James Earl Jones, one of Hollywood's most instantly recognizable voices for his roles in the 'Star Wars' movies and "The Lion King" ... is dead.
The actor's reps say he passed away at his home in upstate New York, surrounded by family members.
James was widely respected for his decades-long career in stage, TV and film productions -- most notably, perhaps, he delivered the booming and menacing voice of Darth Vader in multiple movies in the 'Star Wars' franchise.
Linkin Park's drama rages on ... with Chester Bennington’s son, Jaime, calling out band co-founder Mike Shinoda for appointing Emily Armstrong as the group's new lead singer ... making it clear she's not Jaime's pick to replace his dad 7 years after his death.
Jaime criticized Mike for betraying fans’ trust by hiring Emily ... adding in a lengthy IG post Monday he had "quietly erased my father's life and legacy in real time … during international suicide prevention month." Chester died by suicide in 2017.
Jaime didn’t hold back ... diving into Emily’s alleged ties to Scientology and her support for Danny Masterson. This all came to light following The Mars Volta’s Cedric Bixler-Zavala's resurfaced messages Emily had attended a 2020 preliminary hearing in support of Masterson, which hit fans hard ... especially since Chester had openly discussed surviving sexual abuse.
Tyrese Gibson is in custody for failing to pay the amount of child support ordered by the court ... TMZ has learned.
The singer/actor -- and dad to 5-year-old Soraya with ex-wife Samantha Lee -- was in Fulton County court Monday morning to face the judge in the ongoing child support battle, and the hearing did NOT go well for Tyrese.
Judge Kevin Farmer was clearly fed up with Tyrese's refusal to pay the $10K/month Farmer ordered him to start paying way back in April 2023 -- so, today he held Tyrese in contempt of court, the bailiff put him in handcuffs and marched him out of the courtroom.
UPDATE
1:31 PM PT -- Harvey Weinstein is "not doing great," his rep Juda Engelmayer tells TMZ.
We're told the fallen film legend is having "major heart surgery" today after he first began experiencing chest pains at Rikers Island prison.
However, Weinstein still plans to appear in court on Thursday ... but will only attend if he's well enough to do so.
Harvey Weinstein is undergoing emergency surgery mere days before he is due in court in NYC ... TMZ has learned.
The controversial film producer was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in New York from Rikers Island prison Monday for emergency heart surgery after experiencing pains in his chest, his lawyer confirmed to TMZ.
Weinstein was held at Rikers ahead of his court appearance, where prosecutors are hoping to secure a new indictment against Weinstein after his prior rape conviction in NYC was overturned in April.
Bruce Springsteen’s wife, Patti Scialfa, has opened up about her blood cancer battle ... which she has been fighting since 2018.
Patti talked about her health in the new documentary "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band," which dropped at the Toronto International Film Festival ... explaining doctors diagnosed her with multiple myeloma during her husband's "Springsteen on Broadway" concert residency 6 years earlier.
Multiple myeloma is rare type of cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell, according to the Mayo Clinic. Life expectancy varies from person to person, taking into account factors including kidney function, cancer progression and overall health.
Deshaun Watson has been hit with a new lawsuit ... another woman in Texas has come forward with claims the Cleveland Browns star sexually assaulted her four years ago.
"Jane Doe" filed the suit in Harris County on Monday morning ... alleging that during a 2020 date with the now 28-year-old quarterback -- he sexually assaulted her.
In the suit, Doe -- described as a single mother and a young professional -- says she met Watson at a bar in Houston while he was a member of the Texans ... and after exchanging text messages for several months, she says he invited her out. Not wanting a public date, Doe claims she instead asked him to come to her apartment for dinner.
Shailene Woodley's defending herself against the backlash she received for sharing Melania Trump’s statement following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump ... admitting she's baffled by how folks can wish death on someone -- no matter how controversial they are.
The actress told Bustle she shared the first page of Melania's letter back in July on social media because she found it a beautiful reminder that, beneath Trump’s political drama, he’s still a human, with kids and grandkids -- and wishing for his death is not compassionate.
She explained, "I was in circles of people that I deeply respect -- friends, colleagues, progressive, very intelligent thinkers, shakers and movers and many of them were saying, 'He missed! F***ing assassin missed! Maybe it was a setup. Maybe it was a conspiracy.'"
Tyreek Hill was first pulled over Sunday morning because he was driving recklessly ... and he was thrown in handcuffs moments later because he was being uncooperative -- at least, that's according to a huge police union in Florida.
The president for the South Florida Police Benevolent Association -- which represents over 6,000 law enforcement officers in the Sunshine State -- said in a statement to TMZ Sports Hill put "himself and others in great risk of danger" while on his way to Hard Rock Stadium.
And, during an ensuing traffic stop ... the SFLPBA alleges Hill was not responding to cops' orders.
Nicki Minaj won't have to go at Jay-Z all by her lonesome ... Birdman has entered the Super Bowl LIX chat, and he has some tough talk toward the Roc Nation boss!!!
Much fuss has been made about Kendrick Lamar performing at the upcoming halftime show in New Orleans -- the home base of arguably the biggest rap label ever -- Cash Money Records.
After Nicki took swipes at Jay and Roc Nation in defense of Lil Wayne on Monday, Birdman backed her up and promised revenge ... "These n***** P**** @NICKIMINAJ @Drake @LilTunechi YMCMB. I’m make these n***** respek us on Gladys," a nod to his deceased mother.
Ian McKellen may have "Sir" in his title, but he's not a fan of the British Royal Family ... sharing some unfiltered opinions about the late Queen Elizabeth II and her son, King Charles III.
The British actor, who was knighted by the former queen in 1991, sounded off on the Windsors in a new interview with the UK's The Times ... in which he blasted the deceased monarch as being quite "rude," and "quite mad at the end."
As Ian recalls, the longest reigning British monarch made a comment about his career when he received the Companion of Honor medal in 2008 ... telling him he'd "been doing this an awfully long time."
Beyoncé may've had one of the biggest country albums of the year, but it wasn't enough for the megastar to receive a single nomination at the 2024 CMA Awards.
The singer's "Cowboy Carter" album and hit single, "Texas Hold 'Em," were both snubbed by the popular awards show ... with the Grammy winner fully shut out when nominations were announced Monday.
Instead, Morgan Wallen led the charge, earning 7 noms ... including Entertainer of the Year and Song of the Year. Chris Stapleton and Cody Johnson fell just behind Morgan, nabbing 5 nominations each.
Nicki Minaj has joined the 20 v 1 against Jay-Z after he awarded the New Orleans-hosted Super Bowl LIX halftime honors to Kendrick Lamar instead of Lil Wayne ... and Queen Barb is spewing all sorts of ether in his direction!!!
According to Nicki's POV, Jay-Z sold out for the NFL when Colin Kaepernick kneeled on the field to protest police brutality ... actions of a house n-word with the "er," and despite his riches and success, is still a "hateful and ugly" person.
Several hip hop pundits -- Master P, DJ Akademiks and just today, Boosie Badazz -- have come to Wayne's defense, accusing Jay of reviving a vendetta against Drake in the twilight of his beef with Kendrick.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is showing her commitment to boyfriend Ken Urker ... with a special piece of jewelry.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Gypsy gifted Ken a promise ring a few weeks ago after their child's gender reveal.
Ken's proudly displaying the black band on his ring finger in a recent photo the couple posted at Nobu, leading eagle-eyed fans to wonder what the deal was ... and now we know.
Tory Lanez's weekly reign of "Prison Tapes" has come to an end ... the rapper's lawyers tell us prison guards raided his cell block and confiscated all his studio equipment.
The incarcerated hip hop star is currently holed up at the California Correctional Institution, where he's serving time after being convicted of shooting Megan Thee Stallion -- but he's been passing the days by keeping his talent sharp.
Bangers such as "Basement" and "Appellate Court" -- all labeled under the "Prison Tapes" umbrella -- have been released in the past few weeks, benefiting his record sales.
Ryan Seacrest is living his best life ... soaking up the good vibes with his "Wheel of Fortune" co-host Vanna White as they gear up for the new season!
We caught the duo rolling into ABC Studios in NYC ... where Ryan declared he’s got zero jitters and is pumped for everyone to enjoy the classic CBS show they know and love.
For her part, Vanna raved about their on-screen chemistry ... a huge relief considering she’d previously worried about clicking on-stage with Seacrest after so many years with Pat Sajak.
Odell Beckham Jr. was one of several people who stopped to watch Tyreek Hill's run-in with cops on Sunday morning ... and like everyone else at the scene, he wondered out loud "what the f*** happened?"
Check out new video of Hill's detainment, obtained by TMZ Sports ... you can see as the handcuffed NFL superstar was being questioned by authorities outside of Hard Rock Stadium just hours before the Dolphins vs. Jaguars game -- OBJ was just feet away trying to help out.
The Fins wideout -- who signed with Miami this offseason -- could be seen talking with defensive lineman Calais Campbell ... when at one point, he asked straight up what was all the commotion about?
