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Gary Rossington, the last original member of legendary rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died.

The guitarist, behind such memorable songs as "Freebird" and "Sweet Home Alabama," passed away Sunday, according to a statement released by the band.

Although his cause of death was not disclosed, Rossington suffered from a series of heart-related issues over the years, including a heart attack in 2015. He also received an emergency heart procedure in 2019.

Members of Skynyrd paid homage to Rossington in their statement, "It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today."

They continued, "Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does."

As you may recall, Rossington was aboard a plane that crashed after it ran out of fuel over Mississippi in October 1977, killing three of his bandmates: lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines.

Three other passengers also died, including the group's assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick.

Rossington miraculously survived, but his arms, legs, ankles, and pelvis were shattered.

It took 10 years ... but the band got back together in 1987 and Rossington rejoined it with a new line-up. Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Rossington was 71.

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins says Ja Morant could miss more than two games as a result of his gun-flashing Instagram Live video over the weekend ... telling reporters there's no set timetable for his return.

Jenkins briefly talked about his superstar guard's controversial clip prior to Memphis' matchup with the Clippers on Sunday ... saying it's a "very tough moment, for sure."

Morant -- who apologized for the vid on Saturday -- said he was going to "take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."

Jenkins said he will not disclose details of private conversations held with Morant and the front office following the incident ... but voiced his support for the guard as he seeks help.

"We love him. We want what's best for him. We support him. It's going to be a difficult process, but we got a great group to get through this."

Coach added the focus is on getting Morant in a better place on and off the court ... and he hopes the All-Star can take accountability and understand the expectations the team has for him.

As for how long Morant will be away from the team, Jenkins said there is "not a definitive timeline."

Ryan McKenna, once famous for snapping a pic with Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl, stands accused of striking a cop during his allegedly drunken arrest ... but new video shows cops tossing him to the ground pretty hard.

The clip, obtained by TMZ, shows 18-year-old Ryan with multiple cops around him as they try to detain him -- they're struggling to get his arms behind his back.

After the attempts to cuff him don't work ... you can see one of the deputies yank him by the leg, flipping him down on a concrete floor. Even after the brutal takedown, Ryan kept his arms tucked to his chest, instead of putting them behind his back.

TMZ broke the story ... law enforcement was called on the eve of this year's Super Bowl to a CPK in Naples, FL for a report of a man who was drunk and hitting his friend.

According to cops, Ryan and a 15-year-old boy got into an argument, and things escalated to the point where Ryan aggressively pushed their table and started shouting obscenities at the boy's GF.

In their report, cops admit putting hands on Ryan to calm him down, but claim he yanked their hands off his chest. Deputies then tried to detain Ryan, which is apparently when the video begins.

Cops said Ryan was taken to jail and booked for felony battery on a law enforcement officer and 2 misdemeanors -- resisting arrest and obstruction of an officer.

BTW, Ryan's mom Tracy told us her son was NOT drunk during the incident ... and instead was just joking around with his friends, trying to be funny by pushing the table.

Pete Davidson went from beachside lounging one day to a collision in the streets of L.A. the next ... and his girlfriend was with him for both occasions ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Pete and Chase Sui Wonders were involved in a car accident Saturday night around 11 PM. Our sources say he was behind the wheel of a Mercedes and driving at a high rate of speed through the Flats neighborhood of Bev Hills.

For some reason, we're told he lost control of the vehicle ... which hopped a curb, took out a fire hydrant and then proceeded to slam into the side of a nearby house ... dragging across the lawn and leaving skid marks on the grass.

Based on photos of the crash site, obtained by TMZ, it doesn't appear Pete went into the property ... but our sources say he did strike it and caused damage. Thankfully, nobody was hurt -- be it outside or in the home. Cops were called, however, and they responded.

We're told the preliminary view is that drugs and alcohol were not involved here, but an investigation is currently underway. Our sources also say no arrests were made on the spot, and that Pete and Chase were not cited either ... at least not for now, anyway.

Unclear what sorta interaction the two stars might've had with the homeowners, but ya gotta imagine insurance is gonna get involved for this ... at the very least. We've reached out to both of their reps for further comment ... so far, no word back.

It's pretty wild that Pete and Chase were back in L.A. in such a short turnaround ... remember, they were literally just photographed in Hawaii earlier that same day (Saturday) enjoying the beach together -- and they didn't seem to be in a rush getting back.

They must've left almost immediately after getting snapped by paps, 'cause a flight from the islands to L.A. takes a good 5 hours or so. Seems they were eager to be out and about as soon as they touched down. Pete even presented at the Kids' Choice Awards last night!

Kodak Black lit up the stage at Rolling Loud California ... but we've learned it took a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure he stayed sober leading up to his performance.

Kodak's performance at the 3-day music festival was his last hoorah before he enters in-patient rehab next week. His lawyer, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ Hip Hop ... the artist was in L.A. with a full team of folks making sure they steered him clear of any bad influences.

We're told that team included a physician to look after his eating habits, and another person was designated to be by his side at all times and ensure he stayed on the straight and narrow.

Cohen says the "Super Gremlin" rapper doesn't usually do the after-party scene, so that was one less thing to worry about while he was in La-La Land.

ICYMI, a Florida judge ordered KB to 30 days of inpatient rehab after authorities claimed he violated his bail conditions by testing positive for fentanyl.

You'll recall, Kodak was busted in Ft. Lauderdale back in July for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and drug trafficking ... after cops say they found upwards of 31 oxycodone pills in his car.

Pedro Pascal says he's aware that this new hit HBO show, "The Last of Us," is getting compared to another 'Us' series ... and his response to that is, take it up with the writers.

We got the TV star Friday in WeHo, where he was signing autographs and itching to leave. Before he did, though, PP chopped it up with us for a bit ... and we asked him why 'LOU' keeps on introducing great characters that we all love, only to kill 'em off immediately?

If that sorta gut-wrenching TV sounds familiar, it's because it is ... AKA, NBC's "This Is Us," which is a real tear-jerker and also tends to write out characters at a moment's notice.

Pedro says he thinks the pain viewers are experiencing by briefly meeting/losing onscreen faves like Bill and Frank (RIP), Tess (also RIP) and most recently, Riley (maybe RIP?) is actually worth it. He doesn't really explain why ... but perhaps he knows, that's just good TV.

When we pressed a bit further, he kinda just shrugged his shoulders and said ... hey, I just do the acting. In other words, the fleeting characters thing isn't his call -- which is honest.

Our photog also touched on another theme that's being brought up again and again throughout this first season ... namely, LGBTQ+ representation. Some of the names mentioned above actually lend themselves to that, and Pedro says ... yeah, it's important.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Crystal Kung Minkoff is gettin' sued ... along with her filmmaker husband and her brother over a car accident they allegedly caused.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Candice Shahandeh-Rad claims she was stopped on the off-ramp of an L.A. freeway last November in her Audi when she was "suddenly and violently" rear-ended, causing her to hit the car in front of her.

The docs say Crystal's brother, Jeffrey Kung, was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.  Candice claims Jeffrey got out of the Mercedes-Benz and "admitted he was distracted" ... although the lawsuit doesn't go into further detail about why or how.

We're told neither Crystal or her hubby Rob Minkoff -- a director of several hit films for Disney -- were in the Benz, but the plaintiff believes they own the car and/or employ her brother as a driver.

Candice says she suffered injuries from the crash, not to mention damage to her car, too. We got pictures of what we're told is the aftermath of the accident, and it shows the smashed front end of the Mercedes.

New Zealand model and actress Rachel Hunter was 33 years old when she flaunted her smokin' bod and waltzed around in an itty bitty red bikini in Fountain Of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom" music video back in 2003.

Being a fan of the American rock band herself, Rachel was game to star in the music video. The song climbed to number 21 on the US Billboard's Top 100 and scored a Grammy nomination ... it's probably safe to say Rachel's 'hot momma looks' contributed to the song's success.

"Stacy's mom has got it goin' on!"

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delayed making payments in regards to her Met Gala appearance two years ago -- this according to the findings of an ethics investigation.

The NY congresswoman has been at the center of a Capitol Hill probe for about a year, and this week ... the results were released. According to the fact-finders, it looks like AOC and/or her staff were quite slow in paying people back ... to the tune of thousands of dollars.

The House Ethics Committee came down hard in their report, saying they have "substantial reason" to believe Rep. Ocasio-Cortez might have violated ethics rules for members of Congress, and maybe even broken federal laws pertaining to gifts and perks she received at the time of the Gala, when she walked the red carpet in a loud "Tax the Rich" dress.

According to them, it's unclear if AOC was ever going to pay people back for the dress, the makeup services, the hotel costs, the accessories, or anything else she received as part of her appearance ... and they go on to claim that the launch of this investigation seems to have spurred her and her staff to act. AOC has since paid off the tab ... about $7,700 all told.

Apparently, several vendors involved in getting AOC all dolled up that day were hounding her for the cash for months ... including the designer of the dress, Aurora James. And, for a while, the circumstances under which she was invited were also murky. Apparently, she was a guest of Vogue's -- but the EIC, Anna Wintour, is obviously deeply involved in prepping the Met Gala ... so it seemed fishy, at first. While it might appear like a conflict of interest, at face value, the Ethics Committee found the invite itself OK ... and aren't dinging her for it.

As for how AOC is responding ... she's pleading ignorance. She says she wasn't aware that these payments were owed and regrets that it ever got to this point. Her attorney also notes that just because the Ethics Committee might've found evidence of possible malfeasance, it doesn't actually mean anything wrong was done ... especially since she's cleared her bill.

Erin Brockovich -- the famous paralegal turned activist who helped a massive PG&E scandal in the '90s -- has seen the aftermath in East Palestine ... and according to her, it's grim.

We got Erin at LAX Friday, where she'd just arrived from a visit in Ohio ... meeting and helping folks while surveying the damage and assessing the needs of the community. As she put it to us flatly, the situation is dire there ... and residents are without clear answers.

Based on what EB's seen, she says the area -- including groundwater and residential wells -- is very much contaminated ... despite government agencies and other politicians trying to tell the folks living there otherwise. Erin says there's contradictory information flying all over.

She even describes some symptoms of sickness she says she felt just by being in East Palestine for an extended period of time -- and it sounds very hazardous and dangerous.

So, on the question of next steps ... Erin says a lot of people living in the town have already lawyered up, which is her specialty. Apparently, there are massive class action lawsuits in the works, and it sounds like Norfolk Southern -- the company whose train derailed -- might have to pay out the nose for damages these people are alleging ... assuming they settle.

Pete Davidson and Chase Sui Wonders are still going strong -- now taking their Winter romance into the early part of Spring ... and showing off some skin for the season.

The couple is enjoying a vacay in Kauai right now -- where they're staying at a summer house, it seems, and were joined by friends Saturday. Eventually, the crew made their way to the beach ... but not before a little suck-face between PD and CSW on the front deck.

Before long, Chase hit the water with the group she was tagging along with ... but it doesn't look like Pete joined her in the water. He was all sweatered up ... she was in a 2-piece.

So, here's the thing ... we're being told this wasn't just a random getaway between Pete, Chase and some pals -- our sources suggest this was actually a meet-the-family trip. We're being told the folks with them might actually be siblings of hers ... but that's not confirmed.

However ... if this is, in fact, a familial thing -- as we've been told -- then it would signal Pete and Chase are getting serious. We know PD tends to cozy up to his SO's broods ... but that usually only happens when he's all in like he recently was with Kim Kardashian.

Speaking of her ... this trip actually has echoes of one he took with KK in a tropical setting while they were together -- only this time, if all holds true, it might be a family affair for his and Chase's first vacation ... and perhaps moving even faster than the last go-around.

King Charles has officially extended an olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle -- asking them to be among his guests at the Coronation, but the couple's saying ... eh, maybe.

His Royal Highness fired off the invite Saturday ... this according to the Times of London, which broke the story. It appears Buckingham Palace got word to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shortly after Harry's televised sitdown with Dr. Gabor Mate earlier in the day.

No word on what exactly the invitation said, but the message was clear ... roll through!

Here's the kicker, though -- Harry and Meghan are holding their cards close to the vest on their plans. Their rep says ... "I can confirm The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty's office regarding the coronation. An immediate decision on whether The Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time."

In other words, it sounds like they have to think about it ... as there's been a lot of updates since their Netflix doc and Harry's book. Of course, they recently got word that they were getting evicted from Frogmore Cottage (although there are reports Charles is offering a full-blown flat on the palace grounds as a replacement). Plus, Harry just spilled more of his guts.

Harry took some roundabout shots at his family in the Mate interview ... saying he didn't receive enough love and affection as a child, and that he now suffers from PTSD. He also said that Meghan had "saved" him from his Royal life ... and suggested his family was out of touch and insensitive. Plus, Harry clearly said Royal life was inherently inauthentic.

PH didn't address the Coronation or where things stand between him and his brother/father ... but it was clear he feels the relationship is strained. Despite this, he also made sure to note that he felt what he was doing (sharing his story/problems) was worth it big picture.

In spite of all that, Charles sent the invite anyway -- right in the mix of more headlines and drama. It's fascinating timing ... and kind of a power move, no? Ball's in their court!

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck can't make up their minds ... they have dropped out of escrow again on a house they were about to buy.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... JLo and Ben have pulled the plug on the Pacific Palisades home which they seemed set on buying for $34.5 million.

Our sources say ... they were supposed to close escrow last Friday, but just before it was signed, sealed and delivered they pulled out.

As we reported, they were spotted at a nearby mansion last Tuesday -- while they were still in escrow on the other house -- so it looks like they weren't sure about the house they were about to get.

Our sources say they are now in escrow on ANOTHER house. We don't know if it's the same one they looked at Tuesday. We're told they looked at yet another house last week as well.

At least one of the estates they looked at last week was going for more than twice what they were spending on the one that just fell out of escrow.

Victoria's Secret hasn't hosted its annual fashion show in years, but it's coming back soon ... except now -- brace yourselves, cancel culture vultures -- it might return in a "woke" form.

Indeed ... the news came down Friday in an earnings call for the company, where CFO Timothy Johnson announced VS was bringing back their Angels to hit the runaway again -- this after a 4-year hiatus -- only this time around, the look and feel will be different.

Johnson is quoted as saying, "We're going to continue to lean into the marketing spend to invest in the business, both at top-of-funnel and also to support the new version of our fashion show, which is to come later this year."

The company further said their new "brand projection and mission" will be their guiding light -- although it's unclear what exactly that is. VS adds, "This will lead us into new spaces like reclaiming one of our best marketing and entertainment properties to date and turning it on its head to reflect who we are today. We're excited to share more later this year."

Considering Victoria's Secret has been mired in controversies for the past few years -- with everything from alleged toxic, misogynistic work environments being fostered to execs being tied to Jeffrey Epstein and a general convo about modern beauty standards -- it's probably a safe bet to assume that Victoria's Secret is aiming to be more inclusive going forward.

We've already seen VS change up the types of women they employ as models ... they've brought on transgender women and even women with disabilities onto the roster. With that said, it's not quite clear what folks can expect to see on the runway from here on out.

While it remains to be seen when this is all gonna roll out, it seems the days of old are done. The 2017 and 2018 VS fashion shows can be seen here ... where the ladies are adorned in the traditional bra/panties/wings getups. That might be getting scrapped too.

If that comes to pass -- namely, losing the scantily-clad outfits -- it'll be interesting to see how VS finds the right balance in representing their models ... and more importantly, their products. Fact is, they're a lingerie company ... and they gotta move merchandise somehow.

Of course, we are living in a time of body positivity and all ... so maybe they'll just trot people across the stage from all walks of life and continue to bare it all. Time will tell.

Anyhoo, old VS was fun while it lasted -- and certainly introduced us to some mega stars who, hopefully, stand the test of time. In any case, sentiments are a-changing, folks.

Rolling Loud got off to a somewhat choppy start this weekend with stop-and-go performances by some big-time talent ... including Travis Scott, who had his set end early.

The rapper was the headlining artist Saturday for the L.A. music fest, and while everything seemed to be going smoothly through his performance ... the dude's background tunes started to fade as he was in the middle of running through his hit song "Goosebumps."

Then, everything just stopped ... and Travis came on the mic soon afterward to say that "they" were making him cut things off early. No further explanation was offered.

There's rumblings that Travis was late for his gig, which may explain the strict time limit -- but, on its face, it feels like the Rolling Loud promoters might've not wanted things to get too crazy ... a la, Astroworld. It's hard to say ... the RL crowd didn't look to be in danger.

Anyway, that's far from the only technical issue that went down ... another huge star, Nicki Minaj, also had to deal with missing backing tracks and audio -- which she actually addressed in the moment as well. Frankly, she was pissed about it ... calling out the DJ.

It was pretty harsh ... she kept saying "kill the DJ" and was firing off death stares as the guy continued to struggle playing the right song behind her. Also awkward ... Lil Wayne -- her former mentor -- was standing right next to her, as he'd brought her out as a special guest.

Nicki was none too pleased with the screw-up ... and she seemed to take it personally.

In lighter news (maybe) ... Justin Bieber popped up at Rolling Loud too, which took a lot of people by surprise. Obviously, the crowd was super pumped when he rolled up next to Don Toliver (who was scheduled to perform) and helped sing their joint song "Private Landing."

Thing is though ... his cameo appearance here comes on the heels of the Biebs canceling the rest of his world tour, without a proper explanation. You'll recall -- JB pulled the plug on tour dates spanning all across the globe, including several counties in Europe.

Most assume it's because of his health struggles -- which have forced him to hit pause in the recent past -- but this time ... he didn't speak on it at all ... just kinda threw in the towel.

Now, here he is onstage looking just fine ... which might raise an eyebrow with his fanbase. If he can do this ... why not come on the road for us? It's interesting for sure. Justin, meanwhile, didn't seem to bat an eyelash over it at all ... he was in the zone and chillin'.

Elsewhere at Rolling Loud ... more artists hit the stage, and most everything else appeared to go pretty well. Rappers like Kodak Black, Tyga, Playboi Carti, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, 2 Chainz and looootttts of others performed, and by most accounts ... it was all gravy in Los Angeles.

"Vanderpump Rules" star Tom Sandoval is speaking out amid his cheating scandal that led to his break-up with longtime girlfriend and castmate Ariana Madix, but he's not apologizing...to her, at least.

Instead, Sandoval only showed sympathy for his friends and family in a statement released Saturday on Instagram after his affair with ‘VR’ cast member Raquel Leviss leaked out and became headline news.

Sandoval said, “Hey, I fully understand an deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation."

He continued, "Schwartz specifically only found out about this very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions. This was a very personal thing.”

What's more, Sandoval and Schwartz co-own LA-based Schwartz & Sandy's Lounge, which has been flooded with terrible reviews ever since the scandal broke, prompting Yelp to pause any more write-ins.

In his IG response, Sandoval said, “Also, Schwartz & Sandy’s might have my name on it, but also there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families."

He added that he's a "small part of a much bigger thing and to "direct ur anger towards me and not them," pointing out, "They did nothing wrong.”

Then Sandoval apologized -- not to Madix -- but to his business partners and employees for all the controversy surrounding him.  He also promised to take a "step back & taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees & partners.”

As we reported...Sandoval blew up his nearly 10-year relationship with Madix last week after a series of sexually charged text messages surfaced, revealing his affair with Leviss. We're told Madix read the messages, leading to an ugly confrontation with Sandoval.