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George Jung -- the prolific cocaine smuggler portrayed by Johnny Depp in the film "Blow" -- died of kidney failure due to advanced liver disease, and as you'd probably imagine ... his hard-living played a major role.

According to George's death certificate ... George's immediate cause of death is listed as hepatorenal failure due to alcoholic cirrhosis. In other words, his organs succumbed to his chronic alcohol abuse. The manner of death is listed as natural causes.

George died on May 5 in Lowell, MA, and he was cremated 2 days later. Interestingly, his occupation is listed as storyteller/teacher/education. If you've seen the movie, that's not entirely inaccurate.

TMZ broke the story ... George had been experiencing kidney and liver problems before his death. He had been in home hospice care and died with his wife, Ronda, and friend, Roger, by his side.

George served 20 years in prison for running drugs for the Medellin Cartel. He was known as "Boston George" and infamously helped notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar smuggle planeloads of coke into the U.S.

At the time, Escobar's cartel was reportedly responsible for 80% of the world's cocaine.

Get into the patriotic spirit with these sexy stars waving around their perfectly themed swimwear!

Celebs have been proudly wearing these stars and stripes and snapping these hot shots ... and now we are sharing their best pics with you!

Whether they're spending time by the pool or hitting the beach ... it sure looks like they'll have the perfect fit for this Independence Day weekend!

Take a look at all the stars showing off their American flag swimsuits by scrolling through our gallery! And, while you're taking a look put your celeb skills to the test by seeing if you can guess who is in the red, white and blue!

President Biden has weighed in on Sha'Carri Richardson's suspension from competing in the Olympics -- and he dished out a tough love response ... basically saying, she knew better.

JB was down in Michigan Saturday for an event ahead of 4th of July ... and he was asked by CBS WH reporter Bo Erickson if he thought Richardson facing a one-month ban from competition due to a positive THC test was fair ... and Biden essentially said, sadly yes.

You can watch the clip yourself to see how he put it in his own words -- but the Prez didn't make any bones about it ... telling the press that everyone knows the rules going in, so it kinda is what it is on the punishment end. He did leave room for debate, however.

Check it out ... Joe says whether the weed rule should stay intact or not is an entirely different discussion -- but under the current guidelines, he suggests the punishment fits the crime. With that said, he did give Richardson props ... saying he was proud at how she responded.

Sha'Carri did an interview shortly after the news broke that she'd been temporarily DQ'd ... telling Savannah Guthrie she ingested marijuana recently, this after learning her biological mother had died and learning about it at a presser. Sha'Carri owned up to the mistake with her chin high -- but also seemed to indicate that the so-called "rules" were draconian.

This week's Summer Hot Shots is coming from the Sunshine State where the southern smoke-show, Rikki Shea Gage, brought on the fireworks in a smashing red, white and blue bikini while on the luckiest tennis court in Florida.

When this Key West influencer isn't liquifying camera lens with her Instagram modeling shots ... the 22-year-old spends time soaking up rays on the Florida sandbars with friends and family, dabbles in southern real estate and even instructs barre classes.

Ace!

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2021 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!

Henry Winkler thinks the world needs to go through a "cataclysmic event" to help bring people together since we're so dang divided -- but his idea is getting a big fat ... HUH?!?

The actor tweeted out the controversial sentiment Sunday, seemingly out of nowhere and without much context. He wrote ... "We are So divided as a country .. only a cataclysmic Event , that makes us depend on one another again , can bring us back together."

Like we said ... not a whole lot of info here to get a sense of what Henry's talking about exactly -- but it could be anything ... frankly, we ARE quite divided these days -- from politics to just about everything else.

With that said ... his call for a big boom moment is being called insensitive, tone-deaf and weirdly out of touch -- especially since we, you know, just went through (and are still going through) a worldwide pandemic ... which you would think fits HW's criteria for this.

People obviously pointed this out to Henry, and he received the message ... but responded somewhat cryptically, writing ... "The Pandemic pushed the world inside creating a world apart." What we think he's saying is ... this pandemic isn't the catastrophe he had in mind -- if anything, he seems to believe COVID has only pushed us further apart.

A spa in Los Angeles became the site of brutality this weekend after protests took place against a trans person ... who allegedly revealed themselves to women in the female section.

Several people took to the streets of Koreatown Saturday for what you may consider anti-trans demonstrations ... which were met by counter-protesters, with both groups clashing in violent ways -- much of which was filmed and circulated online and made for crazy video.

Some of the counter-protesters were likened to "Antifa" -- with a handful of them dressed head-to-toe in all black, while also covering their faces -- but it's hard to sort out who's with who. All we know is that the counter-protesters were NOT having the anti-trans sentiments.

In addition to accosting/provoking some of the protesters, they also reportedly tore up signage that they apparently considered bigoted and discriminatory. On the flip side ... some of the anti-trans demonstrators also allegedly threatened and/or committed violence themselves.

One person claims they had a Wi Spa protester pull a gun on them ... and posted video of a man who appears to take a firearm out of a backpack, and then tuck it into his waistband. When asked what it's for, he's heard on camera saying ... "Something to shoot you with."

The chaos all stems from a now-viral video from last week that shows a woman confronting the Wi Spa staff over what she claimed was a man who was sitting naked in the women's side of the spa ... allegedly exposing his penis and genitals to adults and children alike.

The Wi Spa staff seems to be fine with it ... explaining to her that they respect trans people's rights -- and that, apparently, includes letting 'em go to the part of the facility they feel most comfortable in. That didn't sit well with this woman -- who essentially said she felt violated.

She gets into with other patrons ... some of whom tell her to pipe down and to have some respect, but she stands her ground -- repeatedly saying the trans person had a "d***."

Pet owners might be able to rest easy soon now that a COVID-19 vaccine seems to be making its way to the animal kingdom ... as it's getting a mass trial run at a California zoo.

Oakland Zoo officials announced this week that they had received a substantial shipment of the experimental 'rona jab manufactured by pharmaceutical company Zoetis ... which presumably cooked their recipe up specifically for wild creatures, across the board.

We say that because OZ says it's already administered the vaccine to a good portion of their furry friends ... including their lions, tigers, bears and ferrets. Oh my, indeed!

The zoo was one of the first recipients of 11,000 doses Zoetis made (and tested) ... and apparently, more are being rolled out to other animal facilities in the coming weeks. This is a donation, BTW -- for this time around at least -- so very generous on Zoetis' part.

The USDA has said this vaccine -- which was reportedly first tested out on minks -- can be used on a case-by-case basis ... but it clearly works to a high degree, because Oakland is straight-up inoculating their animals seemingly en masse. It's unclear if more animal types will be included at some point -- but ya gotta figure they will be if the trial run goes well.

This is big news ... not just because different animals at zoos have contracted the virus -- including tigers and primates at places like the SD Zoo (which got a small shipment of Zoetis earlier this year to test on the latter) -- but it could have ramifications for dogs/cats.

An Australian reporter made unfounded claims of doping/steroid use against U.S. sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson and the late Flo Jo ... all because they used acrylic nails.

Claire Lehmann -- founder of Quillette, and contributor to the Australian -- stirred the pot late Friday with a few controversial tweets ... the first of which was aimed at Richardson, whom she suggested was using PEDs because of what she perceived as "strong nails & hair."

She wrote, "Not sure whether the nails are real or fake, but in case you didn’t know very strong nails & hair can be a side effect of steroid use." Lehmann also attached a photo of Richardson -- who was just suspended from competing for a month after a positive THC test.

What people quickly pointed out was ... Richardson uses wigs, and her nails are fake -- so Lehmann's speculation was completely unfounded, and frankly ... downright ignorant.

She wasn't done yet, though -- the journo continued her meritless attacks, only this time ... she went after the late Olympic legend, Florence Griffith Joyner. Lehmann alleged that Flo Jo, too, was doping during her historic record-breaking run in the '80s -- again citing the acrylic nail factor (which was again steeped in error). However, CL went further ... roping in Flo Jo's death, falsely attributing it to drug use, despite the facts clearly disputing that.

Lehmann wrote, "Flo Jo, obvious drug user, had the nails. She died in her sleep at age 38 because that’s what a lifetime of drug use does to the body (and why it’s supposed to be banned from elite sports)."

Several people were quick to point out that -- based on Flo Jo's own autopsy from 1998 -- her cause of death was officially attributed to suffocation due to an epileptic seizure ... which ended up being tied to a congenital brain abnormality that made her prone to seizures.

Also, important to note ... Flo Jo never produced a positive drug test.

Despite the facts flying in her face ... Lehmann hasn't taken down the tweets, and is currently experiencing the wrath of Twitter, with multiple users accusing her of racism ... not to mention defamation on behalf of Flo Jo and Richardson. Even Cardi B has weighed in.

Dan Schneider -- the ex-king of Nickelodeon programming -- has addressed a long-held theory that he's into feet, and channeled that on his shows ... something he says isn't true.

The one-time TV producer -- responsible for creating a number of hit series on Nick over the years, including "iCarly," "Drake & Josh," "The Amanda Show," "Zoey 101" and countless others -- did an interview with NYT ... which straight-up asked him about the foot fetish rumor.

Several people have compiled still shots from different shows of his, and they seem to find a common theme among his child actors ... they seemed to be in a lot of bare feet scenes.

Dan responded with this ... "The comedy was totally innocent," going on to say the foot fetish claims were "ridiculous" and chalked it up to kids finding feet funny/goofy ... insisting he never attempted to sexualize his stars.

Some of his on and off-camera behavior with said stars have been called into question -- suggesting Dan was, at the bare minimum, creepy and unaware of boundaries.

It's all much ado about nothing, though ... according to Dan, who also clarified his reasons for parting ways with Nick in 2018, after a historic 30-year run with the network -- saying he was simply attending to other personal matters in his life that he'd let "go by the wayside."

However, NYT reports an in-house investigation into Dan's workplace practices got underway around that time ... this after claims of verbal abuse from his ex-staffers. Apparently, the review found merit to some of those claims ... which made him seem high-strung and difficult.

What the HR didn't find any credence in ... allegations of sexual misconduct, something else that had been speculated about Schneider, especially amid the height of #MeToo and his coincidental departure around the same time, when allegations were flying like crazy.

Phylicia Rashad has FINALLY done an about-face on her Bill Cosby sentiments from this week -- issuing a formal apology to Howard U students ... and deleting the tweet in question.

The former actress -- who is now Dean of the HBCU's Fine Arts College -- sent a letter to Howard U students Friday, which flat-out said she was sorry for her controversial remark ... this in the wake of Cosby having his conviction overturned, and being released from prison.

In the letter, which has been making the rounds online, Phylicia writes, in part, "This week, I tweeted a statement that caused so much hurt in so many people -- both broadly and inside the Howard community. I offer my most sincere apology. I have since removed that upsetting tweet."

She goes on ... "My remarks were in no way directed towards survivors of sexual assault. I vehemently oppose sexual violence, find no excuse for such behavior, and I know that Howard University has a zero-tolerance policy toward interpersonal violence."

PR continued by saying that she intends to undergo training to reinforce HU protocol and practices as it relates to all this -- and also asked the HU community for its forgiveness, promising to do a lot of listening and learning so she can become a stronger ally to sexual assault survivors and anyone else who's suffered at the hands of an abuser.

You'll recall ... Phylicia was ecstatic at the news of Cosby's case being thrown out, initially writing ... "FINALLY!!! A terrible wrong is being righted - a miscarriage of justice is corrected!" She faced immediate backlash for her comment, following up by saying her tweet wasn't aimed at sexual assault survivors ... but she kept the Cosby tweet up nonetheless, which simply didn't square. Even after HU admonished her formally, she still left the tweet up.

Looks like someone higher up finally got in her ear and told her the truth -- which is, you can't openly support Cosby and sexual assault survivors at the same time. So, pick one ...

Britney Spears made a compelling case that the conservators have abused her and upended her life, but we've learned the conservators are going to present a very different story to the judge.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, various people involved in different elements of the conservatorship claim Britney's story doesn't mesh with the facts.

For instance, Britney told the judge last week she was forced to go on her 2018 European tour. She said, "I was on tour in 2018. I was forced to do ... my management said if I don't do this tour, I will have to find an attorney and by contract, their own management could sue me if I didn't follow through with a tour. He handed me a sheet of paper as I got off the stage in Vegas and said I had to sign it. It was very threatening and scary. I couldn't even get my own attorney, so out of fear, I went ahead and did the tour."

Sources connected to the conservatorship tell TMZ, people involved in the tour will tell a very different story at the next court hearing. We're told they will say the following ... when Britney was at the tail end of her Vegas "Piece of Me" residency, she realized "she had nothing on her calendar for almost all of 2018. She then asked Management to find something for her to do so she wouldn't be bored for a year."

The sources claim Management came back to her and suggested a European tour, adding, "She literally begged to do the 2018 European Tour run. She was very excited about it and called repeatedly to ask to have it confirmed. There is a text message exchange between Management and Britney on December 16, 2017, where management provides her with the tour routing. She asks a few questions, and expresses how excited she is to do it."

The sources say once she was on tour, "she simply didn't want to be there so she was trying to find every excuse to leave the tour, at which time she made up the story about being forced to do it."

Britney said she was forced to sign a document committing to do the European tour. Sources connected to the conservatorship say she was asked, not forced to sign, and she did. Furthermore, the sources say the conservatorship changed protocols because Britney would agree to do various things but when it came time to do them "she would lie and deny having agreed to do it. The conservatorship was then forced to put into effect protocols requiring management to get her to sign off on all professional obligations so the conservatorship could show it to her to 'remind her' that she consented to the obligation."

The sources say Management did indeed ask her to sign the document committing to the tour, because that was the protocol the conservatorship had in place, and Britney "willingly signed."

We're told various people in the conservatorship will dispute many of Britney's claims involving getting married, having a baby, being denied the right to see her kids, not knowing she could end the conservatorship ... among other things.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck let it ride Friday ... taking in all the cool stuff at Universal Studios.

The freshly re-minted couple were joined by 2 young girls -- unclear whose kids -- as they meandered around the amusement park.

This wasn't your average day pass to the park ... they had security follow them around. When they got to the Jurassic World ride, park security told the normies in line they would be joined by some "special guests." That they were.

They spotted Ben first, followed by Jen and the 2 girls. They arrived at the ride through a side door and immediately climbed into their own personal car.

Ben and J Lo have been shuffling between coasts for the last few months after their romance re-ignited. They've been anything but secretive about it, showing up at places where celebs are routinely photographed.

It seems they'll settle for the Left Coast. As we reported, J Lo has been checking out schools in L.A. It's unclear if they'll move in together but the relationship seems as intense as when they were engaged back in the day, so that seems like more than a possibility.

NBC is running from its reality show "Ultimate Slip 'N Slide" ... after a bunch of folks on the crew experienced explosive runs themselves.

The network put the show on ice after members of the production staff experienced diarrhea ... apparently from some sort of parasite called Giardia.

The show was being shot in the San Fernando Valley and almost reached the finish line with 1 week of production left, but it was too much. After multiple crew members got sick, production was indefinitely shut down.

Neither of the hosts -- Bobby Moynihan and Ron Funches -- came down with the runs.

An environmental lab tested the water used in the competition, along with restrooms and other facilities, and initially results came back negative, but they got a positive result last month. So, with 7 weeks in the can (sorry) and one week left to go, the door was slammed shut ... this according to PEOPLE.

The show was set to premiere August 8 after the closing ceremony of the Olympic Summer Games.

Tyler Posey has come out as a member of the LGBTQ community, and he says his girlfriend is the one who inspired the realization.

Tyler says he now identifies as a member of the queer community. The "Teen Wolf" star said in an interview with NME, GF Phem, whom he's been dating since February, opened his eyes that he falls 'under the queer umbrella."

Tyler told the publication, NME, "I’ve been with everybody under the sun, and right now I’m in the best relationship that I’ve ever been in with a woman, and she’s queer too," adding, "She’s helped me realize that I fit under the queer umbrella and that I’m sexually fluid, I guess. No, not 'I guess' ... I don’t want anyone to take this [interview] and be like: 'Well, he was kind of wishy-washy about it.'"

Sara Haines says "The View" should replace Meghan McCain with someone who shares her views ... i.e. another conservative.

We got "The View" cohost leaving Thursday's taping in NYC just moments after Meghan announced she's leaving the show after 4 seasons. Sara, who BTW has great fashion taste, tells us it's her hope the show adds another panelist who brings diverse opinions.

She says the reason is simple ... despite the name of the show in the singular ... it's best when it represents different views, although Meghan was the lone, conservative wolf.

What's more ... Sara says the so-called bad blood between Meghan and the other cohosts is not why she's bouncing. Simply put ... Sara says the pandemic made Meghan re-assess what matters to her right now ... and it's being in D.C. full time with her baby girl. Production sources tell TMZ ... the arguments that became super personal did take their toll on her.

Kiefer Sutherland might have the urge to reprise his role as Jack Bauer to catch some bad guys ... because cops say thieves jacked his gardener's equipment.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the perps likely didn't know who they were messing with last month when the '24' star was getting some landscaping done on his L.A. area home.

We're told at some point while Sutherland's gardener was doing his job, the suspects made off with his tools and other gear -- a weed whacker and hedge trimmer specifically -- valued at more than $1,500.

Our sources say Kiefer was home at the time and there's surveillance footage of the theft in progress, but no arrests have been made so far. Cops are still investigating.