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10:45 AM PT -- We're told Okerlund passed away early Wednesday morning. Cause of death is still unclear. Working on it.

8:59 AM PT -- We just spoke with Diamond Dallas Page who praised Okerlund as one of the greatest people in the industry.

Page got emotional as he reflected on Okerlund's life and says he will be missed by all.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund -- the most famous announcer in the history of pro wrestling -- has died, WWE has confirmed. He was 76.

Vince McMahon's company issued a statement saying, "WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Gene Okerlund, the most recognizable interviewer in sports-entertainment history, has passed away at age 76."

Hulk Hogan also commented ... saying, "Mean Gene I love you my brother."

Unclear how he died, but Okerlund had health problems dating back years. He had 2 kidney transplants -- the first one in 1995 and the second in 2004.

Okerlund started as a radio DJ back in Nebraska before taking a job with the American Wrestling Association in 1970.

He moved to WWF in the early '80s and WRESTLED -- famously pinning Mr. Fuji in a tag team match with Hulk Hogan in 1984.

Okerlund was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan.

Among his many highlights, Okerlund sang the national anthem at Wrestlemania I back in 1985.

His interviews were legendary -- standing face to face with guys like Andre the Giant, Ultimate Warrior, Ricky Steamboat and others ... and getting the best out of these guys.

He was beloved in wrestling circles for decades. In fact, he served as the best man at The Iron Sheik's wedding!

As for his nickname, Jesse "The Body" Ventura is credited with the name "Mean" Gene.

The tributes from WWE stars are already pouring in ...

Ric Flair -- One Of My Closest Friends Since 1972 Until This Very Sad Day In 2019. Not Only The Greatest Voice And Personality In The History Of Announcing, But A Man Who Touched Everyone’s Life Who Were Fortunate Enough To Know Him. Rest In Peace Knowing No One Will Ever Replace You.

Seth Rollins -- Super bummed about Mean Gene. Literally JUST sat down last week to do an interview about his legacy. He was the most iconic backstage interviewer in wrestling history in my opinion. #RIPMeanGene

Charlotte Flair -- Goodbye, old friend. Thank you for the memories

Stephanie McMahon -- Gene Okerlund was an incredibly rare talent. He made everything and everyone better. #ThankYouMeanGene for all the incredible memories. Our condolences to his family and loved ones.

Ted DiBiase -- WWE universe has lost one of its greatest announcers and truly one of the nicest guys you’d ever know. “Mean” Gene Okerlund, RIP my friend

Stone Cold Steve Austin -- "Just heard Mean Gene Okerlund has passed away. As an interviewer, pitch man, announcer, or host, he was untouchable. Simply the best. Total professional with quick wit, sarcasm, humor, and that golden voice."

Triple H -- "A voice and sound track to an entire era of our industry. He was the star of some of @WWE’s most memorable segments. “Mean Gene” was beloved by all who got to work with him. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time."

Big E -- "Mean Gene was the voice of millions of childhoods. Mine certainly. An honor to meet him. Condolences to his family."

Mustafa Ali -- "The voice of my youth. Condolences to his friends and family."

Ligero -- "Extremely sad news to hear of the unfortunate passing of Mean Gene Okerlund. One of the most iconic interviewers and personalities of my childhood, and one of the very best in the business."

Charles Robinson (famous WWE ref) -- "So sad to hear of the passing of one of the greatest voices in wrestling. Mean Gene you will be missed and we will continue to love you. What a true class act. I am very fortunate to work with you."

Bully Ray -- "RIP “Mean” Gene. Thanks for the memories and being a Gentleman. God Bless."

Kevin Owens -- Mean Gene was universally loved by everyone I’ve met that knew him.

Very few people can say that their work will forever be appreciated and remembered. Very few can legitimately claim to be legends in their field.

Those things can undoubtedly be said about him.

Matt Hardy -- RIP to an absolute legend of our industry, @TheGeneOkerlund. "Mean Gene" was incredible in many roles, as he wore many hats throughout his iconic career in pro wrestling. My thoughts are with his family & friends today.

Kurt Angle -- Very seldom does an interviewer become just as popular, and at times even more popular than the superstars he/she interviews. Gene Okerlund was that person. Im saddened to hear of Gene’s passing. It was an honor to know you Gene!

He shoots, he scores ... ON WATER!!!

Michael Jordan's 2019 is off to a GREAT start -- he's hanging out on an $80 MILLION super yacht off the coast of St. Barths ... and the ship has a basketball court onboard!!!

Seriously ... this thing's amazing.

Unclear if MJ is ponying up the $840,000 per week it costs to charter the 230-foot floating mansion -- but he's reportedly worth around $1 BILLION, so it's not like he can't afford it.

Either way, this ship is paradise on water -- with 8 cabins, a bar, dining room, full gym, deck Jacuzzi ... and, oh yeah, the basketball court!!

The yacht also boasts a state-of-the-art audiovisual system, satellite TV and fast WIFI ... so you can still check your Instagram from the middle of the ocean.

Floyd Mayweather beat the hell outta Tenshin Nasukawa this week ... and he's already flaunting his earnings from the fight -- showing off stacks of Yen in his Rolls-Royce!!!

Floyd annihilated Tenshin in an exhibition boxing match in Japan on Monday -- with the scrap lasting just two minutes ... and Mayweather says he pocketed $9 MILLION from the bout.

So, yeah ... that's around a cool $68,000 per second!!!!!!!!

Didn't take long for TBE to show off the winnings ... 'cause in vids he posted Tuesday -- he bragged about his dope cars and then flashed the Yen he pocketed from the fight.

"Y'all guys tell me, should I take this truck out today? My G-Wagen? My Tonka toy? Or should I take my Rolls-Royce truck out today. Now, y'all gotta decide. Let me know."

The bills were 10,000 banknotes ... and Floyd had AT LEAST 14 stacks laid out on his driver's seat and center console.

Some have called the whole fight a farce ... dude was way bigger than the Rizin superstar -- and many have wondered if it was all fixed from the beginning.

Lonzo Ball was pissed to be called a "deadbeat dad" by his ex-GF ... and when the Lakers star confronted her about the comment -- he told her, "It's really not funny."

Denise Garcia -- Zo's baby mama -- went on social media in October and was asked to "blink if Lonzo is a deadbeat dad" ... and she blinked with both eyes while laughing.

Cameras caught Lonzo confronting Denise over the post on the Ball family's Facebook reality TV show ... when he ripped into her for making the accusation.

"Came to see the deadbeat, huh?" Zo asked ... "That was fun for you? You had fun? You're laughing, but it's really not funny though."

Lonzo wasn't the only one pissed about the comments ... LaVar Ball was livid as well, saying, "How do you call somebody a deadbeat when you just had the baby?!"

In fact ... the Big Baller was caught on camera talking to his wife about her exercise program when he said, "Are you getting in shape for a reason? So, you can knock the hell outta Denise?!"

For her part ... Denise explained to Lonzo the whole thing was meant as a joke -- and she apologized to the L.A. star.

"I shouldn't have done it at all. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

Lonzo added, "Denise wants me to be more present during the weekends with her and Zoey, I see where she's obviously coming from ... I'm trying to make an effort to get there as much as possible."

1:14 PM PT -- If you were planning on attending any future Kanye concerts, be prepared to see that MAGA hat of his ... 'cause Ye says he'll be performing with it from now on.

Kanye West is making it quite clear to kick off the new year -- he's still on the Trump train heading into 2019.

Ye went on another Twitter rant Tuesday proclaiming his unwavering devotion to President Trump, saying ... "Trump all day." He continued by saying, "Just so in 2019 you know where I stand."

The political line of logic continued with Kanye saying, "They will not program me," and adding, "Blacks are 90% Democrats That sounds like control to me."

He followed up by saying, "Love everyone," and "We will change the world. God is on my side. I am a Christian. I am a tax payer. I am myself. God is with us." It should be noted ... Kanye is currently retweeting love and support being sent to him at an alarmingly rapid pace.

The new tweets follow his latest attack against Drake for following Kim Kardashian on Instagram last year. It also appears to be the first direct mention of politics ever since Kanye announced he'd be putting a pause on political talk and focusing on being creative.

Speaking of Drizzy, Kanye addressed his ongoing feud with the guy, saying "I love Drake 2019 we will all heal."

BTW -- Kanye also seems to be teasing a presidential run for 2024.

Sam Darnold learned a brutal rookie lesson Friday -- if you don't take care of your offensive lineman ... YOU GET YOUR WHEELS JACKED!!!!

At least, that's according to Jamal Adams ... who says the Jets QB's Christmas gifts to his O-Linemen were so trash -- the big fellas literally ripped the front wheels straight off his whip!!

"Damn, Sam! Damn, Sam I Am!!! They got your ass, rook!!!!," Adams says.

There was some initial confusion with Adams as to why the Toyota assault took place ... with Jamal thinking Darnold had completely forgotten to get gifts for the guys who protect his life.

Turns out ... Sam DID get them presents -- they just sucked.

"He did get 'em gifts. He did. He did. They just didn't like 'em!!!"

Worst part of the whole situation? It's pouring in NY ... so, Sam's gotta deal with that mess in the rain on a Friday.

Gavin Rossdale's loss is clearly Loris Karius' gain ... 'cause the star goalkeeper had no problems being Sophia Thomalla's rebound in Miami on Friday!!!

The German model -- sporting a tiny green bikini and a pair of Daisy Dukes -- paraded around South Beach with the soccer superstar ... leaning in for kisses and cuddles.

It's interesting ... 'cause Thomalla and Rossdale were just seen out together in Los Angeles a few weeks ago -- but looks like the smokin' hot model is moving on.

As for Karius -- he's been known for dating PLENTY of attractive women -- and doesn't seem to mind one bit that Sophia's so fresh off a breakup.

BTW ... this ain't anything new for Rossdale -- Gwen Stefani got with Blake Shelton shortly after officially breaking everything off with him.

12/28 6:05 AM PT -- It appears Iggy's been taking tons of heat for continuing to sing in the midst of her backup dancer having a seizure, saying, "It feels like ANY thing I do becomes an opportunity for people to tell me why I'm s***, why my music sucks, my clothes are ugly, why I don't matter or why I'm a horrible person. I'm worn down." She goes on to say, "Everyone is just trying to make it through their day. Could we be a little kinder to each other? Seeing how much people enjoy being awful to one another is depressing."

Iggy Azalea's concert in Brazil came to a grinding halt after one of her backup dancers collapsed in the middle of a song after suffering a seizure.

The scary scene unfolded Thursday during Iggy's performance at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. You see a backup dancer collapse onstage and her body shaking uncontrollably. Iggy calls for a medic, then starts singing "Black Widow" before the music stops and an eerie silence falls over the stadium.

Medics actually drove an ambulance onstage to take the woman away. Then it was back to business for Iggy.

It sounds like the backup dancer will be okay ... Iggy addressed the incident on social media, saying the lights and heat in the venue triggered the seizure, and the woman's feeling much better now. Iggy says she kept singing because she thought the dancer just fell down or twisted an ankle.

2:45 PM PT -- Dana White says the decision to move UFC 232 from Las Vegas to Los Angeles cost roughly $6 million.

White says he did NOT want to cancel the fight and worked to find a venue where it could happen when problems arose in Nevada.

White says once they found out The Forum in L.A. was available, they booked it and the rest is history.

Alexander Gustafsson just went off on Jon Jones to his face -- saying the guy is a "terrible" cheater who's spewing "bullsh*t" about his positive PED test.

The two exchanged shots at the UFC 232 press conference -- Gustafsson says he's convinced Jones is a cheater, but didn't want to back out of the Dec. 29 fight because he wants to beat the guy's ass.

"I'm here to fight," Gustafsson said ... "He will eat it Saturday night."

UFC 232 was supposed to go down in Las Vegas -- but was moved to L.A. after Jones tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid.

Jones has insisted he only had trace amounts of the PED in his system -- remnants of the last time he tested positive. He's adamant the Turinabol in his system is not new.

The UFC -- along with the California State Athletic Commission and other officials -- believe Jones, which is why the fight was greenlit in CA.

During the event, Jones doubled down on his claim that he's not a cheater and will eventually be vindicated by tested organizations.

Jones says it's "hilarious" that people think PEDs are the reason for his success.

Stefon Diggs won Son of the Year AND Brother of the Year awards in just a couple hours on Christmas ... 'cause the WR got his mom a new car and his bros diamond chains!!!

The Vikings superstar started his Santa impression Tuesday with a Mercedes ... delivering it to his mom on the holiday in a fashion she'll never forget.

"You get 1 mom... here’s something for the lady that put up with all my craziness. Merry Christmas everyone," Diggs wrote.

But, his bag of toys didn't end there ... the dude also had diamond shovels (get it, Diggs??) made by Al the Jeweler for his brothers!!!

It's a huge Christmas haul for the Diggs fam ... but don't worry -- we got a feeling this is a trend that'll continue for years -- Stefon just signed a 5-year, $72-MILLION deal!!

The Pittsburgh Steelers' season rests on the Cleveland Browns beating the Ravens this weekend ... which is why Antonio Brown just became the new LEADER OF THE DAWG POUND, BABY!!!

Yeah, they're divisional rivals ... but forget all that, AB knows he needs Baker Mayfield and company to shut down Terrell Suggs or they can kiss the playoffs g'bye!

So, Antonio decided to make some slight tweaks to his Steelers jersey to show his commitment -- changing the name on the back from "Brown" to "BROWNS."

The WR posted pics of his gear on social media with the caption, "Who else has their #84 browns jersey ready for this weekend?"

Of course ... even if Cleveland takes care of business in Baltimore -- the Steelers still gotta beat the Bengals to get to the playoff party.

Sounds pretty easy ... but Pitt has lost 4 of its last 5 games -- so anything can go down Sunday.

He's already got the right beard, and on Christmas Eve ... James Harden went full Santa Claus and provided presents for families who could use an assist.

The NBA superstar partnered with Target and Karen Civil on Monday, letting 70 kids run wild in a Pearland, Texas store with loaded up gift cards for a personal shopping spree!

We're told each card had a couple hundred bucks on it, and the best part ... the kids had no idea they were in for this treat.

12/25 -- 21 Savage has also apologized ... saying, "the Jewish people I know are very wise with [their] money so that's why I said we been gettin Jewish money. I never thought anyone would take offense. I'm sorry if I offended everybody. Never my intention. I love all people."

LeBron James busted out a big "Sleecha" to Jewish people on Sunday -- after posting a photo on Instagram with the caption, "Getting that Jewish money."

Long story short, LeBron says he thought it was a "compliment" to Jews.

James was actually quoting a lyric from the 21 Savage rap song "ASMR" -- but there was a backlash online from people who felt someone as famous and powerful as LeBron shouldn't be pushing old Anti-Semitic stereotypes.

"Apologies, for sure, if I offended anyone," James told ESPN ... "That's not why I chose to share that lyric. I always [post lyrics]. That's what I do. I ride in my car, I listen to great music, and that was the byproduct of it."

"So, I actually thought it was a compliment, and obviously it wasn't through the lens of a lot of people. My apologies. It definitely was not the intent, obviously, to hurt anybody."

Despite LeBron's intent, there have been hundreds of books and articles written over the years about why the "Jews and Money" stereotype is a dangerous one.

Quite simply, it's been used a rallying cry to fuel anti-Semitism for hundreds of years.

11:35 AM PT -- TMZ has obtained a copy of the criminal complaint against Spacey ... and it's disturbing and graphic.

In the docs, the alleged victim told police Spacey started buying him drinks after he got off work at Club Car bar, Spacey asked the teen about his penis size, tried to get him to come back to Spacey's house for an after party, and Spacey reached through his pants and touched his penis.

According to the docs, the alleged victim told a woman at the bar he thought Spacey "is trying to rape him," before running out the back door and going home.

In the docs, the alleged victim tells Spacey he's not gay and has a girlfriend. The alleged victim also claims to have video of Spacey touching him.

Kevin Spacey is facing a felony charge for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Massachusetts back in 2016, according to authorities.

The alleged incident happened at a Nantucket bar in July '16, and authorities told the Boston Globe that Spacey is due to be arraigned Jan. 7 at Nantucket District Court on a charge of indecent assault and battery.

The alleged victim's attorney, Mitchell Garabedian, tells TMZ ... "The complainant has shown a tremendous amount of courage in coming forward. Let the facts be presented, the relevant law applied and a just and fair verdict rendered."

The alleged victim's mother, Boston TV news anchor Heather Unruh, described the alleged incident in an emotional news conference in Nov. 2017 ... publicly accusing Spacey of sexually assaulting her son. Unruh claims Spacey got her 18-year-old son drunk at a bar, stuck his hand inside her son's pants and grabbed his genitals. After the alleged incident, the Unruh family filed a police report.

Spacey posted this bizarre video on his personal YouTube channel Monday, and the timing is interesting. In the video, he appears to be reading a monologue as his old "House of Cards" character Frank Underwood. Spacey also tweeted the video, his first tweet since October 2017.

Spacey has previously been accused of trying to molest a 14-year-old actor, and Spacey is currently under investigation in Los Angeles in another sexual assault case.

We've reached out to Kevin's attorney, Todd Rubenstein. So far, no word back.

Once again, UFC superstar Jon Jones is apologizing for a failed drug test -- claiming the steroid found in his system this week was not consumed with the intention to cheat.

"I just wanted to take the time out to apologize to the fans for what is going on," Jones said in a video posted Sunday night ... "It's a situation that's completely out of my control."

In case you didn't know ... officials found traces of the steroid Turinabol while testing Jones for his upcoming fight against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 on Dec. 29.

But, officials from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) have essentially said the traces found in JJ's system were TINY -- and likely leftovers from when he tested positive in 2017.

Still, the Nevada State Athletic Commission would not let Jones fight in Vegas -- but he got the green light in California ... so, Dana White and the UFC relocated the event to L.A.

Some people (including UFC fighters) are furious -- claiming they already made plans, bought tickets, hotel rooms, airplane tickets, etc.

In his video, Jones acknowledges the situation is messed up but claims he didn't take any PEDs and never intended for this to happen.

"This is a situation that is completely out of my control ... but I still will man up and apologize for this happening."

"I realize there's a lot of people who lost out in the situation ... people came from Sweden, people came from Brazil ... I feel your frustration."

Jones says he's trying to make things right -- and has paid for hotel rooms and airplane tickets for some people -- but insists, "This is not a mistake I made."

Tarik Cohen doesn't give a damn if he cost you money in your fantasy football league Sunday ... 'cause the Bears RB says everyone hating on him needs to SHUT THE HELL UP!!!

"Hey, Fantasy owners. Ya'll get the f*ck from under my comments. Talking about my weak performance. We got the dub. Bear down."

Cohen's been a nice surprise on the fantasy scene this year ... posting double-digit points in 9 out of 16 weeks -- which ain't bad for a guy most thought would be the Bears' backup RB.

But, the Chicago superstar laid a serious egg when fantasy players needed him most ... 'cause in championship week Sunday -- he totaled just 19 yards.

Doesn't seem Cohen cares at all ... Bears got the win over the 49ers and now have a shot at the No. 2 seed ... and Tarik hit the dance floor like a mad man afterward to celebrate!!!