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Celebrity chef Floyd Cardoz has died because of the coronavirus ... this after checking into a hospital and succumbing to an infection, according to his family.

The "Top Chef Masters" star's death was confirmed to Indian media outlet, Scroll.in, with members of his family saying Floyd died Wednesday at a facility in New Jersey -- where he'd been getting treated upon returning from an international trip to Mumbai earlier this month.

He admitted himself after feeling feverish, and then later ... testing positive for coronavirus in New York, per Hunger Inc. -- the parent company that ran his restaurants abroad. Floyd also addressed his hospitalization on Instagram ... just a few short days ago.

Cardoz had been featured as a contestant on 'TCM' for several episodes in 2011. He also starred on "Iron Chef America," "After Hours with Daniel Boulud," "Reservations Required," "Worst Cooks in America," "Big Morning Buzz Live," as well as appearances on talk shows like 'Rachel Ray.'

Some of his fellow 'Top Chefs' paid tribute to him after hearing the news, such as Padma Lakshmi who wrote of her contemporary ... "@floydcardoz made us all so proud. Nobody who lived in NY in the early aughts could forget how delicious and packed Tabla always was. He had an impish smile, an innate need to make those around him happy, and a delicious touch. This is a huge loss..."

He was known for his Mumbai restaurants, the Bombay Canteen and O Pedro. Floyd also had restaurants in NYC.

Floyd was 59.

The coronavirus pandemic is taking lives worldwide ... and it apparently contributed to an Italian nurse taking her own life over the "heavy stress" of testing positive and possibly spreading it to others.

Daniela Trezzi -- a 34-year-old nurse who'd been treating patients at the San Gerardo Hospital in Monza in the very hard-hit region of Lombardy -- reportedly took her own life after spending a couple weeks at home sick.

She was presumably in quarantine after being diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this month, but according to reports ... she had been working in the ICU of the hospital for days before Italy went on lockdown.

Trezzi was reportedly distraught over the notion she had spread the virus to other patients she worked on before she knew she had coronavirus herself.

Her hospital's general manager said she'd been home since March 10, but was not under surveillance. Her death is under investigation.

The National Federation of Nurses in Italy expressed "pain and dismay" over Trezzi's death, saying ... "Each of us has chosen this profession for good and, unfortunately, also for bad: we are nurses."

The federation added a similar instance of a nurse suicide occurred last week in Venice due to the "stress to which our professionals are subjected."

As coronavirus wreaks havoc, celebs and companies with deep pockets are chipping in to help combat the pandemic ... and the philanthropy seems to be contagious.

Ryan Reynolds got things going by committing 30 percent of all proceeds on sales of his Aviation gin through May 1 to go to bartenders who are out of work. Shortly afterward, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul followed suit with their Dos Hombres mezcal.

Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola are donating over $1 million each to help fight the coronavirus outbreak in Spain -- while Roger Federer chipped in a mil to help the most vulnerable families in Switzerland.

Michael Jackson's estate is getting in on the action too ... donating $300k to help 3 communities that have been impacted by the virus -- $100k each to Broadway Cares, MusiCares and Three Square Food Bank in Nevada.

Gwyneth Paltrow also added $100k to Schwarzenegger's donation to the Frontline Responders Fund, and WWE star Rusev is shelling out $20k to WWE production and security staff.

On top of all this, Vice Prez Mike Pence announced huge corporations are doing their part -- like Apple donating 9 million masks -- and Yelp announced it's matching up to $1 million in donations to local businesses.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Taylor jump-started donations on Tuesday ... dropping million-dollar donations to 2 separate organizations.

Future #1 overall pick Joe Burrow is calling all Americans to listen to the experts and STAY INSIDE!!! .. and if you don't wanna listen to Joe, at least listen to his friend, Mr. Heisman.

The LSU national champ gave a PSA on the coronavirus pandemic (with his shiny, new trophy behind his shoulder) on his Twitter on Wednesday ... begging folks to follow all the precautionary procedures to stop spreading COVID-19.

"This is obviously a crazy time for everybody right now," the 23-year-old said. "I think it's more important now than ever to follow directions that the government lays out."

Burrow is asking everyone to wash their hands, self-quarantine and stay home... "so we can flatten the curve a little bit and get back to a normal life, and the only way we can do that is if we follow instructions."

"Everyone wants this to end as quickly as possible, we just have to do everything in our power to limit the spread of this and flatten the curve."

Burrow -- whose Heisman acceptance speech sparked nearly half a million dollars in donations to the Athens County Food Pantry -- is also asking those who are financially able to donate to help out if possible.

It's clear Burrow is still looking out for his home state of Ohio ... which currently has 567 reported cases of the coronavirus.

Baseball might be on hiatus ... but the greatness of Mike Trout sure as hell ain't -- he just hit a ridiculous golf trick shot while in isolation -- and the video is insane!!

The L.A. Angels superstar has been following the rules and staying away from people amid the coronavirus outbreak ... and clearly that's given him some time to become amazing with his wedge.

Check out the clip ... the 28-year-old outfielder went upstairs and hit a ping-pong ball straight into a tiny Solo cup!!

You can see by Trout's reaction ... there was no editing there, 'cause the guy went absolutely NUTS after it splashed home!!!

"#TIGERVISION," Trout wrote of the shot.

It could be a few more weeks until players get back on the diamond -- the league has suspended play indefinitely -- but stars across the MLB sure are providing us great content in the meantime.

Check out how Boston Red Sox slugger Michael Chavis is spending his time in quarantine ... dude went YARD off his girlfriend in a Wiffle ball game!!

The man who would be king has the virus ... and the Palace issued a scary warning to lots of people.

Prince Charles is displaying mild symptoms ... this according to a Buckingham Palace spokesperson.

The Prince is 71, so he's in the high-risk group. His wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, has taken the Covid-19 test and is presumably negative, because the Palace said she does not have the virus.

Both Charles and Camilla are self-quarantining at their home in Scotland, but there are still issues.

The Queen last came in contact with Charles was on March 12, so it's still problematic. The Palace didn't reveal the Queen's status ... only to say she "remains in good health."

Now, the scary part ... the Palace said, "It is not possible to ascertain from whom the Prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks." Translation ... Charles interacted with lots of people.

'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin's only daughter, Bindi Irwin, is a married woman at the age of 21 ... only she had to say "I do" in front of a limited crowd.

The Australian conservationist broke the news Wednesday with a pic of her in her wedding dress smooching her hubby, Chandler Powell, at the Australia Zoo -- same place they engaged last summer.

As excited as she clearly is to be hitched -- Bindi said a lot of their planning, spanning nearly a year, had to be scrapped last minute because of COVID-19 ... including the size of the guest list.

She says, "We’ve planned this beautiful day for nearly a year and had to change everything, as we didn’t have guests at our wedding."

Bindi goes on ... "This was a very difficult decision but important to keep everyone safe. We wish all of our friends and family could have been there with us, however it’s lovely that we will be able to share photos and videos."

Bindi says her mom, Terri, was present ... ditto her brother, Robert. She also says they lit a candle in her dad's honor. That's about it as far as friends and loved ones go ... but it's cool, 'cause the gal ends here by spreading a pretty important message.

"Right now we’re encouraging the world to hold onto hope and love, which will carry us forward during this profound time in history."

Congrats!

Costco is lining the wallets of its employees with even more money, but they won't get the loot unless they tough out the pandemic.

The chain's CEO sent out a memo to all of its employees, which reads in part ... "In recognition of your hard work during this unprecedented time, all full-time, part-time and limited part-time hourly Costco employees in the U.S. and Puerto Rico will receive an additional $2 per hour for hours worked during the five weeks of March 2 through April 5, 2020.

Sounds great, and God knows these employees are a lifeline for untold thousands of people who get food and vital supplies from the mega-store.

Here's the catch ... "The additional compensation will be paid in a lump sum in your April 17 paycheck."

Translation ... you gotta stick it out till the end and if you don't, you don't get the money.

The worst part about the Olympics being postponed?? The world has to wait another year to see the viral Tongan flag guy again. But, don't worry!! He's got a solution ...

SHIRTLESS WORKOUT VIDS!!!

Of course, skier Pita Taufatofua stole everyone's hearts at the 2016 Games opening ceremony with his chiseled, oiled body -- a Tongan tradition.

Being the caring, loving people we are over here at TMZ Sports ... we figured we'd still give y'all a bit of Pita content now that the 2020 games have moved to 2021.

As it turns out, fans can still get their Pita fix during the delay ... 'cause Taufatofua is hosting *educational* workouts while everyone's home self-quarantined ... and it's great.

"What we're doing at the moment on the Olympic Channel Instagram page, is we're doing a live workout video every night of the week," Pita tells us. "So, everyone will be able to see exactly what it is we're working on."

Brilliant idea ... props to whoever made this happen!!!

Ariana Grande has a new man in her life, and it couldn't be better-timed, because he's also her new quarantine partner ... along with her pooch.

Eagle-eyed fans might have notice the mystery guy on AG's social media in the last few days. You could never see his face, but he was clearly there with Ariana ... chillin' in quarantine like the rest of us.

In one of the shots, you can see the dude playing with her dog, Toulouse, and she recorded the adorable interaction. It was more than just a friendly petting session, because we've learned the guy in question IS Ari's new squeeze ... Dalton Gomez.

Our Ariana sources tell us she and Dalton have been seeing each other for several months now. He's a high-end real estate agent who handles multi-million dollar listings for L.A.'s A-list buyers.

He's also a pretty good kisser in Ariana's eyes. Remember this video last month of her making out with a guy as she and her friends plopped into a booth at a bar? Yeah, that's Dalton ... we're told.

He definitely rolls in the same circles as his new GF -- Dalton recently posted a pic hanging with Miley Cyrus and some friends.

Another sign of how much Ariana digs him -- not only is she following him on social, but several of her friends are too. You're in, Dalton.

This is Ari's first love interest, that we know of, anyway, since her highly publicized relationship with Pete Davidson.

NBA superstar Karl-Anthony Towns says his mother had to be placed on a ventilator and then into a medically-induced coma after she displayed severe symptoms of COVID-19.

The Minnesota Timberwolves center revealed the devastating news in an emotional video late Tuesday night ... saying both of his parents came down with flu-like symptoms early last week.

KAT says he urged the two to go to the hospital, and while he says his dad eventually got better -- his mom, Jacqueline Cruz, didn't ... with her condition "deteriorating" daily.

Karl-Anthony says a fever ravaged her ... with Cruz's 103-degree temp only falling to 101.9 after meds -- and then re-spiking almost immediately after.

KAT, who didn't specifically say his parents had tested positive for coronavirus, says doctors tried all kinds of drugs to get his mom better ... but, eventually, the 24-year-old says her lungs got so bad, she was forced to be put on a ventilator.

Then, KAT says doctors put her in a medically induced coma.

"We always thought the next medicine would help," he said. "The next one would help. This is the one that's going to get it done. This one will make sure to get it done."

Towns says he's optimistic for his mom ... but you can see in the video, he's VERY concerned.

"My mother is the strongest woman I know, and I know she will beat this," he said. "And, we will rejoice when she does."

The NBA player says he made the video this week to explain the virus is VERY real ... and begged people to take stay-at-home orders seriously.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought live concerts to a total standstill, but the music industry is still set on churning out new tunes ... and producers are increasingly working from home and getting super creative.

Music industry sources tell TMZ ... recording studios across Los Angeles and New York City have all closed due to the virus, forcing lots of music producers to build mobile studios in their homes, where they can still make beats and record tracks.

Our sources tell us music producers are increasingly turning to video chats and streaming services to brainstorm ideas, collab and record pieces of songs with other producers.

We're told producers are still working directly with their artists to write and collab, but the interactions are going digital now that face-to-face meetings are highly discouraged due to COVID-19.

As you know ... Lady Gaga announced Tuesday she's delaying the release of her upcoming album, "Chromatica," in light of the outbreak, joining a growing list of artists and festivals that have seen disruptions on account of coronavirus.

It's likely just the tip of the iceberg, but our music industry sources say albums won't be delayed because they aren't finished. We're told home studios can essentially do everything traditional sessions can do, and pushing back release dates is more about marketing concerns.

Coronavirus has folks in heavily populated areas getting outta Dodge ... believing they'll be much safer away from people, isolating in homes on wheels.

It seems RV parks and campsites are the new safe haven for motor home owners fleeing COVID-19. Campground owners and managers in inland states -- like Nevada, Idaho and Wisconsin -- tell us they've seen an influx of folks from pandemic hot zones.

The owner of Devils River Campground in Manitowoc County, WI says they’re closed -- the ground is frozen, there’s no running water and power has been switched off -- but that hasn’t stopped diehards from trying to set up camp there anyway. As they say ... any port in a storm.

The owner tells us one couple from L.A. appeared in the middle of the night last week offering $40 just to hunker down for a night in the parking lot. A Chicago family had the same idea, and even told the owner they picked Manitowoc County because it had no reported coronavirus cases.

Anderson Camp in Eden, Idaho is also filling its RV spaces with folks from “areas that have been hit hard” ... according to the owner.

The same is true at the Canyon Trail RV Park in Boulder City, Nevada. Owner and operator Mike Wells says residents from California and Washington -- 2 of the hardest-hit states -- have accounted for 50 percent of patrons trying to crash on his 13 acres.

Mike says, “It’s been so busy and so many calls are coming in -- it’s like a call center here."

Musicians are creative by nature ... so it should come as no surprise the creative ways they're getting by during this new era of social distancing.

DJ Pauly D, Katherine McPhee and Tyler, the Creator are just some of the artists using their quarantine time to hone their musical talent while letting fans into their houses to watch via social media.

Seriously, they're all doing it. From Miguel, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes to country star Chris Pasley, John Legend and Chris Martin. Then, of course, there's DJ D-Nice.

Dude's been KILLING it with hosting virtual dance parties ... dubbed #ClubQuarantine on his Instagram Live. Catchy, for sure.

As we reported ... more than 100k people showed up to his sesh and turned up over the weekend ... from Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Michelle Obama to Rihanna, Janet Jackson and Dwyane Wade.

DJ D-Nice popped up again the next day and it drew tons of famous faces handles -- Mariah Carey, Spike Lee, Brandy, Quincy Jones, Timbaland, Usher, Questlove, Jadakiss, Raekwon and many more.