Coronavirus

Rapper Fred the Godson has died from coronavirus complications ... according to people very close to him.

The Bronx MC -- popular for tracks like "Toast To That" with Jadakiss and "Doves Fly" featuring Pusha T -- died a couple weeks after announcing he had contracted COVID -19.

Fred revealed his diagnosis on April 6 when he posted a photo from the hospital while wearing an oxygen mask to help him breathe. He asked his fans for prayers and support.

Days later, his wife told local media outlets that doctors were weening the rapper off his ventilator. It seemed like a good sign, but she also said he would have an uphill battle to recover and be released.

It's unclear if he was ever released from the hospital.

DJ Clark Kent remembered his friend's skills, saying ... "His wordplay was INCREDIBLE. He was easily one of the most dangerous MC’s around. Lately he was battling this horrible virus. Today he lost the fight • Rest In Power To One Of My Favorite MC’s."

The Godson, AKA Gordo, was 35.

DIY dentistry is apparently becoming a thing during coronavirus lockdown ... at least in the United Kingdom, where one man yanked his own chomper out with a pair of pliers!!!

With dentists' offices shuttered due to restrictions brought on by the novel virus, a 33-year-old father in the UK took matters into his own hands when one of his teeth got infected.

Billy Taylor says he couldn't get an emergency dental appointment, so he looked up some dental procedures on YouTube when the pain wouldn't subside. After a quick online tutorial and a couple shots of whiskey, Billy yanked out his infected tooth with pliers.

The process took an hour, but Billy finally got the tooth out of his head ... he says it was "bloody painful" and "hideous" and wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they know what they're doing.

Dr. Heather Winther joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and explained why DIY dentistry is a terrible idea.

The good doc says the biggest danger is not being able to get the entire tooth pulled, which could lead to even more problems and force you into a dental chair regardless. For the record, most statewide quarantines allow for emergency dental appointments, especially when you're dealing with severe pain.

Columbia University's not hurting for money with BILLIONS at its disposal, but it's refusing to refund tuition while the pandemic's shut down campus ... so claims one pissed off student.

The student filed a class-action lawsuit against the Ivy League school saying even though Columbia did the right thing by closing its campus and moving classes online, the school refuses to give back tuition and fees already paid by students.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the student says they're entitled to get their money back because their online classes do NOT provide benefits they've already paid for upfront ... like in-person instruction, access to campus facilities, student activities and other benefits.

And, the real gut punch, allegedly ... the student claims Columbia's refusal to refund is especially galling because it's sitting on a $10.9 BILLION endowment. The student, who filed anonymously for fear of reprisals, says they've already paid a substantial amount of dough in tuition and fees.

And, if they're taking classes online, the student notes the cost of getting an online-only degree from Columbia is about 17% cheaper than a traditional degree.

Pace University -- another private institution based in NYC with campuses across Westchester County -- is also being sued by a different student making similar accusations. He claims Pace has an endowment of approximately $182 million but has refused to issue refunds.

Students at Michigan State, Purdue, Drexel and Liberty universities have also been suing for similar reasons.

We've reached out to Columbia and Pace, so far no word back.

Mark Cuban is trying too put a spotlight on "the unsung heroes" of the COVID-19 pandemic -- death care workers -- who Mark says just aren't getting the attention and support they deserve.

"I just want to say thank you to the death care industry," the Dallas Mavericks owner says ... "You're not out there getting credit."

"People aren't clapping for you when you drive home but you have to do some of the hardest things that anybody has to deal with during this pandemic."

"You guys are the unsung heroes so I just wanted to say thank you, it's noticed."

You may know ... Mark is directly involved in the death care industry -- he famously bought 9% of Eterneva for $600k on "Shark Tank" back in 2019.

Eterneva says it uses cremated ashes and turns them into wearable diamonds using a high-pressure heat system.

A rep for the company tells TMZ Sports ... Eterneva has partnered with several companies in the death care industry -- including NFDA, Good Grief, Pale Hearse, the Funeral Service Foundation, and the SoGal Foundation -- to make sure funeral workers are properly equipped with N95 masks and other protective equipment.

Jeff Dunham says a company is constantly ripping him off to sell shirts, but now it's gone way too far by doing the same thing with overpriced face masks, to try to profit off the COVID-19 pandemic ... and he's had it.

According to a new suit, filed by legal pit bull attorney Marty Singer, Dunham alleges Raymond Lei, Ooshirts, Inc. and sites like teechip.com have jacked the world-famous ventriloquism characters he spent years developing and are using them to sell merchandise ... including coronavirus-related masks and tees.

What's worse -- Dunham claims Ooshirts and its websites have "exploited the name, photograph, image and/or likeness of Jeff Dunham himself" in order to profit off its counterfeit products, which he says has led to fans questioning why he is trying to make money off a pandemic. Dunham says this is causing great harm to his reputation and his brand.

The most recent example of Ooshirts' "unlawful conduct" -- according to Dunham -- is slapping his most beloved crotchety old man character, Walter, on masks ... and selling them online for $19.95.

Dunham says this is just one example, but claims the company has been doing this for years with all of his other characters -- Achmed the Dead Terrorist, Bubba J, Peanut and Jose Jalapeno on a Stick -- as well.

The comedian says he's been doing this routine with Lei and Ooshirts for a while, where he identifies infringing products and gets them taken down, but they always keep popping up with more ... so now he says "enough is enough."

Dunham is suing for violating his right of publicity, as well as infringing on his copyrights and trademarks and wants more than $10 million in damages.

Nancy Pelosi looked more like she was on the set of "Contagion" the sequel than the U.S. Capitol building ... as she and her entourage all strolled in wearing masks.

The House Speaker arrived Thursday to the nation's capital as the House of Representatives begin debating several coronavirus-related issues and, hopefully, vote and approve the new stimulus package to help the reeling economy and specifically small businesses. The Senate already approved the nearly $500 billion relief bill.

You can see it's not just Nancy wearing a face covering. Her staff and security detail are also following the CDC's guidelines to wear masks while entering essential businesses. When the session began, you can also see almost every member -- both Democrats and Republicans -- wearing masks, though there were a few knuckleheads who opted going sans mask.

Eating out in a pandemic-afflicted world might look more like visiting a loved one in prison ... if this test run in Italy is any indication.

Restaurant owner Valerio Calderoni and his wife, Martina, are serving as guinea pigs for a possible new setup at eateries, intended to lower the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

The couple is seated at a table for 2 in Calderoni's Il Ciak restaurant in Rome's Trastevere district, and as you can see ... there's a large piece of plexiglass between them.

Clearly, the separator makes for a less intimate dinner date, but Valerio and his wife have plenty of room for their food and are still able to cheers with their wine glasses.

It's unclear how the dividers would affect sound travel in the restaurant -- especially if patrons are also wearing masks -- but this is just a test run ... probably a lot of kinks to work out still.

Employees at a Jersey Mike's at LAX flouted the Los Angeles city order to wear face coverings ... but it looks like the customers were too.

The order went into effect in L.A. April 10, which requires both shoppers and workers at essential businesses that are open during the coronavirus pandemic to wear a face covering.

This includes businesses providing food, like the Jersey Mike's at Terminal 2, but based on this video shot April 16 during the lunch hour ... the workers weren't complying.

As you see, at least 2 employees were serving customers without wearing masks -- including the one cutting the meats -- and we're told the guy at the register was wearing a face mask ... but it was pulled down to only cover his beard and chin, leaving his mouth and nose exposed.

Two men ordering food in the vid, including an apparent pilot, were also not covering up.

As you may know ... many health experts now suggest wearing a mask outdoors to prevent the spread of COVID-19, though it's not required in the majority of states and cities in the U.S.

However, in L.A. it's considered a misdemeanor to not comply, though Mayor Eric Garcetti has said he hopes people will voluntarily follow the order.

This Jersey Mike's might need a little more encouragement.

Elizabeth Warren's 86-year-old brother has died just weeks after contracting COVID-19.

Don Reed Herring -- a 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran who served nearly 6 years in Vietnam -- died Tuesday night in Norman, Oklahoma. The former presidential candidate touted her big bro's military credentials saying, "He joined the Air Force at 19 and spent his career in the military, including five and a half years off and on in combat in Vietnam. He was charming and funny, a natural leader."

Don -- the oldest of Elizabeth's 3 brothers -- reportedly tested positive for coronavirus about 3 weeks ago. He was moved to intensive care on April 15 and died 6 days later.

Warren was no stranger to voicing her frustration with President Trump's response to the pandemic ... but while criticizing Trump, she never once mentioned her own family was directly impacted by the fast-spreading deadly virus.

Warren told The Boston Globe, “I’m grateful to the nurses and other front-line staff who took care of my brother, but it is hard to know that there was no family to hold his hand or to say 'I love you' one more time. And now there’s no funeral for those of us who loved him to hold each other close. I will miss my brother."

Elizabeth often brought up Don, and her other brother, David, during her presidential campaign ... touting they're Republicans who agreed with her.

Don was diagnosed with cancer years ago but underwent treatment. He is survived by his wife and 2 sons.

RIP

Jermaine Dupri fears Atlanta's black community will see a spike in COVID-19 deaths IF the city reopens for biz Friday, so he's begging ATL ... "Don't fall for the okie doke."

The "okie doke" is a clear reference to GA's Gov., Brian Kemp, giving the state the green light to open barbershops, hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors, bowling alleys and several other businesses. But, Jermaine -- an ATL and hip-hop icon -- says it's too early, and it's the wrong image for his city's black community.

JD came armed with stats for his nearly 10-minute plea to Atlanta -- pointing out COVID-19 is killing African-Americans at a disproportionately high rate, and that Georgia ranks last in virus testing.

He did acknowledge the challenges of quarantine, and said he does understand why people want to get out, but added the stakes are just too high to give in now. As he put it, "Don't die 'cause you bored!"

The NAACP is going even further than Jermaine, directly calling Gov. Kemp's decision "reckless and unilateral." The org. says Kemp is placing "at risk communities in direct danger" of contracting COVID-19, and it's calling on citizens to push back ... and stay home.

Leave it to Sofia Richie to deliver some sobering news while still looking like she stepped off a bikini runway, but she could just be breaking the law because it looks like that runway is closed.

Sofia hopped on her e-bike Wednesday and hit the beach ... social distancing was not an issue because the beach was empty. Unclear what beach she was at, but L.A. County beaches are closed, and she was definitely in Malibu Wednesday, which is off-limits.  Nevertheless, it's hard to dispute her declaration summer 2020 is over before it begins.

Sofia's BF, Scott Disick, had a lighter spin on things ... calling his Wednesday "Earth Day at its finest" with some help from his e-bike. He looked like he was having a ball, for sure, but again, he's tooling around without a mask, and if it's L.A. County, the beaches are closed. Maybe Sofia hadn't told him yet about summer getting out of dodge.

Things were much simpler just 8 months ago when Sofia turned 21. She got a couple of cars for her birthday -- seriously, a Bentley and Range Roger -- and hopped on a jet with Kylie.

Ah, the good ol' days.