Drugs & Alcohol

Aaron Carter was in and out of rehab therapy sessions up until his death, and we're told his last scheduled appointment -- which he missed -- was supposed to happen Friday night.

Sources close to Melanie Martin, Aaron's fiancée, tell TMZ ... she was desperately trying to get him help during their off-and-on relationship -- although he mostly kept her in the dark about any recent addiction struggles.

Our sources say Melanie signed up Aaron for outpatient rehab after confronting him back in September. As we reported, he got a welfare check around that time when fans got worried he was huffing compressed air off-camera.

We're told Aaron agreed to go through the program, with the idea that it would go a long way in helping him regain some custody of their son, Prince -- who's currently under the care of Melanie's mom.

Sources say he stopped the program briefly, but was reinstated last week -- Aaron was supposed to have an online session Friday evening, but was a no-show. When the facility reached out to tell Melanie, she broke the tragic news to them.

Keep in mind, it's possible -- if not likely -- Aaron missed that appointment because he'd already died.

TMZ broke the story ... cops were called to Aaron's Lancaster, CA home Saturday morning for a report of a drowning -- the housekeeper found his body in the bathtub, and the last known contact with him was 2 AM Friday. Aaron's cause of death is currently deferred by the L.A. County Coroner's Office until toxicology results are returned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ there were multiple cans of compressed air in his bathroom and bedroom ... as well as prescription pills.

Aaron Carter was very clearly struggling with an addiction to huffing compressed air, and investigators found evidence of that at the site of his death.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there were multiple cans of compressed air in Aaron's bathroom and bedroom, as well as prescription pills. It's not clear if that's what caused him to drown, but obviously, it's a big clue into what may have happened.

Our law enforcement sources say the last time anyone saw Aaron alive was 2 AM Friday. We're told Aaron's live-in housekeeper heard a knock at the door at 2 AM and answered ... she says cops had come to do a welfare check ... unclear who called them. Our sources say the housekeeper opened the door and when Aaron heard what was going on he told them to leave and ordered the housekeeper not to bother him.

We're told the housekeeper didn't see Aaron all day Friday, and Saturday morning she went to his bedroom door to see if he wanted coffee. She heard his dog inside the bedroom going crazy, so she opened the door and found Aaron's body in the tub.

Law enforcement believes Aaron's body was in the tub for a long time as there was a smell of decomposition and the water had turned an unnatural color. We're told the tub's jets were still running when Aaron's body was found.

TMZ broke the story, cops were called to Aaron's L.A. area home Saturday for a report of a drowning. Dispatch audio from the 911 call revealed a chaotic scene inside Aaron's home with dispatchers describing a "female yelling" for help. We're told that was the housekeeper.

Aaron's cause of death is currently deferred by the L.A. County Coroner's Office until toxicology results are returned ... which could take months. We're told no suicide note was found and there were no signs of foul play.

Of course, there's been an outpouring of love and tributes for Aaron since his death -- Hilary Duff said, "You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent…boy did my teenage self love you deeply. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy."

The Backstreet Boys also sang and paid tribute to Aaron, his brother Nick got emotional during the show in London.

Jessica Simpson is responding to some serious concerns from her fans ... after being featured in an ad online that many saw as anything but normal.

Jessica starred in a new Pottery Barn Kids clip last week ... where she showed off her 3-year-old Birdie's room -- showing how the company's collection brought the place together.

Seems harmless enough ... but the comment section quickly filled up with concerning messages -- with many asking if she's ok, and one even writing "blink twice if you need help Jess." Some saw the performance as forced, with the speech just feeling off.

The 42-year-old singer responded to the noise Sunday night ... posting a clip of herself singing in her studio in order to "ground myself and heal" -- adding, "peoples' comments and judgments can still hurt deeply with their incessant nagging."

She doesn't directly call BS on the worrisome fans' fears, but adds, "The most important thing I have learned through the last 5yrs without alcohol being a guard for escapism, is that I CAN and ALWAYS WILL get through it."

The Houston Astros spared no expense when it came to celebrating their World Series title this weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned they popped nearly $400,000 worth of 50 Cent's champagne during their postgame party.

We're told the team unloaded just over 250 bottles of the rapper's Le Chemin du Roi Brut ... right after they finished off the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night to win the Fall Classic.

In total, there were 250 bottles of Rose, 10 Magnums of the bubbly, and one, huge 15-liter bottle as well. The final bill for it all came out to $388,750!!

Of course, the 'Stros enjoyed every bit of it ... soaking in it for hours following their 4-1 win in Houston.

Star pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. seemed to get the most out of it though ... kickin' off Houston's epic celebration by coating his teammates in it first.

The Astros will continue the party later on Monday -- their championship parade is slated to go down at around 11 AM CT.

There's apparently a cocaine problem amongst employees working on a new Denzel Washington movie ... two caterers working on set were arrested after cops in Italy say they seized a bunch of coke following a man's death.

Italian paramilitary police say they seized 120 grams of cocaine during a Tuesday afternoon raid at a hotel on the Amalfi coast, near where Denzel and Dakota Fanning are filming "The Equalizer 3."

Cops say the drug bust was in response to the sudden death of the movie production's head of catering, a 55-year-old man who reportedly collapsed leaving a bar and died of a heart attack. Police say they found several bags of cocaine in the man's pockets, leading to suspicion of more drugs on the 'Equalizer' set.

A couple of catering workers from Italy were placed under house arrest on suspicion of drug dealing after cops say they seized cocaine from their hotel room during Tuesday's raid. They were reportedly detained by police away from the movie set.

And, get this ... a different caterer was allegedly in possession of a small amount of cocaine, reportedly for personal use.

Italian police say they also searched for drugs at a local port, which is serving as the main staging area for the movie Antoine Fuqua is directing ... but the sweep didn't turn up any cocaine.

Chief Keef is in legal hot water ... a California judge issued a bench warrant after the rapper failed to show for a court date.

Chief Keef was MIA from a Wednesday court hearing relating to his DUI case, so the judge issued a $10K bench warrant.

Things seem to have been unraveling for Keef, legally speaking, since his arrest for DUI back in June 2021.

According to our sources, there was an outstanding warrant in that case from missing a court hearing. Law enforcement sources tell us cops were running plates during a routine traffic stop last month and pulled Keef over for driving on a suspended or revoked license. That's when officers saw an active warrant in the system from the DUI case, and Keef was booked and released without bail.

Our law enforcement sources tell us Keef was ordered to appear Wednesday in court but never showed, which led to the new warrant being issued.

Jay-Z wants to sell his D'Ussé cake and eat it too ... at least according to Bacardi, his partners in the top-shelf liquor, who now claim he's trying to double the brand's value and make a bundle.

Bacardi's subsidiary, Empire Investments, responded to Jay's lawsuit, and in the docs it says both parties actually had a "handshake deal" last December ... in which Empire agreed to buy  Jay's 50 percent stake in the cognac line.

But the company alleges Jay "abruptly reneged on its agreement and doubled its demanded valuation."

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Jay's company, SC Liquor, exercised an option last year for Bacardi to buy him out. They had been 50/50 partners in D'Ussé since its inception in 2012. Bacardi doesn't disagree with that, but takes issue with Mr. Carter's attempt to "outrageously inflate" the price ... in their words.

In the new docs, Empire/Bacardi doesn't say what, if any, price they'd agreed upon when they made the handshake deal -- much of the document is redacted as we're guessing neither side wants any valuation of D'Ussé to be made public at this point.

As we reported, Jay thinks Bacardi is trying to lowball him on the price, and that's why he filed the lawsuit.

As for his demand for his partners to open up the books ... the company says it already handed him more than 800 pages of financial records, and says any further documents he wants are not for his eyes, because they involve Bacardi data ... which they see as entirely separate from the D'ussé venture.

Aaron Carter has certainly had his fair share of run-ins with cops ... but his latest one might be one of the more bizarre, and ended in the pop star clearing his name.

Law enforcement sources with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department tell TMZ ... deputies pulled the singer over Tuesday around 10:45 AM while he was driving an RV, after they got a call about a driver weaving in traffic and possibly driving under the influence.

Officers say they didn't even know the guy was Aaron Carter until they pulled him over. Once they did, we're told they conducted field sobriety tests and determined Aaron wasn't under the influence.

We're told it was a very windy day in the Antelope Valley ... which, possibly made it easier for the RV to get blown around and cross over the traffic lines.

You can see in the pics, Carter locked his keys in the RV and had to access the vehicle through a roof hatch.

Our sources say, it's not clear who made the 911 call but did note Aaron's off-again GF Melanie Martin, was driving behind him at the time in a white Range Rover.

Aaron posted on Instagram about the incident, saying "When you do the right thing, you don't get in trouble. Do the right thing, that's what you do."

As we've told you ... cops recently showed up at his house for a welfare check after fans got worried he might have been doing drugs on IG live. He later said it was all a joke and police found no drugs or criminal activity when they arrived.

Chuck D says hip hop needs to start addressing the gun violence plaguing the industry ... and killing rappers at an alarming pace.

We talked to the legendary MC on "TMZ Live" to get his thoughts on the latest shooting death in hip hop -- Migos rapper Takeoff being gunned down in Houston -- and Chuck says it's crazy how folks think it's normal to lose rappers to gun violence.

Chuck says attacking someone with a gun should be considered "abnormal behavior" ... and he's lamenting the fact it's become so commonplace in America, people almost seem to shrug it off as just a part of life.

As we reported ... Takeoff was killed during an early morning shooting in Houston, with emergency audio revealing at least 5 shots were fired. We're told Takeoff and Quavo were playing dice at a bowling alley when an altercation broke out and someone, or multiple people, opened fire ... fatally shooting Takeoff.

Chuck D says gun violence in the hip hop community has been ignored for far too long -- he says any other industry with so many fatalities would have addressed the issue before it became normalized.

He adds ... people have grown up thinking a rapper dying young is a normal thing ... and he says it's not only about the death itself, but also the manner -- drugs and gunshots.

Problem is, Chuck says too much music glorifies guns and drugs, whereas before, it was a reflection of what was going on in the community, not a dictation.

A dazed Hope Solo was yanked from her car by cops after being uncooperative during her DWI arrest earlier this year ... new police video shows.

The footage -- obtained by Queen City News -- was captured on a Winston-Salem Police Officer's body-worn camera on March 31 ... just after he was called to a North Carolina Walmart parking lot over reports that a woman had been asleep behind the wheel of a running car with her kids inside.

Video shows when the officer walked up to the GMC Yukon at around 10:20 PM, Solo -- a U.S. women's soccer legend -- appeared to be passed out with her head resting on her driver's seat while her engine was on.

Solo immediately became alert following the officer's knock on her window -- and during ensuing questioning, she appeared to be completely out of it.

She mumbled, scrolled through her phone and even took a call. She insisted she hadn't been drinking -- and had only stopped to take a nap because she was tired.

The officer, though, suspected she was drunk -- and told her he smelled alcohol coming from her vehicle. She then began arguing with the man and another officer who had arrived on the scene to assist.

The cops asked her to step out of her car repeatedly, but she refused. Her kids, meanwhile, could be heard screaming and crying in the background.

Ultimately, one of the cops grabbed her by the arm and pulled her from the ride.

Footage shows Solo continued to be combative, refusing field sobriety tests. Cops then put her in handcuffs. She could be heard later in the video yelling while walking with an officer, "Oh my God, you don't need to f***ing touch me!"

Solo was eventually hit with three charges over the case -- driving while impaired, resisting a public officer and misdemeanor child abuse.

In July, she reached a deal with prosecutors to close out the case -- pleading guilty to DWI. In exchange for the plea, her other two charges were dismissed.

Solo was given a 24-month suspended sentence ... and was also ordered to pay fines and fees, among other stipulations.

Following the case's disposition, she said in a statement, "I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become."

"I continue to be a student of the greatest school called life and I will continue to learn and grow from these experiences," she added. "I will continue to gain empathy, knowledge, and stories to share."

Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox took their Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson costumes to the extreme -- recreating a wild, whirlwind romance ... and it's pretty on the nose.

The rocker and actress dressed up as the iconic couple for Halloween this weekend ... rocking their famed 1995 look from when they attended the grand opening for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Vegas, with Pam/Meg in a pink dress and Tommy/MGK in a tank top.

They went to the Casamigos party looking like this, which is all fine and good -- but a video Kelly posted Saturday is stirring controversy ... namely, a clip of him snorting a powdery substance off MF's chest with a rolled dollar bill. He licks her boob and kisses her afterward.

The so-called "cocaine" is probably fake, but nonetheless ... there's a good amount of people online who expressed shock he would film himself doing this, even if it is a gag.

It doesn't seem like he or Megan really care  ... his caption telegraphs as much. It reads, "happy Halloween virgins." Frankly, this fits their MO as a couple -- tons of shock value stunts, including confessions about drinking each other's blood and whatnot.

The bigger issue though, in this particular instance, is MGK's younger fan base -- including teens who might be susceptible to seeing him partake in something objectively bad for you.

Of course, both Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox each have young children of their own ... so there's that too.

Casamigos has put COVID in its rearview ... throwing the first Halloween party since the pandemic, and tons of celebs showed up to celebrate.

Let's start with the guest list, which is pretty insane ... hosts Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford, of course, Rebel Wilson, Henry Goulding, Leslie Mann, Judd Apatow, Trevor Noah, Wiz Khalifa, Tyga, Paris Hilton, Jasmine Tookes, Chrishell Stause, G Flip, Molly Simms, Taylor Lautner, Derek Hough, David Spade, Richard Kind, Ryan Eggold, Megan Fox, MGK, Josh Duhamel, Keegan Michael-Key, Chord Overstreet, Corey Gamble, Mark Burnett, Jeff Probst, Brian Grazer, John McEnroe, Patty Smyth, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Rachel Zoe, Ryan Phillippe ... and that's just partial!

The bash went down Friday night in Bev Hills ... and it's a restart of what has become the best Halloween party in Hollywood.

Apparently, guests missed Bill Maher's editorial, because all the costumes were safe -- between the lines.  Among the getups -- Yellowstone, Barbie and Ken, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm, Mister Rogers, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, flappers ... super safe stuff.

The backdrop for the soiree was pretty amazing ... an LED-panneled tunnel with a mirrored ceiling, entering what the hosts called "the Casamigos Metaverse."

Matthew Perry revealed the depth of his addiction in an interview Friday night, and it was shocking.

Perry, who told Diane Sawyer during the run of "Friends" he would sometimes pop 55 Vicodin pills a day, said in real life he traded out friends for drug dealers who helped fuel his habit.

Matthew said he would sometimes go to realtor open houses, beeline it for the bathroom and rummage through medicine cabinets looking for pills. He felt safe, because, as he said, "I think they thought, 'Well, there's no way that Chandler came in and stole from us.'"

You may recall ... during the "Friends" reunion show earlier this year, Perry seemed to slur his words and seemed out of it.  Matthew said he had just had major dental surgery ... one of many surgeries that had some connection to his drug use.

Matthew Perry was brought to tears looking back at how his addiction to pills and alcohol caused his weight to fluctuate ... and he feels sorry for his former self.

The "Friends" star got super emotional in his ABC special with Diane Sawyer, crying when they played a clip of him on the sitcom looking super skinny.

Matthew estimates he was 155 lbs. in the clip and he says it illustrates the toll his addiction to pills took on his body ... he says the drugs squashed his appetite and he lost a ton of weight to the point where it was unhealthy.

MP told Diane his weight dipped as low as 128 lbs and says, at the time, he was "out of control" and didn't know what was going on.

Matthew says he also gained weight when he was drinking heavily ... and looking back he feels sorry for himself in those moments. ABC plays clips of Matthew on "Friends" and it's clear how much his weight was changing from season to season while he was in the throes of addiction.

As we reported ... Matthew also opened up about how he was able to break the cycle of addiction after 6,000 AA meetings and 15 stints at rehab facilities.

For Matthew, he says the people around him helped keep him on the straight and narrow ... and he singles out Jennifer Aniston for being there for him during "Friends" and after.

Adam "Pacman" Jones is thanking the crew that helped him launch his new weed strain ... by hookin' them up with some crazy iced-out jewelry!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the former Cincinnati Bengals star gifted 24 of his employees with the new bling -- after they all played a role in getting his collab with cannabis lifestyle brand, Cookies, off the ground.

Pacman delivered the chains on Thursday ... and they're awesome.

The pieces feature a "PAC" pendant -- a nod to his nickname -- and a chain that is packed with quality diamonds.

Pacman copped 'em from jewelers Tajia Diamond and Victor Rodriguez ... and we're told the total price for all 24 pieces was over $100k!!!

"We blessing the gang," Pacman said of the gifts this week. "We thanking everybody who was a part of Cookies."

Pacman -- who retired from the NFL in May 2019 -- has been working in the weed industry for several years, and recently partnered up with Cookies to release a new line of products that will be available in California stores on Oct. 29.

"We been working on this process, this Pacman strain, for seven years," Jones told us. "Today was one of the bucket list days."

The 39-year-old Pro Bowler is really high (no pun intended) on using the product and feels everyone should utilize it, including athletes.

"Cannabis is, to me, one of the top safest things that you can use that's helped me keep myself calm and keep my rocker down," Jones said.

Watch out, Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush ... Troy Aikman showed he's still got magic left in his right arm -- knockin' down 12 beer cans with two, pinpoint 20-yard throws!!

The Dallas Cowboys legend hit a field in Texas to complete the feat -- and while he tells TMZ Sports the footage might not be "100 percent" real ... he did say the accuracy he showcased in the vid is legit!!

"That was my strength, you know?" the 55-year-old said with a laugh.

Troy performed the stunt in hopes of igniting a viral craze -- where people think of creative ways to knock down pyramids of EIGHT Beer cans -- that will benefit a great cause.

Aikman dubbed it the "#EIGHTBeerChallenge" -- and he said for every one person who participates in it, films it, and shares it to social media, he and his beer co. will donate $8 to Back On My Feet, an org. created to combat homelessness.

"It gives a chance for some of the homeless people in the community to be empowered," Aikman said, "and to get them back on their feet, being an active participant in society, doing a lot of different things."

Aikman said he's planning on showcasing some of the best vids of the challenge on his social media pages over the coming weeks.