Drugs & Alcohol

"American Idol" singer Michael Johns died from an enlarged heart, but a "fatty liver" contributed to his death ... this according to the Coroner's report.

The 35-year-old singer died suddenly Aug. 1 after his leg became swollen and bruised ... reportedly from a sprained ankle. Family sources claimed the injury had triggered a blood clot, but his best friend claimed the singer drank himself to death.

The Orange County Coroner's report concludes Johns died of natural causes -- the result of a disease called dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that inhibits the flow of blood to the body. The disease caused his heart to enlarge.

As for the "fatty liver" ... it can be caused by excessive alcohol intake, but there are other causes as well. Law enforcement told us ... Johns often drank to excess and did so hours before he died.

Hours after Giancarlo Stanton signed his brand new $325 MILLION contract, the MLB superstar HIT THE CLUB and partied with a $20,000 bottle of champagne ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

The Miami Marlins outfielder hit up FDR at the Delano Hotel in Miami .. where he was seen raging around 3 AM Tuesday morning with his boys ... and some very attractive ladies.

But the best part of the night ... when the guy who just signed the LARGEST sports contract in American history was GIFTED a $20k bottle of rare champagne.

It's called Moët Nectar Impérial Rosé Leopard Luxury Edition Methuselah -- and the 6 liter bottle is coated in a 22-carat gold leaf. It's one of only 60 bottles ever created.

So, who paid for the bubbly? We're told it was a gift from a well-known Miami party queen named "Julz" ... who just wanted to help Giancarlo celebrate.

So, the guy with the $325 million check gets free drinks. #RichGetRicher

Johnny Depp was either really drunk Friday night at the Hollywood Film Awards, or ... who are we kidding, he was really drunk.

Depp was presenting the best documentary award to “Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon” ... but it took about 3 seconds to realize the actor had partaken at the table.

CBS eventually cut to a commercial after Depp rambled on, dropping a few cuss words ... and guess who was still there when they came back from break, ready to hand off the award?

Mike Myers, one of the film's directors, told Variety the whole thing was very rock and roll.

Dierks Bentley sings about being drunk on a plane, but now the country superstar is also an expert on vomiting on a stage ... thanks to a drunk fan -- and the footage is disgustingly awesome!!

Dierks was performing at the Hershey Giant Center in Pennsylvania last night and brought two fans on stage to sing along to "Drunk On a Plane."

The truly gnarly part of this video is that ... we've all been right where this chick was -- just not in front of thousands of people. A rep for Dierks tells us he felt really bad for the fan.

Rapper Ty Dolla $ign got popped for marijuana when Wisconsin police busted his tour bus -- but that's news to him ... since Ty insists he wasn't even on the bus.

According to Blue Mounds police chief Andrew Rose ... Ty's bus slowed down early Wednesday morning for equipment failure. Cops pulled over the bus to make sure everything was cool ... but officers say they were quickly blown away by the smell of pot.

Cops say they found about an ounce and a half of weed, and cited 7 people -- including Ty -- for possession and/or paraphernalia. But a rep claims Ty was on a plane to Omaha at that time, so there's no way he got a citation.

All cops know is ... they're expecting someone who goes by Ty Dolla $ign to pay the ticket -- which should be less than $500.

Buddy Valastro -- the star of "Cake Boss" -- was arrested early Thursday AM for driving while intoxicated ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... cops noticed the TLC star's 2014 yellow Corvette weaving on 10th Ave in Manhattan. They cops lit 'em up, pulled Buddy over and smelled a strong odor of alcohol.

We're told Buddy flunked multiple field sobriety tests. He was cuffed, taken to the cop shop and booked.

Buddy will go before a judge who will set bail -- probably this morning.

St. Louis Cardinals rookie Oscar Taveras' blood alcohol level was 5 TIMES the legal limit at the time of his fatal crash last month ... officials in the Dominican Republic say.

The 22-year-old MLB rising star died on October 26th when the car he was driving smashed into a tree. Oscar's 18-year-old girlfriend, who was a passenger in the car, was also killed in the wreck.

Initially, cops said preliminary evidence did not lead them to believe Oscar was intoxicated at the time of the crash ... but toxicology reports showed his blood alcohol was at an extremely high level.

Cops also say he was driving "very, very fast" at the time of the accident.

The lead singer of Survivor died from a stroke and methamphetamine abuse ... according to autopsy results.

Jimi Jamison had a narrowing of his arteries and cardiovascular disease ... according to the report -- however it lists the brain stroke as the ultimate cause of death. He died back in September at his home in Memphis.

Jamison took over as the band's frontman in 1984 -- after their biggest hit, "Eye of the Tiger" -- but was responsible for several other hits like ... "The Search is Over" and "Is This Love?"

Jamison was 63.

The competition to be Waka Flocka Flame's personal blunt roller is fierce with tens of thousands of applicants scrapping for the gig, which comes with an incredible perk -- a weed per diem!

Waka opened up the competition almost two months ago and has been flooded with "resumés" ever since. Watch this video ... for a guy who basically needs help getting high -- Waka's taking this process very seriously.

As for the job -- Waka says it pays $50,000 a year, travel will be required, and the position includes all the weed you can handle.

"The Voice" contestant Delvin Choice is influenced by R&B legend Usher, and cops say he's also influenced by drugs or alcohol ... because Choice got busted for DUI.

Choice -- who made it to the top eight on "The Voice" last season -- was arrested shortly before 2 A.M. Sunday in South Carolina ... after a state trooper pulled him over.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... it's Choice's first offense. He was taken to jail ... and freed after paying $1229.50 bail.

Choice's father -- who's a Baptist pastor -- told the media, "We all make mistakes in life. We learn from our mistakes."

It's all about choices.

Legendary presidential adviser David Gergen has worked for 4 different administrations, so who better to ask ... who's the best Prez to grab a brewski with?

Gergen worked alongside Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton ... which is why our photog in D.C. put the suds question to CNN's Senior Political Analyst on Sunday.

Gergen couldn't pick just one, but narrowed it down to two ... and he had good reasons for each of his choices.

A Chicago news anchor is crying discrimination -- claiming she was fired for being drunk on the air, while other big-name journalists, like Elizabeth Vargas, got TLC for their alcoholism.

Edna Schmidt is a well-known Spanish-language journalist who made a name for herself while covering big national stories, including 9/11 and Obama's first election.

Schmidt claims in a new lawsuit she was recruited at Telemundo by people who knew about her struggles with alcohol ... and they knew it had been her downfall at another network.

Schmidt claims her bosses only cared about ratings and disregarded her disability. She says she was fired 2 months into the job ... after showing up drunk and unable to finish a newscast.

Schmidt names other journalists in her lawsuit who've admitted to drug or alcohol problems -- including Vargas and ABC anchor Dan Harris. Schmidt says they got compassion from their bosses ... and were allowed to get help and keep their jobs.

Schmidt says Telemundo made no attempt to get her treatment.

Schmidt points out alcohol dependence is recognized by the federal government as a disability. She claims Telemundo not only breached her contract ... but violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Amanda Bynes' cry for employment has been answered -- an L.A. bar is offering her a high profile bartending gig ... right in the heart of the Sunset Strip.

Chad Weiner, the managing partner of State Social House in West Hollywood, tells TMZ ... he's got an apron and a bottle opener with Amanda's name on it ... all she needs to do is say yes.

TMZ broke the story ... Amanda wants to live a "normal life," and make some money -- and she thinks bartending is the way to go.

Chad says his spot on the Strip is perfect for Amanda, since his staff knows her and would love to teach her the ropes. As for her schizophrenia ... Chad has a pay it forward attitude -- telling us he'd like to give Amanda a second chance, because he once got one when he was battling substance abuse.

Amanda Bynes has a plan ... she wants to sling drinks.

Sources connected to Amanda tell TMZ ... she wants "a normal life," and she believes working in a bar would achieve that goal.

Amanda says she's well aware of the obvious impediment -- she attracts so much attention it would be hard to function as a bartender.

As for why Amanda is even thinking of getting a job ... she desperately needs money. She doesn't have access to her $5.7 million fortune because of her conservatorship, and only gets between $50 and $100 a day. As for what she wants to do with the money, aside from getting an apartment, she wants plastic surgery because she thinks she's ugly.

We know 2 people from The Canyon Treatment Center -- where Amanda went for rehab -- have reached out to her and offered her a place to stay.

Vince Neil and ex-NBA baller Chris Herren know far too much about drug and and alcohol addiction, but found a way to put their experiences to good use ... for a NJ rehab center.

Sources tell us the Mötley Crüe front man and Herren were instrumental in raising more than $100K for Turning Point ... a drug and alcohol rehab facility that hosted a big charity gala last month.

Herren -- who documented his battle with drugs in his book "Basketball Junkie" -- was guest of honor at the gala ... and talked about how he overcame addiction.

We're told Neil helped raise cash by donating a pair of floor seats and backstage passes for the Crüe's final concert in NYC ... which were auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Vince didn't perform at the gala, but he did introduce the band Going Dark and some up and coming local rockers.