Celebrity Death

2:53 PM PT -- Holder just pled not guilty and his bond was set at $5 million ... he will be back in court May 10. Holder's attorney is Chris Darden ... who was famously part of the prosecution team in O.J. Simpson's double murder trial.

Nipsey Hussle's alleged killer, Eric Holder, is now officially charged with murder, and he's about to appear in court for the first time since his arrest.

The L.A. County D.A. charged him with 1 count of murder, 2 counts of attempted murder and 1 count of possession of a firearm by a felon. Holder faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted.

The attempted murder charges are for the alleged shootings of Kerry Lathan and Shermi Cervabta Villanueva. We broke the story ... the only reason Nipsey was at his Marathon Clothing store Sunday morning was to help his friend Kerry -- who recently got out of jail -- get some new clothes. Shermi is Kerry's nephew and had driven him to meet with Nipsey.

Holder is being held in solitary confinement, as cops fear he'll be offed in jail because they believe he's a target. As we reported ... LAPD picked up Holder from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department station in Lakewood after his Tuesday arrest, and transferred him to a police station in South L.A.

It's doubtful he sees the light of day anytime soon, his bail's already been set at a whopping $7,040,000.

Cops say they believe Holder -- who goes by the street name, Shitty Cuz -- is the person seen in surveillance video shooting Nipsey and his friends multiple times. The Crenshaw rapper died Sunday afternoon from gunshots to his head and torso.

Nipsey Hussle was surrounded by family and famous friends when he was pronounced dead at the hospital after being brutally ambushed by a gunman.

Sources close to the slain rapper tell TMZ ... Nipsey's fam and closest pals in the music biz rushed to the hospital Sunday afternoon after learning he had just been gunned down outside his clothing store. Lauren London, YG, DJ Mustard, Dom Kennedy, Karen Civil, twins Malika and Khadijah, and his bodyguard, J-Roc, were there, alongside his brother, Sam, and other family members.

It took a long time for the shocking turn of events to hit home ... we're told everyone who rushed to see Nipsey waited around the hospital for hours after they were told he was dead. As you can imagine, no one wanted to believe their lover, brother, relative or friend was gone forever.

We're told everyone in the room was devastated when doctors delivered the terrible news, and those assembled prayed, cried and tried to console each other. A sad scene, for sure.

Lauren only recently broke her silence on Nipsey's passing, saying she's lost without the father of her child ... and YG posted a heartfelt tribute on social media Wednesday, saying he'll never accept Nip's sudden passing.

JR Smith will permanently honor the late Nipsey Hussle everywhere he goes ... getting an insanely realistic tattoo of the slain rapper on his leg!!

The heavily-tatted NBA star showed off the fresh ink job on Wednesday ... posting a pic of his new art of Nipsey's face on his right leg.

Nipsey was shot and killed outside his L.A. clothing store on Sunday. Names like LeBron James, Odell Beckham and Russell Westbrook have posted tributes honoring the late rapper.

"Praying for your family bro!" Smith said on Sunday. "WE GOT TO STOP KILLING EACH OTHER MAN THE SH*T SAD!!"

Smith went one step further with the body art route to show respect for the Grammy-nominated artist ... hitting up Ink Studio in NYC for the job.

The finished product is sick ... and don't be surprised if more athletes follow suit.

Russell Westbrook was playing for Nipsey Hussle when he went OFF in his historic performance on Tuesday night ... dedicating his 20-20-20 game to the slain rap star.

The NBA MVP became the first player to have 20 points, 20 assists and 20 rebounds in a game since Wilt Chamberlain (in 1968) in the Thunder's 119-103 win over the Lakers ... and he explained the symbolic meaning to the milestone.

"20 plus 20 plus 20 .... they know what that means," Brodie told Jason Terry on the TNT broadcast. "That's for my bro. Rest in peace, Nipsey." Brodie said after the game.

Of course, Westbrook is referencing Nipsey's Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips gang.

Brodie, who grew up in the L.A. area and was close to Nipsey ... and knew firsthand how important he was to the community.

"Grateful to play the game, but that wasn't for me, man. That was for my bro, man. That was for Nipsey."

"I'm just thankful to go out there and compete at a high level, man. Thankful to have these teammates. Thankful and humbled to go out there and play the game I love."

Westbrook also showed tribute to Nipsey with his clothing choice before the game, rocking a blue "Crenshaw" shirt, as well as writing a message on his shoes.

Brodie finished the game with 20 points, 20 assists and 21 rebounds.

7:20 PM PT -- The woman who drove the getaway car spoke with LAPD detectives Tuesday and was allowed to go free ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ. We've learned the woman went to cops Tuesday and after interviewing her they let her leave. Our sources say the woman could be arrested and/or charged at some point in the future.

One source connected to the case tells us, "Sometimes you have to give a little to get a lot." Translation -- if she talks, she walks.

As we reported, TMZ spoke with a woman who was connected to the ownership of the vehicle and told us she drove the getaway car, but did not know what Holder had done.

3:30 PM PT -- Holder's been transferred to LAPD custody now. He's being held without bail for Nipsey's murder.

2:25 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, murder suspect Eric Holder is in custody. The man arrested early Tuesday afternoon is in fact Holder, who is suspected of murdering Nipsey Hussle. The woman who is the suspected getaway driver reportedly turned herself in.

1:35 PM PT -- A man matching Eric Holder's description has reportedly been captured in the L.A. suburb of Bellflower.

Law enforcement sources tell us L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. deputies nabbed him around 12:53 PM in the 9000 block of Artesia Blvd.

We're told he's been detained for now, and LAPD is responding to make a positive ID. Dispatch audio TMZ has obtained identifies a "possible 187 suspect," meaning homicide suspect. They then confirm they have a detainee in custody, matching Holder's description.

9:33 AM PT -- The LAPD's presser just wrapped, and a number of details in the Nipsey murder case were revealed. One of the most intriguing was an email that either Nipsey himself or someone at Roc Nation sent to L.A. Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff, which he read publicly.

As we reported, Nipsey wanted to get together with the police to work on ways to prevent gang violence in his neighborhood.

The email read, "Our goal is to work with the department to help improve communication, relationships and work toward changing the culture and dialogue between LAPD and the inner city. We want to hear about your new program and your goals for the department, as well as how we can help stop gang violence."

Soboroff says the meeting will happen in honor of Nipsey whenever his family and Roc Nation are ready to do it.

LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore says he doesn't believe Nipsey's murder -- allegedly carried out at the hands of Eric Holder -- was gang-related per se ... in that it wasn't a conflict between rival gangs. Moore says there was a personal dispute between them.

Chief Moore urged Holder to surrender, and anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward.

8:00 AM PT -- The LAPD will hold a news conference at 8:30 AM PT to reveal developments in the case. We will be live streaming.

Cops think they have the guy who murdered Nipsey Hussle ... because they just named him as a suspect and apparently have issued an arrest warrant.

The LAPD says, "Eric Holder is wanted for the homicide in the shooting of Nipsey Hussle. He was last seen in a 2016 white 4 door Chevy Cruze, CA license plate 7RJD742. Anyone with information related to his whereabouts or this deadly shooting is urged to contact South Bureau Homicide at 323 786-5100."

Lauren London is speaking out for the first time since Nipsey Hussle was shot to death ... and she says she's lost without the father of her child.

Lauren just posted a heartfelt tribute to Nipsey on Instagram ... telling the world, "I am completely lost. I've lost my best friend, my sanctuary, my protector, my soul ... I'm lost without you. We are lost without you babe. I have no words."

Lauren had been dating the rapper for several years, and they share a son together. Earlier this year they collab'd with GQ for a super cute photo shoot, which sure looked like engagement pics.

We broke the story ... Nipsey was gunned down outside his store Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, and the L.A. County Coroner says he died from gunshot wounds to his head and torso.

Nipsey's murder suspect, Eric Holder, was taken into police custody Tuesday afternoon, and he's being held without bail.

A woman who says she was in the car with Eric Holder after he allegedly shot and killed Nipsey Hussle tells TMZ ... she was with Holder Sunday but had no idea what he was doing.

We got tipped that the car police say Holder used was taken to an auto shop last June. We found out from people connected to the shop there was indeed a car that came in with the license plate in question. The name on the invoice was Eric Holder, along with a phone number.

We called the number and a woman answered. She said she did not know Holder last June but subsequently did get to know him. That didn't make a lot of sense because it appears the car is registered to either her or someone in her family ... yet Holder's name was on the invoice. She told us it was her car.

The woman then said she subsequently began a friendship with Holder and she was with him Sunday when they drove to Nipsey's clothing store near the Crenshaw District of L.A. She claims she was waiting for him in the alley when he went over to the clothing store. She also claims she didn't know why he was going there and he didn't say anything when he came back to the car.

We are in no way vouching for the veracity of her version of Sunday's events ... it's just what she said on the phone. The woman told us she was going to call police to "clear my name."

We contacted detectives on the case who said they have not yet received such a call.

19 people were injured and police and paramedics were on the scene of a Nipsey Hussle memorial after a loud noise sent people scrambling.

Thousands showed up outside Nipsey's clothing store -- where the rapper was gunned down just a day before. Video from overhead shows the crowd suddenly break into a panic and begin to run from the area. People heard a loud noise that sounded like gunfire ... and it sent everyone scrambling, causing a stampede ... injuring a number of people in the process.

There was no evidence of shots fired or gunshot wounds.

The LAPD released a statement saying, "Our men and women are on scene and making every effort to protect everyone in attendance at the Nipsey Hussle vigil. Reports of shots fired at the vigil do not appear to be accurate. We do have injured in the chaos and are attempting to restore order."

The statement continues, "We understand the community is mourning and we feel your loss. We are asking for everyone to follow the officers directions and disperse from the immediate area."

TMZ broke the story ... Nipsey was murdered Sunday outside of his clothing store. Video surveillance of the attack shows a man walk up on the rapper and others before firing multiple shots. The cause of Nipsey's death is listed as gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

Someone was out to kill Nipsey Hussle just days before he was murdered ... and those working with him were warned as such, and took extreme measures to protect him.

Nipsey filmed a music video Thursday for an upcoming song he, DJ Khaled and John Legend collaborated on called "Higher." The track will appear on Khaled's upcoming album.

Sources on the Inglewood set tell TMZ ... there was great concern over Nipsey's safety during the shoot ... specifically over the parking structure the crew used to film. Our sources say the production team wanted the entire structure shut down so that only folks working the shoot would have access.

We're told production only booked the top two floors of the parking structure. People were able to park underneath the top floors.

More shocking ... our sources say the production hired 10 armed police officers because of concerns over Nipsey's safety. It's unclear why, but we're told they were scared someone would try sneaking on set and killing him.

Seems the protection worked ... our sources tell us things went off without a hitch.

Of course, just a few days later ... Nipsey was gunned down in front of his own storefront, no less. Just hours before the shooting, Nipsey cryptically tweeted about "enemies."

Police are still looking for the shooter, who's only been described as a black male in his 20s. Cops have said they suspect the killing might be gang-related.

Nipsey was only 33. RIP

Nipsey Hussle's brutal murder is putting cops on high alert for gang retaliation ... and police are desperate to keep the peace and prevent further bloodshed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD has serious concerns the fallout from the rapper's murder will lead to more deaths, and they're planning to step up patrols near Crenshaw and surrounding neighborhoods to curb gang violence and revenge killings.

We're told police will be relying on gang intervention officers to work with local communities, and those officers will be tasked with trying to calm people down. Officers won't just be hitting the streets in Nipsey's community ... our sources say LAPD is sending extra manpower to rival hoods as well.

We broke the story ... Nipsey was shot to death Sunday afternoon outside his store in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, just south of Crenshaw, and we're told the killing appears to be gang-related.

4:05 PM PT -- A longer version of the surveillance video shows the shooter -- the man in the dark shirt -- opening fire 3 separate times on Nipsey Hussle. He shoots Nipsey once ... starts walking away ... then comes back a second time and shoots again, and then a third time.

After the third time, he kicks Nipsey and flees back toward the alley ... where we initially saw him enter the video.

Multiple sources tell us before the shooter unloaded, he had a tense convo with Nipsey. We're told Nipsey asked him if he had snitched to cops in the past because that was the word on the street.

We're told the suspect felt disrespected, left to get a gun ... then returned to get revenge.

Nipsey Hussle's murder happened in view of a nearby surveillance camera -- and the footage could give police a lead in their search for the trigger man.

TMZ obtained this footage from a business adjacent to Nipsey's The Marathon Clothing store. On the left side of the screen ... you can see someone in a red shirt enter the frame from an alleyway, walking quickly toward the front of the store.

The actual shooting is hard to make out, but you can see a victim collapse to the ground, and several people fleeing the area. It's unclear if the gunman is one of those people running from the scene -- but the footage makes it clear there were several witnesses to the shooting.

Also worth nothing ... while everyone's fleeing, you do NOT see the person in the red shirt running out of the lot.

We also don't know if the victim you see on the ground is definitely Nipsey, but you can see he's wearing a white shirt like the one he was photographed in moments before the shooting.

Police have only described the shooter as a black male in his 20s, and say he escaped in a vehicle driven by a woman.

TMZ broke the story ... the Crenshaw rapper was killed Sunday afternoon, and 2 other people were shot, but survived. Nipsey was pronounced dead at the hospital after paramedics performed CPR on the scene and during the ambulance ride.

As we told you ... Nipsey had, ironically, planned to meet with LAPD's police chief and commissioner on Monday afternoon to discuss a plan to prevent gang violence.

Nipsey Hussle is dead because the gunman couldn't stand to see another person shining and leading his community by example ... so says T.I.

Tip is clearly going through a ton of emotions after Nipsey's murder, but still joined us Monday on 'TMZ Live' to offer his theory behind WHY anyone in the rapper's beloved Crenshaw neighborhood would kill him. Ironically, he believes it's Nipsey's amazing outreach to his community -- countless efforts to improve lives -- that sparked a jealous rage inside the shooter.

T.I. says the guy who pulled the trigger is probably trapped in a mindset of hating to see someone from his block, or someone who looks like him ... advancing in life. The sad part being ... that's exactly the kind of person Nipsey tried to uplift.

Check out T.I.'s breakdown of what he sees as a senseless crime ... he points to jealousy and envy as possible motivations -- but it's deeper than that, according to him.

Like The Game, T.I. says he's disgusted and disheartened by Nipsey's killing.

Despite life-saving measures by paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Law enforcement sources tell us cops are looking for a black male in his 20s, who escaped in what appeared to be a waiting vehicle after he rolled up by foot.

In the meantime, T.I. -- like the rest of L.A. -- is awaiting answers.

Everyone is heartbroken over the murder of Nipsey Hussle -- but none perhaps more so than The Game ... who lost sleep over it, and broke down while roaming the streets.

Game posted a few videos of himself driving early Monday morning -- around 4 AM, apparently -- in the wake of Nipsey's shooting death just hours earlier near Crenshaw. You don't see his face, but you can hear how distraught the Compton rapper is over it all.

He's dumbfounded by the fact Nipsey was gunned down at his own place of business ... and in his own neighborhood in the Crenshaw District, no less. Game's disgusted by it, especially because NH was doing so much good in the area.

Game ends with saying, "LA on some bulls***, on me" ... which is similar to how Jay-Z responded when XXXTentacion was shot to death in Florida last year. Jay put the "streets" on blast in a song -- and it sounds like Game is doing the same here.

TMZ broke the story ... Nipsey was shot to death Sunday afternoon in front of his Marathon Clothing store in the Hyde Park neighborhood of L.A., just south of Crenshaw. Paramedics tried to save him, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. He was just 33.

Nipsey had worked with countless hip-hop artists, including The Game. The music community at large has widely mourned his passing with shock and remorse.

2:50 PM PT -- The L.A. County Medical Coroner says Nipsey died from gunshot wounds to his head and torso. He was pronounced dead Sunday at 3:55 PM ... at a downtown L.A. hospital.

4/1 -- Nipsey Hussle was enjoying March Madness like the rest of us Saturday night -- less than 24 hours before he was gunned down Sunday. The rapper was sitting courtside in Anaheim, CA for the Texas Tech/Gonzaga game. This is one of the last known public photos of him out there.

7:50 PM PT -- Somebody is already claiming to have been the one who shot and killed Nipsey Hussle. An artist by the name of Cinco says he was on Instagram Live Sunday after news broke that Nipsey had been shot. He says in the middle of his Live session, a young man under the username @gasstongbo hopped on with his own video and said he was the shooter.

Check out the interaction ... the guy says he literally walked up on Nipsey and shot him in front of his "daughter." Nipsey was photographed right before the shooting in the presence of a young child, but it's unclear if that was his kid or not.

We should make clear ... we do NOT know if this is the same man police have ID'd as the suspect in the case. It's simply someone who is making a claim to the crime.

6:02 PM PT -- Our sources are clear ... this appears to be gang-related to the law enforcement officers working the case.

5:46 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the suspect cops are looking for is a black male in his 20s. We're told he approached Nipsey and co. by foot Sunday afternoon and fired multiple shots ... only to depart right after in what we're told appeared to be a nearby waiting vehicle with a separate driver, who our sources say was female.

5:12 PM PT -- Our law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Nipsey Hussle has died. He was 33 years old. He's survived by two children and his girlfriend, Lauren London, with whom he had a child in 2016.

4:32 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... 3 people were shot at Nipsey's store, and one just died at the hospital. It's unclear if that person is Nipsey. We're being told that one man fled in a vehicle after the shooting.

Nipsey Hussle was just shot in L.A. ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell us the rapper was gunned down Sunday in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, south of the Crenshaw area. We're told he was at his clothing company called The Marathon Clothing. He opened the place back in 2017.

His condition is unknown at this point, but eyewitnesses say they heard multiple shots. Police and paramedics have swarmed the area and taped off the crime scene.

Nipsey received CPR on the scene as well. Videos are circulating showing him receiving CPR from an EMT, who's doing chest compressions.

What's crazy ... Nipsey seems to have tweeted right before the shooting, and alluded to "enemies." He wrote, "Having strong enemies is a blessing."

Nipsey -- who's from the Crenshaw area of L.A. -- is said to have ties to the Crips. That hasn't stopped him from working with artists who have rival gang affiliations ... he's made music with both YG and The Game -- both of whom have been tied to Bloods.

Nipsey has also worked with other huge names in the industry, like Drake, Childish Gambino, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Young Thug, Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, Kirko Bangz, Dom Kennedy, Tyga, Jadakiss, Chamillionaire and many, many others.

He's released multiple mixtapes over the course of his 10-plus year career but just dropped his first studio album last year. It's called "Victory Lap" ... and it got him a Grammy nod for Best Rap Album just a month ago. Nipsey lost out to Cardi B at the award show.

Nipsey's mixtapes date back to 2005. He dropped 10 projects independently before releasing his debut album, which was distributed through his own record label, All Money In, and Atlantic Records.

Despite being a polished rapper, Nipsey was no stranger to the streets. He got roped into a brawl out in West Hollywood back in December of 2018 ... which turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

This isn't the first time trouble has descended onto Nipsey's store either. Gunfire erupted there back in September of 2018, but no one was shot. Nipsey was not at the store that time.

Nipsey was incredibly involved in his local community, in which he worked to prevent gang violence. He helped spear a major art initiative in his home neighborhood called "Destination Crenshaw" -- a 1.3-mile open-air museum that will feature local art.

He also recently helped launch Vector 90 -- a Crenshaw district based STEM learning center and workspace dedicated to developing science and technology education in the area.

During a showcasing of Vector 90 last year, Nipsey told the LA Times ... "I grew up in gang culture. We dealt with death, with murder. It was like living in a war zone, where people die on these blocks and everybody is a little bit immune to it. I guess they call it post-traumatic stress, when you have people that have been at war for such a long time. I think L.A. suffers from that because it’s not normal yet we embrace it like it is after a while."

Nipsey has been dating Lauren London since at least 2015, when she got pregnant with their child. They kept a low profile as a couple, but stirred up engagement rumors when they did a coordinated shoot for GQ back in January ... where they were wearing matching white outfits.

Speaking of GQ, Nipsey and Lauren had worked with them quite recently by doing a "Couples Quiz," which just got released a few days ago.

Lauren hasn't said anything publicly about Nipsey's shooting.

Nipsey Hussle's murder has rocked the music world, but it has also sparked new spins on his most beloved tunes -- 'cause the rapper is dominating the charts.

The Crenshaw rapper's music has soared on Amazon and iTunes in the wake of his fatal shooting, with a lot of his former projects jumping up in position by as much as 500%. Specifically, Nipsey's debut studio album, "Victory Lap," has skyrocketed to the #1 album on Amazon's Movers & Shakers list ... having risen by a whopping 504,766%.

That's not all though -- Nipsey's album and previous mixtapes actually occupy all four top slots on Amazon's Movers & Shakers list. "Victory Lap" has also jumped to #2 on Amazon's overall bestsellers in digital music.

Nipsey's making an impact on iTunes as well -- his studio album is ranked second on its album chart, and his mixtape, "Crenshaw," has climbed to #12 on the list.

For the record, "Victory Lap" was nominated for Best Rap Album at this year's Grammy Awards. It lost out to Cardi B's record, but it was still a major milestone for Nipsey.

TMZ broke the story ... Nipsey was shot and killed Sunday outside of his Marathon Clothing store in South L.A. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

He was 33.

"N****s killed my motherf**kin' uncle, n****. F**k that. Why we doin' this s**t? Why we doing it? Why we killing each other? Why we killing black people, n****?"

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson is completely fed up after Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed on Sunday ... grabbing the mic at a Scottsdale nightclub to give a heartfelt speech about gun and gang violence.

"Why the f**k we doing that s**t? Why we hating on all the black people that's successful? F**k that s**t. That's my motherf**kin' uncle," Clarkson yells to the crowd.

Clarkson and the Cavs are in town for their game against the Suns on Monday ... and the 26-year-old hit up International Boutique Nightclub on Sunday night, just hours after the rapper was killed.

Of course, the NBAer played for the Lakers from 2014-2018 -- and says he was close to the L.A. rapper. The 2 have exchanged props on social media in the past as well.

Clarkson added ..."I bang with all the sets. you got me f**ked up n****. Real talk, n****, that's on gang. Dont f**k with that s**t, bro, real talk."

TMZ broke the story ... the rapper was shot to death Sunday afternoon in front of his store, The Marathon Clothing, in L.A.'s Hyde Park neighborhood. Paramedics tried to save him, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. He was just 33.