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Former child star Evan Ellingson's official cause of death has been revealed ... and fentanyl is to blame.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department finished its investigation, telling TMZ the late actor died from an accidental fentanyl overdose.

We broke the story ... Evan was found dead Nov. 5 at a sober-living home in San Bernardino County, officials said there was no foul play involved and law enforcement found drug paraphernalia at the scene.

Cops looked at the case as a possible OD ... and Ellingson's autopsy and toxicology report revealed fentanyl as the culprit.

While Ellingson struggled with drugs in the past, his father Michael told us he was doing better as of late.

Evan is best remembered starring opposite Cameron Diaz in the 2009 movie, "My Sister's Keeper," where he plays her teenage son. Ellingson was also famous for his recurring role as Kyle Harmon on "CSI: Miami" ... appearing in 18 episodes over 3 years.

Tina Knowles is defending Beyoncé in the face of accusations the singer is lightening her skin and hair to look white ... saying she's had enough of the negative narratives.

Beyoncé's mom sounded off Tuesday on social media, reacting to scores of online fan comments questioning her daughter's look at Saturday's premiere of her "Renaissance" movie.

Tina's referencing fan comments on Beyoncé's platinum blonde hair and skin color -- some comments even accused her of bleaching her skin.

Tina says those accusations are stupid, ignorant, self-hating and racist ... and she says it's sad that some Black people "continue with the stupid narrative with hate and jealousy."

Beyoncé's mom says her daughter "wore silver hair to match her silver dress as a fashion statement" ... pointing out the theme for the movie premiere, and the whole "Renaissance" tour, was silver.

Tina says the folks accusing Beyoncé of trying to look white are nothing but clowns, losers, bozos and "sad little haters" who are just jealous.

She even mentions she's upset with TMZ because we reached out to Beyoncé's hairstylist to see if they had a comment about what fans were saying about her look at the premiere.

Tina says Black celebrities have been wearing platinum hair since Etta James way back in the day, adding ... "I just went and looked at all the beautiful talented black celebrities who have worn platinum hair and it has been just about everyone of them at one time or another. Are they all trying to be white?"

Bottom line ... Ms. Tina is sick and tired of people attacking her daughter, and reached her boiling point -- feeling the need to speak out despite knowing Beyoncé "is going to be pissed at me for doing this."

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's financial situation is so dire the family is turning to trick pregnancy announcements involving Brielle Biermann as a way to make money.

Here's the deal ... in a social media post, Kim strongly suggested daughter Brielle was pregnant, sharing a sonogram and saying she was "SO EXCITED TO BE A GRANDMA."

Kim turned comments off on the post and it links back to a clickbait news article reading, "Oh baby! Brielle Biermann spilled to us about having kids and how she feels about her mom Kim Zolciak becoming a grandma."

Turns out, it's all bogus and just a way for Kim to make a quick buck.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Brielle isn't actually pregnant despite Kim's post suggesting otherwise, and Kim is getting a financial kickback from the clickbait article.

Kim and Kroy's financial struggles have been well documented ... starting with the alleged $1 million they owe the IRS and various lawsuits against them for unpaid bills.

As we first told you ... earlier this month Kim was sued by Bank of America for over $50K in credit card debt. Kim was also sued in August by SAKS/CAPITAL ONE for failing to pay a $156K credit card bill.

The mother and friend of George Obregon Jr., the Nardo Wick fan hospitalized following a disgusting attack carried out by Nardo's entourage, saying the whole thing has left them sick and almost speechless.

Michelle Obregon, George's mom, gave an update on her 20-year-old son's condition -- telling TMZ he's currently stable -- but doctors are fully monitoring him to assess if there'll be any long-term damage.

George's pal Connor Villa, who also attended the concert, tells us he was just a few feet behind his buddy when the vicious attack occurred.

He says Nardo's team gave them a peculiar look as they walked over with their phones up after exiting the club ... before unleashing the assault "out of nowhere" when George asked for a snap together.

Connor adds he was stunned when another member of the entourage continued to strike George after the first swing left him knocked out, leaning against the wall and unresponsive.

Connor tells us resorting to physical violence over a simple request for a picture was utterly ridiculous and should never have happened.

While George is now alert and talking ... Michelle says he hasn't gone into too much detail about the incident and doesn't remember much.

The devastated mother adds she had "no words to say" when watching the clip of the attack ... with her main priority being her son's health -- and ensuring that no other parents have to receive the devastating phone call she experienced.

There's a new Harvard course covering all things Taylor Swift -- and yes, that means her relationships, including her Mr. Right Now, Travis Kelce ... so says the professor who's teaching the class.

One of Harvard's English professors, Stephanie Burt, joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to discuss the class she'll be heading up next semester called 'Taylor Swift and Her World' -- which she made very clear will put an emphasis on the literary merit behind T-Swift's art.

It's obvious from the video, but Prof. Burt is a self-professed Swiftie, but says that's not the reason she's teaching this course. As she explains to us, Taylor's work/fandom are very much worthy of study.

In fact, because her personal life is so tied into her songwriting, that means who she dates will get some attention in this class. However, Prof. Burt notes they probably won't spend so much time on Trav ... mostly because she hasn't written a song about him just yet.

If history's any indication ... she might have to break up with him first for that to happen. 😅

Anyway, Harvard ain't the only higher-ed institution that's doing this for TayTay, for what it's worth ... the University of Florida is also introducing a Taylor-centric course of their own very soon -- and Arizona State already has one too. Indeed, academia hearts Taylor!

And, if it wasn't obvious already ... there's a ton of interest in this new Harvard course. As Professor Burt tells us, there are already hundreds of people who've signed up for the Spring.

Al Pacino's getting zero pressure to get hitched to the mother of his infant son -- not from her, anyway -- because Noor Alfallah tells us she's just not big on the institution of marriage.

We got the legendary actor's girlfriend in Bevy Hills and asked how things are going with Al.

Noor says she loves him, but they're not discussing holy matrimony on the heels of having a baby boy together -- she explains it's not a hot topic for the couple because, "I'm not the marrying type."

TMZ broke the story ... Al and Noor are still together after hammering out a child support and child custody agreement for their baby boy, Roman, which calls for Al to fork over $30k per month.

Al's a father again at 83 years old, Noor is about to turn 30 and Roman was just born in June -- but, according to Noor, none of those numbers add up to Pacino's first marriage.

9:51 AM PT -- A spokesperson for Tampa Police tells us they're asking the public to help identify the attackers ... adding the victim is in critical, but stable condition. Anyone with info is asked to reach out to Tampa Police.

A Nardo Wick fan got much more than he bargained for after asking for a photo with the rapper, as Nardo's entourage unleashed a brutal attack ... leaving the fan hospitalized and the incident under police investigation.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ the 20-year-old fan attended the NW show Sunday night at Club Skye in Tampa, and spotted Nardo leaving the venue around 1:15 AM.

That's where video, obtained by TMZ, picks up ... you can see the fan approach Nardo and his team for what we're told was to get a photo. Then, without warning, a member of Nardo's team sucker punches the young fan ... knocking his head against a concrete wall.

Unable to move, the fan seems stunned ... and that's when another member of NW's entourage punches the fan again, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head on the pavement.

The attack is cowardly, and Nardo -- wearing the white shirt near the rear of the SUV -- appears to try to get his guys to relax ... but the effort proves useless.

As for the fan, we're told he was taken to a local hospital where he was allegedly treated for a severe concussion, and there's some spots where he's hemorrhaging. Our sources say it's currently unclear if there will be any long-term damage ... only time will tell.

We reached out to a rep for Nardo Wick ... so far, no word back.

Step aside beer bongs and Bentleys ... Post Malone just combined two more of his favorite things -- the Dallas Cowboys and cool clothes -- into a winning combination ... helping his beloved squad with a sweet, new merch line!!

The "Better Now" crooner officially debuted the Cowboys-approved items this week ... after collabing with Cheatin Snakes designer Grant Kratzer.

The clothing line features 22 pieces in total ... and includes tees, jackets, sweatshirts, shorts and more.

All of the items have a unique blend of Dallas Cowboys logos as well as imagery associated with Post -- and fans will be able to officially get their hands on them later this week through live stream platform NTWRK.

Cowboys players, of course, already got an early look at the swag ... and Dak Prescott -- as well as some of his other high-profile teammates -- were clearly fans of it all.

The gear will range from $40 to $168 ... and when Post -- who's already partnered with his favorite team earlier this year to make a Cowboys-themed Raising Cane's restaurant -- was asked for his opinion on it all, he fittingly had just one quote ...

Tyler Cameron knows a thing or 2 about dating -- his 'Bachelorette' run proved that -- and based on how popular the 'Golden Bachelor' is, he now seems open to trying his luck with older women.

We talked to the reality TV star at LAX, and asked what he made of the fact so many people are taken by Gerry Turner's TV journey as a senior citizen trying to find love in his sunset years ... and Tyler tells us it's a reflection of dating trends these days.

Watch ... he says there's been an upswing of young bachelors dating up in age lately, and he thinks it's great ABC is finally putting a spotlight on that for the mainstream.

He doesn't really indicate whether he would necessarily be interested in wooing an older woman, but he does appear to be cosigning on the value of seeking wisdom/experience beyond mere beauty -- something to which the 'Bachelor' franchises have been known to fall victim.

That's not to say the seniors can't be fun themselves ... Tyler even says 'Bachelor in Paradise' producers should consider inviting some of the more "seasoned" set to the beach soon!

Diddy isn't about to let issues in his personal life take down the successes in his professional life, making the difficult decision to temporarily step aside from his role as Chairman at Revolt.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Diddy decided last week he'd make the temporary move. We're told his goal in making the decision was to not allow the accusations he's facing distract from Revolt's mission or success.

Revolt is currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary, and doing well under the leadership of CEO Detavio Samuels and Chief Brand Officer Deon Graham. We're told Diddy is not involved in the company's day-to-day.

As we reported, Diddy was quick to settle a lawsuit brought by Cassie with an amicable resolution where she accused him of sexual assault, abuse and human trafficking.

There have since been two additional lawsuits filed against Diddy ... Joi Dickerson-Neal says Diddy sexually assaulted her on camera when she was a college student back in 1991, and a Jane Doe says Diddy and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall took turns raping her and friends in either 1990 or 1991.

A rep for Diddy addressed the 2 additional lawsuits by saying, "The claims involving alleged misconduct against Mr. Combs from over 30 years ago and filed at the last minute are all completely denied and rejected by him. He recognizes this as a money grab. Because of Mr. Combs’ fame and success, he is an easy target for accusers who will falsify the truth, without conscience or consequence, for financial benefit."

The statement continues, "The New York Legislature surely did not intend or expect the Adult Survivors Act to be exploited for improper purposes. The public should be skeptical and not rush to accept these unsubstantiated allegations."

Tom Sandoval mastered the art of hide-and-seek as Scandoval erupted ... ironically finding peace thousands of miles away in New Zealand while filming for the grueling series, "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test."

The reality star tells TMZ the show was a saving grace for him ... allowing him to be away from his phone, silence the haters and zero in on the people and tasks in front of him on the show.

Barely thinking about the media circus surrounding the scandal while filming the Fox show, the "Vanderpump Rules" star adds his situation was just a blip compared to his SF teammates' hardships ... with the media frenzy responsible for blowing things up when they didn't need to be.

Fresh off the show after getting the boot during Monday's episode, Tom says it felt fantastic working hard for something that wasn't related to the Ariana Madix-related controversy.

Tom's affair with costar Rachel Leviss was one of the biggest celebrity controversies of the year ... dubbed #Scandoval by 'VPR' fans after TMZ first broke the story in March.

Both ladies are living their best lives, having kicked him to the curb since the scandal erupted -- and as for Tom, he tells us he's glad filming Season 11 of 'VPR' is behind ... and he's clearly still on a redemption quest to right his wrongs.

Kroy Biermann is being dragged to court by Chase over what the bank says is more than $10,000 in credit card debt ... and Chase wants a judge to make him pay.

Kim Zolciak's hubby just got hit with a lawsuit by the banking giant -- and in the docs, obtained by TMZ, Chase is alleging he owes a total of $13,071.88 ... which the bank says is way past due.

Chase attached Kroy's credit card statements in their complaint, which show the fat balances starting to rack up since summer.

Kroy and Kim's financial issues have been well documented ... starting with the alleged seven-figure sum they owe the IRS.

As we've told you, BMW just won a case against Kroy over non-payment of a Rolls-Royce ... and just this month a judge ordered Kroy to return the $400,100 SV to the car company.

Kroy was also sued by Sky Warrior over a $52,500 gambling debt from a bad run at a casino down in the Bahamas.

The house from "A Christmas Story" apparently didn't sell to a private owner after all -- 'cause the group managing the pad just announced a new owner ... it's one of their own.

Here's the deal ... this property currently operates as a tourist attraction in Cleveland, giving people a chance to tour the place as a museum and stay overnight -- which has been the case for a while ... that is, until they announced (as a company) last year they planned to unload it.

The plan, at the time, was to sell the entire lot to somebody new ... and, presumably, that meant the new would-be owner could either continue running it as a museum, or just move in and live in it as a regular home. Remember -- there was interest from a group of the actors from the OG film, spearheaded by Yano Anaya, to snap it up and keep the ticket sales going.

After a lot of drama and back-and-forth ... it appeared Yano and a group he was working with were in line to score the place -- but now, it would seem that totally fell through.

The business page for the 'A Christmas Story House' just said they have their new "owner" ... and it's none other than their current CEO, Joshua Dickerson, who's gonna take the reins.

They write, "While the face of the company has long been the founder, Brian Jones, the true work, and performance has been borne by Mr. Dickerson behind the scenes. It seemed only fitting that he should take the final step and become an owner."

In terms of how they're framing his new "ownership," the 'Christmas Story' house folks say Josh is taking an equity stake in the company and will become its managing partner. So, in other words, he's running the show and running the house.

Whether they actually "sold" anything to him remains unclear -- last year, we were told the company selling the house (the same company Josh works for) expected to fetch around 8 figures for this place.

Of course, this is probably a bummer for Yano ... who made peace with Brian and seemed primed to inherit the property, which he thought was fitting considering his history with it.

It wasn't meant to be though ... at least not for right now.

Travis Kelce wearing a strip club shirt might raise an eyebrow for some -- but the dude isn't batting an eyelash at all ... which says a lot about how solid his relationship is with Taylor Swift.

The KC Chiefs tight end was spotted wearing a fashionable/cozy outfit after Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders ... but folks couldn't help but notice a T-shirt he was rockin' underneath his windbreaker -- with the words "Crazy Horse Las Vegas" emblazoned across the front.

Of course, Crazy Horse 3 is a popular strip club in town, and the obvious questions people started asking is: Did he visit the place ... while also dating the biggest pop star in the world???

That question remains unanswered -- Crazy Horse 3 tells TMZ, it prioritizes the privacy of guests, and "as a policy, we do not disclose or comment on the identities of individuals who choose to enjoy their time within our club." The club's rep Lindsay Feldman did confirm Travis wearing the shirt was not a paid endorsement situation.

However, the establishment isn't shying away from his plug ... the image is on its IG.

Whether or not he went, the bigger point here is ... TK isn't skittish floating the possibility he did go to a strip club.

He's one of the most famous guys in the world right now as he and Taylor continue to see each other -- and undoubtedly also understands the PR game that comes with that.

With that said ... he's clearly gonna be himself, and not try to fit into whatever perfect Taylor Swift boyfriend image others might have in mind.

Translation: The guy's comfortable in his own skin, and in his bond with TayTay.

Like we told you ... both Travis and Taylor are back together in Kansas City now after she wrapped up her Brazil shows, and they'll likely spend the rest of the holidays side by side.

Travis Scott was the ultimate relationship counselor during his show in Miami Monday night … he prevented a couple's meltdown from happening right in front of him!!!

The "Utopia" rapper halted his "Circus Maximus" tour inside the Kaseya Center -- and had the stage lights shone on the couple after telling the crowd he saw them arguing throughout the show.

Travis told them whatever they were fighting about was small, and as long as they were under his watch ... they were going to have big fun!!!

The woman was still clearly mad -- Travis had to urge her several times to stand up just to receive her man’s hug, but they eventually hugged it out. All appeared to be well, at least for the moment.

The squabbling couple weren't the only fans who benefitted from Travis' goodwill.

Later in the show, he allowed a young fan to join on the harness as they turned up to the fan favorite "Utopia" track, "I Know?"

Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert are no longer living under the same roof as their bitter divorce now plays out publicly ... something she blames squarely on her estranged husband.

Sources close to the exes tell TMZ, Teyana is incredibly disappointed and frustrated with Iman -- her husband of 7 years -- for deciding to make their identities public in a recent court filing in their divorce case.

Teyana had sought to not only protect their kids from this mess, but Iman as well ... which is why she initially filed divorce docs, back in January, using just their initials. The divorce was proceeding in private, but after his latest legal move, that privacy's completely out the window.

Teyana's attorney, Tanya Mitchell, echoed this sentiment, writing in a legal doc, "We were able to keep this divorce matter private as Ms. Taylor requested for eleven (11) months in this case prior to Mr. Shumpert's MOTION revealing the parties' legal names and making the private matter public."

She continued, "This matter would very likely still be private if Mr. Shumpert's MOTION TO SUBSTITUTE TRUE LEGAL NAMES AS REAL PARTIES IN INTEREST was not filed ..."

Our sources say Teyana and Iman are NOT living under the same roof -- though Teyana made it seem like they were on good terms in September, when she announced their separation.

In fact, we're told communication between Teyana and Iman is minimal ... and they only chat if it has to do with their 2 children. Basically, things ain't so rosy at the moment.

TMZ broke the story ... Teyana accused Iman of being a jealous spouse, with him allegedly being annoyed and aggravated with her burgeoning career, including on the acting front -- among lots of other messy allegations.