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Gene Simmons says his KISS co-founder, Paul Stanley, is not feeling great after catching COVID, but he's going to be just fine thanks to the vaccine ... and Gene's urging everyone to get their shots too.

The famous rock 'n' roller joined "TMZ Live" Friday to talk about canceling the band's Pennsylvania show after Paul tested positive for the coronavirus.

Gene says Paul, who's been fully vaccinated, started to lose his voice Thursday and felt tired so the band's doctor suggested he and the crew get a COVID test. Sure enough, Paul tested positive ... and Gene says everyone else on the tour was tested too, but all came back negative.

Gene says everyone involved is quarantining to make sure additional tests don't come up positive. As for Paul, medical professionals advise COVID carriers quarantine for 10 days.

Gene says there is no KISS without Paul, which likely means the band won't hit the stage again until Sept. 9 in Irvine, CA. So upcoming shows in NC, GA, MI, OH, IL and WI will almost certainly be rescheduled.

Sgt. Chris Wilson, a game warden from Texas who appeared in the reality TV show "Lone Star Law," is dead after losing his battle with coronavirus ... TMZ has confirmed.

A rep for the Department tells TMZ, "Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Game Warden Sgt. Christopher Ray Wilson passed away August 26 after a valiant battle against health complications related to COVID-19."

Sgt. Wilson, who worked for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for 17 years, had been hospitalized at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center after testing positive for the virus.

Chris appeared in a lone episode of "Lone Star Law" back in 2016, serving a search warrant with other game wardens and Captain Scott Jurk.

The Dept. paid homage to Chris, saying, "Sgt. Wilson proudly served Texas as a State Game Warden with great purpose, pride and dedication. His End of Watch leaves a hole in the hearts of many who knew him. The State of Texas is grateful beyond words, for the dignity, strength and sacrifice of his service. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time."

A rep for Animal Planet tells TMZ, "Our deepest sympathy goes out to Chris' family and loved ones at this difficult time."

Other Texas game wardens escorted Chris' remains to a mortuary in town late Thursday, and they're standing watch outside the funeral home while his body is being prepped for a funeral.

Britney Spears might've thought this battery case with her housekeeper would "go nowhere" -- but she's not out of the woods yet ... we're told it's now been handed over to prosecutors who will make the call on whether Britney is hit with a criminal charge.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept.'s wrapped up its investigation into Britney's housekeeper's claim of battery from last week and forwarded its findings to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office Friday.

Law enforcement at the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept. has told TMZ ... they routinely send such cases over to the D.A. for review, unless it's clear the case has no merit. In this case, there are 2 versions -- the housekeeper says Britney struck her in the arm, but Britney says all she did was swipe the phone out of her hand. The Sheriff doesn't know which version is true, so that's why it was forwarded on.

The law enforcement sources also tell us the house keeper suffered no physical injuries.

As we've reported, our Brit sources were confident nothing would come of this ... and that still may end up being true at the finish line ... but until then, it's a waiting game.

TMZ broke the story ... Britney got into a spat with the housekeeper after the housekeeper showed Britney pics of the dogs in distress. Britney was angry the housekeeper was taking photos inside her house, and she tried wrestling the phone away.

The housekeeper -- who had worked for Britney for years -- is no longer working for the singer.

BTW ... the dogs were returned last Friday after being in the care of Britney's dog sitter for 2 weeks.

TMZ Sports has obtained LAPD body camera footage of Jaxson Hayes' arrest ... and the NBA hooper appears to shove a police officer, sending him careening into a wall.

The video starts with cops approaching 6'11, 220-pound Hayes outside his GF's L.A. house -- after a woman called 911, claiming she received "disturbing" texts from her cousin who claimed Hayes was "getting loud and violent," adding she was "scared and couldn't call the police herself."

Once on the scene, cops told 21-year-old Hayes they had to enter the home to make sure everyone was safe ... but Hayes objected.

Hayes eventually attempted to retreat inside ... but officers blocked his path. Police attempted to cuff Hayes ... and that's when the situation turned violent.

Hayes appears to forcefully shove an officer ... sending him slamming into an exterior wall of the home. Police later said the officer was injured during the incident ... and required medical treatment.

Officers then wrestled Hayes -- who was struggling with the cops -- to the ground. He is heard on video saying "I can't breathe."

Moments later, after repeatedly ordering Hayes to comply, an officer tases him. Jaxson appears to have been tased twice.

Cops eventually were able to get Hayes in handcuffs.

Jaxson is later heard telling police to take it easy on his arm ... because he feared they were going to break it.

As we previously reported, Hayes was arrested following the July 28 incident with cops ... and was booked on a resisting arrest charge.

At the time, LAPD launched an internal use of force investigation to determine whether appropriate force was used after Hayes alleged he couldn't breathe during the arrest.

A large police union that represents LAPD officers has called on the NBA and New Orleans Pelicans to suspend Hayes for pushing the officer -- and repeatedly using the n-word during the arrest.

Matthew Mindler, the former child actor famous for starring opposite Paul Rudd in "Our Idiot Brother," has gone missing from his college in Pennsylvania ... according to police.

A freshman at Millersville University in Millersville, PA, Matthew has not been seen since Tuesday night and was reported missing late Wednesday after not returning to his dorm room and not returning calls from his family ... according to cops.

Police say Matthew was last seen walking away from his dorm at 8:11 PM Tuesday, wearing a white Millersville University hoodie with black stripes on the arm, a black backpack, jeans and white sneakers.

Cops say Matthew went to classes Monday and Tuesday but hasn't entered a classroom since.

We're told police are being flooded with tips and cops are following up on all leads.

Matthew's famous for his work as a child actor in 'Idiot Brother' and "Frequency" but he has not been acting for several years and just enrolled in college.

Kim Kardashian did more than just support her former hubby from the audience, she got involved in the action too, wearing a wedding dress!!!

Kanye's performance at Soldier Field in Chicago Thursday night featured plenty of guest appearances -- including some head-scratchers like DaBaby and Marilyn Manson -- but the audience went most crazy when Kim showed up outside the mockup of Kanye's childhood home in the dress.

Kim stepped out in a stunning Balenciaga Couture wedding dress during the song "No Child Left Behind," the final song of the night.

Now, our sources with direct knowledge have told us for weeks the two are NOT back together ... but they're forever family. Kim and Kanye have always supported the other's endeavors and will continue to do that in the future, whether it be a collaborative effort or not.

Our sources say Kim was happy to do it for Kanye and the event, which was so important to him.

By the way, the wedding gown moment came just minutes after Kanye -- or a likely stunt-double -- lit themselves on fire and walked around the house ... talk about a turn of events!

As we reported ... the event in Chicago marks the third "Donda" event, but the official product hasn't dropped yet.

Beyonce's mom is out for blood against those who've turned her daughter's Tiffany campaign into a controversy about blood diamonds.

Tina Knowles went off on Instagram on all the "socially conscious activist[s]" who've called out Bey for wearing the famous 128.54-carat Tiffany Diamond ... which is from a colonial mine in Kimberley, South Africa.

If you haven't heard, Beyonce's just the 4th woman to wear the iconic diamond -- and the first Black woman -- as part of Tiffany & Co.'s new "About Love" campaign ... which also features her husband, Jay-Z.

It seems Bey didn't know the jewel was a blood diamond ... so the question -- was Beyonce tricked by Tiffany and Co. into wearing it in the ad? There are reports Beyonce is pissed she didn't get a heads up.

A lot of folks don't care about that though, and have called her out for flaunting it ... but Mama Tina's not having it.

Knowles directed a comment on Instagram toward these critics, asking how many of them own diamonds, and if they do ... "did you go to try to check to see where the diamond came from?"

Her point is ... every person who has an engagement ring or owns diamonds probably does not research their origin, so all the "righteous" bashing of her daughter is hypocritical.

It's a fair point ... but likely not one that will shut everybody up on Twitter.

Speaking of, several Twitter folks have also rushed to Beyonce's defense ... pointing out that there was no such backlash when Lady Gaga wore the Tiffany Diamond at the Oscars in 2019.

Sharon Stone's dealing with another heartbreaking family situation -- she says her baby nephew was found in his crib with total organ failure ... and he needs a miracle.

The actress is asking for prayers for her 11-month-old godson, River Stone, who is in the hospital hooked up to machines as he fights to survive.

Sharon's plea has been received loud and clear by lots of folks on social media ... among them, Kate Hudson, Ruby Rose and Sharon Osbourne.

River is the son of Sharon's brother, Patrick, and his wife, Tasha. He was born in September 2020. Sharon announced his birth on Instagram by sharing a photo of the newborn. She also posted a cute pic of him back in January.

As we've reported ... Stone's family has experienced a lot of tragedy lately due to COVID-19. Last year, Sharon tearfully revealed her grandmother and godmother both died in the pandemic. Her sister and sister's husband, Bruce, also battled the coronavirus, but thankfully survived.

The U.S. Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt during the January 6 riot has revealed himself publicly and strongly defends his actions ... saying it was a last resort, but necessary.

The 28-year veteran officer, Michael Byrd, told NBC News' Lester Holt ... his job that day was to protect scores of House members who were holed up in a room just yards away from the insurrectionists.

Byrd says he screamed a series of commands for the insurrectionists to retreat, but they kept pushing. He says had they got through the glass door ... "they’re into the House chamber and upon the members of Congress."

As you know, Babbitt climbed through a window that led into the Speaker's Lobby, and that's when Byrd opened fire ... striking her in the shoulder. He says squarely... she posed a threat to House members.

Byrd says, "I tried to wait as long as I could ... I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors. But, their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers."

The death of Babbitt, a QAnon supporter and Air Force veteran, has been used by right-wing groups to frame a false narrative about the incident, calling Byrd a murderer.

Folks are donating air miles to fly refugees -- like those in Afghanistan -- out of harm's way ... and celebs like Jennifer Aniston and Phoebe Bridgers have supercharged the effort that now boasts 200 million miles!!!

Celebs are helping raise awareness for a non-profit called Miles4Migrants, which pools airline miles for refugees around the globe, and in the wake of the chaos in Afghanistan, the donations are piling in.

Miles4Migrants tells TMZ ... in the past week, the program's seen a whopping 222 million frequent-flyer miles pour in ... a staggering figure that dwarfs the 168 million miles raised in the first 5 years of the program's existence.

Jennifer and Phoebe are among the celebs encouraging their fans and followers to donate airline miles ... and we're told the 222 million miles donated could get more than 15,000 refugees on planes, including many Afghans.

As you know ... there's a rush to get folks out of Afghanistan, and there have been some heart-wrenching scenes playing out at airports across the country.

While much of the focus is on Afghanistan, and rightfully so, we're told the donated frequent-flyer miles will also benefit refugees in other countries and asylum-seeking families separated by war, persecution and disaster.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro says he's cleaned himself up and he's getting ready to come back to reality TV.

We got Ronnie at Avra in Beverly Hills on Thursday and he told our photog he's 4 months sober and planning to return to 'Jersey Shore' by the end of the 5th season.

It's welcome news for 'Jersey Shore' fans who've been missing Ron, and for him ... because it sounds like he's in a better place in his life.

As we reported ... Ronnie announced back in May he was stepping away from the show that made him famous as a result of mental health issues.

Ronnie's departure came in the wake of his domestic violence arrest, with Ron and MTV honchos agreeing he needed some time away from the cameras to seek treatment for issues he felt he was ignoring.

Ron says he's learned from his mountain of legal issues over the years ... and he says he's become a better father and fiancé.

As you know ... Ronnie got engaged to Saffire Matos despite allegedly attacking her and getting arrested. He ended up dodging criminal charges in the case.

Ronnie also tells us who is getting wedding invites and who is getting snubbed ... and it sounds like his ex, Jenn Harley, doesn't need to sit by the mailbox.

Kanye West has a lot of people scratching their heads ... his "Donda" listening event has started in Chicago with appearances from DaBaby and Marilyn Manson.

West packed fans into Chicago's Soldier Field Thursday night, the event was supposed to start at 9 PM local, but kicked off closer to 11. He opened the event with one of the album's most popular songs, "Jail" -- which previously featured a verse from Jay-Z -- but the verse was replaced by one from DaBaby ... a puzzling move.

Not only was DaBaby -- who recently made disgustingly homophobic comments at Rolling Loud -- on the song, he also joined Kanye on "stage." Marilyn Manson -- who has been sued by multiple women in the last few months for sexual assault -- was also on stage.

Much like the other listening parties, Kanye has only danced to the album, not performing it live.

As for the stage ... it's a replica of Kanye's childhood home that he grew up in in Chicago.

While controversial, DaBaby's appearance at the event makes sense if he's on the album. As for why Manson -- who looked very out of place -- was included ... that remains to be seen. He's apparently not featured on any of the songs.

Farrah Abraham has moved on from her feud with Chrissy Teigen ... she's now going off on Harvard -- yes, that Harvard -- claiming she was the victim of "educational abuse" and promising legal action against the University.

We got the former "Teen Mom" star out in Hollywood Thursday, and she rattled off her laundry list of issues with the famed Ivy League school ... which stems from her allegedly being booted from a Zoom course by her teacher, with no follow-up explanation.

Farrah, who may be mad but not angry enough to put her Harvard sweatshirt in mothballs, claims her professor, Patricia Bellanca, played mind games with her by telling her to turn in an assignment without checking it over ... then later used that against her in trying to convince her to drop the course.

She also alleges Harvard's entire online program is a "joke" and a "scam," while insinuating she may have been racially discriminated against as well ... saying she was the "most person of color" in the class.

Farrah adds that she's had no choice but to go public with her Harvard beef, because allegedly neither her professor nor Dean Robert Neugeboren has returned any of her calls or emails.

Finally, she says she's going to file a lawsuit against the school for what she calls "abusive" treatment.

Afghan-American actor Ali Olomi is heartbroken about what's going on in Afghanistan, and sadly ... he expects it to get even worse.

We got Ali out in L.A. Thursday as news was pouring in about the attacks at the Kabul airport -- which left at least 12 U.S. service members dead -- and he predicts the violence will continue ... especially after America fully withdraws.

Like Ali points out, if this sort of mayhem is already happening, it's hard to believe it will go away once we leave.

The actor -- who's had guest roles on TV shows like "NCIS: Los Angeles," "SEAL Team" and "Madam Secretary" -- is asking everyone to send positive thoughts and prayers to the Afghan people ... because they're in a terrible situation right now.

Adam "Pacman" Jones is ready to whoop some serious ass in his boxing debut ... telling TMZ Sports he expects to have his hand raised at Rough N' Rowdy Friday night!!

The 37-year-old ex-NFL star has taken his talents to fighting after retiring from football in 2019 ... and is set to face off against 5-0 (amateur record) boxer Bobby Laing at the Barstool Sports event in West Virginia.

Jones says he's been training on and off for about 10 years now ... and beating the brakes off someone in the ring has always been on his bucket list.

Pacman says he's truly addicted to the sport ... and has been training with world-class professionals over the past few months to prepare for his debut.

So, how's he expect it to go??

"With my hand raised as the new motherf***ing RNR champ," Jones tells us ... adding one last warning to his opponent.

"Bobby Laing, your goddamn winning is over with. The honeymoon has officially ended today. I'm ready to f***ing go. Let's go."

We also spoke with Barstool's Chef Donny -- who's set to face off against TikTok star QCP on the same card -- and he tells us he's ready to humble the influencer who's got more than 8 MILLION followers on the platform.

Donny says he's been doing 2-a-days every day for more than a month leading up to the big matchup ... and has been in "war mode" to mentally prepare himself for battle.

"The kid's got a pretty face, so I've really wanted to just destroy something beautiful," he tells us. "It's gonna be a pretty bad moment for him."

"I guarantee you, it's going to be an action-packed fight."

Florida native Alexa Vega (now Alexa PenaVega) was only 12 years old when she landed the breakout role as Carmen Cortez -- who teams up with her brother to thwart Floop's evil plans -- in the 2001 family action film "Spy Kids" and the follow-up films "Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams" and the 2003 finale "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over."

The classic kids movie was filled with other notable actors including Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino as the supportive spy parents, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez ... and of course Daryl Sabara as the butt-kicking spy bro, Juni Cortez.