Drugs & Alcohol

Brian Tarantina -- famous for playing a comedy club emcee on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" -- died from an overdose of multiple drugs, including what has become the most dangerous drug of all -- fentanyl ... TMZ has learned.

The actor died from acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and Diazepam -- otherwise known as Valium ... this according to the NYC Chief Medical Examiner. They've ruled his death accidental.

We broke the story ... the veteran actor died back in November when cops said his body was discovered early one morning in his Manhattan apartment with a white powdery substance nearby.

That's a wrap for Josh Gordon ... again.

The insanely talented wide receiver has just been suspended again by the NFL after failing another drug test, league officials say.

"Josh Gordon of the Seattle Seahawks has been suspended indefinitely without pay for violating the NFL policies on performance-enhancing substances and substances of abuse."

Unclear exactly what Gordon tested positive for -- but his battle with substance abuse over the years is no secret.

The 28-year-old star missed the entire 2015 and 2016 NFL seasons for substance abuse issues back when he was with the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns eventually had enough of the drama and traded him to the New England Patriots back in 2018 ... but his problems didn't stop there.

At the end of the 2018 season, Gordon violated the league's drug policy again and missed the entire postseason ... including the Super Bowl, when the Pats beat the Rams.

The Patriots eventually cut Gordon during the 2019 season and he was picked up by the Seahawks.

Unclear if the Pats knew a suspension was coming when they cut him ... but now it seems like they knew something was wrong.

Diddy celebrated his half-century on earth in pretty spectacular fashion, with the help of several tons of celebs.

The mogul's 50th birthday bash went down Saturday at his $40 million Holmby Hills home, where Diddy celebrated with Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Khloe Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Dr. Dre, Pharrell Williams, Cardi B, Offset, G-Eazy, Chadwick Boseman, Post Malone, Tyler Perry, Kobe Bryant, Machine Gun Kelly and on and on.

Possibly the biggest headline from the evening, Jay and Ye shaking hands! Seemingly squashing their years-long beef.

As for the performers ... how 'bout Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil' Kim and Doug E. Fresh?

As for the eats ... McDonald's apple pies, breakfast sandwiches and some fancy stuff too.  There were lots of CBD and weed products served -- courtesy of The BRN Group -- and, of course, Ciroc Vodka all over the place.

Diddy's birthday is actually November 4, but he apparently waited so all his friends could join him.

He's had a rough patch for sure ... a little more than a year ago the mother of his twins -- Kim Porter -- died due to complications from pneumonia.

The cake inscription was short, sweet, and to the point. It simply said "LOVE."

"21 Jump Street" star Richard Grieco doesn't react well when the cuffs are getting slapped on him, as proven by this video of his DFW airport bust for public intoxication.

Police body cam footage, obtained by TMZ, shows Grieco angrily storming away from the American Airlines ticket counter in Dallas when a cop confronts him. Richard's pretty indignant at first, even asking the officer, "You guys know who I am?"

He then tried to talk his way out of his drunken situation, but it doesn't work. Cops put him under arrest and gave him a pop quiz on his level of inebriation. Watch ... you can't say he passed the test, but TBH -- it also seemed unnecessary to grill him.

It was obvious he was wasted. Richard slurred, sobbed and insisted he didn't do anything wrong as he was led away in handcuffs.

Things didn't get much better for the former TV police officer when he got to the station. He continued crying and claimed he was being singled out because he's famous.

Jamie Foxx was in the mood to go, go, go to town on a bottle of tequila with Lil Jon ... because that's just how he does 52!!!

Jamie hit up Hakkasan Nightclub at MGM Grand in Las Vegas just after midnight Friday -- the official kickoff for his birthday -- and put his heart and soul into chugging the bottle ... with encouragement from Jon and the crowd.

We're told Foxx arrived with a group of about 20 people ready to party with him for his 52nd bday, and they got a VIP table next to the DJ booth ... where Lil Jon was performing.

Shots were flowing, of course, and both guys took pulls straight from the bottle to get things going. We're told LJ got Jamie onstage around 2:45 AM and told the house, "I’ve known Jamie for a long time, and he’s a good, real person. He ain’t down with all that Hollywood BS."

The duo then had some more Don Julio 1942 and danced to Lil Jon's classic track, "Turn Down For What" ... before he popped a bottle of champagne and showered Foxx.

Don't count on ANYBODY getting charged for the 70 pounds of weed found in Juice WRLD's private jet and confiscated by the feds ... cause law enforcement sources say it'll be next to impossible to pinpoint who the massive stash belonged to in the first place.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... no one in WRLD's crew has claimed ownership of the multiple vacuum-sealed bags of weed inside luggage from the private jet. There were also no tags on the several suitcases identifying the owner.

Our sources say cops are poring through the suitcases and weed bags for DNA and fingerprints. But, even if there's a hit for prints/DNA, our sources say there's no way to prove individuals ID'd packed the weed and/or own the suitcases.

We're told Chicago PD is currently in possession of the suitcases and weed seized by the FBI during Juice WRLD's bust last weekend. Then there's this ... our federal law enforcement sources tell us they've kicked the case down to local law enforcement because it's, in their words, essentially a "non-case" and it's highly unlikely it will amount to anything.

Two men in Juice's crew -- Chris Long and Henry Dean -- have been the only ones arrested so far following the bust at Chicago's Midway Airport, though Long and Dean were hauled away for possession of handguns.

As we first reported ... it wasn't the first time Juice WRLD's private jet had been searched, though details are still murky on why his private jet was searched at LAX back in November.

And, as we reported ... law enforcement sources refuted claims by WRLD's friends he was racially profiled when they searched his jet at Midway. The rapper was busted in 2018 at LaGuardia Airport after TSA discovered weed and bottles of codeine.

During his Midway Airport bust, Juice allegedly swallowed a bunch of Percocet pills in an attempt to hide them from the feds. He ultimately suffered seizures, which proved fatal.

Juice WRLD's family is breaking their silence on the death of the 21-year-old rapper, shedding light on his battle with prescription drug abuse and his fight to help others beat their addictions.

In an exclusive statement to TMZ, the late rapper's mom, Carmella Wallace, says, "We loved Jarad with all of our hearts and cannot believe our time with him has been cut short. As he often addressed in his music and to his fans, Jarad battled with prescription drug dependency."

Juice rapped about drugs often, something his family says wasn't to promote using ... but instead to help those battling addiction who may have felt alone in their fight.

His mom continues, "Addiction knows no boundaries and its impact goes way beyond the person fighting it. Jarad was a son, brother, grandson, friend and so much more to so many people who wanted more than anything to see him defeat addiction."

Juice WRLD's 2018 arrest at LaGuardia Airport had nothing to do with racial profiling -- so say law enforcement sources ... who claim it was a standard luggage check that led to his bust.

We broke the story ... the late rapper's friends are pissed because they believe his history of run-ins with cops at airports -- like the LaGuardia arrest -- show he was targeted, and they think it's simply because he's a rich, young, black man.

However, law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Juice checked his bag at the NYC airport last year and it was put on a carousel at the ticket counter to go through the jumbo x-ray machine -- just like all the other checked luggage.

We're told JW's bag triggered an anti-terrorism alarm signaling organic materials were potentially inside ... which can be used to make bombs.

So, TSA conducted a search of the bag, but instead of discovering bomb-making ingredients ... agents allegedly found marijuana and bottles of codeine and notified law enforcement, which we're told is standard procedure.

Our sources say cops then searched the bag, confirmed it contained more than 2 ounces of marijuana and codeine and was Juice WRLD's luggage. We're told the rapper had already boarded his Southwest flight by that time, but cops got to him before it took off ... and arrested him once he admitted the bag and contents inside were his.

The fact cops were all over Juice WRLD multiple times -- including an NYC bust last year -- pisses off his friends, who think cops were merely profiling a 20-year-old rich black man who dares to fly on private jets.

Sources who regularly interacted with Juice and were close to him tell TMZ ... all of the run-ins he had with cops are more than suspicious. The fact feds just happened to show up at multiple airports where he and/or his private jet were searched is enough for Juice's inner circle to believe this might well have something to do with race and rappers.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Juice got arrested in 2018 at NYC's LaGuardia Airport after officers responded to a call for "prohibited items" found inside one of his checked bags. We're told the items included a small amount of marijuana and bottles of codeine cough syrup.

Juice WRLD's death resonated with the fans everywhere, but his music might be having an even bigger impact right now ... because it's flooding almost every chart imaginable.

The rapper is running the board on digital platforms in the wake of his death Sunday in Chicago ... with several of JW's songs and albums claiming top spots on Amazon, Apple and Spotify -- seeing exponential surges of several thousand percentage points, in some cases.

Let's start with Amazon's Movers and Shakers list ... where Juice's single, "Legends," has risen in the ranks by a whopping 84,954% to reach #1 in just a couple days. Two of his other tracks -- "Lucid Dreams," both the explicit and clean versions -- are sitting at #2 and #3.

For albums, Juice's "Death Race For Love" and "Goodbye & Good Riddance" also claim the top 3 spots on Amazon's CDs and Vinyl list. In short, folks are swooping up his content.

On the Apple side of things, Juice WRLD is also toppling some of the hottest names in the game this past week -- including Roddy Ricch, The Weeknd, DaBaby and Trippie Redd. On the service's Top 100 songs chart, Juice claims 8 spots ... including #1, #2, #5 and #6.

And, if you thought your 2019 Spotify Wrapped list was set, it might just change this week based on how dominant Juice has been there too ... he's got 9 spots locked in alone.

Juice's Top 10 tracks on Spotify have also been getting tons of love (and plays) -- we're talking hundreds of thousands, especially "Lucid Dreams," which got streamed over 990k times since Sunday. Of course, Juice is no stranger to chart success -- 7 of his songs have made on Billboard, and 3 cracked the Top 10. He'll probably be up there again next week.

TMZ broke the story ... Juice suffered a fatal seizure early Sunday morning at Chicago's Midway Airport. Federal agents were there waiting for him and his entourage, and after conducting a search ... found tons of weed and a few guns on board.

We're told at some point in the search, Juice was seen ingesting multiple pills believed to be Percocet. Juice suffered a seizure shortly thereafter and died soon after that.

He was 21.

Juice WRLD had a habit of taking up to 3 potent Percocet pills a day and would mix them with lean ... this according to his ex-girlfriend who claims the rapper became physically abusive when he tried to get clean.

Alexia Smith says she was in a relationship with the rapper for nearly a year in 2018 ... and in that time she'd see him pop pills with lean as he struggled with depression, which she says stemmed from previous heartbreaks and the feeling of being misunderstood.

Smith claims Juice also used weed, Xanax, Ecstasy, morphine and coke ... but Percocet and lean were his go-to vices. She says she tried helping WRLD get clean but, during his withdrawals, their arguments turned violent. In one instance, she claims Juice picked her off the ground and slammed her into a wall ... squeezing her so tight she came away bruised all over her arms.

Smith told the Daily Mail she started dating him in early 2018 ... and when he flew her out to L.A. where he was taking meetings with music labels, she noticed the new drug world surrounding him.

She claims that within days of arriving in L.A., someone from a label gave him morphine and cocaine. Smith says WRLD didn't use coke at the time but it wasn't long before he did.

As we first reported ... the feds were on Juice WRLD's tail long before Homeland Security agents searched Juice WRLD's private jet last week when it landed at Chicago's Midway Airport.

Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Antwaun Woods was repeatedly told he had WAY TOO MUCH weed in his car during his arrest last week ... and it's all in new police video.

Woods was stopped in Frisco, Texas on Dec. 3 after cops say he was doing 77 MPH in a 60 zone ... and when officers say they smelled a strong odor of weed coming from his car, the NFL player was in big trouble.

Cops found 2 glass mason jars and a small gold cylinder container full of weed in his 2016 Cadillac Escalade ... and also discovered several pieces of drug paraphernalia.

The officers also say they noticed the 26-year-old had stuffed a small marijuana cigarette into a half-full water bottle during the stop.

In the video of the bust ... you can see an officer tells Woods straight-up, "So, listen, you've got too much marijuana, okay?"

That's when Woods tries to talk the officer out of putting him in cuffs ... saying, "Come on, bro, are you serious?"

Juice WRLD's movements had been under the microscope of federal agents since at least last month ... and TMZ has learned it started with another private jet search.

Juice's initial run-in with the feds went down on November 18 at LAX ... according to our law enforcement sources. The rapper and his entourage were boarding their flight bound for Sydney, Australia, when Customs Agents conducted the search.

We're told drug-sniffing dogs were all over Juice and co. and their luggage. It's unclear if agents found anything -- we do know the plane was eventually allowed to take off with Juice on board.

TMZ broke the story ... Homeland Security agents, operating under an FBI task force, searched Juice WRLD's private jet early Sunday morning when it landed at Chicago's Midway Airport.

As we reported, cops confiscated 70 lbs. of marijuana and 3 handguns after searching the plane. We're told Juice suffered his seizure -- which turned out to be fatal -- as agents were conducting their search. Our sources say someone in his entourage told cops he had taken several "unknown pills."

As for why the feds were so keyed in to his late-night flight to Chi-Town? It's possible it had something to do with the intel they'd gathered during the LAX search. Additionally, we're told the pilot had reported Juice's bodyguards for having handguns -- a no-no if they're not packed properly, or if the bodyguard doesn't have a permit.

We've reached out to the FBI for more detail on last month's search, but so far ... radio silence.

Juice WRLD's death is another heart-breaking example of the drug epidemic in rap ... so says ex-NBA player Larry Sanders, who tells TMZ Sports he hopes people can learn from the tragedy.

TMZ broke the story ... the 21-year-old died on Sunday after suffering a seizure. Law enforcement sources say the "Robbery" rapper swallowed a bunch of Percs to hide them from the feds during a drug raid, which could have played a role in his death.

Of course, rappers like Mac Miller and Lil Peep have also died due to drug-related issues ... and Sanders says the glorification of drugs in rap culture is becoming a serious issue.

"I think these kids are starting young and it's getting embedded into the culture," Sanders says.

"It's an epidemic. Hopefully, the kids can learn from these horrible mistakes and make better choices, but it seems like the outcome's the same."

Of course, Sanders has been outspoken about his own battle with depression and anxiety ... and has become an advocate for mental health treatment in the hopes people can explore safer options than self-medicating.

"The conversation is what's gonna be important ... inspiring the youth to be brave enough to talk about how they feel."

Weed is now LEGAL in the MLB ... the league is lifting its ban on marijuana for minor leaguers, removing the drug from its prohibited substance list.

As part of the MLB's efforts to crack down on opioid use in and around its league ... it has agreed to stop testing minor leaguers for weed, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports.

Of course, the MLB already didn't test its big leaguers for marijuana ... but the rule change for everyone else is a big deal for the sport.

Previously, minor league players faced a 25-game suspension for a first positive weed test, a 50-game suspension for a second test, a 100-game suspension for a third and a ban for LIFE for a fourth.

Ex-Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress is among the list of several current MLB players who have previously been popped for using weed in the minors.

As for the why now ... MLB officials are clearly trying to deter players from turning to opioids to fix their issues -- this after Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs tragically died from an accidental overdose on fentanyl, oxycodone and oxymorphone this past year.

MLB still lists dozens of recreational drugs on its banned substance list ... including cocaine, LSD and MDMA.

Juice WRLD might've made a fatal decision as law enforcement searched his private jet -- swallowing a bunch of painkillers in an attempt to hide them from the feds.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the pilot who was flying Juice's private plane alerted authorities on the ground that the rapper's entourage had guns on them -- a big no-no in air travel. When they landed, FBI and FAA agents were waiting for Juice and company.

We're told at some point between the plane landing and the feds conducting their search ... Juice was seen swallowing several Percocet pills in what people believed was an attempt to hide them. Our sources say the pills might've contributed to his death in a possible OD.

An autopsy was performed on the rapper Monday, but additional testing, including toxicology, cardiac pathology and neuropathology is still needed before determining an official cause.