... Twist was speeding on the 405 Freeway New Year's Day in Justin's Ferrari when he was pulled over by cops.  A photog was killed trying to snap pics of the traffic stop.  Prior to the accident, Twist and Justin had spent much of the day in a room at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills -- where Justin frequently gets a room.

Twist's Twitter profile pic makes it  clear ... he's a fan.

Sources involved in Justin's life who care about him are deeply concerned that Twist has become a powerful negative influence in his life and feel very strongly Justin needs a clean break from the rapper or else bad things are going to happen.


FYI ... Lil Twist is signed by Lil Wayne and close knit with the Cash Money and Young Money crews.

Justin Bieber kicked off the new year on a real high note -- clutching a smoldering blunt at a big party inside a Newport Beach hotel room this week ... and TMZ has the photos.

The pics were snapped on January 2nd -- the day after a paparazzo was killed while trying to take photos of Bieber's Ferrari -- and it's pretty obvious ... Bieber wasn't feeling too bad about the whole situation.

Sources at the party tell TMZ, Bieber's BFF Lil Twist was there too -- the 19-year-old rapper who was driving the Biebs' Ferrari at the time the paparazzo was killed.

According to sources, Twist and his brother were rolling all the blunts and smoking everyone up ... and there was a LOT of pot smoke.

It's pretty ironic -- considering sources close to Bieber were insistent ... the photog who was killed lied when he said Justin was smoking weed hours before the fatal accident.

And there's this -- we're told Bieber had security present ... but no one seemed to mind that people were snapping photos.

As for talking points -- sources tell us Bieber was chatting it up about how tired he was because he'd been staying up late recently. Shockingly, we're told the conversation eventually turned to late night fast food ... and where they could get it.

We're told a girl also crashed in the hotel room with Justin -- NOT Selena.  It's unclear if they hooked up.

Bieber's people had no comment.

Justin Bieber's pot smoking raises questions about the role of celebs as role models. So we gotta ask ...

Justin smoking pot I think less of him No big deal VOTE Justin smoking pot No big deal 62% I think less of him 38% Total Votes: 228,522 *Poll Results NOTE: Poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who chose to participate. Poll results are not reflected in real time. Back to Poll Results	Celebs should NEVER smoke Absolutely Ridiculous VOTE Celebs should NEVER smoke Ridiculous 79% Absolutely 21% Total Votes: 176,993 *Poll Results NOTE: Poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who chose to participate. Poll results are not reflected in real time. Back to Poll Results	Smoking pot Same as booze Worse VOTE Smoking pot Same as booze 70% Worse 30% Total Votes: 181,874 *Poll Results NOTE: Poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who chose to participate. Poll results are not reflected in real time. Back to Poll Results
Justin has a duty as role model Yes No VOTE Justin has a duty as role model Yes 57% No 43% Total Votes: 177,003 *Poll Results NOTE: Poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who chose to participate. Poll results are not reflected in real time. Back to Poll Results	Justin in 5 years Responsible Reckless VOTE Justin in 5 years Reckless 67% Responsible 33% Total Votes: 178,497 *Poll Results NOTE: Poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who chose to participate. Poll results are not reflected in real time. Back to Poll Results	Overall, Justin is Admirable A punk VOTE Overall, Justin is A punk 74% Admirable 26% Total Votes: 176,829 *Poll Results NOTE: Poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who chose to participate. Poll results are not reflected in real time. Back to Poll Results
Justin Harmless partier Pothead VOTE Justin Harmless partier 58% Pothead 42% Total Votes: 171,446 *Poll Results NOTE: Poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who chose to participate. Poll results are not reflected in real time. Back to Poll Results	Weed -- a gateway drug Yes No VOTE Weed -- a gateway drug No 54% Yes 46% Total Votes: 172,554 *Poll Results NOTE: Poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who chose to participate. Poll results are not reflected in real time. Back to Poll Results	Weed should be legal Yes No VOTE Weed should be legal Yes 67% No 33% Total Votes: 175,049 *Poll Results NOTE: Poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who chose to participate. Poll results are not reflected in real time. Back to Poll Results

`

Selena Gomez had nothing to say at LAX about her breakup with Justin Bieber or allegations that the Biebs had been smoking pot.

TMZ broke the story ... Selena and Justin broke up in Mexico on December 30th after a blowout argument. She flew back to L.A. that day and Justin returned on New Year's Eve. As for the nature of the argument, a source tells us, "It's just high school stuff."

The photogs were trying to grill Gomez -- who dressed like a chic Unabomber -- about Justin's alleged marijuana use. A close friend of Chris Guerra -- the photog who was killed on New Year's Day -- told TMZ Guerra had told him he saw J.B. driving his Ferrari earlier in the day, smoking pot from a pipe. Sources connected with Bieber insist it's not the case.

Ah, young love.

Justin Bieber was stalked and harassed by the photographer who was killed while taking pictures of the singer's car on New Year's Day, and he lied about J.B. smoking pot ... sources connected with Bieber tell TMZ.

Our well-connected Bieber sources tell TMZ ... photog Chris Guerra made Justin's life hell ... following and chasing him at every opportunity. 

The sources claim Chris flat-out lied when he called a friend shortly before he was killed, claiming he saw Justin smoking pot in a pipe while driving his Ferrari earlier that day.  The sources say multiple witnesses will say the only time Justin left the Four Seasons on New Year's Day was to go to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in Hollywood for lunch, and there was never a pipe in sight.

Sources connected to Justin and Selena say the photog was lying when he told the friend he saw a car belonging to Selena Gomez on the Four Seasons property.  The sources tell us ... the two of them flew to Mexico for New Year's Eve, but had a blow-out argument on December 30 and broke up. Selena left Mexico that same day and Justin left for L.A. on the 31st. They haven't seen each other since and she was never at the Four Seasons on New Year's Day.

The sources say Justin had "very little respect" for Chris Guerra but was trying not to say anything out of respect for the family, but Chris made it "very difficult by telling this guy (his friend) lies about Justin."

The last person to speak with the photog who was killed Tuesday following Justin Bieber's car tells TMZ ... Chris Guerra was quite sure Justin had been smoking pot while driving earlier in the day.

The person who spoke with Chris at 5:16 PM -- less than an hour before he was killed -- did not want us to use his name.  He's also a photog who took Chris under his wing, and says Chris was one of his closest friends.

He also says he believes Justin is partly to blame for Chris' death because of the singer's reckless driving history and alleged pot smoking which made it a big story to follow.

As for Miley Cyrus' comments, he says, "Good Christians that I know ... don't throw stones at people who get killed."

7:30AM PST: Justin released a statement, saying ... "Hopefully this tragedy will finally inspire meaningful legislation and whatever other necessary steps to protect the lives and safety of celebrities, police officers, innocent public bystanders, and the photographers themselves."

8:40PM PST:  Justin Bieber was not in the Ferrari ... sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ.  We're told one of Justin's friends was driving and another friend was in the passenger seat.


A paparazzo attempting to shoot photos of Justin Bieber's Ferrari was hit by another car and killed this evening -- although Bieber was NOT behind the wheel of the Ferrari ... TMZ has learned.  

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Bieber's white Ferrari was pulled over by California Highway Patrol for speeding on the 405 ... near the Getty Center in LA.   The CHP directed the driver to pull off the freeway, onto Sepulveda Blvd.

According to our sources, Bieber was DEFINITELY not driving at the time.

We're told a paparazzo -- who was following the Ferrari at the time of the pull over -- attempted to snap pics while officers conducted the traffic stop.

The photog then crossed Sepulveda to snap pics and was told twice by the CHP to go back to his car on the other side of the road.  When the photog tried crossing back, he was struck by an oncoming vehicle as he crossed back and was killed.



Our sources say drugs and alcohol were not a factor for the driver of the vehicle that hit the photog.

LAPD is now on scene investigating the incident.

The photog who was killed taking pics of Justin Bieber's car made a call less than an hour before he died, telling someone he was on a big story -- because he claimed he saw Justin smoking marijuana while driving.

A source connected with the photo agency for whom Chris Guerra did freelance work tells TMZ ... Chris called him at 5:16 Tuesday afternoon.  Chris said, "Man, you won't believe my luck.  It's pretty dead in L.A..  Everybody thinks Justin and Selena are in Mexico, but they're not."

Chris -- who worked exclusively on the Bieber detail -- said he had spotted Justin's car earlier in the day at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills and also saw Selena Gomez's car there.

Chris went on ... claiming he saw Justin earlier in the day smoking what he believed was marijuana from a pipe while driving the Ferrari.

Our source says Chris told him he was following Justin back to the Four Seasons and was continuing to pursue what he believed was a big story.

The source says after 20 minutes, Chris abruptly said the Ferrari was pulling out of the hotel parking lot and he needed to hang up and follow it.  Apparently he had no idea Justin was NOT in the car.

Our source -- who as we said is connected to the photo agency -- believes Chris was probably "overzealous" at the traffic stop because he believed he was on the cusp of an enormous scoop.

Justin's rep tells TMZ, "It's really sad that people are trying to push a story without the facts so soon after this tragic accident. Justin was not present or involved in this incident and the focus should remain on honoring the memory of the victim."

The rep did not directly respond to the marijuana allegation.

Rapper Lil Twist was driving Justin Bieber's Ferrari when it was pulled over Tuesday night ... moments before a paparazzo was hit by another car and killed -- TMZ has learned.

According to sources, 19-year-old Lil Twist was hanging with Bieber at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills on Tuesday afternoon ... when, for some reason, he left in the white Ferrari without Justin.



Multiple sources tell us Twist -- who is a Lil Wayne protege -- and Biebs have been hanging out and partying together for several weeks now.


They even celebrated New Year's Eve together in Mexico ... where they're both of legal drinking age.

A rep for Lil Twist tells us the rapper did not see the accident happen ... and sends his thoughts and prayers to the family of the photographer.

TMZ has learned the identity of the photog who was killed while shooting Justin Bieber's car -- he's freelance paparazzo Chris Guerra.

Sources tell us -- Guerra, who was in his late 20s -- was following Bieber all day Tuesday.  Guerra called someone connected with a paparazzi agency at around 5:30 PM to say he was waiting for Justin, who had pulled into the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills a short time earlier.  Guerra abruptly said the Ferrari was pulling out of the hotel and he had to leave.

Guerra apparently assumed Justin was in the car.  As we first reported ... he was not.

Guerra had been working in a Las Vegas casino for several years, when he moved out to L.A. in March to become a photog.

In recent months, he worked the Bieber detail exclusively.

Guerra was not married and had no kids.