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B.J. Thomas -- the famous crooner behind hits like "Hooked on a Feeling" -- has died.

The singer's management team announced Saturday that Thomas had passed away of complications from stage 4 lung cancer ... which he'd been diagnosed with in March. He'd been receiving treatment at a Texas hospital, and was hopeful for a recovery.

It's reported Thomas died at his home in Arlington.

BJT is perhaps best known for singing the classic "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" -- which was featured in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" -- winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song and nominated for a Grammy in 1970 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Even before that, he had hit the charts with major success with his love song for the ages ... performing "Hooked on a Feeling," which garnered him mainstream success and going on to sell over a million records. He's also remembered for a famous cover of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" -- not to mention for singing the theme song to 'Growing Pains' ... 'As Long As We Got Each Other.'

'Hooked' went on to be covered over and over again as the years went on -- and it became a staple for Valentine's Day ... serving as the song stuffed animals would sing when you pressed a button. The band Blue Swede did the most famous cover -- and the tune was even featured on "Guardians of the Galaxy" ... included in Star-Lord's throwback playlist.

Thomas went on to have more success with songs like "Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," "Rock and Roll Lullaby," "I Just Can't Help Believing," "Don't Worry Baby," "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" ... as well as several gospel albums such as "Home Where I Belong."

He's survived by his wife Gloria Richardson and his three children. Thomas was 78.

"Blue's Clues & You" just put out a sing-along for kids that features an animated version of a "RuPaul's Drag Race" star ... who leads a song about Pride Month and inclusivity.

Nickelodeon posted the video Friday -- just days ahead of June 1, which marks the beginning of Pride -- and it features a cartoon rendering of Nina West, who's a fan fave from 'Drag Race,' leading on vocals -- narrating a parade that's passing her in the background.

The song touches on the makeup of different families that fall under the LGBTQ+ umbrella ... including households with two dads, two moms, non-binary children and more.

Words like "ace," "queer," "trans," "bi, "pan" and other identifying terms used in the community are sprinkled throughout -- and the song doesn't shy away from them ... noting that they can all be part of a family that loves one another. All the families are made up of different animals -- alligators, sharks, turtles, birds, cats, etc. -- that wave/rock rainbow flags.

Now, the overwhelming reaction to this appears to be positive ... with many taking to social media to praise 'Blue's Clues' for being progressive -- and taking proactive steps to teach kids about different family structures in a fun, catchy way that appeals to young children.

On the other hand, there are some who are clutching their pearls over this ... but they're mostly being drowned out by folks saying this is a great thing that Nick/Nick Jr.'s doing.

You can't judge a book by its cover ... is exactly what you might say when James Caan reveals himself to be a hip-hop head -- who's got a take on the G.O.A.T.s of the last decade.

Indeed ... Sonny Corleone himself waded into the now-viral music debate over who deserves the fourth spot on the Mount Rushmore of rap from the 2010s ... with RapCaviar already deeming Drake, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole as worthy for the first three slots.

A few different celebs have chimed in -- including one LeBron James -- but James got in on the discussion too this week ... nominating none other than Future as a possible fourth.

People couldn't believe James was privy to such knowledge -- and someone even accused his account of being run by someone else other than James ... but he shot that notion down with a swiftness, while also making sure to stick to his signature "End of tweet" postscript.

The guy wrote, "Party's over some social media dork is def running this account now :(" -- and JC responded, "Nobody speaks for me. End of tweet." Well then ... that settles that!

A bit of context on Caan's history with hip-hop -- he's got a son, Scott, who used to be in an actual rap group with famed producer The Alchemist way back in the day, which was called The Whooliganz. So yeah, Scott was a rapper ... which means James might know a thing or two.

James himself also dropped some insight into how/why he might be so in-the-know on this -- writing, "Guy acts like I don't have kids who play that stuff around here. End of tweet."

Kanye West is very much a single man ... just check out his hands, sans a wedding ring.

Ye was spotted in L.A. -- or at least parts of him -- tooling around with a super snug, cloth bag around his head. A fashion statement? ... for sure.  Uncomfortable? ... undeniable.

Kanye hasn't been seen much since his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, filed for divorce. Last we heard, they were hardly speaking, but we're told the divorce is still rolling along.

Despite the divorce filing, many thought Kanye was wearing his wedding ring as recently as last month -- when DJ Khaled posted a pic of him rocking the band. Now, even though Khaled threw that up in April, we're told the photo was actually taken sometime in 2019, well before the filing.

With that said, it's unclear when exactly Kanye 86'd the ring. What we know for sure though is ... it ain't there now.

Gavin MacLeod -- a veteran TV actor, famous for roles on "The Love Boat" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

MacLeod passed away overnight early Saturday morning at his home in Palm Desert, CA -- where he was surrounded by loved ones and caretakers ... this according to Gavin's nephew, Mark See. We're told he'd been in and out of the hospital these last few months with varying illnesses -- and it's unclear what exactly might've caused his death in the end.

That said, See tells us it was not COVID-related. MacLeod's ex-wife, Joan Devore, confirmed all of those details, except for the location of his death.

The guy is perhaps best known for playing Murray Slaughter on 'TMTS' -- in which he played the head writer of the fictional TV station that Mary worked at. He was a main character on the series ... appearing in all 168 episodes over seven years, opposite the lead actress.

MacLeod is also just as famous for portraying Captain Merrill Stubing on "The Love Boat" for a decade ... appearing in 250 episodes, plus spin-off made-for-TV movies from the franchise.

His TV career was pretty much second to none -- the guy had roles on hit shows like "Hawaii Five-O," "Hogan's Heroes," "Perry Mason," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "McHale's Navy," "The Untouchables," "Peter Gunn," "Cain's Hundred," "The Andy Griffith Show," "My Favorite Martian," "The Big Valley," "It Takes a Thief," "Charlie's Angels," "Scruples," "Murder, She Wrote," "Oz," "JAG," "That '70s Show," "Touched By An Angel" ... and dozens more over his 7-decade career.

MacLeod was a familiar face on late night shows, talk shows, game shows, variety programs and TV specials in his heyday -- having made memorable appearances on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Merv Griffin Show," "Dinah!," "The Jim Stafford Show," "Tattletales," "Celebrity Sweepstakes," "Celebrity Bowling," "Hollywood Squares," "The Mike Douglas Show," "Donny and Marie," "All-Star Family Feud," "Late Show," "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" ... and others.

GML was also a devout Christian ... and appeared in several Christian-themed shows and movies over the years -- this on top of other activism he had partaken in throughout his life.

MacLeod has over 100 acting credits to his name -- and is probably one of the most prolific actors from the 20th century. He's survived by his wife of several years, Patti, their four children and grandkids.

He was 90 years old.

Cruella de Vil is painted as being traumatized by Dalmatians in Disney's latest offering ... supposedly, because these "mongrels" killed her ma, which is getting a lot of head scratches.

The villain from "101 Dalmatians" gets her own backstory in the new "Cruella" flick, which is headed up by Emma Stone ... and word on the street is that part of why Cruella has it out for this breed is that they were sicced on her mom ... in a release-the-hounds fashion.

Different clips and stills have surfaced showing the flashback scene, which shows kid Cruella having to watch the woman who raised her, Catherine, get pushed over a balcony ledge by three seemingly rabid Dalmatians, who go after her on Baroness von Hellman's command.

She plummets to her death ... and the implication is that Cruella's left scarred for life -- and partially explains her obsession with the pooches going forward. In case you forgot, the OG Cruella was notorious for literally skinning Dalmatians and using them as furs.

Disney apparently doesn't quite go that far in the movie -- although different reviews say they allude to Stone's Cruella having that idea on her mind. We should also note that the character has a voice-over moment where she explicitly says she doesn't blame Dalmatians, but a lot of folks just aren't buying that ... and are calling Disney's origin rationale lame.

What the studio heads/writers did here (according to PO'd viewers) is make Dalmatians the fall dog -- when, in reality, they're actually super friendly pooches ... and don't have a rep for attacking like the movie portrays. Folks say it's a cop-out explainer that's lazy and inaccurate.

A Nashville hat shop reeks of anti-Semitism after making light of Star of David patches Jewish people were forced to wear during WWII ... by giving it an anti-vaxx twist.

The place is called hatWRKS ... and they posted a since-deleted Instagram photo featuring a woman proudly rocking a yellow patch -- made in the same style as what Nazis used to brand Jews with in the midst of the Holocaust -- with lettering reading, "Not Vaccinated."

There's a cold-blooded caption attached too, which says ... "patches are here!!! they turned out great. $5ea. strong adhesive back .... we'll be offering trucker caps soon."

Of course, the post caused an uproar online and elsewhere -- and rightly so. People note that comparing what happened to Jewish people to what anti-vaxxers perceive is happening to them right now is absolutely ludicrous, asinine ... and downright wrong. They're not the same -- not even close, and trivializing that history with a patch like this is beyond offensive.

So, what do the owners of this mom-and-pop shop have to say for themselves??? Apparently nothing so far -- it doesn't seem they've responded to the mounting criticism, other than removing the grotesque photo.

If you thought Future was done talking smack about Lori Harvey ... well, you were wrong -- 'cause the dude had even more bars for her, as well as her new man, Michael B. Jordan.

Rapper 42 Dugg previewed an extended version to his new single "Maybach" -- which initially featured Mr. Hndrxx and a memorable bar aimed at Lori and her dad, Steve -- but this time ... it looks like Future had far more to say about his ex, whom he split from last year.

The OG line was a not-so-subtle dig at Lori/Steve -- it goes ... "Tell Steve Harvey, I don't want her." Nothing too bad on the face of things ... although he was catching flak.

Welp, that backlash is only doubling now in light of what else he apparently had to say about the whole situation in the booth. The extended verse goes something like this ... "Must've forgot to tell her daddy she begged me not to leave ... She didn't have a choice but to go f*** a lame after me // Realest n**** hit the t*** she damn near OD."

Lots to unpack there -- but the takeaway, really, is that Future clearly isn't over Lori ... at least that's what the consensus on the Internet seems to be, anyway. After hearing that, it's hard to argue against ... Future does sound quite salty about the relationship, both old and new.

The diatribe against the Harvey's seems to stem from an interview Steve gave back in February ... when he was asked about Lori dating Michael -- and Steve responding with something to the effect of ... at least she's with one I can actually approve of now.

It appears Future took that personally as a shot -- but, frankly, it could've been about Diddy too. Who the hell knows??? In any case, Future got what he wanted off his chest, and threw Mike under the bus too.

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler seemed to be moving along nicely with their divorce, but it's stalling ... and we're told it's because he wants a piece of her company.

Sources close to the ex-couple tell TMZ ... the reason it's taking a while to finalize their divorce is because Jay's seeking 50 percent ownership of Uncommon James, Kristin's chic jewelry and apparel line.

We're told Cutler's insisting he should get a stake in UJ because Kristin launched it while they were married ... and well before he filed for divorce in April, 2020.

Our sources say Kristin doesn't feel she owes him anything from Uncommon James, however, because she says Jay didn't put any of his own money into the company. She claims she funded it ... and is pushing back hard.

Whether or not that's true, we do know Cutler was at the opening of Cavallari's Chicago location for support ... because it was featured on her reality show.

As we've reported ... after the divorce filing last year, things got contentious between Kristin and Jay for a while, but they seemingly worked it all out, agreeing to 50/50 custody of their 3 kids. They even hinted they were getting close again in January.

Bill Maher has a message for all the celebs who are running for office or thinking about it ... "You're not good enough, you're not smart enough, and doggone it, it completely doesn't matter that people like you."

Maher's back after a mild COVID bout, with a blistering and, dare we say, dead-on attack. He's incredulous the likes of Caitlyn Jenner, The Rock and Matthew McConaughey, among others, are either running or seriously considering it.

As for The Rock entertaining a run for President in 2024 ... Maher says the fact that he thinks he can tackle the hardest job in the world is proof he has poor judgment.

As for Caitlyn ... Bill calls her a "background character in a reality show not about her."

And, poor Randy Quaid thinking of running for Governor of California ... Bill calls him a "guy rooting through your recycling bin."

And, Matt thinking of becoming the Guv of Texas ... Bills says "not alright, alright, alright."

Mr. Maher seems in disbelief Americans are still all in with celeb candidates after 4 years of Trump.

Jay-Z had mad love for DMX, despite their fierce competition ... and he felt this way for years.

Jay was on the season premiere of "The Shop: Uninterrupted" with LeBron James and Maverick Carter, and talked about years past when he boycotted the Grammys after X was overlooked for a single nomination, despite having 2 #1 albums in 1999. Jay won his first Grammy but was a no-show as a way of standing with X.

As Bad Bunny, WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike and SpringHill CMO Paul Rivera looked on, Jay recounted his relationship with DMX.

Jay went down memory lane, remembering his first meeting with X at a Bronx pool hall. He paid homage to his friend, saying he became a better rapper by watching X perform.

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle may have something in common ... they've both gotten vaccinated.

You'd think Kate would be fully vaccinated by now, but nope ... she got her first shot Friday at the London Science Museum. Seems London's a little behind the U.S. of A. in the vaccine department ... Kate, who's under 40, just became eligible.

Kate said after getting poked, "Yesterday, I received my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine ... I'm hugely grateful to everyone who is playing a part in the rollout. Thank you for everything you are doing," adding she's "hugely grateful."

Her hubby, Prince William, got his shot a few days before at the same site.

It's unclear which vaccine they both received. They'd be entitled to either Pfizer or AstraZeneca.

The Chinese government tries to keep a tight lid on what its people can and cannot see, so it's not surprising it's censored parts of the "Friends" reunion show.

In case you haven't seen it yet, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and K-pop megastars BTS all made appearances on the show, but if you live in China you won't see any of them because they were 86'd.

The government has a bone to pick with all of them. Let's review.

Lady Gaga pissed off Chinese officials by having a sit-down with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet.

Justin Bieber posted a photo of Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine ... a memorial honoring Japan's fallen soldiers.

As for BTS ... well, they've pissed off the government for various acts, including what officials believe is a snub by overlooking China's contribution in the Korean War.

Gene Simmons appears to be making good on his plan to leave California for Nevada ... he just dropped over $8 million for a rockin' mansion near Las Vegas.

The KISS star nabbed a 6-bed, 8-bath palace in Henderson with 11,000 square feet of living space and distinctively modern features ... like a floating pathway entrance over a koi pond and floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

Gene and his family jewels will have room to move -- the place has seriously spacious rooms inside ... and outside there's a pool, hot tub, built-in barbecue and a courtyard. Desert cool, baby!

We broke the story ... Simmons put his recently renovated Beverly Hills mansion back on the market in March for $25 million.

He'd initially listed it for $22 mil, but then took it off the market and made several improvements.

Around that time, he told reporters he was leaving California, saying ... "There are earthquakes, fires and pandemics every year. Even though there is nice sunshine, I’m done."

Gene must be serious, because along with buying a new home in Henderson ... he slashed the asking price on his Bev Hills home to just under $20 mil. As they say, priced to move!!!

J Lo and Ben Affleck have gone 0 to 100 in a nanosecond, and Donald Trump has some serious problems in New York, which could land him in criminal court. So we gotta ask ...

Sorry, fight fans ... Chuck Liddell says there will be no upcoming boxing match with Jake Paul -- the UFC legend tells TMZ Sports he'd HURT the YouTuber if a scrap ever went down.

Liddell told us out in L.A. that even though the two have beefed publicly over the past couple weeks ... it just makes no sense for Jake to box him, even at Chuck's current age.

"He's not good enough to fight me," the 51-year-old said of the 24-year-old.

"It just doesn't make sense for him. None of it makes sense for this guy. He's going to risk getting hurt like that?!"

If you're wondering why it's even being rumored ... it's 'cause the two went after each other on social media following Jake's huge win over Ben Askren.

A fan on Twitter asked Chuck to shut Jake up ... and Liddell responded, "I’m ready anytime for that clown."

Paul fired back a short time later, posting a pic of the two after the Askren fight and saying, "This guy Chuck Liddell begged me for a pic after my fight and now is talking s*** on Twitter."