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Jerry Messing -- known for his role on "Freaks and Geeks" and as the face of a famous meme -- has overcome a huge hurdle in his fight with COVID-19 ... but has another major challenge ahead of him.

First, the good news -- Jerry tells TMZ after being hospitalized in August and placed on a ventilator, he's out of the ICU and off the ventilator ... has been for about a week and a half now. He's also breathing fine without a fever or cough, and has tested negative for COVID.

Sadly though, Jerry says the virus has left him partially paralyzed. He can't move his arms and legs well, and is unable to stand and walk on his own. Jerry says he's doing physical therapy and using a machine to get his legs working again.

The doctors have told him his recovery is going to take some time -- he was already hospitalized for more than a month -- but he tells us things are looking up, and he thanks everyone for their support.

We broke the story ... Jerry got his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine before he got sick, and his dad, James, determined his illness was serious and he needed aid.

Jerry says he has not completed the vaccination process yet -- doctors want him to wait until he's healthier. In particular, they need to make sure he's completely over the pneumonia he contracted during the height of his COVID battle.

James believes Jerry's in good hands at a rehab facility in Tampa that caters to people who are on the road back to recovery ... but if something goes wrong they're fully capable of handling the situation.

Jerry played Gordon Crisp on "Freaks and Geeks" and Pugsley on the "Addams Family Reunion" TV movie before gaining more modern fame as "The Fedora Guy" -- one of the Internet's most popular memes.

Lil Baby needs to bend his ear for a minute ... celeb jeweler Ben Baller's offering sound advice on how the rapper can avoid another fake Patek Philippe watch fiasco.

We got Ben out in WeHo Tuesday morning to get his take on the "Drip Too Hard" rapper dropping $400,000 for one of the most luxurious watches in the world ... only to find out it was a total fake.

Ben -- who has done sick bling work for the likes of Elon Musk, Kid Cudi and A$AP Rocky, to name just a few -- says it all comes down to building relationships. How, specifically?

The celeb jeweler tells us Lil Baby's best bet is to hit up Patek Philippe authorized dealers on and buy small, establish yourself as a loyal client and build your way up.

For the uninitiated ... Lil Baby was hyped about copping the 40th-anniversary Nautilus Patek Philippe watch. Problem was ... after posting a pic on Instagram ahead of his arrival at the Met Gala, watch aficionados realized -- and alerted Lil Baby -- his watch was a fake.

The rapper was furious ... to the point he publicly called out the jeweler who sold him the watch, Rafaello & Co. The jeweler has since admitted it sold the rapper a fake by mistake.

The company also issued a public apology, gave Lil Baby a full refund and gifted him 4 diamond rings "as a token of our sincere apologies."

That's cool and all ... but Ben Baller's other big advice for Lil Baby -- never, EVER buy a Patek Philippe from a jeweler. The watch game right now is so insane ... there's only one place you'd wanna go to spend this kind of money for a luxurious watch.

Ne-Yo's got a new talent waiting in the wings of the music world -- a guy named Miles, who actually got some shine from none other than Tory Lanez, and a bit he started during the 'Rona pandemic.

Miles was one of many artists featured on Tory's popular Quarantine Radio segment last year, which he'd host on Instagram Live. It's pretty simple ... musicians beam in and show off their stuff to Tory and his millions of followers.

If you missed it, Miles impressed big time during something Tory called the "Wow Challenge" ... doing an acoustic cover of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana." Makes sense, he sounds exactly like MJ, so the dude's clearly talented.

Anyway, flash-forward to today ... and Miles is now a signed artist under Ne-Yo's Compound Music imprint -- and already in the studio working on new tunes, and absorbing a ton of knowledge from the legendary R&B star.

We chopped it up with Miles, and he gave us a breakdown of how his deal came together, and where he and Ne-Yo are headed next.

Just like anything else in the biz, it's all about who you know ... or who's seen you -- and, in this case, it was Ne-Yo's guys who spotted him on Quarantine Radio and told the boss to invite the kid in for a sit-down.

They inked a deal earlier this past July, and now ... Miles has a new single out called "Gone" that just dropped a week or so ago.

Like we said ... Miles and Ne-Yo are already hard at work -- which you can see in this footage of them recording.

A huge LAPD police union is going scorched earth on the Los Angeles District Attorney after he decided NOT to charge Jaxson Hayes with a felony, following the arrest of the New Orleans Pelicans star in July.

"George Gascon's latest criminal's first airball puts a target on the back of every police officer in Los Angeles," the Los Angeles Police Protective League tells TMZ Sports.

The LAPPL -- which reps over 9,000 cops in L.A. -- continued, "Gascon's refusal to prosecute Jaxson Hayes for violently attacking and injuring an officer during his n-word laced tirade is nothing more than a declaration that it's open season to attack cops and it's shameful."

The union is livid that Gascon's office decided against charging Hayes with any felonies ... despite the fact he seemingly pushed an officer on video.

FYI, Gascon is a polarizing figure. His critics have accused him of being soft on crime ... and failing to protect law enforcement officers.

Still, Hayes isn't totally out of the water criminally ... it's still possible the city attorney could levy a misdemeanor charge(s) against Jaxson.

We broke the story, 21-year-old Hayes -- the 8th overall pick in the 2018 draft -- was arrested for battery on a law enforcement officer after Jaxson got physical with a cop who was investigating a domestic violence call after Hayes' GF allegedly said she was scared her hooper BF was going to physically harm her.

Police released body camera footage ... and it seems Hayes pushed an officer, injuring him in the process, according to LAPD.

What happened next has caused some controversy.

Cops eventually got Hayes to the floor, but the struggle continued. An officer deployed his taser at least once. At one point during the arrest, Hayes said he couldn't breathe.

As a result, LAPD launched an investigation to determine if excessive force was used. That investigation is still ongoing.

As for the LAPPL, they weren't done ... they also went in on the NBA for failing to discipline Hayes, or condemn his actions.

"As for the NBA, their silence is deafening when it comes to one of their players assaulting an officer and thwarting a domestic violence investigation. Apparently, their policy on preventing domestic violence was created more for SportsCenter than it is to actually hold its players accountable. Real classy."

We reached out to the DA's office ... but they declined comment.

Before this sweetie in stripes was the star of one of streamings' most popular television series, she was just another girl giggling for the camera in Le Mans, France.

This fun-loving lady recently launched her acting career into the spotlight when she scored the leading role in a UK comedy show that explores all the awkward and embarrassing woes of high school relationships -- which has already gained her a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Best Female Comedy Performance. The popular television streaming series just premiered its third season on Netflix last week.

Willie Garson -- famous for his role in the "Sex and the City" series and movies -- has died ... according to his close friends.

"Bosch" star Titus Welliver broke the news of Willie's passing with a post that said, "There are no words. I love you dear brother. We are fewer," and he attached a photo of Willie.

Willie's fellow actor and friend Rob Morrow also posted a tribute.

Sources connected to the 'SATC' star tell us he'd been battling cancer, though we've not confirmed it as his cause of death.

Willie was a fan fave from the hit HBO series ... playing Sarah Jessica Parker's male BFF, Stanford Blatch -- a gay socialite who Carrie Bradshaw often called "Stanny."

He didn't appear in every episode, but for the 27 he did pop up for over the course of 6 years ... his scenes were always memorable.

Willie was also in both 'SATC' movies ... and he's at least slated to appear with SJP and co. in "And Just Like That..." -- the new HBO Max series. We know he shot scenes in NYC this summer with Sarah Jessica and Mario Cantone.

WG's roles went well beyond 'SATC' though -- he's been in tons of shows and movies throughout his career ... including stuff like "White Collar," "Hawaii Five-0," "Quantum Leap," "Girl Meets World," "Mr. Belvedere," "Just Shoot Me!" "Big Mouth," "Supergirl," and many, many more.

He's got a total of 170 acting credits to his name, dating back to the '80s.

Willie was 57. He leaves behind his son, Nathen.

Nicole Richie is probably wishing for a fire extinguisher on her 40th birthday ... because her hair was set ablaze during her birthday dinner.

The actress posted a video Tuesday showing herself blowing out the candles on a cake to ring in the big 4-0 -- and all seemed to be going well, until she reached the final candle ... and flew a little too close to the sun.

Some stray strands of her locks made contact with the flame below, and the fire quickly jumped onto her body and started climbing up. It actually looks like the other side of her head might've caught fire as well -- but that was quickly put out by someone nearby.

However, her right side was still caught in the flame ... and she starts to scream as it spreads. The video cuts out before we can find out what happens next -- but we're assuming NR is okay.

Her caption to this read, "Well... so far 40 is 🔥." Pretty jokey, so you gotta figure she walked away from this relatively unscathed. Still, pretty freaky nonetheless.

Gabby Petito's body has, indeed, been recovered in Wyoming -- and the Coroner says this was a homicide.

As we reported, the Teton County Coroner was conducting the autopsy Tuesday on the remains cops found over the weekend in Grand Teton National Park. The Coroner's Office is now confirming the body is Gabby's. Attorney Richard Stafford said the same.

Before today, the feds simply said they believed it was Gabby. You'll recall the corpse was found near an area where the white van she and fiance, Brian Laundrie, were traveling in was spotted.

While Laundrie has not yet been named a suspect, the FBI is conducting a manhunt for him. As you know, Laundrie had returned to his parent's home in Florida ... without Gabby.

Plus, the guy has mysteriously disappeared without a trace ... although, there was a potential sighting this week. A man in Baker, FL reported that he believed he saw a man matching Brian's description pop up on his deer cam ... some 500 miles away from North Port, FL, where Brian lives.

Gabby and Brian had been on a cross-country road trip together for months now -- documenting their stops in a white van they'd taken out. Another thing that was also caught on camera was an alleged domestic disturbance ... the aftermath of which a police officer filmed on his body camera upon pulling them over.

While Gabby was distraught, Brian denied he'd hit her ... despite a 911 caller claiming he did exactly that. In any case, the cop cut both of them loose after they both refused to press charges.

Mama June's estranged BF appears to finally be getting the help he needs ... 'cause we've learned he's checked into rehab.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Geno Doak was hospitalized in Fort Pierce, Florida earlier this month. It's unclear why he landed in the hospital, but we do know doctors there referred him to a recovery center in South Carolina, and he checked into that facility on Monday.

In the docs, the director of the center says Geno will be a resident in the long-term intensive program and be required to make a minimum of a 120-day commitment. But, he also has the option to stay for up to a year if necessary.

The program is designed to help individuals develop their capacity for a healthy transition to sober living ... and all residents are required to eventually seek employment and are encouraged to assume responsibility of themselves and their recovery.

The documents were filed to loop in the judge from Geno's crack cocaine case. As we reported ... Mama June and Geno were both busted outside an Alabama gas station back in March 2019 and charged with felony drug possession.

While their relationship status had remained unclear for months, it was back in August when June announced Geno was no longer a part of her life, so many fans assumed they split.

Geno was sentenced to 16 months in Macon County Community Corrections. He wasn't going to physically be behind bars, but had to follow a set of rules.

For instance, he was supposed to relocate from Florida to Alabama within 30 to 45 days of his July sentencing date ... but he failed to do so.

The Rolling Stones are officially out on their first-ever tour without Charlie Watts, and the loss was obvious at their first show ... which they dedicated to the only drummer they've ever had.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and co. performed Monday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA -- a private gig for Patriots owner Robert Kraft -- and before things got started, MJ made sure to shout out Charlie, who died last month.

The last 3 Stones -- Keith, Mick and Ron Wood -- stood shoulder-to-shoulder as Mick explained how much they miss Charlie, on and off the stage, and recalled the memories they'd all made together over 59 years.

You could hear Mick start to choke up a bit as he dedicated the show to their late drummer ... and raised his drink to the crowd.

Mick telegraphed his thoughts, wondering out loud what song they'd open with, and admitting he was a little emotional.

The hunt for Gabby Petito's fiance, Brian Laundrie -- who's believed to be the last person to see her alive -- may have broken wide open ... because someone thinks they spotted him about 500 miles from his Florida home.

Sam Bass says a man fitting Brian's description was seen on his trail camera set up in the wilderness in Baker, FL early Monday morning ... and he's alerted the authorities.

Bass' deer camera footage shows a man with a backpack trekking through the woods, and he certainly resembles Laundrie ... who was reported missing by his family after being named a person of interest in the disappearance of Gabby.

Folks were quick to point out Baker is about 450-500 miles away from Laundrie's home in North Port -- which would be quite a journey on foot over 4 days -- but the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed it's actively looking into the footage ... but there's no confirmation it's Brian yet.

People have also pointed out that the man's backpack is similar to Laundrie's, and his parents told authorities he left with it on a hike Friday and never came back.

As we've reported ... the story of Gabby and Brian -- who were on a cross-country trip this summer and documenting it on social media -- garnered national attention when he returned to his Florida home without her on Sept. 1.

Gabby was reported missing 10 days later by her family, who claim Brian was not cooperative at all in trying to locate her, and the feds believe they found her body at a national park Sunday in Wyoming ... a place she was believed to have visited with her fiance.

There was also a domestic dispute between the couple in mid-August in Utah, but the authorities released them with no charges or arrests. A 911 caller from that incident said they had observed Brian physically attacking Gabby ... she went missing sometime after that.

On Monday, FBI agents tore up Brian's parent's home in Florida, searching for evidence and leaving with several boxes.

A makeshift memorial has already been set up at the site where the remains believed to be hers were found, though the autopsy confirming it's her has not been disclosed yet.

The Superdome caught on fire Tuesday morning ... with thick smoke and flames billowing out of the famed New Orleans arena's roof.

It's unclear what caused the issues at the Saints' stadium ... authorities so far have only told us "the fire is not burning anymore."

We're working to get further details.

As we previously reported, the Saints have relocated out of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Ida -- moving their Week 1 game against the Packers from the Superdome to Jacksonville.

The team -- which beat Green Bay in the opener but lost to the Panthers in Carolina on Sunday -- is not currently scheduled to play in the N.O. stadium until Oct. 3 against the New York Giants.

No decision yet has been made regarding the location of that game.

Nancy Grace says determining Gabby Petito's cause of death could be hampered by the wildlife of Wyoming -- but, adds, the fact her tattoos were ID'd offers a glimmer of hope.

The author and Fox Nation host joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday and said she's not sure Tuesday's autopsy will ultimately determine how Petito died ... or if her fiance, Brian Laundrie, was involved.

Her theory? The site where authorities found remains matching Gabby's description experiences such intense weather elements, it could have caused decay or damage to the body that might conceal markers the coroner would use to determine cause of death.

Nancy -- who's special, "A Gabby Petito Investigation" is streaming now on Fox Nation -- points out there's also a lot of wild animal activity in that area, and it's possible the creatures could have damaged the corpse.

That being said, Nancy says there's hope Gabby's body was found somewhat, if not fully, intact. Remember, the FBI said the body they found was "consistent with the description" of Petito.

Nancy says, that if authorities were able to immediately identify Gabby's tattoos -- on her left arm and right forearm -- it's possible her skin was still intact ... meaning the body could offer clues about what led to her death.

With all we know at this point, she sees 3 possible explanations for Gabby's disappearance and possible death. She also tells us why she thinks cops never named Laundrie a suspect.

As for Laundrie ... he's been missing for days now but a trail cam set up in the wilderness in Baker, FL may have spotted him. The FBI is investigating the possible sighting.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro is unvaccinated, but somehow got a pass to attend a United Nations meeting, but NYC restaurants literally kicked him to the curb.

Bolsonaro, a staunch anti-vaxxer, and several of his cabinet members were relegated to chowing down pizza on a sidewalk Sunday night, because NYC is one of the few cities that's not allowing anyone -- world leader or not -- inside restaurants without proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

It was Bolsonaro's first night on the town ahead of Tuesday's address to the UN General Assembly ... where he was the first world leader to speak.

Yes, the COVID-19 skeptic who still ignorantly believes the virus is nothing more than a "little flu" wore a mask inside the UN's NYC headquarters ... but he also broke the UN "honor system."

The U.N.'s General Assembly president, Abdulla Shahid, had previously sent a memo to its 193-member states stating that its COVID-19 vaccination honor system would continue to be in effect for presidents, prime ministers and diplomats attending the meeting ... meaning the UN was NOT going to require proof of vaccination.

Nevertheless, many world leaders elected to stay away and instead sent a video message. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio also warned Bolsonaro not to bother coming to the Big Apple if he wasn't vaccinated.

Bolsonaro clearly defied de Blasio, but get this ... British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday asked Bolsonaro during a briefing if he's vaccinated ... to which the prez replied by laughing and saying, "No. Not yet."

A cross made of stones is serving as a makeshift memorial for Gabby Petito in Wyoming ... on the exact site where cops believe they found the missing 22-year-old's body.

As we reported, the feds announced Sunday they'd found the remains of a young woman at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest ... where the van used by Gabby and her fiance, Brian Laundrie, was spotted days earlier.

An autopsy is scheduled Tuesday to confirm the body is Gabby's, but the stone cross memorial is already set up right where investigators searched for her in Spread Creek.

As you know ... Gabby's story became national news when Laundrie showed up back at his Florida home without her on Sept. 1, even though they had taken the cross-country trip together and were documenting it on social media.

However, Gabby's family claims they lost touch with her in late August and Brian allegedly refused to give them any info on her location or what happened between them.

The family reported her missing on Sept. 11, and Laundrie was named a "person of interest" but never arrested.

Shortly after that, it was revealed the couple had a domestic dispute in Utah on Aug. 12, and even though a 911 caller alleged Brian slapped Gabby ... an official police account of this entire incident reportedly claimed "no one reported that the male struck the female."

Nevertheless, the couple was eventually released with no arrests in mid-August, and Gabby went missing sometime after that ... though it's still unclear exactly when.

The man who allegedly pulled a knife on Ariana Grande's security and got arrested at her home has been a menace for months, and now we know how ominous it was, because the guy threatened to kill her.

Ariana filed legal docs to get a restraining order, and in it she explains Aharon Brown has terrorized her for 7 months. Things escalated to a crisis level on the evening of Sept. 9, when Ariana was at home. Brown showed up again and this time allegedly brandishing a large hunting knife. When security asked him to leave, he became combative and screamed, "I'll f**king kill you and her."

Police were called and Brown fled on foot. He was ordered to stop multiple times but failed to do so. He was eventually taken into custody.

A law enforcement officer also filed a declaration saying he feared the alleged stalker would be released from jail and therefore the restraining order was essential. We checked, and he's still in custody, charged with 2 felony counts of making criminal threats.