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1:20 PM PT -- The Chicks just addressed Laura's death, writing ... "We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch, a founding member of The Chicks. We hold a special place in our hearts for the time we spent playing music, laughing and traveling together. Laura was a bright light…her infectious energy and humor gave a spark to the early days of our band. Laura had a gift for design, a love of all things Texas and was instrumental in the early success of the band. Her undeniable talents helped propel us beyond busking on street corners to stages all across Texas and the mid-West."

They add, "Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this sad time."

11:42 AM PT -- The Texas Dept. of Public Safety has confirmed Lynch's death, and the details thus far about how she died are absolutely tragic. Law enforcement says their preliminary investigation shows that Laura was heading east on Highway 62, and that another car heading west attempted to pass another vehicle in front of it on a two-way undivided portion of the highway.

As that car tried going around, it ended up hitting Laura's vehicle head-on... and killed her. The driver of the other vehicle was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Laura was declared dead at the scene ... and a full probe has been launched.

Laura Lynch, a founding member of The Dixie Chicks, has died after being involved in a car crash ... TMZ has learned.

The musician's cousin, Mick Lynch, tells us Laura passed away Friday outside of El Paso, TX just after sunset while driving from there to nearby Dell City -- which is about an hour and a half away going east. We're told she was traveling on a highway and got into a collision.

No other details about the exact circumstances of the accident were immediately available.

Lynch co-founded the famous music group -- now known just as The Chicks -- alongside Robin Lynn Macy, Martie Erwin and Emily Erwin back in 1989 ... serving as the upright bassist and eventually taking on the role of lead vocalist for the band.

At first, they had a bluegrass/traditional country sound ... and toward the beginning of their career, they were mostly a local Texas act that toured the area and surrounding states.

Eventually, they released their first album, "Thank Heavens for Dale Evans," in 1990 ... which didn't produce any charting singles. Ditto for their 2nd album, "Little Ol' Cowgirl," from 1992 -- although that one featured a song that got covered and got some play, "Past the Point of Rescue." It was during this period that another OG member, Robin Lynn Macy, exited.

Come '93, it was just 3 Dixie Chicks and they released yet another album, "Shouldn't a Told You That," which didn't receive much commercial success either. This was the last album Lynch contributed to before leaving the band in '95 ... when Natalie Maines replaced her.

There are different reasons cited for why Lynch left ... but it appears she was heading in a different direction big picture -- wanting to focus on family and personal matters. At any rate, in interviews since -- LL expressed no regrets about her decision, and went on to live a relatively private life. Of course, in the following years ... the Dixie Chicks caught fire.

With Maines, the sound of the band changed to become a bit more modern ... and Maines took up lead vocal duties -- with sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer staying on too. They broke through into the mainstream in '98 with "Wide Open Spaces," and took off.

Of course, the Dixie Chicks were at the center of a lot of controversy heading into the 2000s -- including their remarks on George W. Bush and the Iraq War -- and eventually ... they changed their band name too due to the racist southern undertones affiliated with the OG.

As for Laura, she married Mac Tull and had a daughter, both of whom she's survived by. She was 65.

RIP

Nick Cannon is celebrating Christmas family style ... the famous father of 12 released a bunch of photos of himself with baby mama Bre Tiesi and their 1-year-old son, Legendary.

Nick and co. posted the pictures on Instagram with one showing the star in a crisp red suit alongside beautiful Bre, sporting a red gown and holding cute little Legendary – who was also decked out in red.

In another image, Nick is planting a big kiss on the lips of Bre, a star on the reality show, "Selling Sunset." In a third snap, Legendary is mugging for the cameras by himself, clearly enjoying the spotlight just like his daddy.

Bre wrote in the caption, "Merry Christmas and happy holidays from the Cannon Boys and I."

A few of Hollywood's most famous faces were getting in some last-minute Christmas shopping from Beverly Hills to Aspen ... hitting all of the swanky stores and loading up on expensive gifts.

Mariah Carey and A$AP Rocky were photographed Friday going on their separate buying sprees in Colorado's famous ski resort town. Mariah was snapped coming out of Dior Aspen with a huge smile on her face. The iconic singer looked stunning in her tight black ensemble and cool shades.

Nearby, A$AP was rockin' a stylish RAF Simons Moncler outfit with a head mask inside Bottega Veneta. Our sources say the rapper looked at a fur coat before purchasing it and leaving the store. We're told A$AP also shopped at Prada and was in great spirits, wishing everyone Merry Christmas

In Bev Hills, rapper Gunna and his girlfriend were filmed browsing luxury items at What Goes Around Comes Around before popping over to Van Cleef & Arpels for some bling.

Timothée Chalamet did his own little shopping tour through Bev Hills, hitting up Chanel.

Not to be outdone Shawn Mendes showed he was in the Christmas spirit, going into a fancy store in West Hollywood.

A North Dakota politician put his foot square in his mouth after he went on a xenophobic and homophobic rant while he was being arrested – and filmed! – for driving drunk.

Republican lawmaker Nico Rios was cruising around the district he represents in Williston the night of December 15, when police on patrol saw his car swerving and pulled him over.

The officers walked up to Rios behind the wheel and turned on their bodyworn cameras, leading to the shocking 21-minute encounter that has now gone viral.

Check out the footage ... the cops ask a series of questions to Rios who is slurring his words and getting caught in lies, falsely claiming at one point that he doesn't have an open beer bottle in his car.

Rios also gives an expired registration to the officers, who order him out of his vehicle for a field sobriety exam.

During the test, Rios becomes agitated and starts hurling threats at the officers, accusing them of "f—king picking on me" and promising they will regret it because of who he is.

Rios then rejects a request to take a breathalyzer from one of the officers, who promptly arrests him, placing him in handcuffs.

On the ride to the police station, Rios starts antagonizing the British-born officer, poking fun at his accent and claiming his country is being overrun by "f---king migrants and refugees."

In the stationhouse, Rios makes a homophobic remark to the officer, who informs his supervisor about the litany of derogatory comments from the lawmaker.

Paris Hilton went in disguise as she shopped up a storm in Bev Hills, but with all due respect, this is ridiculous!

Paris covered her signature, long blonde locks with a black wig, which might have done the trick as she went on the hunt for XMAS presents for her growing fam.

Thing is, she was shopping with her hubby, Carter Reum, who had no disguise at all. True enough, Carter's not really famous on his own, but she is and everyone knows they're together. In fact, if Carter's shopping with a pretty brunette, that's a whole different story!

Anyway ... Paris and Carter have a lot to celebrate this year. Their son Phoenix was born in January, followed by daughter London, who was born last month.

Pete Davidson has mysteriously pulled the plug on a number of his comedy shows that extend into the new year, leaving some of his fans disappointed.

The actor/funnyman nixed his performances at NYC's Beacon Theatre Friday and Saturday night. On Friday, mere hours before he was to hit the stage, the theater fired off emails to ticketholders announcing Pete wasn't going to make it and promising full reimbursement within 30 days for each show.

According to Ticketmaster, Pete also canceled his shows scheduled for December 26 through January 4 in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Several of the venues posted messages on their websites explaining that "unforeseen circumstances" led to the cancellations.

A few fans took to social media to express their disappointment after Pete was a no-show Friday at the Beacon.

One person wrote, “Was literally about to walk out the door for the pete davidson show just to see it was canceled 2.5 hours before the show started….. rip this week is not going my way."

Another complained, “Was excited to see Pete Davidson tonight but his show just got canceled."

So far, Pete hasn't said a peep about why he scrapped the shows ... but it's no secret that he has mental health issues and sometimes enters rehab to deal with his struggles.

After suffering the loss of Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell, Mama June and the rest of her family are spending the holidays at the happiest place on earth ... and we're told Anna's remains are coming along, too.

Sources connected to the family tell TMZ ... before Anna passed, they had all spoken about spending Christmas at Disney World in Orlando, Florida -- and that plan is going forward, because the fam has rented a house in the area and will spend the week together.

We're told the family has a small urn holding some of Anna's ashes, and they're planning on bringing it with them to the rental house ... so they feel like she is there.

Our sources say Mama June, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" and her boyfriend Dralin Carswell, Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird and her family, and Anna's daughter, Kaitlyn, will all be going to the Mouse House -- we're told Anna's ex-husband, Michael, got an invite for their kid, Kylee ... but no word back on if she'll be coming, too.

Obviously, Christmas is going to be a hard one for the girls after recently losing their mother ... and while there are no plans to bring Anna's ashes to the theme park, we're told Kaitlyn plans to wear her new necklace there, which contains some of her mom's remains.

As for the gifts, Anna said before she died that she wanted to give her kids iPads, and our sources say they were already gifted the tablets -- with the family wanting to fulfill one of Anna's final wishes.

Madonna's Santa Claus taking a nasty tumble in the middle of a lap dance on stage might've looked embarrassing -- but the dude's not hurt, nor is he trippin' ... TMZ has learned.

Jerry Wise, AKA Santa Jerry, tells us he actually didn't know he was in for a lap dance during his gig at Madonna's D.C. tour stop Tuesday night, but the racy Christmas bit only failed because the chair he was sitting on couldn't handle his weight the woman's.

That said, Santa Jerry says he's fine, and his main concern in the moment was not ruining the show. He tells us he knows he had to pull it together somewhat quickly -- 'cause it was an arena performance, and there were a lot of people there for a top-tier concert.

All in all, Jerry handled it as well as he could ... and after the fact, he tells us Madge's team of doctors made sure he wasn't injured -- as did Madonna herself, which he appreciates.

As for how he even got involved with the tour in the first place -- Jerry says he's actually part of the Worldwide Santa Claus Network, and they got a call from Madonna's team hours before the show, looking for a D.C.-area Santa who could handle the spotlight.

Jonathan Majors got swift Hollywood justice after his conviction -- booted by Disney -- and Jason Oppenheim, a Jew, is taking some heat in repping antisemitic Kanye in a home sale. So we gotta ask ...

Mookie Betts is on the move, but he ain't leaving the Dodgers ... TMZ Sports has learned he's now got a giant new house to live in!!

Real estate sources tell us ... the MLB superstar just copped a $15 million pad this month in Encino -- just a few miles away from Dodger Stadium.

We're told the place is sweet ... featuring super sleek and modern lines.

Unclear of how many beds, baths and bells and whistles it all officially comes with -- though it sits on 2 acres ... so there's plenty of room for Mookie to work on his base-running skills if he wants.

Of course, Mookie's been living in L.A. for a while now -- he was traded to the City of Angels prior to the 2020 season -- though after having his second child earlier this year ... seems he was in need of an upgrade.

We're told Craig Knizek and Scott Gorelick of The Agency repped the seller ... while Morgan Trent of AKG | Christie's International Real Estate repped the baseball player in the sale.

No one does Christmas quite like Kathy Hilton, and here to join THE Mrs. Claus of Hollywood is her very own ... Nicky Hilton! Only Kathy can pull off snaggin' Santa from the North Pole, but can you catch the minor changes in these two festive pics?

The two Hilton ladies dressed to the 9s and recently hit up the Flamingo Estate and Mytheresa Gingerbread House in Los Angeles and posed with a holly jolly Santa ... Can you handle the switch-ups? ... Don't get cold feet!

Tom Sandoval is ending the year on a high note -- or lack thereof -- following a challenging year that dominated headlines.

The "Vanderpump Rules" star is belting away his dramas during a festive spot of karaoke at the Foxfire Room in Valley Village, CA ... where he attended with some pals.

The reality star appears engrossed in his performance ... treatin' onlookers to his special rendition of Billy Ocean's "Loverboy."

Tom had undoubtedly depended on music more than ever this year after finding himself at the center of arguably the biggest celeb controversy of the year ... tagged #Scandoval by 'VPR' fans when TMZ first broke the story in March.

Weeks after it emerged he'd been cheating on longtime GF Ariana Madix with costar Rachel Leviss ... he distracted himself from the venom with a slew of gigs with his band, The Most Extras.

No Shave November has come and gone, but don't fret because 'Decembeard' is here and we're taking a look at some of your top celebs ... and with that comes one hairy question: Are these famous faces better off with a buzz or a little fuzz?

On the field Travis Kelce may look tough and buff, but do you prefer him smooth shavin' or sportin' some scruff?

Up next is John Legend whose facial hair has definitely grown on his fans, but does "All Of Me You" prefer him buzzed or fuzzed?

And, of course we gotta ask about this handsome fella ... Ricky Martin who either comes with a full beard OR he's "Shavin La Vida Loca!" He's always got the moves but which facial hair trend are you gettin' down with?

Tori Spelling says she's taken on a challenging task this holiday season, as the time for buying gifts is runnin' thin ... something she calls "single mom Christmas."

The actress posted on social media Friday, saying she's got 5 Xmas lists to knock out, with only 3 days left until the big day -- pointing out a nightmare for some gift-givers ... "Missed the Amazon Prime cutoff."

She says she now has no choice but to "brave the mall alone" ... adding, "Crushing this single mom Christmas."

As we reported, her ex-husband, Dean McDermott, posted about their breakup back in June ... saying they both decided to split and "start a new journey of our own." He took the post down but was still moving forward with the divorce.

Remember, there was speculation that Tori and her kids moved into an RV after they were spotted outside of a mobile home when she and Dean parted ways ... and they also briefly stayed in a motel after her place had a bunch of mold.

She's also ended up in the hospital, so it seemed to be a bit of a rough patch for her ... but Tori claimed in July that she's actually better on her own.

Ali Wong is looking to start the new year off as a single woman… because the comedian just filed for divorce from Justin Hakuta.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Ali filed Friday in Beverly Hills, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.

The date of separation is listed as April 10, 2022 ... which, as you'll recall, is just days before they announced their separation online.

Ali and Justin share two daughters together, who are 8 and 6 years old -- and Ali is seeking joint legal and physical custody.

In terms of spousal support and divvying up assets, the docs say Ali and Justin are currently in mediation ... and the intention is to resolve any issues themselves. Ali says the couple had a prenup, which she is now asking the court to enforce.

The 2 met at a wedding in 2010 and tied the knot 4 years later. During their 8-year marriage, Ali has become a huge star in the world of comedy, while Justin made a name for himself as an entrepreneur -- most notably as the former VP for GoodRx.

Kourtney Kardashian & Travis Barker are finally introducing baby Rocky to the world ... showing folks online a glimpse of their adorable new baby.

Rocky made his social media debut Friday in a set of pics posted by the happy parents -- the caption is simply the kiddo's name but hey, that's exactly what folks have been waiting to see!

Kourt & Travis hid Rocky's face throughout the cute photo shoot ... Travis gave Rocky a big smooch on the forehead, and Kourtney breastfeeds him. They even show off his adorable little feet, too.

BTW, the comments have been an outpour of love for the new addition to the fam -- as well as loads of shock coming from people waiting to see Rocky for the first time.

As we reported, Kourtney had baby Rocky last month at a hospital in Los Angeles -- following folks like Travis and Kylie Jenner popping up at the facility.

The happy couple was spotted jetting out of the hospital a few days later, although it's unclear exactly when the baby was born.