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Rush Limbaugh -- one of the most listened to radio personalities for more than 30 years -- has died of lung cancer ... TMZ has learned.

The conservative firebrand host and political commentator died Wednesday. Rush first announced he was battling advanced lung cancer about a year ago, but it took a turn for the worse recently ... resulting in him missing some shows and his producers asking for prayers. His wife, Kathryn, announced the news on Rush's radio show Wednesday morning.

Limbaugh, who started his radio career in the 1970s, is best known for hosting "The Rush Limbaugh Show" ... which has been in national syndication since 1988 and made him one of the premier voices of the conservative movement for 3 decades.

President Donald Trump awarded Rush the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor -- for his achievements in radio. Trump presented the award in an unprecedented move during the 2020 State of the Union address just days after Limbaugh revealed his cancer diagnosis.

Of course, Limbaugh's success in radio did not come without a lot of controversies, as his views on race, LGBTQ+ issues, feminism, sexual consent and climate change -- just to name a few -- have been widely criticized ... making him one of the most polarizing figures in America.

The same was true for Rush when he ventured to television, as evidenced by his very first appearance in 1990 as guest host for "The Pat Sajak Show." As Limbaugh was discussing affirmative action, he got jeered by the audience ... resulting in everyone being escorted out of the studio so he could finish the show solo.

Rush went on to host his own TV show from 1992-96, and during this time he was one of the most vocal critics of President Bill Clinton and influential figures of the "Republican Revolution," in which the party regained control of Congress in 1994.

Years later, in 2003, Rush found himself in the middle of a new type of controversy -- in the sports world -- after joining ESPN as a football commentator. Limbaugh made incendiary comments about Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, claiming he was overrated due to the media being "very desirous that a black quarterback do well." Rush resigned shortly afterward ... but there were plenty more controversies to come.

Rush joined "The Breakfast Club" this past summer to discuss George Floyd's death and the protests that followed, and he delivered more classic Rush takes ... including saying he doesn't believe white privilege exists.

Just months before that, in February 2020, Rush insisted COVID-19 was nothing to worry about, telling his audience ... "I'm dead right on this. The coronavirus is the common cold, folks." He claimed it was being weaponized to hurt Trump.

Among Limbaugh's other accomplishments in radio include his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame ... and his show being named the most listened-to in the U.S. in 2019.

Rush also wrote 7 books ... his first 2 landing on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Limbaugh was married 4 times, the first 3 ending in divorce. He is survived by his current wife, Kathryn Rogers, who he wed in 2010.

Rush was 70.

We've just obtained Polevich's mug shot.

The driver wanted for striking Nicki Minaj's father in a deadly hit-and-run has turned himself in to police ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police arrested 70-year-old Charles Polevich, who cops believe is the person responsible for Robert Maraj's death. He's been arraigned and charged with 2 felonies -- leaving scene of incident involving death of a person and tampering with or suppressing physical evidence.

According to the complaint ... Polevich allegedly hit Maraj with his 1992 white Volvo at the intersection of Roslyn Rd. and Raff Ave. in the village of Mineola. Cops say Polevich "then exited his vehicle stood over the victim asked him if 'he was ok,' walked and returned to his vehicle and fled the scene." Cops say Polevich then drove to his home "avoiding intersections and did conceal his vehicle in the detached garage at his residence."

We're told Polevich's bail's been set at $250k and that he had to surrender his passport and his travel has been restricted to New York.

TMZ broke the story ... 64-year-old Robert died after he was struck Friday evening on Long Island while on a walk. At the time, cops said the driver fled the scene without a meaningful description from witnesses. Robert was rushed to a hospital in critical condition where he died from his injuries.

Nicki and her father had been photographed together embracing over the years. It's unclear what Nicki's relationship was with her dad before his tragic death.

Bam Margera is off the "Jackass 4" project for good -- and it's all because he couldn't stay in line when it came to his addiction issues ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Bam tell us he was informed last week by producers that he would no longer be part of the movie going forward. The reason is he essentially broke his contract.

We're told the 'Jackass' family wanted Bam to be part of the movie from the get-go, but were worried things would go left because of his past substance use and erratic behavior.

So, in order to achieve what everyone wanted -- at first, anyway -- our sources tell us Bam was presented with a handful of conditions/restrictions he was told he needed to abide by in order to stay on the project. Long story short ... we're told he failed to meet his end of the bargain.

As for what he was supposed to do ... our sources say there would be routine drug tests -- including urine samples -- plus committing to staying sober, blowing into a breathalyzer, taking his medication and seeing a psychologist while on the job. It's unclear which specific condition was the final straw.

Bam alluded to some of these conditions in his OG rant, when he called for a boycott of "Jackass 4" and seemed visibly upset -- only to turn around 24 hours later and say he was getting help. Despite him suggesting things were fine again, we're told he's still fired.

Our Bam sources tell us they're quite worried about him, as the prospect of working on "Jackass 4" seemed to be keeping him on the straight and narrow for a good while -- now he seems to be off the rails again. We are told he now feels like he is being cut out of what he helped create. He's been posting/deleting disparaging "Jackass 4" posts on and off.

One could argue Donald Trump's 2021 has been a bit of an implosion so far ... which makes what happened to his former Atlantic City hotel and casino very fitting.

Trump Plaza succumbed to a controlled blast provided by 3,000 sticks of dynamite Wednesday morning in New Jersey's gambling mecca ... where the former President's presence used to be huge.

The Plaza was the first of 3 casinos Trump owned in A.C., and was the site of some marquee boxing matches and other big events after it opened in 1984. All 3 casinos eventually went bankrupt and Trump left town.

Since its closing in 2014, it's been known more as an eyesore on the boardwalk than anything else ... so many locals, including the Mayor, were happy to see it go. Seats were even sold for the event, which seemingly went off without a hitch.

The only downer for folks looking forward to Trump Plaza's demolition is that the auction to push the implosion button was called off last month.

Apparently, the current owner of the building didn't like it ... but he donated money to the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City in lieu of the auction.

Chris Cornell's widow claims she's getting absurdly lowballed by Soundgarden as far as her stake in the band ... so she wants a judge to set things straight.

Vicky Cornell is suing the rock band yet again in the wake of Chris' death in 2017 ... this time because she claims they can't reach a deal over a buyout price.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Vicky says the 3 remaining band members offered her just $300k for Chris' share ... an amount she claims is less than what she got for her cut of just the 2018 royalties for Soundgarden's masters.

Vicky also alleges the lowball is obvious because the guys in the band got an offer of $16 MILLION from an outside investor for Soundgarden's masters -- that would mean $4 mill each, for the band members and Vicky.

That offer put a value on the band, of at least that amount, as far as Vicky's concerned ... which is why she's offended by their $300k offer, and says she has no choice but to file the suit asking the judge to value the band's assets.

A rep for Soundgarden tells TMZ ... "As requested by the Estate of Chris Cornell and as required by the laws of the State of Washington, the surviving members of Soundgarden submitted to the Cornell Estate four months ago a buy-out offer of the Estate’s interests in Soundgarden calculated by respected music industry valuation expert Gary Cohen."

The rep continues, "Since then, the band members have continued to try to settle all disputes with the Cornell Estate and in their several attempts to settle, the band members have elected to offer multiple times more than the amount calculated by Cohen."

The rep finishes by saying, "This dispute has never been about money for the band. This is their life's work and their legacy."

Paris Hilton is celebrating her 40th birthday with some huge news ... she's once again engaged to be married.

Paris and her entrepreneur BF, Carter Reum, got engaged over the weekend on a private island where the couple kicked off her early birthday celebration. Paris celebrated the milestone Wednesday, and talk about one helluva gift -- Carter proposed with a ring reportedly designed by Jean Dousset ... the great-grandson of Louis Cartier.

Right after Paris said yes ... she posted a video showing Carter decked out in an all-white suit and down on one knee. She said, "When you find your soulmate you don't just know it. You feel it."

Paris and Carter, a Chicago native and venture capitalist, have been dating for a little over a year now but have known each other for 15 years. He's a longtime family friend ... so it makes sense why Paris' sister, Nicky, and Carter's brother, Courtney, were also on the island to celebrate the occasion. PEOPLE was first to report the engagement news.

This is Paris' fourth engagement. Her previous fiances were model Jason Shaw in 2002, Greek shipping heir Paris Kassidokostas-Latsis in 2005 and actor Chris Zylka in 2018.

We're told Paris will share more details about her birthday on her iHeartRadio podcast, "This Is Paris," on Monday.

Congrats, Paris!!!

Demi Burnett -- a 'Bachelor' alum who appeared on Colton Underwood's season -- is saying she's sorry for wearing a controversial Yeezy jacket ... with a symbol of hate plastered on it.

Demi posted an apology video Tuesday night, in which she claims she just thought she was wearing a cool jacket made by Kanye West ... and didn't even think about the Confederate flag emblazoned on the arm.

She says ... "I just wore it for that one night, it was a Yeezy jacket, I thought it was so cool, I was like, 'yeah, Yeezy!' And, I didn't even like, pay attention to that. That's ignorance."

Demi adds she didn't realize how harmful the symbol is to people, and says ... "I am so f***ing sorry. Like, I'm disgusted with myself. I'm embarrassed. It doesn't even matter how I feel. I'm just so f***ing sorry because that is not what I stand for, that is not what I'm about. And, I'm really mad that I ever wore it."

She claims the jacket was a gift from the father of her ex -- musician Slater Davis -- and he shared the pic on his Instagram story ... so it seems it was taken last year before they split.

Demi's jacket scandal comes amid a much larger race-related controversy in 'Bachelor' nation ... as host Chris Harrison's stepped away from the show for allegedly excusing historical racism -- and specifically for defending the past of current 'Bachelor' contestant, Rachael Kirkconnell.

Dr. Michael Obeng -- the plastic surgeon who freed Tessica Brown from her head full of Gorilla Glue -- is reaping benefits or his good deed ... he says patient inquiries are up a hundredfold!!!

The Beverly Hills doctor tells TMZ ... since Tessica's procedure last week -- which he did gratis -- his office has received around 5,000 calls asking about all sorts of surgeries -- although most are unrelated to glue removal.

He says callers inquire about the usual stuff -- breast augmentation, butt lifts, vaginoplasty, yada yada. He says one person even wanted oblique muscle removal ... something he doesn't normally do. Point is ... demand is sky-high.

There's more good news for Dr. Obeng too. He explains how he was able to formulate the anti-glue solvent for Tessica on his own with his staff ... and he thinks he's got something special.

He says there's a potential deal in the works with manufacturing companies to produce his "magical solution" for people like Tessica ... who find themselves in a really bad spot with super glue.

If that happens ... multiple businesses could be booming for the doctor.

A mayor in Texas has thrown in the towel after going on a heartless rant ... calling residents lazy and crybabies as the state suffers from massive power outages in frigid temps.

Tim Boyd said he's resigning as Mayor of Colorado City, Texas ... just hours after he posted a lengthy rant on Facebook, grousing, "no one owes you or your family anything" and that "the city and county, along with power providers or any other services, owes you NOTHING!"

The diatribe came as most of the Lone Star State has gone without power and water for at least 3 days. Texas and much of the South is being slammed with a once-in-a-generation snowstorm ... resulting in at least 5 deaths.

But, even as the weather brought Texas to a halt and sent residents literally running for warm cover ... Boyd called the dire situation a "sink or swim" moment for residents. He also said he's "sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout."

"1000-Lb. Sisters" star Tammy Slaton got left in the dust by her on-screen boyfriend, Jerry, after revealing she was pansexual -- but the guy didn't dip over that ... TMZ has learned.

Jerry Sykes tells us ... yes he did leave Tammy and end their relationship -- as depicted in Monday night's episode on TLC -- but it's not for the reason everyone may think ... namely that she revealed she's attracted to all types of people, which seemed to throw him off.

You'll recall ... Tammy made the reveal, which was teased in a clip over the weekend. Jerry seemed especially dumbfounded Tammy said she'd date a transgender person. Once the episode aired, viewers found out he ended up breaking things off and moving out.

Not only did it upset Tammy, but viewers were left wondering about the timing -- y'know, since Tammy had just come out and been honest about her sexuality earlier in the episode. He wants to set the record straight though ... this ain't over pansexuality.

Jerry says he needed a break because he felt guilty about a previous relationship -- his marriage, no less -- and had to make amends there before he could proceed with Tammy.

As of February -- some three to four months AFTER the pansexual episode was shot -- we're told Jerry and Tammy were still not romantically involved. It's unclear if they're still communicating at this point ... but whatever he had to deal with then is still being handled.

Jerry's at-home drama lies in his estranged wife, Kia Russell-Rucker Sykes ... who tells TMZ she found out about Jerry's relationship with Tammy through TV and friends -- which came as news to her when she first learned about it, sometime during season 1 last year.

Kia says they separated, and she believes Tammy's a homewrecker. That said, she says she and Jerry still talk ... and that he helps her out financially. Seems like they're on decent enough terms -- especially since Jerry came back to deal.

You knew Cam Newton could dance ... but did you know he could dance AND skate at the same time?!?!

It's true ... TMZ Sports has obtained video of the NFL star tearing up the floor at a Georgia roller rink over the weekend -- AND THE FOOTAGE IS AMAZING!!

The 31-year-old New England Patriots quarterback hit up Sparkles in Smyrna, GA. with his family for Valentine's Day ... and he wasted no time getting his groove on.

We're told Cam -- in a loud, pink jacket and skinny jeans -- brought his own skates to the rink ... strapped them up and cut a rug all over the place all night long!!

Check out the clip ... Cam is seriously incredible on the skates -- weaving in and out of people like he's on the football field!

One witness tells us Newton was SUPER friendly too ... taking selfies and chatting away with the rest of the skaters.

FYI -- we're told Cam does this pretty often, with one witness saying they spotted him out skating at a different Georgia rink just a few nights prior.

Ontario actor Michael Seater was still a teenager when he landed the title role of the easy-going older brother, Derek Venturi -- who would rather be playing in his band than studying for school -- in the classic Disney Channel show "Life With Derek."

He was joined on the family television program by Ashley Leggat as the book-smart older sister, Casey McDonald, Daniel Magder as Derek's sibling sidekick, Edwin Venturi ... and Ariel Waller as the adorable kid sister, Marti Venturi.

Michael went on to be on a bunch more TV programs like "Bomb Girls," "Murdoch Mysteries" and "The Wedding Planners."

'Bachelorette' star Clare Crawley and Dale Moss are hanging out again after their break-up ... hitting a bar in Florida less than a month after going their separate ways.

TMZ's obtained these pics of Clare and Dale inside Nokomo's Sunset Hut in Nokomis, FL ... we're told they walked in together Tuesday and even hugged a few times.

Folks who were there tell us Clare and Dale downed a couple of Moscow mules as they hung out by the bar for about 45 minutes, then they left together and walked down the waterfront.

No reports of hand-holding, but you can see in the pics ... there was no social distancing going on between them.

It's pretty interesting to see Clare and Dale enjoying each other's company once again. Remember, he ended their long-distance relationship last month ... after she quit in the middle of her season of "The Bachelorette" because she knew she wanted to be with him.

The inside of a Baltimore grocery store looked like a Wild West scene when cops and an armed security guard exchanged gunfire ... and the terrifying scene is all on video.

The Baltimore Police Department released the body cam footage from last month's shootout inside a Compare Foods supermarket. You see 2 cops walk into the store as bystanders tell them a security guard is walking around with his handgun out -- and then all of a sudden gunshots rang out, sending the officers ducking for cover.

One officer returned fire, and the shootout continued as he scrambled to find a better position -- he eventually made his way up a flight of stairs to a room filled with terrified workers.

A dancer who once appeared on "Dance Moms" has been arrested for sexual battery on 2 of his underage students.

25-year-old Kevin Cosculluela was arrested on multiple counts of sexual misconduct last week in Orange County, FL ... including sexual activity with a 16 or 17-year-old child. He's also facing charges of solicitation of a minor and lewd and lascivious conduct.

According to the arrest warrant, the guy allegedly abused 2 underage dance students in 2020, one of whom he's accused of engaging in oral sex ... and allegedly exchanging nude photos with the other.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, cops say the alleged victims met Cosculluela at a dance studio called Peaches Dance and Music in Orlando -- where they claim he took them under his wing for private lessons.

Police say one of the girls claims things escalated between them -- they started talking more, and eventually moved things over to Snapchat. The girl claims he got her to his apartment and talked her into performing oral sex. She claims that happened twice.

The other alleged victim says things never got physically sexual with Cosculluela -- but does allege he solicited nudes from her, and that one time ... he got on top of her while they were clothed on his bed.

Both alleged victims claim he would become angry and verbally abusive whenever they refused his demands, and they were afraid of him.

Get nervous, Shooter McGavin ... HAPPY GILMORE'S STILL GOT IT!!!

On the 25th anniversary of "Happy Gilmore" -- arguably the greatest golf movie EVER -- Adam Sandler hit the links to recreate his old protagonist's iconic swing -- and it was epic!!

Adam dusted off his clubs ... explained this was the first time he's taken the old 3-step approach to hit a tee shot in a quarter of a century -- and then he launched a golf ball into outer space!!!

The best part? ADAM TALKED SMACK TO SHOOTER WHILE DOING IT!!!

"Shooter McGavin, this is for you," Adam said, before piping the shot. "I'm not lying to you. That is smashed. Smashed. That went pretty well. You're dead, Shooter!"

Of course, back on Feb. 16, 1996 ... Happy came back from down 4 strokes to beat Shooter to win the gold jacket -- and the movie has been legendary in the sports world ever since.

In fact, if you go to a local Top Golf to hit shots, the rules there even state there's no Happy Gilmore swings allowed!!

"Happy loves you all!" Adam captioned his video on Tuesday. "Thanks for everything!"

Now if we could just find a way to get Bob Barker back on the course with Sandler ... we'd really bring back memories!!