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Prince Markie Dee, one-third of the famous '80s hip hop group The Fat Boys, has died.

Prince passed away suddenly Thursday, according to SiriusXM’s Rock The Bells channel, where he used to host a radio show. The report did not mention a cause of death.

The rapper helped start The Fat Boys, a pioneering rap group, back in the 1980s in Brooklyn. The group helped bring beatboxing to the mainstream, as they featured the sound on most of their songs -- and paved the way for artists like Biz Markie and Doug E. Fresh.

Even after The Fat Boys broke up ... Prince continued writing and producing for other artists. You'll find his credit on songs by Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Destiny's Child and Frank Ocean.

The Fat Boys had a brief Hollywood career too, as they co-starred in 2 movies ... "Krush Groove" and "Disorderlies."

Prince moved on to a solo career after The Fat Boys, signing with Columbia Records and releasing his debut album "Free" in 1992, featuring his chart-topping single, "Typical Reasons (Swing My Way)."

A career in radio followed, with Prince working as a host for Miami's 103.5 The Beat WMIB before his most recent gig as a host and DJ at Rock The Bells.

His groupmate, Darren "Buff Love" Robinson died in 1995 of a heart attack. Damon "Kool Rock-Ski" Wimbley is now the only surviving member.

Prince was 52.

Justin and Hailey Bieber can only boast owning one multi-million dollar home in Beverly Hills now ... and they took a hit on the pad Justin pretty much wanted to sell from the jump.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the Biebers closed Thursday on the sale of their 6,132-square-foot, 5-bed, 7-bath mansion and pocketed $7,955,000.

Thing is, JB bought the place in March 2019 for $8.5 mil ... so it's a pretty substantial hit.

As you may recall ... just months after buying the property -- which includes a wine cellar, home theater and bar inside and a pool, cabana, and fire pit outside -- he put it on the market via Instagram, saying "I'll sell it with all the furniture. MAKE AN OFFER."

Seems someone finally did, and we're told "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles" stars Josh and Matt Altman and Ariana Grande's real estate agent/fiancé Dalton Gomez of the Aaron Kirman Group team at Compass worked with the Biebers to seal the deal. The Altmans and Gomez had no comment.

Steven Schaefer and Jay Luchs of Schaefer & Luchs represented the new buyer.

Fear not ... Justin and Hailey still have a place to hang their hats ...like we told you ... this was just one of 2 Bev Hills mansions they owned.

Sen. Ted Cruz is back in Texas after his quick getaway to Cancun was seemingly shortened by the outrage over his timing -- amid the statewide emergency -- and now he has police protection.

Officers escorted Cruz as he deplaned in Houston to head to customs. Sounds like he's in a pretty chipper mood for a guy who pissed off millions of people in a matter of hours.

As we reported ... Cancun Cruz and his family boarded a United flight Wednesday night to begin a tropical getaway as millions of his fellow Texans are literally freezing and dying due to the winter storm-induced power outages.

The Senator quickly hopped on a flight back to Houston Thursday afternoon, hours after the backlash. He was reportedly trying to get an upgrade to business class, but as you can see he rode back in economy -- and passengers weren't shy about chatting him up.

Cruz says he only took the trip to be a "good dad" and chaperone his daughters to Cancun. He claims he had always planned to return today, but that seems suspect ... considering his wife was on the trip, and could've handled babysitting duty on her own.

Oh, and he had a pretty big roll-on bag too for a 24-hour trip. 🤔

Vincent Jackson likely died on or before Feb. 13 -- two days before he was discovered by law enforcement -- this according to a new death report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

The former NFL star was pronounced dead on Feb. 15 after hotel staff contacted police about an unresponsive male in a room at the Homewood Suites in Brandon, FL.

Cops had been investigating and now say hotel staff saw Jackson in the same room -- in the same slouched position -- as early as Feb. 13 ... but assumed he was sleeping.

But, on Feb. 15, a housekeeper began to realize the sad reality -- Jackson wasn't resting, he was dead -- and someone at the hotel dialed 911.

When cops arrived at the scene, they confirmed Jackson had died.

As for visible injuries, cops say he had a small laceration on his left big toe -- but that's it.

The death report also notes Jackson had a history of alcohol use, but was not a known drug user.

As we previously reported, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister announced earlier this week that Jackson likely died from issues connected to "chronic alcoholism."

Jackson had been living at the Homewood Suites hotel since January ... and his family had become concerned about him -- even filing a missing person report on Feb. 11.

Cops made contact with him at the hotel on Feb. 12, but determined he was okay. Sadly, he was not okay, and seemingly died hours later.

Billie Eilish is seeking court-ordered protection from a man she claims is harassing her and is potentially dangerous.

The singer filed docs seeking a restraining order against a man named John Hearle, who she claims has been harassing and threatening her from outside her Los Angeles home.

Billie says the guy has been camped out at a school across the street from her crib since the summer, and he's been bombarding her with threatening and disturbing letters.

According to the docs, Billie says she got a note from Hearle saying ... "You can't get what you want, unless what you want is to die for me ... You will know that soon the water will rise, and you might very well die ... You will die."

Billie claims Hearle watches her enter and exit her home, and she says he always says something to her or makes gestures -- including a throat-slitting move -- whenever he sees her.

In the docs, Billie says this is making her anxious every time she comes home and she fears for her safety and her family's too.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the LAPD is investigating, but hasn't made an arrest yet. Billie wants a judge to force Hearle to stay at least 200 yards away from her and her parents at all times.

NASA's Mars rover landed safely on the Red Planet ... and its 293-million-mile journey is just beginning.

The Perseverance rover touched down at 12:56 PM PT Thursday, and quickly sent back the mission's first image from Mars' surface. As you can see, there's lots of dirt, dust and rocks.

NASA's mission control cheered and fist-bumped from California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the rover survived the landing ... a fun payoff after tons of hard work. Normally there would be bear hugs, but the celebration was spaced out and masked up.

Perseverance blasted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral way back in July, and now it's set to start exploring Mars' Jezero Crater in search of signs of ancient life. The crater is the site of an ancient lakebed, which scientists say is loaded with the remains of long-dead microbes.

The SUV-sized spacecraft even brought a small helicopter along for the first time ever, so more space history is on the way. When the chopper takes flight later on in the mission, it will be the first such flight on another planet.

George Floyd's murder trial is set to begin next month -- pandemic be damned -- and the courtroom's setup shows extensive coronavirus precautions are being made.

Here's the first look at the 18th-floor courtroom at the Hennepin County Government Center, where on March 8 ... former Minneapolis PD officer Derek Chauvin will stand trial for Floyd's murder.

The room's been set up for COVID-19 safety, with what looks like socially distanced seating for the jury, plexiglass dividers for the attorneys, judge and those who take the witness stand ... and hand sanitizer everywhere.

As we've reported ... Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter for his role in Floyd's death. He's seen in the horrific arrest video with his knee pressed on Floyd's neck for roughly 8 minutes, including nearly 2 minutes after he stopped breathing.

There's only one Texan who's warm right now, and that's Texas Senator Ted Cruz ... who bolted to Cancun with his family while millions in his state suffer.

Photos show the Republican Senator hanging out in the United Club lounge and boarding a flight to Mexico with his family  ... an incredible sight as people are literally dying in Cruz's state just trying to stay warm.

But, it's true ... while millions of his fellow Texans are without power and water and are literally freezing during a winter ice storm, Ted's off to a Cancun resort for some fun in the sun.

Cruz was already facing criticism this week during the Texas power outages as a tweet resurfaced of him mocking California's "failed energy policies" when it experienced outages last August.

As for his own state's power outages, Cruz threw in the towel, tweeting ... "I got no defense. A blizzard strikes Texas & our state shuts down. Not good. Stay safe!"

Ted might want to start working on a defense while he's poolside in Mexico.

Cyhi The Prynce says the folks who tried to gun him down chased him at speeds over 120 MPH, and he tried all sorts of dangerous maneuvers to escape before crashing.

The rapper joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and detailed his brush with death ... he says a Maserati started chasing him last week on an Atlanta highway, and stuck to his Bentley SUV like white on rice.

You gotta see him explain all the moves he was forced to make, nearly causing a massive pileup -- it sounds like something you'd see in an action movie!!!

As we reported ... he ended up crashing, and he told cops someone was trying to gun him down.

Dolly Parton doesn't want a bust of her displayed outside the Tennessee Capitol ... she says the timing's just not right.

The legendary country singer turned thumbs down on a proposal from lawmakers in her home state that would honor her with a statue on Capitol grounds.

Dolly says there's just too much going on in the world to spend time, energy, effort and money on putting her on a pedestal ... so she doesn't feel the move would be appropriate.

DP makes some pretty good points and says she's asked state leaders to scuttle the bill, while also thanking lawmakers for holding her in such high esteem. She says she's honored and humbled by all the statue praise.

Dolly's leaving the door open for a Capitol grounds statue down the road ... she says she would proudly be immortalized in several years, or after she passes, if folks still feel she's deserving.

Guess you can say he "earned it!?"

The Weeknd got a pretty awesome piece of jewelry this week -- a sick diamond Super Bowl ring commemorating that epic halftime show in Tampa!

No, it's not an "official" ring like the ones the Tampa Bay Bucs will get -- this is a one-of-a-kind piece designed by celebrity jeweler, Elliot Eliantte, who's worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

We're told the ring was commissioned by Cash -- who's the co-founder of The Weeknd's record label, XO -- hence the big XO design across the top.

The ring contains 16 carats of VVS diamonds -- with the words "World Champions" surrounding the Lombardi Trophy.

The ring also contains The Weeknd's name, the score of the game, the date and the Pepsi logo -- since they sponsored the halftime show.

And, to make it even more special, we're told Cash gifted the ring to the singer on his birthday -- Feb. 16.

The man who allegedly assaulted the 52-year-old Chinese mother of Olivia Munn's friend has been arrested ... and the actress is thanking the Internet for helping cops nab the guy.

According to the NYPD ... Patrick Mateo from Queens was arrested Thursday and booked on charges of assault and harassment.

Cops say they responded to a 911 call Tuesday for an assault outside a bakery. According to police ... the suspect got into a verbal dispute with the 52-year-old woman, then pushed her and caused her to hit her head. The incident was captured on surveillance cam before the guy fled the scene.

Munn put the word out on social media Wednesday that her friend's 5'3" Asian mother had been attacked, and shared a photo of the suspect in order to try to generate tips leading to his arrest.

Olivia's tweeting out praise, saying ... "F**k this guy. The internet is undefeated. Thank you thank you thank you." She added the hashtags #StopAsianHate and #ProtectOurElders.

Law enforcement sources tell us the alleged victim told cops she was waiting in line at the bakery when her attacker approached and began yelling at her. The woman was transported to the hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Meek Mill's enemies list might be growing ... after he pissed off a lot of fans with new lyrics about Kobe Bryant referencing the late NBA star's fatal helicopter crash.

The rapper's upcoming collab with Lil Baby has leaked, and people are paying special attention to Meek's bar about Bryant -- "And if I ever lack I’m going out with my chopper, it be another Kobe."

Understandably, the line is being perceived as insensitive and disrespectful ... and there's the inevitable online movement to cancel Meek.

MM's already responding to the backlash by suggesting the masses are blindly following an anti-Meek narrative. He tweeted, "somebody promo a narrative and y’all follow it.... y’all internet antics cannot stop me ....shit like zombie land or something! Lol" He added that it's "almost like mind control."

As we reported ... Meek already has an ongoing beef with Tekashi 6ix9ine, and the 2 almost came to blows last weekend outside a Miami nightclub.

Along with that, Meek's also been criticized recently for being a part of packed shows in Houston -- along with Bow Wow -- as COVID-19 cases were surging nationwide.

Tessica Brown's Gorilla Glue ordeal is NOT over ... her attempt to pay it forward is getting blocked because too many people think she's a fraud.

TMZ broke the story ... Tessica's planning to donate $20k -- the lion's share of the money in her GoFundMe account -- to a charitable org that provides reconstructive surgery ... but now she can't withdraw the cash.

Tessica says GoFundMe has frozen the account after it got flooded with claims she's pulled a fast one. As you probably know, there's a conspiracy theory out there that Tessica didn't really Gorilla Glue her hair, and she cooked this all up to milk the Internet for sympathy dough.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... GoFundMe has asked Tessica for an update on where the $23,000 in the account will be donated. We're told she's provided that info, and is now waiting for a response.

When she first set up the fundraiser -- to cover medical costs -- she only asked for $1500, but as the saga dragged on for more than a month, the money kept coming.

Tessica's donation is going to the Restore Foundation. As we first reported, Dr. Michael Obeng -- who got the glue out of Tessica's hair for free -- is also reaping benefits. His Bev Hills practice has been flooded with new customers ... for regular plastic surgery, not glue removal.

Marilyn Manson's in the crosshairs of federal and local law enforcement after a bunch of women accused the rocker of abuse ... and cops are set to talk with one of his alleged victims.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... detectives from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department plan to meet with one of Manson's alleged victims in the coming days, and we're told the meeting was the result of a wave of online allegations made by Manson's exes.

Our sources say Sheriff's deputies want to determine if a crime was committed, if it falls under their jurisdiction and if it warrants further investigation.

As you know ... one of Manson's accusers is "Westworld" star Evan Rachel Wood, who claims MM abused her over the course of their relationship. She claims he brainwashed and manipulated her into submission and started grooming her when she was a teenager.

The FBI actually was the first agency to get complaints against Manson after Wood's allegations, and the agency passed some of the information on to L.A. law enforcement. No word on whether or not the feds will get involved in investigating any of the various new allegations.

As we reported ... cops swarmed Marilyn's Hollywood Hills home earlier this month for a welfare check after someone called police. Manson was home and was fine, but he never came out to talk to the officers.

Emotional moment for Serena Williams -- who choked back tears before abruptly ending a press conference after her loss to Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open.

The 39-year-old superstar was defeated by Osaka in straight sets in a semi-finals match Thursday morning -- and as she left the court, put her hand on her heart to show love for the Australian crowd.

During the post-game press conference, Serena was asked if the gesture meant she was saying "farewell" ... especially with all the retirement talk following her these days.

"I don't know," Serena responded ... "If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone."

Moments later, Serena was asked about the unusual amount of unforced errors she committed during her match with Osaka ... was she injured or was it just a bad day at the office?

That's when Serena grabbed a sip of water, took a deep breath ... and seemed to fight back the tears.

With her voice shaking, Serena finally replied, "I don't know" ... and that's when she stood up and said, "I'm done" ... and walked off.

Obviously, she just lost a match she cared deeply about winning -- and she's understandably emotional. But, it's unclear if she's seriously considering retirement.

As for her opponent, Naomi Osaka did her post-game presser wearing a Lakers jacket in an apparent tribute to her former mentor, Kobe Bryant.