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He's made his millions, but now, businessman Pete Kadens is taking on the U.S. wealth gap by storm through his nonprofit ... saying he's not paying it forward -- but backward.

Kadens joined "TMZ Live," to talk about his nonprofit Hope Chicago -- which is on its way to being the largest scholarship program in the U.S.

Pete tells us he started the org to send 4,000 high school grads in low-income communities to college -- debt-free. Now, that goal is to send 30,000 students to college with scholarships over the next decade.

Pete was able to retire at 40, after starting 5 companies --- one of which is the 2nd largest marijuana company -- which rakes in billions. He was motivated to not pay it forward, but backward, helping communities that don't have access to proper education ... a pillar in helping him succeed.

Pete recognizes he's made his millions in an industry built by black and brown people -- with a product that has put many behind bars -- and says it motivates him to help.

Pete's pledged $15 million of his own money -- a disproportionate chunk of his net worth -- and hopes other people will also do the same to give back.

Before this futuristic kid was putting on disco-pop shows around the world, she was just a classy gal posing on the beach with her shades in London.

This cool girl broke into the music industry by setting her own new rules and she prides herself on redefining pop music. Andrea Bocelli, Miley Cyrus and Pop Smoke are just some of the industry geniuses she has collaborated with.

Yes, her musical chops and idyllic dance moves have scored her a Grammy win (or three) ... however it is her creativity and sensuality that continue to have her "Loves" gushing over her.

Alec Baldwin and his actor siblings are sharing some sad news ... announcing the death of the famous family's matriarch.

Carol M. Baldwin, the mother to actors Alec, Daniel, William, and Stephen has died ... according to Alec and his brothers.

The Baldwin matriarch died Friday, though the cause of death is unclear. She was diagnosed with breast cancer way back in 1991, going on to raise millions of dollars for cancer research.

In a lengthy tribute posted on social media, Alec remembered his late mother, saying ... "My mother taught me about second acts. And third ones, too. She spent the last 25 years of her life as a fighter and a champion for the cause to which she devoted her life. We are all enormously proud of her accomplishments."

Carol was also the mother of two daughters, Elizabeth and Jane, and she met her future husband, Alec Jr., when they were attending Syracuse University in New York.

Alec's mom raised all 6 of her children herself, then got a job at a marketing research firm when her last child made it to their teenage years.

Carol is not only survived by her 6 kids, but also her 25 grandchildren, including Hailey Bieber, and 14 great-grandchildren.

She was 92.

Justin Bieber and his wife are checking out of the madness in America -- temporarily, at least -- with a trip down Mexico way, and it's a true family affair.

Hailey Bieber and her man soaked up the rays off Cabo San Lucas ... doing a little snorkeling and hanging out on the deck of a yacht.

They were both smiling ear-to-ear as they hugged and cuddled up Wednesday ... and their pup, Oscar, was there too. We're guessing he passed on the snorkeling, though! Lots o' sharks down there.

The quick trip is a super mini vacay for the couple, because Justin's actually in the middle of his world tour.

Shortly after these pics were taken, he jetted off to Mexico City ... where he performed last night, and has another show Thursday night.

Meghan Markle is expressing her grief over the tragic elementary school shooting ... by making a surprise visit to the memorial in Texas honoring the slain teachers and students.

Meghan made the long trip from Montecito, CA to Uvalde, TX to pay her respects to those killed in Tuesday's horrific shooting ... leaving a bouquet of white roses at a makeshift memorial.

The shooting, which claimed the lives of 19 innocent children and 2 teachers, happened at Robb Elementary School ... and the memorial Meghan visited is outside the nearby Uvalde County Courthouse.

Meghan walked around the memorial, which borders a square pond and features the names of the dead on white crosses with blue hearts.

The Duchess of Sussex wore jeans, a white shirt and a faded navy baseball cap ... but didn't exactly keep a super low profile.

As far as we know, Meghan has no direct connection to Robb Elementary or the small town of Uvalde, which is about 80 miles west of San Antonio.

Ray Liotta is dead ... the actor passed away while in the Dominican Republic.

Ray was shooting a movie called "Dangerous Waters" on the island, and a source close to the actor tells TMZ ... he died in his sleep. We're also told there was nothing suspicious about the death, and no foul play is suspected.

Ray's fiancée Jacy Nittolo was with him in the D.R. while he was working on the project.

Deadline first reported his passing.

Liotta is most known for his starring role in the 1990 Martin Scorsese masterpiece, "Goodfellas," where he played mobster Henry Hill alongside Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

Ray lobbied hard for the role, and the film's success opened so many doors for him in Hollywood ... he worked almost nonstop.

The year before "Goodfellas" he had co-starred with Kevin Costner in another iconic film, "Field of Dreams" ... in which he played Shoeless Joe Jackson.

Ray went on to star in countless other films, including "Cop Land," "Corrina Corrina," "Operation Dumbo Drop," "Unforgettable," "Wild Hogs" and "Blow" ... in which he played Fred Jung, father to Johnny Depp's character, George Jung.

Jacy and Ray got engaged in 2020, right around Christmas. He excitedly shared the happy news on Instagram.

He has one daughter, Karsen Liotta, from his previous marriage to Michelle Grace. Karsen is following in her dad's acting footsteps.

Ray was 67.

Depeche Mode founding member and keyboard player, Andy Fletcher, has died at the age of 60.

The group announced Thursday, "We are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member, and bandmate Andy "Fletch" Fletcher."

The statement continues, "Fletch had a true heart of gold and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh, or a cold pint. Our hearts are with his family, and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts."

Fletcher, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore and Dave Gahan officially launched Depeche Mode in 1980 ... though Clarke left shortly after the group released its debut album.

Later on in his career, Fletcher worked as a DJ, and actually went on tour around Europe in 2015.

Fletcher and Depeche Mode were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

In what was already a nightmare situation for the family of a teacher killed in the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting -- more heartbreak -- as the woman's husband has now reportedly died of a heart attack.

Irma Garcia was one of two teachers killed in Tuesday's mass shooting, and now her family has announced her husband of 24 years, Joe Garcia, is dead too.

Garcia's nephew, John Martinez, posted, "EXTREMELY heartbreaking and come with deep sorrow to say that my Tia Irma's husband Joe Garcia has passed away due to grief, I truly am at a loss for words for how we are all feeling, PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY, God have mercy on us, this isn't easy."

Local reporter, Ernie Zuniga, says Garcia suffered a fatal heart attack ... and that the two had 4 children together. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.

Irma had reportedly died trying to protect the children in her classroom. As we told you, 19 children and 2 teachers were killed in the mass shooting, carried out by an 18-year-old armed with an AR-15 which he purchased legally in the state of Texas.

Even the "Kings of Pain" have a limit when it comes to voluntarily being bitten by poisonous animals ... telling us rattlesnakes are a no-go.

History Channel stars Adam Thorn and Rob Alleva joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and told us why they're down to keep getting bitten by animals whose poisonous venom is geared towards defensive purposes, and where the cutoff lies.

The guys puked and were hospitalized following a bite from a Mexican beaded lizard, and they say that's about as much as they can handle ... because if they were to cross into deadly venom territory, the stakes are obviously much higher.

The way Adam and Rob see it -- rattlesnakes, for example, are on the attack when they take a poisonous bite -- and those bites can have potentially life-changing consequences, or even result in death.

In the second season of their show, they're bitten by lizards, urchins, piranhas, lionfish, centipedes and this scary beast ... the tarantula hawk wasp.

Adam and Rob are all about pushing their boundaries ... but some animals are clearly out of bounds.

Lisa Vanderpump is going all out to celebrate some four-legged friends by hosting her 6th annual 'World Dog Day'!

The 'Real Housewives' star (and her pup) joined "TMZ Live" to give us the lowdown on this weekend's festivities in West Hollywood, which raises awareness about global dog abuse.

Lisa tells us, "World Dog Day' is a real feel-good factor ... especially coming amid some very tough times in America, around the world ... and even for Lisa's charity Vanderpump Dog Foundation.

From the sounds of it, it'll be a whole 'lotta fun ... Lisa says, they're doing it big for all the furry folks -- live music and a DJ, vendors with doggy treats ... also a dog water park, pie-eating contest and even a fashion show with dog models!

While the foundation puts on a great show for pleasure, it also gets down to business too. The org has rescued and adopted over 2,300 dogs domestically and hundreds internationally ... even more of a reason to celebrate!

This year's event is co-sponsored by WeHo as a part of the city's celebration of Pet Week.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has made more than $146 MILLION in his career, but even he has to let out a "sheeeesh" when it comes to expensive dining in L.A. ... saying, "this city is not for me."

The Milwaukee Bucks champ and his family hit up Catch in West Hollywood on Wednesday ... and while he says the food was "incredible," he admits the tasty meal put a dent in his wallet.

"Expensive, expensive," the Greek Freak said. "This city is not for me."

Now, Giannis has never been one to flaunt his wealth -- he even seems a bit shy when the camera guy brings up how insanely rich he is -- but he admits ya can't put a price tag on having an unforgettable time with the fam.

Giannis and the Bucks recently got booted from the playoffs ... and while the Celtics and Heat duke it out in the Eastern Conference Finals, he was chowing down on some of the best food in L.A.

Who's the real winner??

Well, let's be honest -- Giannis would much rather be playing still ... but this alternative ain't too shabby.

'RHONJ' star, Teresa Giudice, is clapping back at Caroline Manzo ... insisting she was all bark and no bite.

ICYMI, Caroline recently let loose on the "Dear Albie" Podcast, "Caroline Manzo, Out For Blood," saying she was tired of Teresa blaming her for allegedly alerting the IRS of the Giudice's wrongdoings. She added, "Sometimes, you gotta smack the bully. I am more than happy to go smack the bully.”

Giudice clearly isn't intimidated by Caroline, telling us, "She didn't knock the s*** out of me the entire time she was on the show, that's why I'm still there and she's not." She says Caroline's just using her name for clout, adding, "She's promoting her son's podcast so she talks about me because otherwise, no one is paying attention."

Interestingly enough, Teresa claims Caroline was totally cool with her when they recently did a Super Bowl commercial together, saying, "In person, she was hugging me. On her son's podcast, she wants to fight me."

Amber Heard says she's no stranger to threats against her life, but she says the death threats are on the rise ever since she and Johnny Depp went to court.

Amber was back on the stand Thursday for day 23 of the trial with her ex-husband ... sobbing on the stage as revealed she gets thousands of death threats every single day from folks who don't like what she has to say about Johnny.

She alleged Johnny's not doing anything to stop the internet trolls who are targeting Amber, insinuating he's almost encouraging it ... and says she just wants Depp to leave her alone.

It's been an emotional testimony from Amber ... she started crying when answering questions about how the drama with Johnny ruined her acting career, and says in those rare moments when she is on a movie set, there are tons of triggers from the allegedly abusive relationship that can derail production.

As we previously reported, the head of DC movies testified earlier this week that Amber's lack of screentime in 'Aquaman 2' had nothing to do with her relationship with Depp.

Larry Gatlin is now among the list of performers who will no longer perform at this weekend's NRA convention in Houston ... also offering up possible solutions to help prevent tragedies like this from happening again.

The "Broken Lady" singer tells TMZ, "I cannot, in good conscience, perform at the NRA convention in Houston this weekend. While I agree with most of the positions held by the NRA, I have come to believe that, while background checks would not stop every madman with a gun, it is at the very least a step in the right direction toward trying to prevent the kind of tragedy we saw this week in Uvalde — in my beloved, weeping TEXAS."

He continues, "It is not a perfect world and the 'if only crowd's' policies will never make it one. I am a 'what if guy' and I can't help but ask the question, 'What if the teachers had been proficient in the use of firearms and had, in fact been armed this week? My answer is that there would not be 21 freshly dug graves for 21 of GOD's precious children."

He also has a message for the NRA, saying, "I pray that the NRA will rethink some of its outdated and ill-thought-out positions regarding firearms in AMERICA."

Gatlin concludes, "I'm a 2nd Amendment guy, but the 2nd amendment should not apply to everyone. It's that simple. God Help Us Please."

Kanye West is apparently back on dad duty after some time away in Japan and NYC ... grabbing some grub at one of L.A.'s hottest spots with his oldest kid.

Kanye and North West were spotted leaving NOBU in Malibu Wednesday -- marking the first time we've seen Kanye with any of his kids in quite some time. NOBU is obviously a celeb hot spot, and one of Kanye's favorites, so it's not totally shocking they decided to go there.

As we reported, Kanye was recently in Japan with his girlfriend, Chaney Jones, before he hit New York City for the Balenciaga show.

No sign of Chaney at NOBU, though she and Kanye have been linked together for several months now, and it's possible she might now be in L.A. with him.

Of course, Kanye accused Kim of holding his kids from him through a series of social media posts months ago. Kim denied that, saying he's never been barred from seeing the kids, but has also tried to maintain a routine for the 4.

The slaughter at the Robb Elementary School in Texas is almost impossible to comprehend, but this video -- as difficult as it is to watch -- unearths the human toll it has taken on the parents of the dead.

CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke to Angel Garza, the father of 10-year-old Amerie, who was among the 19 children shot and killed.

His pain is unbearable, and his story is simply hard to process. Angel, a medic, was outside the school just after the shooting when he saw a little girl covered in blood. He thought she was injured so he tried to help her. She tearfully explained she was ok, but she watched her best friend get shot. She told Angel the girl wasn't breathing and was apparently dead, and then she revealed the identity of the victim -- it was Angel's daughter, Amerie.

Angel's grief is palpable ... he sobs, telling Anderson his daughter had just made the honor roll, and was actually trying to help in the emergency by calling 911 when she was shot.

Angel and his wife have a 3-year-old son who was clearly attached to his big sister, and they've tried telling him Amerie is not coming home ... ever again.

Anderson asked how Angel's wife is doing, and he doesn't answer directly ... only to ask people to pray for her.