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Tim Tebow's dream of becoming a major leaguer is coming to an end -- the football superstar-turned-slugger is officially retiring from baseball.

The 33-year-old Heisman Trophy winner joined the New York Mets in 2016 ... making it as far as the AAA level with the Syracuse Mets in 2019.

Tebow appeared in 287 games in 3 pro seasons in the Mets farm system ... earning 18 homers, 107 runs scored, 48 doubles, three triples, 107 RBI and 5 stolen bases.

Tebow released a statement on his decision to walk away from the sport Wednesday afternoon ... saying he's ready to pursue other dreams.

"I want to thank the Mets, Mr. Alderson, the fans and all my teammates for the chance to be a part of such a great organization," Tebow said.

"I loved every minute of the journey, but at this time I feel called in other directions. I never want to be partially in on anything. I always want to be 100 percent in on whatever I choose."

"Thank you again for everyone’s support of this awesome journey in baseball, I’ll always cherish my time as a Met."

TMZ Sports spoke to Tebow about his baseball career last month ... and he said he was still fully committed to baseball.

"For me, I'm super excited about spring training," Tebow said at the time. "So, that's where my focus kind of swirls right now."

It's unclear what changed his mind since we spoke to him a few weeks ago ... maybe he IS helping out Urban Meyer in Jacksonville after all??

Demi Lovato is revealing for the first time doctors believed she only had 5-10 minutes to live when she overdosed ... and it's all part of one of the most anticipated documentaries of the year.

The singer says she suffered 3 strokes and a heart attack during the nearly fatal July 2018 incident. Demi opened up about it for her upcoming documentary ... which also features friends and family describing her struggle to survive. The project is directed by Michael D. Ratner.

Aside from her OD ... "Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil" highlights her rise to superstardom and her struggles with sobriety and mental health. A new trailer shows the film will also touch on her recent 2-month engagement to Max Ehrich.

As we reported ... Demi was hospitalized for about 2 weeks following her overdose, but continued to recover for months until she made her comeback live performance at the Grammys in January 2020.

She performed the single, "Anyone" -- which she wrote just 4 days before she OD'd -- and later said it was pretty evident the lyrics were a cry for help.

However, as it's suggested in the documentary, Demi was good at making everyone believe she was okay.

Ex-NFL star Vincent Jackson "suffered from chronic alcoholism" -- and it appears to have been a factor in his death, this according to law enforcement.

Sheriff Chad Chronister of the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office in Florida revealed the findings from Jackson's autopsy Wednesday on the "MJ Morning Show" saying -- "We got the autopsy report that will be released today showed, unfortunately, he suffered from chronic alcoholism. Just tragic!"

Sheriff Chronister says officials are still waiting on the toxicology report to come back before they can issue an official cause of death -- but he notes Jackson had "long-standing health conditions that contributed to his passing because of some alcohol abuse."

The 38-year-old NFL wide receiver was discovered Monday by a housekeeper at the Homewood Suites hotel in Brandon, Florida (located in the Tampa area) ... where he had been living since January.

The whole situation was bizarre considering Jackson made more than $70 million in his NFL career and was widely loved in the community by family, friends and law enforcement.

So, why was he at that hotel alone? Sheriff Chronister has a theory ...

"Well this is true speculation but what the family is telling me is that he suffered from CTE. They believe he had a lot of concussion problems and when you suffer from that, you're not yourself."

Sheriff Chronister continued, "[The family believes] wholeheartedly all of these actions are the result of what he suffered while he was playing in the NFL."

Jackson spent 12 years in the pros -- making 3 Pro Bowls during his time with the San Diego Chargers and the Tampa Bay Bucs. He formally retired in 2018 but last played in 2016.

Sheriff Chronister noted how involved Jackson was in the community.

"He would never say no! He's the person you would call 'Hey I have something we wanna do for a child in need, a family in need, a military member in need' and he was always there. I don't know how he balanced his schedule."

President Biden helped create the student loan debt crisis facing millions of Americans ... at least in the eyes of his critics, who now wonder why he's balking on coming to the rescue.

Bernie Sanders' former Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and she dragged Biden for his renewed resistance to forgive $50,000 of student loan debt.

Briahna says Biden's largely to blame for a "toxic slew" of policies saddling millions of graduates with tons of debt, and she's puzzled why he won't just fix the crisis he helped set in motion years ago when he was a Senator.

During Tuesday night's town hall, the President firmly said he was only willing to forgive $10k for impacted students and ex-students. Senate Democrats -- including Sanders and Elizabeth Warren -- want the $50k.

Jeanette "The Black Widow" Lee -- one of the most famous billiards players EVER -- has been diagnosed with cancer ... and her friends say she now has less than a year to live.

The 49-year-old's awful diagnosis was revealed in a GoFundMe this week ... when Lee's family and friends explained docs recently discovered Lee has stage four ovarian cancer.

In the statement, Lee's family and friends said, "The cancer has fully metastasized into her lymph nodes and the prognosis is dire."

They added, "At this stage, her doctors say she has a few months to a year left to live."

Lee, though, says she's already started the process of fighting the disease ... and is vowing to take every step possible to ultimately beat it.

"I intend to bring the same resolve I brought to the billiards table to this fight," Lee told the American Poolplayers Association.

"Jim Valvano so eloquently told us to ‘Never give up.' I owe it to my three young daughters to do exactly that."

Lee began playing pool over three decades ago, and became one of the most dominant players in the sport in the 1990s. In fact, the former #1 ranked player got her spider nickname because her friends said she was such a killer on the table.

But, Lee -- who was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 2013 -- was forced to stop playing the game at a high-level years ago after battling the effects of scoliosis.

It looks like "Selling Sunset" star Christine Quinn will have a new storyline when the hit show returns to Netflix for season 4 ... 'cause TMZ's learned she's pregnant.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... Christine and her tech millionaire hubby, Christian Richard, are expecting their first child together. Our sources say Christine -- who proudly wears the villain badge -- is well past her first trimester in the pregnancy.

No word yet if they're having a boy or a girl. Christine and Christian's marriage in December 2019 was featured in the season 3 finale.

As true "Selling Sunset" fans know ... Christine, as is her nature, went all out with extravagant overtures at her DTLA wedding ... like wearing a glitzy black wedding dress and having black swans at the ceremony.

FKA Twigs is opening up about the alleged abuse she suffered during her relationship with Shia LaBeouf ... claiming he'd force her to sleep naked and wake her up to berate her for no reason.

The singer-songwriter sat down for her first TV interview with Gayle King on the heels of the lawsuit she filed against LaBeouf in December for assault and sexual battery.

FKA Twigs tells Gayle that Shia would pick fights with her in the middle of the night, insult her by calling her "vile" and "disgusting" ... and essentially play disturbing mind games in an effort to control her.

She says the alleged domestic abuse built up little by little, to the point where LaBeouf made her feel powerless.

FKA also told Elle magazine, "It's a miracle I came out alive," referring to her relationship with LaBeouf.

As we reported ... she filed a civil suit alleging LaBeouf physically abused her, tormented her, and knowingly gave her an STI.

At the time, Shia told the New York Times ... "Although many of these allegations are not true. I am not in the position to defend any of my actions. I owe these women the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability for those things I have done. As someone in recovery, I have to face almost daily reminders of things I did say and do when I was drinking."

"Ah, like O.J. Simpson!"

That's how Boris Johnson chose to describe his struggle with a pair of latex gloves at a COVID vaccination site Wednesday ... and the British Prime Minister is now taking all sorts of heat for the quip.

The 56-year-old was out in Wales checking in on and helping out a Cwmbran vaccine center ... when he was handed a pair of mitts that were clearly just a little too small for his paws.

As Boris struggled to get covering over all five of his fingers ... he giggled, and then blurted out the O.J. joke.

People at the site laughed awkwardly at the comment ... with one of the workers adding, "Absolutely!"

The reference, though, now has Johnson in a bit of hot water ... with many wondering if a joke with roots in a murder trial is really the right move to make, particularly at COVID vaccine site.

"Johnson is the prime minister of the UK," one Twitter user wrote. "Is it too much to expect that he behaves with some dignity? Johnson's 'joke' is in severely bad taste."

Some on social media did find the humor behind the comment, however.

Still, Johnson has yet to address the remark since making it.

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.

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.