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Sam Neill was battling a severe illness before his tragic death ... at least according to one of his costars on a previous project.

“Hunt for the Wilderpeople" star Rima Te Wiata told the New Zealand Herald ... Sam had pneumonia, but she did not share anything else about his health issues. They worked together on the 2016 film.

As TMZ reported ... Sam passed away in a hospital in Sydney, Australia, and his death was described as "sudden and unexpected." The Ireland-born film and TV star had recovered from a rare and aggressive blood cancer just this year, revealing in April he was cancer-free. His cause of death was not released.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo's traffic stop ended almost as quickly as it began ... after he identified himself by name and the officer let him drive off with nothing more than a warning ... and the police interaction is all on video.

Check out the body cam footage ... the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer walks up to Lombardo's pickup after pulling him over in May for allegedly rolling through a red light while making a right turn.

The exchange is over in a flash ... Lombardo identifies himself, the officer says he already knows exactly who's behind the wheel, and moments later the governor's back on the road. No license request. No citation. Just a roughly 15-second stop before he's sent on his way.

Tory Lanez's prison rollout might've just started early ... because two unreleased tracks that recently hit the internet are the real deal ... TMZ has learned.

The songs have been making the rounds on social media, with fans debating whether they were genuine Tory leaks or A.I.-generated fakes. But sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ the tracks are authentic.

The tracks sparked speculation Tory was gearing up to drop new music from behind bars. And turns out, the internet wasn't far off.

Well, this is one way to make it rain ... a Texas woman accidentally flooded her living room while practicing her pole dancing.

Asha Gilbert was working the pole in her Houston apartment, following along to a video tutorial on her TV, when the pole suddenly dislodged from the ceiling and hit a ceiling sprinkler.

Water started spraying all over the place ... flooding her living room.

Nolan Wells' high school football coach, Tracy Lampley, is breaking his silence on the death investigation ... and he doubts race was involved.

Tracy joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday ... and we asked him if there were racial tensions at their Mississippi high school.

Nolan's coach says that's not the vibe he gets ... telling us the students "grew up together" and "played together."

What's more, Coach Tracy says Nolan got along with everyone ... remembering him for his big smile and big personality. He says people gravitated towards Nolan.

Nolan Wells' parents say they haven't gotten a meaningful update from authorities in nearly a week as the mystery surrounding their 18-year-old son's death drags on.

In an interview with theGrio alongside attorney Ben Crump, Nolan's mom, Christine Wonsley, said the family hadn't heard from investigators since last Tuesday ... and she says they only got a call after she reached out herself asking for an update.

Hear them out ... according to Christine, they were told there was essentially nothing new ... and she says they haven't heard from anyone since.

Ariana Grande and her former boyfriend, Ricky Alvarez, are officially back together after weeks of rumors that the two were giving it another go ... TMZ has learned. 

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Ariana and Ricky, who first dated in 2015 for about a year, are dating ... but we're told they are taking things slow.

We've seen Ariana and Ricky hanging out in recent weeks ... including a group hang in Texas in June and a Fourth of July celebration with Ariana's family in Florida.

Sam Asghari says he's not looking for personal glory in his acting career ... he's more interested in using his celebrity to push for the good of mankind ... namely, human rights in Iran.

The model and actor joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to discuss his new movie "The Gentleman Thief" starring John Travolta, and he dove into a relatively new subject ... politics -- specifically, the ongoing situation in his home country.

If you don't know ... Sam was born in Tehran and moved to the United States in the mid 2000s when he was 12 -- and he says seeing the oppression in the country has made him more politically aware.

"Jurassic Park" star Sam Neill tragically died this week ... and now we know more about the plans for his funeral.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... a private service for family and friends will be held in New Zealand -- but no public service or celebration of life will take place. We're told the beloved actor never liked a big fuss to be made about him in life ... and that will be honored in his death.

As TMZ reported ... Sam passed away Monday in a hospital in Sydney, Australia, and his death was described as "sudden and unexpected." The Ireland-born film and TV star had recovered from a rare and aggressive blood cancer just this year, revealing in April he was cancer-free. His cause of death was not released.

Stefon Diggs' male sexual assault accuser, Chris Griffith, is firing back at Cardi B after she cast doubt on his allegations against her on-again, off-again boyfriend.

Cardi went off on Chris in a social media barrage Tuesday … claiming he's changed his story about Stefon multiple times. She alleged his initial story did not include any claim of Stefon taking his penis out in front of him … but that ended up as a claim in his lawsuit. 

She said she hated how she was defending Stefon, who she was currently beefing with. Cardi said she was upset because she didn't believe Chris' claims against her baby daddy ... but Chris told her to "take off the blinders."

The investigation into assault allegations made against Geno Smith has been put on ice ... with officials stating there's not enough evidence to move forward with the case.

According to the incident report, obtained by TMZ Sports, Smith told Davie (FL) police he was in the shower on June 21 when he heard commotion inside his home. After he got dressed, the New York Jets quarterback said he discovered his manager/son's caretaker inside the residence without his consent ... as he had previously requested she leave his kid with his mother at a guard gate to his community.

Smith explained the woman is his employee .... and while they occasionally engage in casual sex, they are not dating or have any children together.

Smith told cops the woman then started to leave the home with a bag in her hand, and he believed his personal items were inside it ... so he followed her to her vehicle. Smith claimed the woman began to punch and push him ... and he decided to enter her car to take her laptop as "collateral to whatever was in the bag which she took."

Bill Cosby was unable to attend his deposition scheduled for June 23 and June 24 ... and the reason, according to his lawyer, is because he is no longer in good health.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Cosby's lawyer Jennifer Bonjean says her client could not proceed with his deposition due to his "disabilities, age-related health issues, and related logistical challenges that could not be avoided."

Bonjean says Cosby is "legally blind and suffers from a variety of health issues, including significant mobility limitations," which make appearing in-person for court hearings far from his home difficult.

50 Cent says his former employee's lawsuit is long on accusations and short on actual evidence ... and now he's asking a judge to throw out the case.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, 50 is asking a federal judge to toss Monique Mayers' lawsuit in its entirety ... calling it a "media stunt" packed with inflammatory and baseless allegations that have no place in court.

Mayers claims 50 fired her when she wouldn't commit crimes to protect him, but the rapper says her entire case hinges on the theory that, because random people called and texted her phone asking for "Curtis," "50," or "Fif," he must have been secretly directing a campaign of intimidation against her.

Lindsey Graham's Washington, D.C. home has been crawling with FBI agents since he died ... and, so far, there are no signs something nefarious happened ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... "There has been no new evidence to suggest any foul play."

Our sources also say Graham's death falls under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police Department, but the FBI is lending a hand.

We're told ... "MPD is the lead and FBI has offered and provided assistance, as is routine."

Mitch McConnell's proof of life photo isn't putting speculation about his health to bed ... it's keeping it on life support.

Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway are the latest high-profile voices to scrutenize the McConnell photo, with Scott flat-out saying, "I think it's fake." Kara calls the photo "sus" and argues officials should "just wheel the old man out."

The pair tackled the controversy on their "Pivot" podcast ... with Scott admitting he's "part of the tinfoil" crowd before doubling down and saying he believes the photo isn't authentic.

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kelli Potter is close to having her wages seized over an unpaid six-figure debt.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a company named ARF Financial sued Kelli and her restaurant, Nana’s Chicken-N-Waffles, in 2025 ... she failed to respond to the suit, and a default judgment was entered against her in the amount of $217,301, which grows with interest every day. 

Kelli’s creditor is firing off subpoenas to various banks to see if the 'RHOA' star has any money in accounts to seize.