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Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson says his heart is broken ... because his wife of 28 years has tragically died.

Brian just announced the death of his spouse, Melinda Kae Ledbetter Wilson ... and their kids say she died peacefully Monday at home. An official cause of death is unknown... and the exact circumstances surrounding her death haven't been revealed either.

In a heartfelt Instagram post, Brian says ... "Melinda was more than my wife. She was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career."

Brian continues ... "She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart. She was my anchor. She was everything for us."

The couple adopted five children together and Brian says they are all in tears and are lost.

Brian and Melinda first met way back in 1986 when she sold him a Cadillac ... dating on and off for a couple years until rekindling their romance in 1992 and getting hitched in 1995 at Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

Their relationship even inspired a biopic ... 2014's "Love & Mercy" starring John Cusack as Brian and Elizabeth Banks as Melinda.

Briana and Melinda's kids are remembering her as "a force of nature and one of the strongest women you could come by. She was not only a model, our fathers savior, and a mother, she was a woman empowered by her spirit with a mission to better everyone she touched."

They say she taught them lasting lessons, like ... "How to take care of the person next to you with out expecting anything in return, how to find beauty in the darkest of places, and how to live life as your truest self with honesty and pride."

Melinda was 77.

Chrisean Rock showed off some fresh ink last week that bared the mug of her on-and-off boyfriend, Blueface, and while some thought it wasn't real ... we're being told otherwise.

The owner of the Lakimii Tattoo Shop in WeHo -- where Chrisean got this job done -- tells us the reality star came by for this new face tat last Saturday ... and while they normally have a policy against needling up someone's face, they made an exception for Chrisean.

We're told this work took about 4 hours in total to complete ... which is evident in how detailed and elaborate it is. No word on whether they charged her or not -- but the owner, Timo, tells us they've done tats for her in the past ... so they're familiar with her as a client.

Anyway ... you can take a look at the tattoo in more detail here. While there've been some who've believed this may have been a henna thing ... Timo insists it's the real McCoy.

It certainly looks like it could be based on what we're seeing -- you can see her pores opened up, and the ink filling them. Plus, her head is slightly shaved around the area in question -- which is a telltale sign that a tattoo is about to take place.

There's a handful of folks who are still skeptical about whether this is fake -- but from the looks of it, Chrisean appears to have gotten blasted again ... this after re-devoting herself to Blueface, who's currently behind bars on a probation violation in L.A.

She certainly seems happy waiting for him to be released ... and we know Lakimii is also stoked. They tell us business has booming for them ever since the ink job they did for her.

And get this ... we're told Blue himself apparently has plans to come and get some fresh ink as well. No word on when exactly that might happen -- he could be locked up for a while.

Rachel Leviss plans to keep tabs on the new season of "Vanderpump Rules" ... not 'cause she's a fan, but more so ... because she wants to see how they're gonna talk about her.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Rachel will, in fact, be tuning in to watch the season 11 premiere Tuesday night -- not just that, but we're told she'll actually keep up with the show as it rolls along in the coming months without her.

We're told Rachel intends to use her iHeartRadio podcast, "Rachel Goes Rogue," as a platform to respond to how she is mentioned and portrayed on 'VPR' ... depending on what is said, and if she feels she needs to set the record straight.

Rachel's not alone here, BTW ... 'VPR' fans are very much interested in how Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix and the rest of the cast deal with her abrupt exit following the Scandoval, which went down at the end of last season.

Remember ... Rachel and Tom got dragged across the coals at the reunion. As part of the affair fallout, Rachel went off to a mental health facility in Arizona and ultimately decided to leave the Bravo reality show.

Now, while Rachel will be talking 'VPR' on her podcast from time to time, our sources are adamant it's NOT going to turn into some general, weekly recap of the world she left behind.

Fact is ... Rachel's podcast is doing very well on its own already, so she doesn't need 'Vanderpump' to keep it relevant. She will, however, chime in as she sees fit.

Rachel normally spends most of her time on the podcast talking about her mental health journey and the impact the show, its cast and the Scandoval had on her ... and we're told the reception has been strong and 'RGR' hovers around the top of various podcast rankings.

Megan Thee Stallion's beef with Nicki Minaj has taken an ugly turn -- cops are getting involved to protect her late mother's gravesite, this after doxxing by her arch-rival's fandom.

The Texas cemetery where Megan's mom, Holly Thomas, was laid to rest after passing away from brain cancer in 2019 -- tells TMZ ... they've notified local authorities and increased security personnel at their facility in light of the escalating feud.

What's more ... we're told PSC will continue to monitor the situation as they take all matters regarding safety and security seriously -- and lately, things have been getting too real.

They do add ... as of yet, thankfully nothing has happened to the gravesite, but they emphasize they're on high alert regardless.

The extra precautions come after some of Nicki's "Barbz" -- AKA, her army of fiercely loyal supporters -- first leaked the location of Holly's burial site on social media ... encouraging others to go and desecrate her grave as a way to get back at MTS for her OG diss.

It all kicked off last week when Nicki distastefully cracked a joke about MTS' mother on the streaming platform Stationhead. Her exact line at the time was ... "You better go conjure up your mother and apologize. That's disgusting." It seems some of her fans took that to heart.

No doubt, ya gotta figure that was particularly heartbreaking for Megan to hear ... as she's been super candid and emotional over the years about her mother's influence in her life.

Megan has also been very open about what the loss of her mom has meant to her -- and by all accounts, it's been very difficult ... something that's been well-documented and discussed.

Now, Nicki did later explain that she only took the shot at Meg's mom cause MTS was coming after her own family. In particular, MTS seemed to reference Nicki's husband, Kenneth Petty, in her new track "Hiss" -- making a "Megan's Law" reference that many interpreted as shade toward Petty's legal trouble.

So, tit for tat really ... many felt Nicki had just gone too far, and doubly so for any one of her supporters who was seriously considering heading over to Holly's grave.

Riley Keough is trying to fight off a debt collector from across the pond, which she claims wants her to cough up a lot of money for a house her late mother owned ... but Riley's pushing back.

Lisa Marie Presley's eldest child -- who's now in charge of the trust left behind after her mom's death last year -- just filed new legal docs asking for a judge to declare she's not on the hook for a fat tab that a bank is attempting to collect from the trust.

In the filing, obtained by TMZ, Riley notes this all has to do with an estate in Rotherfield called Coes Hall -- an 11-bedroom property that LMP brought back in 2010 ... and which she secured with a loan from Barclays Bank.

To make it simple ... Barclays is claiming Lisa owed an outstanding balance of about $1.6 million on Coes Hall -- and the bank claims Lisa personally guaranteed payment when she took out the loan. In the wake of her death, though, Barclays is trying to have the trust pick up the tab for the personal guarantee.

But RK is calling BS ... in her paperwork, she says there are at least 2 reasons why she shouldn't have to pay the debt -- for starters, she says a key statute of limitations has run.

Riley claims Barclays had a deadline to file any kind of claim on this -- namely, Jan. 12, 2024 ... the 1-year anniversary of Lisa's death ... which has come and gone without the bank filing legal papers. She also claims Lisa only guaranteed interest payments on the loan between 2010 and 2015, so the trust shouldn't have to pay down the outstanding principal.

11:15 AM -- Travis expressed his disappointment over not being able to jet to L.A. for the awards show ... saying on "The Pat McAfee Show" he wishes he could go and "watch her win every single award that she's nominated for" -- but his day job simply won't allow it.

Just like we reported, Travis explained he will be traveling to Sin City on Sunday -- the same day of the Grammys -- and while he'll be supporting in spirit, he'll have to be with the team as they focus on bringing a Lombardi Trophy back to Kansas City.

Taylor Swift's been showing up to her boo Travis Kelce's games to cheer him on ... but he won't be returning the favor during her big night at the Grammys -- but for good reason.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the Kansas City Chiefs tight end will actually be arriving in Vegas the same weekend as music's biggest night ... where he and the team will be on a strict schedule ahead of squaring up to the 49ers for the Super Bowl.

This kills any hope from Swifties that TK would show up as Taylor's plus-one at the Grammys -- as they all realized his spot in the SB meant he'd no longer play in the Pro Bowl the same day ... and would therefore technically be free to hit up the Grammys with Tay Tay.

Alas, it ain't gonna happen -- our sources say there's no chance Travis shows up in L.A. this weekend. So, it looks like Taylor's gotta find company elsewhere or even ride solo for the glam evening this weekend. ... where she's up for 6 awards.

Of course, the conflict in their schedule doesn't signal any trouble in paradise between the pair ... remember, he just dropped the L-bomb after the Chiefs earned their way to the Super Bowl following a 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. AKA, they're doing just fine.

While TK's been soaking up Taylor's PDA-packed show of support lately, many NFL'ers haven't ... blasting the singer for making the games about her -- even though she has no control over the stadium cameras ... something both he and she have made abundantly clear.

For his part, Travis is totally aware of the venom directed at his woman ... telling off-field reporters days ahead of the AFC Championship Game they frequently discuss blocking out all of the "outside noise."

Fortunately for him, he won't have to hear any of it on a huge showbiz stage -- his mind's strictly focused on football right now ... and his GF's more than capable of handling her business in the spotlight.

2:42 PM PT -- Kroy Biermann's attorney, Marlys A. Bergstrom, tells TMZ ... her client denies the claims Kim Zolciak made to police earlier this month, adding "it's not true."

Kim Zolciak went running to cops earlier this month to accuse her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, of looting her expensive crap and trying to sell it ... and it's all on video.

TMZ has obtained police body cam footage that was recorded a little over 2 weeks ago -- when KZ went to the police station to file a report claiming Kroy had taken a ton of her stuff hostage over the past year or so and then tried to sell some of it.

It's a little convoluted, and you can tell 'cause even the cop Kim's talking to doesn't seem to understand what it is she's reporting -- but eventually, she spells it out ... claiming Kroy confiscated some items of hers (jewelry and purses, it seems), stashed them away in a safe and eventually sold at least one of those things for cash -- that's what she's alleging anyway.

In Kim's mind, this constitutes theft .. which is why she was here at the Alpharetta Police Dept. to lodge her complaint. She tells the officer that the many things Kroy allegedly took from her are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The officer ends up asking for an itemized list of the property she claims he stole -- but in the end, the officer basically tells her this isn't something the cops can do much about.

He tells Kim that the property she's describing sounds like they may be shared marital assets -- and since their divorce is still ongoing ... he makes it seem like there isn't much cops can do. Translation: deal with it in divorce court.

Another interesting tidbit here ... Kim claims she's attempted to retrieve some other personal belongings of hers from their bedroom at their mansion -- but alleges that Kroy's bolted the door shut, and that she can't get in there.

The officer explains steps she can take to address that situation ... and then sends her on her way.

Basically ... these two are still fighting, and from the sounds of it -- they ain't sleeping together right now, which we know has flip-flopped over the course of this nasty divorce.

This is just the latest salvo in this saga ... more to come later, we're sure. BTW, we've reached out to Kroy's team for comment ... so far no word back.

E. Jean Carroll's daydreaming about a shopping spree funded with $83.3 million of Donald Trump's money ... or, at least, that's the joking thought that came to mind after her heavily publicized trial.

Carroll bantered Tuesday on MSNBC about furthering women's rights ... by splurging on a whole new wardrobe and new shoes while chatting with Rachel Maddow -- and even asked the host if she'd like a brand new penthouse!

Maddow awkwardly shook her head, rebuffing any lavish gifts from Trump's money ... even if it was in the name of female empowerment, as Carroll put it.

The light-hearted exchange raised eyebrows ... especially with Carroll's lawyer, who uncomfortably clarified her client's spending spree was entirely a joke.

Too late ... as some unamused viewers are criticizing Carroll for her "toxic feminism" and making light of the justice system

Others online branded her "disgusting" for making a mockery out of the American justice system -- some even said it was a slap in the face to other victims.

Chita Rivera -- a pioneering Tony-winning Broadway star and the first Latina recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor -- has died.

The tragic news was confirmed by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, who said she passed away in New York following a brief illness.

Born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson, Chita famously forged a path for Latina artists ... becoming the first person to play Anita in "West Side Story" in 1957 and Velma Kelly in "Chicago."

She earned a staggering 10 Tony nominations during six decades on stage ... bagging the Best Actress in a Musical award for both "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and "The Rink."

Chita also starred in Broadway productions of "Threepenny Opera," "Kiss Me Kate," and "Sweet Charity," among many others.

Most recently, she was dancing onstage in the 2015 production of "The Visit" ... telling AP at the time she didn't know what she'd do if she wasn't moving, telling a story, or singing a song -- adding performance was "the spirit of my life."

Chita was also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and became a NY Times bestseller in 2023 with the release of her book, "Chita: A Memoir."

She's survived by her daughter Lisa Mordente, siblings Julio, Armando, and Lola del Rivero, and her many nieces and nephews.

Her rep, Merle Frimark, revealed in a statement her funeral would be private and a memorial service would be announced in due course.

Chita was 91.

Snoop Dogg's daughter is in a far better place than she was a couple weeks ago when she suffered a stroke ... in fact, she's showing all the signs of a major comeback, getting in some exercise and some QT with Dad!!!

On Monday, Cori Broadus posted a vid of herself walking down the street basking in the sun -- a far cry from the alarming messages she posted earlier in January while she was hospitalized.

The 24-year-old influencer told her fans she wasn't sure she'd recover ... her blood pressure had spiked to high levels, but doctors and nurses got her on the path to recovery.

Later in the day, she joined her father at Charlie Wilson's 71st birthday bash -- the perfect cherry on top after the Gap Band singer received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cori was well enough to gangsta boogie along with her dad's performance -- where he performed "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" holding down his and Tupac Shakur's verses!!!

Another fun moment for Snoop happened when he was unexpectedly reunited with his long-lost Nate Dogg tribute jacket ... which journalist Jake Rohn now owns.

Richard Simmons seems to be showing signs of a potential comeback, 'cause he's getting back to putting out positive messages ... and his latest offering is about tuning out the bullies.

The reclusive fitness guru posted an uplifting message on his Facebook page Tuesday, saying ... "For as long as I can remember, people have made fun of me. And people still to this day make fun of me. But you know what? I am glad to be me! And you should be glad that you are you."

Richard says music helps boost his confidence and ignore the naysayers ... and he's recommending three songs from back in the day. Seems Richard is a big Gloria Gaynor fan ... because he says two songs he often listens to are her classic hits "I Will Survive" and "I Am What I Am."

Another tune Richard recommends comes from the soundtrack for "The Greatest Showman" ... with the full cast singing, "This Is Me."

Richard's always been about helping people, and it got to the point back in the day where he basically could not turn anyone down. That seems to be what he's alluding to in these recent posts of his.

RS ultimately disappeared from the spotlight and has been laying low for years, but his recent FB activity seems to be a sign he's getting closer to being back in the public eye.

Richard's been way more active on FB recently, which lines up with Pauly Shore portraying him in a new short film, "The Court Jester," and developing an upcoming biopic ... which Richard may finally be coming around on.

Before Pauly's projects, Richard only had one FB post in all of 2023 ... and he didn't post a lot in 2022 either until our TMZ documentary on his life and his disappearance.

Richard's still got a lot of fans out there ... and while it might feel like we might be hearing (or even seeing) more from him going forward -- we've learned that's not the case. A source directly connected to Richard tells TMZ ... "after all the Pauly news, Richard wanted his fans to know he's doing well and that he appreciates their support."

The Jackie Robinson statue that was stolen from outside a youth baseball park last week has been located ... but unfortunately for fans of the beloved tribute, it was found destroyed beyond repair.

Officials in Wichita, Kansas shared the sad news on Tuesday ... saying the fire department received a call around 8:40 AM for a trash fire at a local park. Once the flames were extinguished, firefighters discovered pieces of bronze in the rubble, which turned out to be from the statue.

It was determined the Robinson figure -- which stood outside League 42's McAdams Park for years -- was not salvageable.

City officials are already planning on making things right again for the community ... with council member Brandon Johnson saying in a press conference he will ensure a replica statue will stand outside the ballpark again.

"We will continue to invest in this community, and this tragic incident will not remove that hope that we all have for the area," Johnson said.

As we previously reported, the Robinson statue was taken early Thursday morning after someone cut it at the ankles and hauled it off in a truck.

No arrests have been made at this time ... but officials are calling on anyone with information to come forward.

Leonardo DiCaprio is getting right back to work on a new movie -- which makes sense, we suppose, since his Oscar campaign is finally done ... with nothing to show for it this year.

TMZ has obtained video of the actor on set Monday in Northern California, where he was in full-blown costume, makeup and character as he and Paul Thomas Anderson's crew shot a scene with at least a few different takes ... and LDC going all out while cameras were rolling.

As you can see here, Leo is taking on quite a different character than what he might normally do -- lately, the guy's been playing more historical figures in period pieces (see "Killers of the Flower Moon," "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood," etc.).

Here, Leo looks like more of a modern down-on-his-luck dude in a setting that looks like present day. In fact, he comes across as kinda homely ... and rough around the edges.

He even puts his acting chops on display in our video ... yelling into the receiver at a payphone, slamming it and slumping down with a lot of emotion. Dude's very in his element.

No word yet on what the plot of this film might be -- it's being kept under wraps for now -- but we do know who else will eventually join Leo as the production continues ... Sean Penn and Regina Hall have also been tapped to star, so it's a solid cast in the mix here.

An eyewitness also tells us that it appears that the fictional town PTA and co. are trying to create might be called Baktin Cross ... 'cause the cop cars that pass feature that signage.

It's all still shrouded in mystery -- but knowing PTA's style, this looks to be shaping up in the vein of "Licorice Pizza," "Boogie Nights," "Inherent Vice," "Punch-Drunk Love" or even "Magnolia." Speaking of 'BN,' fun fact ... Paul has publicly said he wanted Leo for that lead role, but wasn't able to land him, going with Mark Wahlberg instead. LDC was the one who got away!

Now, he's finally got his chance to work with Leo ... and so far, it appears they're making magic onscreen. It's also not lost on us that PTA has gotten tons of actors nominated at the Oscars over the years ... including Tom Cruise, Joaquin Phoenix, Julianne Moore and others.

Seeing how Leo missed out this year for his Martin Scorsese flick, maybe he wants another bite at the apple with Paul. Based on what we see here ... the homeboy's coming for that statuette.

Tom Sandoval is ripping Ariana Madix for trying to force the sale of their shared house -- 'cause he says he's provided a reasonable alternative ... buying her out with a fair price.

The "Vanderpump Rules" star spilled a little alleged tea about what he says is the real story about this house of theirs that Ariana wants to unload -- the same one they bought together, and where they lived for a long time before their nasty breakup last year.

TS went onto Nick Viall's podcast this week and told his side of the story -- basically, he claims Ariana is being petty ... insisting he's made a cash offer of $3.1 million to keep it for himself.

Tom explains that they purchased this house for significantly cheaper than what he's offering her right now -- so her turning it down, in his mind, is just her continuing to throw a fit about the affair. TS also claims she's hardly there and that she hasn't paid a single bill in months.

TMZ broke the story ... Ariana sued Tom earlier this month in an effort to force a sale of their home, which they bought together back in 2019 for around $2 million.

But now, Tom's firing back, saying ... she's doing the equivalent of flipping a Monopoly board when somebody's losing. That's exactly how he frames it ... likening her to a little girl pouting.

It's interesting ... Tom agrees with Nick here -- who says he can understand where Ariana is coming from, and why she would just want to sell the place without letting him have it.

With that said ... Tom thinks she's just being spiteful for spite's sake. Clearly, he wants this place on his own -- and his cash offer does sound pretty sweet.

Seems like they're both digging in their heels and gearing up for a big fight over the house.

Christian Bale is known for his extreme on-screen body transformations -- but for his 50th birthday, the dude's reached a great middle-ground ... looking super ripped and toned.

The Oscar-winning actor was photographed Monday ringing in the big 5-0 down in Mexico -- Cabo, to be specific -- and like we said ... the guy was definitely ready to show off his huge guns for the cameras, 'cause he was hanging out on the balcony without a shirt on.

He was also wearing a towel around his waist at one point too ... big-time thirst trap vibes.

Eventually, CB popped on a top, hat, and shades to shield himself from the rays ... making his way down to a beach with his wife, Sibi Blažić, and their nine-year-old son Joseph. We'll say this about him ... even when clothed, Christian puts other dad bods to shame.

Christian and Sibi are also parents to daughter Emmeline, 18 ... although, she didn't appear to be on the family getaway here.

The Hollywood actor is clearly making the most of his downtime after taking a bit of a breather on the career front -- his only 2023 credit was voiceover work for "The Boy and the Heron" ... and he currently has nothing in the pipeline this year.

Granted, he's still one of the most prolific actors working today -- and he's still killing it at this point in his career. He can most certainly afford to take a break from on-camera work.

Lucky for us (and everyone else) ... he's right here putting on another type of show, no general admission tickets needed either.

A racehorse tested positive for meth after a winning run in Ohio ... and the trainer's slap-on-the-wrist punishment has pissed off PETA, who is now demanding he be banned.

The horse, Gardys Legacy A, was given a blood test after winning a race at the MGM Northfield Park on September 3 ... and it came back positive for D-methamphetamine, a Class 1 Category A offense according to the U.S. Trotting Association.

Following the positive result, the Ohio State Racing Commission suspended trainer Samuel Schillaci for one year ... and ordered him to pay a $1k fine.

The Standardbred was also disqualified ... and the $4,500 winnings were returned.

That punishment clearly wasn't enough for PETA, the largest animal rights organization in the world, who are now calling on Schillaci to be permanently banned from the sport.

"This small administrative fine and suspension aren’t commensurate with such a serious violation," PETA's Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said on Monday.

"Administering meth endangers a horse’s life, and trainers who treat a horse so callously will do the same to others, too. The commission should consider not only the safety of Gardys Legacy A but also that of all the other horses in Schillaci’s barn."

"Those who demonstrate such cruelty even one time show a clear disregard for the regulations and shouldn’t be granted the privilege of competing in your state ever again."

Guillermo added, "By permanently barring Schillaci from competing in Ohio, you would create a safer environment for all participants."

Unfortunately for PETA, the OSRC told FOX 8 in Cleveland that "the judges gave the maximum penalty allowed by law."