Coronavirus

Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada has died from coronavirus.

Kenzo, the first Japanese designer to have ensconced himself in the fashion capital of the world -- Paris, France -- died Sunday in the hospital. His spokesperson confirms Kenzo's death was the result of COVID.

Kenzo's designs featured colorful graphic and floral prints. He was hugely popular, both for his high fashion and luxury day-to-day streetwear.

The designer sold his brand to LVMH back in 1993 and stepped away from the brand 6 years later.

Kenzo was born in 1939 and developed a passion for drawing and sewing. He went to France in 1965 ... it was supposed to be a stopover but he ended up staying permanently.

He created a line for men back in '83, and in '88 he created his first perfume -- Kenzo Kenzo.

Kenzo was 81.

One of the closest people to President Trump has tested positive for COVID ... his "body man."

Nick Luna serves as Trump's personal attendant and he too has the virus. Luna has been by Trump's side both at The White House and when the President travels. He's always close to the President -- think personal valet only a lot more involved in the day-to-day.

It gets complicated ... Luna married Cassidy Dumbauld this year. She's an assistant to Jared Kushner. Get the picture?

Luna now joins a growing list of the 27 White House-related coronavirus cases, which now includes Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Hope Hicks, Kellyanne Conway, Chris Christie, Sen Mike Lee, Sen Thom Tillis, Sen Ron Johnson, Ronna McDaniel, John Jenkins, Bill Stepien, and now Nick Luna.

As for Trump, his condition remains a mystery. The White House physician, Sean Conley, painted an inaccurate picture of Trump's condition, suggesting all was well, when in fact Trump was having trouble breathing Friday, had supplemental oxygen, had a fever and was rapidly going downhill when he was taken to Walter Reed.

Dr. Conley said Saturday night ... "President Trump continues to do well, having made substantial progress since diagnosis," adding, "This evening he completed his second dose of Remdesivir without complication. He remains fever-free and off supplemental oxygen with a saturation level between 96 and 98% all day. He spent most of the afternoon conducting business, and has been up and moving about the medical suite without difficulty. While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic. The plan for tomorrow is to continue observation in between doses of Remdesivir, closely monitoring his clinical status while fully supporting his conduct of Presidential duties."

The White House then released photos of Trump working in Walter Reed's Presidential Suite.

President Trump just delivered his own update on his health ... he says he's feeling much better now after being diagnosed with COVID-19, but his Chief of Staff says the President's not out of the woods by a long shot.

Trump sat down on camera for a four-minute update from the "Presidential Suite" at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, explaining he wasn't feeling so well when he was first hospitalized but is doing a lot better.

It's now clear Trump was going downhill Friday before going to the hospital. We now know he was having breathing issues and he received supplemental oxygen. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said bluntly, Trump's health Friday was "very concerning."

The Prez is optimistic he'll be out of the hospital soon and he's vowing to return to the campaign trail to finish what he started ... but he also admits the next few days will be key in determining the course of the virus. Meadows called the next 48 hours "critical."

Trump sounded pretty much like his normal self while delivering his remarks, and he says he's gonna beat this thing. POTUS says the therapeutics he's receiving are working. He did not say anything about being on oxygen.

Melania's doing well too, Trump says, and he's thankful for all the medical professionals at Walter Reed.

It's interesting ... Trump says he was given the option of isolating at the White House, but claims he was told he would have to shy away from others and the Oval Office. Trump says he just didn't want to be cooped up in a room, so he went to Walter Reed.

That makes no sense. He's now confined to a hospital suite and when he's released he'll go right back to being confined to the White House residence quarters until he tests negative.

Trump says he's thankful for all the support pouring in from both sides of the aisle and across the country and the globe.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is the latest Trump loyalist to test positive for the coronavirus.

Christie just announced, “I just received word that I am positive for COVID-19. I want to thank all of my friends and colleagues who have reached out to ask how I was feeling in the last day or two,” adding, “I will be receiving medical attention today and will keep the necessary folks apprised of my condition.”

Christie spent time with Trump preparing for last Tuesday's debate against Joe Biden. He was also at what is increasingly looking like a super-spreader event -- the White House Rose Garden ceremony a week ago where Trump's SCOTUS nominee was unveiled. At least 8 people who were at the event now have COVID.

As we reported, Trump's doctor just made a stunning revelation ... that Trump tested positive 72 hours ago ... that would mean he was positive Wednesday and Thursday and exposed hundreds of people -- including those who attended a fundraiser -- to the virus.

Donald Trump's doctors just gave the low down on his condition, but the chief doctor dropped some alarming information, including Trump tested positive way before he revealed it, exposing hundreds of people to COVID.

Dr. Sean Conley said Trump was diagnosed 72 hours ago ... well, that would be Wednesday. That's stunning, because Trump was active Wednesday and Thursday ... remember, he held a fundraiser with hundreds of people. He did not reveal he was COVID positive until late Thursday.

Dr. Conley just said Trump's doing "very well," adding he does not have a fever anymore and is up and about in his hospital suite.

What Dr. Conley wouldn't answer -- if Trump has been on oxygen. He kept repeating Trump's not on oxygen "right now," but he repeatedly ignored reporters' questions as to whether he was on oxygen earlier. He finally said he was not on oxygen Thursday or Friday, but he simply would not say if Trump was ever on oxygen.

There was a gaggle of doctors and nurses at the news conference, but they dodged a number of questions, including how high Trump's temperature was.

Dr. Conley said Trump's symptoms were mild. -- nasal congestion, cough, a temperature, and lethargy. He says Trump is in his suite working, telling doctors, "I feel like I could walk out of here today."

There are reports a source with knowledge of Trump's health disputed the doctor's assessment, saying his condition was far more serious and he is by no means out of the woods.

It's looking increasingly like Donald Trump's Rose Garden event a week ago where he unveiled his Supreme Court nominee was ground zero for what is increasingly looking like a super-spreader COVID event, and ironically, it could sink Trump's SCOTUS nominee.

So far, people attending the event who have tested positive for coronavirus include President Trump, Melania Trump, Senator Mike Lee, Senator Thom Tillis, Kellyanne Conway, Hope Hicks and Univ. of Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins.

As you know, almost no one was wearing masks or social distancing as Judge Amy Coney Barrett was introduced by President Trump.

The problem for Trump ... now 2 Republican Senators must isolate while they recover from the virus. If they're sidelined for Barrett's confirmation vote, the Republicans could fall short of a majority to confirm.

The ripple effect of the event is staggering. A number of people in the West Wing, including Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, were front and center at the event. So far, they've tested negative, but Hicks and others were all over the West Wing last week in close, narrow quarters. Beyond that, Trump went to a fundraiser in New Jersey Thursday with hundreds of people in attendance, and at the time he knew Hicks had tested positive and he had close interactions with her. Now the people at the event are being tested.

The NFL's COVID problem is getting worse -- Cam Newton has tested positive for coronavirus and will not play this weekend.

The New England Patriots QB was supposed to lead his team against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but the positive test obviously will end those plans.

Newton tested positive on Friday night -- and according to the team, he immediately entered self-quarantine. The team says no other players or staffers who came in close contact with Cam have tested positive at this point.

The game was supposed to be one of the marquee matchups for the NFL this weekend -- it's being marketed as Cam Newton vs. Patrick Mahomes, two massive stars.

Now, 31-year-old Newton will likely begin a lengthy quarantine process -- and we assume he'll be tested daily (maybe multiple times a day) for the foreseeable future.

Newton is far and away the biggest NFL star to test positive for COVID since the season began. During the preseason, multiple superstars including Ezekiel Elliott and Von Miller had it.

Just last week, several players and staffers from the Tennessee Titans tested positive for COVID -- forcing the NFL to postpone their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, originally scheduled to go down on Sunday.

As for Sunday's game, the Patriots have issued a statement saying, "We are in close consultation with the NFL, as well as our team independent doctors and specialists, and will follow their guidance regarding our scheduled trip to Kansas City and game against the Chiefs."

"The health and safety of our team, as well as our opponent, are of highest priority."

ESPN's Dianna Russini says the Patriots players were sent home from the team facility Saturday morning -- and told to stay by their phones regarding travel plans to KC.

Russini also claims she spoke with multiple Patriots players who are all "very concerned" about the situation.

Story developing ...

The "Saturday Night Live" cast and host, Chris Rock, are trying like hell to keep up with the constantly changing news about President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis ahead of the season premiere.

Leading up to Saturday's Season 46 kickoff, the first Presidential debate was the big story we all expected to see lampooned, but that all changed early Friday morning with the President and First Lady testing positive.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... writers and producers are now trying to figure out how to address the topic, and what adjustments, if any, have to be made the cold open or Rock's opening monologue.

We're told it's a very fluid situation, but 'SNL' wants to be sensitive ... and our sources say meetings and discussions were going on late into Friday night.

The good news -- for 'SNL' cast and crew anyway -- is we're told production and the writing staff isn't making drastic changes to what they had planned. Of course, you can expect to see the President's health addressed during the "Weekend Update" segment.

Our sources say the episode still won't shy away from the debate or campaign battles. Aside from Rock hosting, the premiere's heavily anticipated because Jim Carrey is taking on the role of Joe Biden, while Maya Rudolph returns as Kamala Harris.

If that wasn't enough for ya ... Megan Thee Stallion is the musical guest.

President Trump will be flown to Walter Reed Military Hospital for continued treatment for COVID-19.

The White House just announced the President will be flown to the renowned Bethesda, MD facility on Friday afternoon. It's a dramatic turn, considering the administration previously said he was "fatigued" and experiencing "mild symptoms."

The Marine One helicopter has already landed on the South Lawn at the White House ... ready to transport Trump.

The White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany says, "Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the President will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days.”

Sources connected to the White House tell us the move is primarily because they want an added level of safety for the President, considering he's high risk due to his age and weight.

We're told his illness was obvious Friday during conference calls, and he was unusually quiet. There were early signs Thursday night when he called in to Sean Hannity's show on Fox News around 9:30 PM Eastern time -- he sounded like he had low energy and a case of the sniffles.

We're told, at that point, Trump already suspected he had COVID-19 ... although, he didn't announce his test results on Twitter until almost 1 AM Eastern time.

Story developing ...

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have both contracted the coronavirus.

The President broke the news with a tweet -- at nearly 1 AM Friday in D.C. -- saying ... "Tonight @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER."

The alarming news comes hours after we learned one of the President's aides, Hope Hicks, had tested positive. Hope had been traveling on Air Force One all week with POTUS ... going to and from the presidential debate in Cleveland ... and also to his rally in Minnesota.

The impact is far-reaching. Trump came into contact with numerous people over the last 5 days, including Joe Biden on the debate stage, and his Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett. And, then there's his treasury secretary -- someone who frequently meets with the president -- who had a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Vice President Pence has tested negative, but there's still a window of risk since he's been in contact with Trump over the last week.

Trump was not feeling well on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg News, so it's also unclear how long Trump has been COVID positive.

Furthermore, what's unclear -- who gave the virus to whom? Did Trump contract the virus from Hope Hicks or vice versa, or did they contract it from someone else?

There's no good time to contract the virus, but it comes at a particularly critical time for the President ... less than 5 weeks before Election Day. We don't yet know if he and Melania are experiencing symptoms, but the First Lady tweeted that they are "feeling good."

Trump has made no secret of how much he hates wearing face masks, and has done it in public very rarely since the pandemic began.

The last time we saw him wearing one in public was a week ago at the public viewing for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg outside the Supreme Court.

During the debate on Tuesday night, he did pull one out of his pocket as he claimed to have no issue with wearing face coverings. It's worth noting, at 74 years old he is in a high-risk category for COVID-19. Melania is only 50.

As you know, Trump has logged a lot of miles this week -- traveling with his inner circle of aides and attending large scale events. Once contact tracing is done ... it's possible a large number of people will need to be tested immediately and quarantined.

So far, the administration is saying the Prez and Melania will remain in their White House residence while they quarantine. It's unclear how long that will last, but typically doctors recommend 14 days.

And, if you're wondering ... the next presidential debate is exactly 14 days away.

President Trump has been in close, maskless contact with many, many people -- in his administration and otherwise -- over the past several days ... people he may have exposed to the coronavirus.

As you know ... POTUS and First Lady Melania tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday night and Trump says they've begun their quarantine and recovery process.

Still, Trump contracting the virus now has everyone tracing his steps the past week. Even though he didn't test positive until Thursday, he could have been contagious for several days prior. As we reported, his adviser Hope Hicks tested positive hours before Trump, and they had traveled together.

But, let's go back ... to Saturday 9/26, when Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett and walks right next to her as both are not wearing masks.

On Sunday, Trump holds a conference meeting at the White House and later goes golfing at the National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

Monday's a big day -- the Prez meets with reps from Lordstown Motors out of Ohio on the South Lawn of the WH, as well as 2 members of Congress. Later, he's in close contact with VP Mike Pence, members of his administration and Congress, and state officials during a conference, coincidentally, about COVID test kits.

Then, of course, Trump travels with Melania and family to Cleveland on Tuesday for the first presidential debate. Though members of his family are seen wearing masks, Trump is not. Hope Hicks was among the team that traveled with Trump for the debate.

Now, several people, including VP Pence, Barrett, Joe Biden and his wife have tested negative -- but that doesn't mean everyone's out of the woods because the virus has a gestation period.

On Wednesday, Trump travels to Minnesota for a private fundraiser and an outdoor rally. Again, Hicks is with him. At the rally, Trump tossed out hats to the crowd. Yikes!

On the return trip, Hicks reveals she feels ill and isolates herself on Air Force One. Despite her illness and close proximity to Trump, the President flies to his Bedminster, NJ resort Thursday for a private fundraiser. Several aides who were in proximity to Hicks scrap plans to accompany him.

Meanwhile, Ivanka -- who also had close contact with her father, FLOTUS and Hicks -- heads to Charlotte to meet with supporters. Soon after, it's revealed Hicks has tested positive ... as well as POTUS and FLOTUS.

Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, said Friday they've tested negative.

You've seen the Octagon on the beach. You've seen the insane fights.

But, you've never seen exactly HOW the UFC transformed Yas Island in Abu Dhabi into "Fight Island" in the thick of a global pandemic ... until now!!

It's all part of "UFC Fight Island: Declassified" -- a 4-part series on ESPN+ (premieres today) featuring some incredible behind the scenes footage showing how Dana White and his team successfully built a secure city to keep MMA alive while every other major sport was shut down.

Remember, Dana first revealed "Fight Island" to TMZ Sports back in April (we actually suggested the name "Fight Island").

From there, Dana and the UFC spent a fortune on buildings, medical personnel and more to ensure a bubble-style environment to host major fights consistently while the rest of the world was shut down.

In total, the UFC claims it took 400,000 man-hours and 350 tons of metal to get Fight Island up and running.

"There's no other thing on Earth like this," Dana says in the docuseries ... "Their platforms come up once in a blue moon."

The doc also features UFC superstars like Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal going through all of the COVID testing leading up to their fight.

The UFC faced a ton of criticism leading up to the opening of Fight Island at UFC 251 in July ... but ultimately, they executed several major events without a hitch.

In fact, the UFC has already RETURNED to Fight Island for another series of fights including the highly anticipated UFC 254 card featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje on Oct. 24.

Dana White says Fight Island was such a hit, it will be a regular fight location for the UFC for years to come.

"I'm telling you right now, Abu Dhabi is gonna become the fight capital of the world," White told us recently.

"Knowing him, he'll be able to go right on through this and hopefully not miss a beat."

Jerry Jones doesn't seem worried about Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis ... he said Friday he's "very confident" POTUS will get through it all just fine.

In fact, the Dallas Cowboys owner says he's pretty sure #45 will still be able to do his job effectively over the coming days.

"No one in the world has the ability to handle this COVID any better than the office of the President of the United States," Jerry told 105.3 The Fan.

"I'm very confident that he'll be able to continue governing. I'm sure that he has anticipated this. Knowing him, he's the hardest worker you've ever seen."

Donald announced Thursday night he and Melania tested positive for the coronavirus and have already begun quarantining.

Trump is said to be only experiencing "mild" symptoms ... and he, too, seemed confident he'd beat the virus, adding in his official announcement, "We will get through this TOGETHER!"

Jerry and Trump have been friendly for years ... so Jones' support for the president comes as no surprise.

Tennessee and Pittsburgh will NOT be playing in Week 4 ... after one additional player and team staffer in the Titans organization tested positive for COVID-19.

The matchup -- originally scheduled to take place in Tennessee on Sunday at 1 PM PT -- becomes the first game to be pushed back due to the coronavirus this season.

The league released a statement Thursday, saying, "The decision to postpone the game was made to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel."

"The Titans facility will remain closed and the team will continue to have no in-person activities until further notice."

As we previously reported ... the Titans shut down their team facility after 3 players and 5 staffers tested positive earlier this week ... and announced it would not reopen until Saturday at the earliest.

There were hopes of pushing the game back until Monday or Tuesday ... but after the news of another player and staffer testing positive, the league had no choice but to push it past Week 4.

The league says the makeup date will be announced shortly.

Adjust your fantasy lineups accordingly ... and get better, Tennessee.

Reggie Bush doesn't think it's a coincidence that Donald Trump tested positive for COVID after "that disastrous debate" ... claiming it's all part of a plot to keep POTUS from ruining his re-election bid.

Bush -- who's been extremely critical of Trump for years -- unleashed on social media Friday morning after the White House announced both Donald and Melania Trump have tested positive for Coronavirus.

"Teflon Don just wants the attention on him," Bush said ... "Now the entire world will be on Trump watch. Now you test positive? After all the rallies with no masks you held, now you conveniently catch COVID after that disastrous debate?"

When one reader suggested Trump's team is behind the conspiracy to "get him out of future debates," Bush agreed wholeheartedly.

"Exactly now he won’t be available for questioning, can’t do debates, he’s going to disappear for 14 days while the world thinks he may die, YEAH RIGHT!!!!"

Bush continued, "It’s all a game and it’s all a reality tv show that’s what reality tv stars do they keep the attention on them at all costs."

The next Presidential debate between Trump and Joe Biden is scheduled for October 15 -- with a 3rd slated for the following week.

President Trump's close aide, Hope Hicks, has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus after flying on Air Force One this week with the Prez.

Hope's positive COVID-19 test comes on the heels of her traveling to and from Tuesday's debate in Cleveland -- as well as a roundtrip flight to Trump's Wednesday rally in Minnesota ... according to a Bloomberg News report.

The report says she is experiencing symptoms now ... however, there's no indication POTUS has contracted the virus.

Hope is working for Trump again as a "counselor to the President" after previously serving as his communications director, and working on his 2016 campaign.

We reached out to the White House, and deputy press secretary Judd Deere would not comment about Hope or the President's health. He did tell us, "The President takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously."

He continued, "White House Operations collaborates with the Physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the President is traveling."