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Former wrestling star Lanny Poffo -- younger brother of the late Randy Savage -- has died ... his friend, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan said Thursday.

He was 68 years old. A cause of death is unknown at this time.

Poffo made his in-ring debut with the All-South Wrestling Alliance in 1974 ... before joining multiple promotions affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance, where he won a Tag-Team Championship alongside his father, Angelo.

In 1985, Poffo joined the World Wrestling Federation ... where he would be known as "Leaping Lanny Poffo" and "The Genius."

Poffo competed against huge names like Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Jim Neidhart and The Ultimate Warrior over the course of his stellar career ... and at one point, teamed up with Mr. Perfect.

Poffo inducted his brother, Randy, into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015 ... giving a touching tribute and attending WrestleMania 31 in his honor.

Out of the squared circle, Poffo also wrote several books ... and was known for writing poems.

"With a very, very heavy heart, I've been asked to let everyone know about the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius," Hacksaw said on Instagram.

Nick Carter says the woman accusing him of sexual battery over 21 years ago -- when she was a minor -- is deliberately dragging his name through the mud with a series of lies ... and he's now going after her in court for the more than $2.35 million he says she's cost his boy band.

The Backstreet Boys member filed his countersuit Thursday against Shannon Ruth. TMZ broke the story, Ruth initially sued Nick in December, claiming he sexually assaulted her after a concert way back in 2001 when she was underage.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Nick says he won't allow himself to be smeared by Ruth's accusations, which he vehemently denies, and says her lawsuit is the culmination of a years-long conspiracy to take him down.

Nick says Ruth has been coached by a father and daughter, Jerome and Melissa Schuman, to make false claims about him as part of an extortion attempt. He also blasts all 3 for trying to take advantage of the #MeToo movement.

Carter says Ruth has changed her story over and over ... he says she initially claimed she was abused by someone else, then claimed Nick physically abused her, and ultimately accused Nick of sexual assault. Nick says the Schumans have been "coaxing" Ruth to "inflate" her allegations.

Nick points out Ruth waited years to report her sexual battery allegations, and he says an independent investigation resulted in no criminal charges. He says Ruth tried to extort him through civil attorneys, who abandoned her case when presented with the cold, hard facts.

Nick says as a result of Ruth's lawsuit, The Backstreet Boys had to cancel appearances and endorsement deals -- costing them more than $2.35 million.

And get this -- Nick says his late brother, Aaron Carter, was also dragged into the conspiracy. Nick claims Ruth and the Schumans preyed on Aaron before his death, when he was beefing with Nick and on drugs, exploiting "Aaron's fragile condition and family stresses to cloak their defamatory campaign with credibility, relentlessly and repeatedly using Aaron to try to legitimize their frivolous tales."

But, Nick says Aaron ultimately realized he was being used and manipulated by Ruth and the Schumans, apologizing to Nick and publicly stating the accusers were lying.

The day Aaron died, Nick claims Jerome Schuman tweeted ... "I am sad that the chess game we started together was never finished."

When TMZ called Nick’s attorney, Michael Holtz, he told us, "As our Counterclaim sets out in detail, Nick has been the target of a malicious and long-running conspiracy. He has never done the outrageous things of which he has been accused; in fact, he is the victim of a calculated and concerted disinformation campaign designed to destroy his reputation."

Holtz continues, "He looks forward to setting out the truth, vindicating himself in court, and putting an end to the smears and attempted shakedowns for good."

Latto's skivvy side hustle got derailed by eBay, but all hope is not lost ... her manager Cortez Bryant is considering -- perhaps jokingly -- a very unique merch idea.

We caught up with Tez at LAX, and he says Latto and the rest of the team were taken aback, just like everyone else, when bids for her used cheetah print panties nearly reached $100K!!!

The bidding war got hot with more than 100 entries, but before Latto could cash in, eBay shut down the auction.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Latto's underwear auction violated the company's "health and hygiene" standards and Tez doesn't disagree they made right the decision -- but he doesn't seem opposed to our idea of making additions to the "Big Energy" rapper's merch store!!!

Immediately after eBay's takedown, Latto got back to work in the studio to finish her newest record ... which Tez tells us is officially named "Lottery" and is dropping soon.

Tez says Latto made the eBay post in jest to fire back at the trolls but also isn't passing judgment on the highest bidder of her used bloomers!!!

Tom Brady has hundreds of millions of dollars coming in from Fox Sports, but that's not gonna rush him back to work, he's going to enjoy his first true break from football in a long time because his focus is elsewhere -- and not on dating -- TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Tom tell us he's going to spend the next few months just being a dad. We're told he's an extremely devoted father to his kids -- splitting his time with his kids in Miami and New York -- and is looking forward to spending extended time with them.

Tom's 15-year-old son Jack, who he has with Bridget Moynahan, plays high school football ... and Tom flies private to watch him play every week.

Page Six reported, "His kids ultimately were the reason why he made this decision."

What's more, Tom was recently spotted alone, scoping out schools in the Miami area for his kids he shares with Gisele -- Benjamin and Vivian. We're told Tom's plan is to stay in Miami for the kids.

As for his love life -- our sources say Tom hasn't dated anyone -- his interest right now is just living a life outside of the game.

Of course, he still has his several companies -- TB12, Autograph and Brady Brand -- all of which he'll still be hands-on with ... but without the stresses of football, it'll be much easier.

Tom's also got a massive deal with Fox Sports -- reportedly worth $375 million over the next 10 years -- a deal we're told he's not going to rush into starting, but one he's excited to take on when the time is right. That, we're told, won't happen for several months.

Gangsta Boo’s rap hustle was in full swing at the time of her death, and it was captured in 4K glory for her final music video.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained behind-the-scenes footage of Boo ... along with fellow Three 6 Mafia members Crunchy Black and La Chat for the filming of Drumma Boy’s “Imma Mack” video, directed by K. Cutta.

We’re told Gangsta Boo was excited about the shoot and went back home to Memphis during Christmas just to film her parts.

The late rap star's trademark charisma and enthusiasm can be felt throughout the clip as she examines the edit, bottle of Patrón Tequila in hand ... and later in the final video where she's cooking up in the kitchen and drops disses on her haters.

This song is from Drumma Boy’s “Welcome to My City Vol. 4” album -- which put several Memphis rappers on tracks together -- a project Gangsta Boo was passionate about because of her love for the 901.

The last time we spoke to Drumma Boy, he not only gushed over Gangsta Boo’s involvement, but also about the compilation bringing together artists all across the region.

Gangsta Boo’s love for Memphis was reciprocated at her funeral last month when hundreds of mourners turned out to pay their respects.

Gangsta Boo was 43 at the time of her death ... which cops suspected was a drug overdose.

Pamela Anderson has a fresh take on her widely criticized #MeToo comments from years back, clarifying the comments she made on her early view of the casting couch.

The "Baywatch" star sat down to chat with Ronan Farrow for Interview Magazine and, in the piece out Wednesday, she said her mom's advice was way off point.

Pam said, "I could even take it a step further. My mother would tell me -- and I think this is the kind of feminism I grew up with -- it takes two to tango. If someone answers the door in a hotel robe and you’re going for an interview, don’t go in. But if you do go in, get the job."

She admitted to Ronan that was "a horrible thing to say, but that's how I was."

As you may recall ... Pam caught a lot of heat when she told Megyn Kelly on the Today Show in 2017, "You know what you’re getting into if you go to a hotel room alone." Of course, Pam was referring to disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, who preyed mostly on actresses at hotels. Pam also revealed to Kelly she survived sexual abuse as a child.

Harvey Weinstein was found guilty in December by a Los Angeles jury in his second sexual assault trial. Weinstein is also already serving a 23-year sentence for a rape conviction in New York.

Pam did give some props to the #MeToo movement during her sit down with Ronan. She said, "Thank God for the #MeToo movement because things have changed and people are much more careful and respectful."

With Travis and Jason Kelce facing off in the Super Bowl, fans are petitioning to get their mom, Donna, to do the coin toss before the big game in Arizona ... and it's already got more than 15,000 signatures!!

The petition was started by Chiefs fan Amber Smith -- who is lobbying the NFL to allow Donna to participate in the tradition since the big game has been dubbed the "Kelce Bowl," according to change.org.

"What a great way to show the Super Proud mama some Amazing Appreciation and Love while giving her a once in a lifetime opportunity!! ❤️" the petition page says.

The game will be a historic moment for Travis and Jason -- they will become the first brothers to ever face off in the Super Bowl.

However, the Kelce brothers want the "Kelce Bowl" storyline to stop ... as the two feel like the narrative takes away from their teammates.

"I kinda don’t like that we’re calling it the Kelce Bowl," Jason said on their New Heights podcast. "Appreciate the support, but there’s a lot of guys involved with this. There’s major organizations involved. Unbelievable storylines in this Super Bowl."

Travis added, "Appreciate you guys calling it the Kelce Bowl, but let’s focus on the Chiefs-Eagles."

Either way ... it appears fans want to see Mama Kelce on the field.

If you were thinking moving your spring clothes to the front of the closet, not so fast ... because a famous rodent may have torpedoed your plan.

Punxsutawney Phil emerged from the dirt Thursday morning at Gobbler's Knob, PA for Groundhogs day ... and this time around he saw his shadow ... which means 6 more weeks of winter.

Thousands of folks gathered for this year's celebration. Fact is ... this year it doesn't take a groundhog to tell you it's frickin' cold with no end in sight!

During cult leader David Koresh's infamous, weeks-long standoff with the FBI, in Waco, he had a '68 Chevrolet Camaro SS waiting to whisk him away ... and now the car's on the market.

Koresh ultimately died, along with more than 70 of his cult followers, during the 51-day siege of his Texas compound back in 1993 ... and the Camaro changed hands over the years before ending up with "Ghost Adventures" star Zak Bagans, who is now selling the classic car.

Zak bought the Camaro from a classic car dealer in Arizona for $61,995 in 2018, but now he's expecting the car to go for at least six figures.

The car, dubbed "Armageddon's Relic," has been featured for years in Zak's Haunted Museum in Las Vegas ... but he tells us he has decided to list it with Vegas Auto Gallery because it's time to rotate his spooky artifacts on display.

The Camaro SS is rumored to have been Koresh's planned getaway car ... but he never made it out of the Waco compound where the FBI believed his religious sect was illegally stockpiling weapons.

The tragic standoff got the Hollywood treatment in 2019 when Paramount produced a mini-series on the whole ordeal, with Taylor Kitsch starring as the cult leader.

Koresh certainly left his mark on the car ... doing some custom work at the compound and inscribing the words "DAVIDES 427 GO GOD" on the V8 engine block under the hood.

The car sustained a ton of damage during the siege, but the Camaro's since been restored and outfitted with a set of custom bucket seats, a Grant GT sports steering wheel and a Hurst shifter for the 4-speed manual transmission. The Chevy has 66,371 miles on it and comes with the original Texas title.

Derek Jeter says he was slumping so terribly back in the 2004 season -- he turned to none other than a golden thong to get him out of his rut.

Seriously.

The former Yankees captain made the surprising -- and hilarious -- revelation while playing a game called "True Confessions" with Jimmy Fallon and Rita Ora on Wednesday night's "The Tonight Show."

Jeter was forced to pick one of two topics, and his two cohosts had to guess if he was telling the truth or not.

"I once wore a thong, in public, in front of thousands of people," Jeter said.

Both Fallon and Ora thought it was a fib -- but the ex-NY shortstop said it was, in fact, a real tale.

Jeter explained ... back in 2002, he got a new teammate who swore up and down that wearing a golden thong would get him out of any slump.

Jeter initially thought it was a load of B.S. -- but at the start of the '04 season, he hit an offensive rut that he had never seen before.

"Every day I'd walk in, [my teammate] would point at the thong," Jeter said. "So, finally, I wore the thong."

First pitch of his first at-bat? Home run for Jeets.

"Yes, yes," Jeter said. "That is true."

The game was said to be the Yanks' April 29, 2004 contest against the Oakland A's. Records show he was in an 0-for-32 skid before cracking a dinger off Barry Zito at Yankee Stadium.

As for who the golden thong's true owner was? According to a 2015 interview on the Dan Le Batard Show, it was none other than Jason Giambi.

"The golden thong is legendary," JG said during the '15 discussion on ESPN Radio. "It's never not gotten a hit."

By the way, if you're wondering about the hygiene of it all -- don't worry, Jeter said there was no thong-to-skin contact.

"I had shorts on underneath," he said. "I put the thong over the shorts."

Ne-Yo and his ex-wife just finalized their divorce, and the terms call for him to keep 3 of their 4 homes and a Bentley ... while forking over a bunch of money to even things out.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ne-Yo is paying his ex-wife, Crystal Renay, a $1.6 million lump sum to balance out the division of their real estate holdings ... she gets 1 of their 4 Georgia homes, plus $20,000 in moving expenses.

Ne-Yo's also tacking on a $150,000 check to his ex, so she can buy a new car. He's taking their old one ... a 2022 Bentley Bentayga.

The "So Sick" singer will also pay Crystal $12,000 a month in child support -- they have 3 kids together -- and he'll cover the kids' school expenses. Ne-Yo will also have to fork over $5,000/month in alimony for the next 3 years.

Ne-Yo and Crystal will have joint custody, and they both agree that neither party will have new romantic partners around the minor children unless they get married or engaged to that partner ... or get the signoff from each other.

Selena Gomez is not hiding behind filters, edits or layers of makeup ... instead, she's baring her natural face for all to see, and getting tons of support in the process.

The "Only Murders In The Building" star just shared a series of selfies -- that in and of itself wouldn't be news ... but these pics do stand out, because they're definitely unfiltered. She's got a pimple on her face, after all, and folks are digging the realness.

Selena captioned the photos, "Me," which is clearly fitting. She's also rocking seemingly naturally curly hair -- no straighteners today.

While some celebs never post photos without filters, makeup, or professional edits ... or let's face it, Photoshop ... Selena's making the bold move.

Selena's fans are eating it up ... her IG post is littered with positive comments, with folks noting her "natural beauty" and applauding her for sending a positive message to young girls and women scrolling their feeds.

While Selena's got her own makeup line, Rare Beauty, it's clear she doesn't need it to feel confident.

If an artist begins carving a new sports Mt. Rushmore into the side of a mountain in South Dakota in the upcoming weeks ... Deion Branch tells TMZ Sports Tom Brady is a for-sure lock to have a place in it.

The ex-NFL star insisted Wednesday just hours after Brady called it a career -- for real this time (we think) -- the former Buccaneers and Patriots quarterback has done enough to be considered one of the unanimous four best athletes ever.

Branch didn't want to say where he'd rank TB12 amongst the quartet -- but he said the ex-signal caller definitely belongs in the same conversations as the Michael Jordans, Wayne Gretzkys and Derek Jeters of the sports world.

"We do know that Tom is the greatest to ever put on a football jersey," Branch said ... before adding, "Tom will go down as the greatest football player to ever play the game."

Of course, Branch is a bit biased -- he played seven seasons with Brady in New England, winning two Super Bowls and an SB MVP with the QB -- but there won't be too many people arguing against his opinion.

Brady played 23 seasons in the league, winning seven Super Bowls and three MVP awards. He also made 15 Pro Bowl teams, 3 All-Pro teams, and retired as the NFL's leader in passing yards (89,214) and passing touchdowns (649).

Branch tells us the QB should have absolutely no regrets about not hanging things up sooner ... and, in fact, he said he's happy for the 45-year-old over the way he got to do it all.

American actor Christopher Masterson was 17 years old when he was cast as Scotty O'Neal -- the young brother and best man who is a tad shy but enjoys being around the bridesmaids -- in the Rom-Com film "My Best Friend's Wedding" back in 1997.

Masterson shared the big screen with Hollywood icons including Julia Roberts as the single gal trying to prevent her best friend from getting married, Julianne Potter, Cameron Diaz as the young blonde and soon-to-be wife who can not carry a tune whatsoever, Kimberly Wallace and Dermot Mulroney as the handsome and charming soon-to-be hubby, Michael O'Neal.

Christopher also played Malcolm's older brother, Francis, in "Malcolm In The Middle."

The wife of 49ers star Fred Warner won't be showing up to Eagles games in the future after she says Philly fans treated her horribly, berating her during the NFC Championship game, and it made her feel unsafe.

Warner's wife, Sydney, opened up about her experience at Lincoln Financial Field ... and let's just say she got a warm Philadelphia welcome.

The All-Pro's spouse says she was minding her own business, getting something to eat at a concession stand when a drunk Eagles fan got in her face, and tried to intimidate her.

"I tried my best to just not let it get to me." the 27-year-old said in a TikTok video on Wednesday.

"Like stay stone face, just walk and just let them throw stuff at you, say all the things and just get to where you're going. Just block it out."

Of course, that's easier said than done.

But, that was nothing compared to what happened when Sydney attempted to leave the game a bit early in an attempt to avoid the hecklers. Unfortunately, she ended up in a tunnel filled with Eagles fans.

"The way they were just like 'go home, go home' but that's fine. I get it but 'I hope your plane crashes!'" Sydney said, "I’m all about passion, but never again.”

Sydney, who married the linebacker last June, says it got so bad that she had to hide her red bag under her jacket so they wouldn't harass her, but she still felt unsafe.

"Like I'm 100% down riding for riding your team, but honestly, I just didn't feel safe," Sydney said.

"I will probably never go back to that stadium, to be honest. I guess you can just call me a wimp, but I couldn't handle the fans."

Keanu Reeves is getting protection from a man he claims showed up at his home, apparently hell-bent on trying to prove they're somehow related.

The "Matrix" star's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, beelined it to court Tuesday asking the judge for a temporary restraining order ... to protect Keanu and his partner, Alexandra Grant, from a 38-year-old man named Bryan Dixon -- who he claims is transient and has been harassing them for months.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, Keanu hired a security firm to investigate Dixon after claiming he kept showing up at the actor's home uninvited, and finding different ways onto the property.

The docs say Dixon trespassed 6 times from November through January -- the first time, on November 5, he entered through a side gate and fell asleep in the backyard before getting the boot.

Dixon allegedly came back the next morning and left a "suspicious and alarming" backpack on Keanu's property, which they say included a DNA testing kit “apparently intended to use on Mr. Reeves in a delusional attempt to prove they are blood-related."

Keanu's legal team says Dixon is a complete stranger to the actor, but they've discovered some red flags -- for instance, Dixon currently has a bench warrant issued against him in Rhode Island for alleged breaking and entering with felonious intent, possessing burglary tools and vandalism.

Keanu’s lawyers claim the guy's rap sheet goes back 2 decades.

What's more, Keanu's camp claims Dixon keeps posting disturbing messages on social media referring to himself as "Jasper Keith Reeves" and has set out to assign all of his personal "rights" to Keanu and put Keanu in "charge" of him.

The judge granted a temporary restraining order barring Dixon from coming within 100 yards of Keanu and Alexandra.