Drugs & Alcohol

Neither drugs nor alcohol are believed to be factors in the sudden death of Metal Church frontman Mike Howe ... according to cops.

A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. tells TMZ ... cops got a call Monday morning just after 10 AM in Eureka, CA reporting an unexpected death at a home. We're told when deputies arrived they found Mike dead at the scene.

Cops say drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the death and no controlled substances or paraphernalia were located at the scene. At the time of this post ... the cause of death is unknown.

The band released a statement on Facebook shortly after Mike's passing and said, "It is with our deepest regrets that we must announce the passing of our brother, our friend and true legend of heavy metal music."

The statement continued, "We are devastated and at a loss for words. Please respect our privacy and the Howe family’s privacy during this most difficult time."

Metal Church, universally credited with influencing the thrash metal genre, was formed in the 1980s and released 2 albums before Mike joined the group later that decade. He'd ultimately help pump out the band's third album ... "Blessing in Disguise," which churned out one of the group's most popular tracks, "Badlands."

The group would go on to release 2 more studio albums before the band broke up in the mid-1990s. The band ultimately got back together and Mike rejoined them in 2015.

Mike was 55.

The Black woman selling hair care products who was approached by a white woman asking if the transactions were drug deals doesn't want folks going after this "Karen" ... but she hopes a lesson was learned.

Ronnie Marie, owner of Marie's Luxury Hair Extensions, tells TMZ ... she doesn't want "Karen" to lose her job or get canceled over the incident.

Instead, Ronnie wants folks to keep supporting her hair care biz, like they have since video of the interaction went viral ... because she says kindness is how you kill a "Karen."

As we reported ... Ronnie was approached by a white woman in Sacramento, CA while she was selling hair care products off her bicycle, with "Karen" saying the transactions looked like drug deals to some folks in the neighborhood.

Ronnie, who remained calm the entire time, tells us she delivers her products to customers at the same location every day at the same time ... and claims folks in the area know her well.

She says the positive support from customers and strangers on the Internet is the best way to discourage this kind of behavior from "Karens" ... and she's not planning to take any legal action against the woman.

Joe Exotic has dubbed himself "The New King of Cannabis" ... it's front-and-center in the packaging of his new weed line and TMZ's obtained the first pics.

The colorful packet for his new cannabis line, Joe Exotic Cannabis, will be unveiled next week at the cannabis CHAMPS Trade Show in Las Vegas ... and TMZ has a first look at what Joe and his partners have been up to since announcing their new venture last month.

The packaging's got Joe's touches all over it ... from paying homage to his moniker as the so-called "Tiger King" ... to celebrating his sexual orientation with a display of the Pride flag at the bottom of the package.

There are tigers, lions and cubs drawings on the front of the package ... and Joe's smoking a blunt while sitting on his new throne. As we first reported ... Joe's team struck up a deal with Tango Hotel Charlie Group, LLC and Cannaxxs LTD to launch the line.

Even though Joe's behind bars, he's been pretty hands-on through calls and emails with his attorney, Brad Small.

Joe is working with Joshua Anderson, the founder of Tango Hotel Charlie Group. Joshua will be handling the distribution and brand development. They've partnered with Xotic Flavorz farm in Honeydew, CA to produce the cannabis.

And, get this ... Joe's line will also debut a cannabis seltzer at next week's trade show. The seltzer's name is aptly dubbed "Tiger Piss." Some of the flavors include tiger's blood orange and peach-mango.

Shaun Weiss, the goalie in the 'Mighty Ducks' movies, got all nostalgic celebrating his graduation from a drug court program ... chowing down at a diner that's special to him.

Just days after getting his certificate of completion from the D.A.'s Office in Yuba County, CA ... we're told Shaun and his good friend, Drew Gallagher, hit up the super-popular Brent's Deli in the San Fernando Valley.

Why there? Well, for starters the pastrami is to die for ... but also, we're told the deli's the first place Shaun went when he was released from jail in August 2017 during one of the worst points in his life.

Shaun's had several stints in jail after that, but in going back now, he wanted to reminisce on all the progress he's made ever since.

His pal Drew practically rolled out a red carpet ... showering Shaun with congratulatory balloons and a hearty meal of matzo ball soup.

TMZ broke the story ... The D.A.'s Office was super complimentary of Shaun for staying on the straight and narrow -- and that good behavior prompted prosecutors to dismiss the burglary case against him.

Besides getting sober, Shaun also got a new set of chompers.

Word to the wise ... whenever Travis Scott gets behind the wheel expect a large crowd of devoted fans, and expect 'em to go wild.

The rapper had Miami in sicko mode Friday as he promoted his spiked seltzer, CACTI Agave. Travis is primarily in the 305 for his headlining performance at the Rolling Loud Music Festival, but clearly decided to put some beverage biz on his agenda too.

Travis handed out a bunch of adult beverages at a pop-up and cruised around downtown Miami in the CACTI truck doing what he does best ... struttin' his stuff.

Trav co-founded the drink brand, so he reps for it whenever possible ... but fans were still taken aback by his appearance. They should've seen it coming ... after all, CACTI is the official seltzer sponsor for Rolling Loud. Duh.

Cactus Jack's becoming as well known for his marketing skills as his music. You might recall, back in March, he pulled a similar stunt in La La land ... causing a chaotic scene at several grocery stores.

Justin Bieber and Conor McGregor -- "The Biebs" and "The Notorious" -- are just a couple of bros having a "proper" breakfast together ... shirtless, of course.

JB and the MMA star were hanging out in Bev Hills Friday, as McGregor continues to recover from his gnarly leg injury suffered at UFC 264 in his loss to Dustin Poirier.

It may seem surprising -- especially since Bieber used to be tight with Conor's nemesis, Floyd Mayweather -- but Justin and Conor have been getting pretty chummy of late.

Bieber was super supportive of McGregor after his January loss to Poirier and also leading up to their latest fight, and Conor actually hopped on his Instagram Live days before UFC 264 to thank him for all the love.

JB also shouted out CM after his injury to send good vibes his way ... and now, here they are, enjoying good vibes together.

Justin captioned the photos, "Breakfast of champions." and tagged Conor's Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey ... which they both appear to be enjoying.

Keyshia Cole is speaking out for the first time since her mother's tragic death ... sharing what she loved about her mom and what she will miss the most now that she's gone.

Cole posted a series of photos with Frankie Lons Thursday with a lengthy caption to honor her late mother. She opens with, "This is so hard man. Can’t really even find the words. SMH. I honestly don’t even know how to feel. You can never prepare for something like this... Ever!!! but you will be missed."

While Keisha and Frankie weren't close while the singer was growing up -- she was raised by friends and relatives -- the two connected later in life, and their relationship was profiled on "Keyshia Cole: My New Life."

In Keisha's tribute to Frankie, she says, "I created this post to show my love and appreciation for your life and I would like to thank my fans + supporters, shooot your supporters and fans, for being here with us during these hard times, and the love that you all have for us.....the love for all your children was definitely felt."

It appears the family is organizing to have a service for Frankie in the near future with all of her kids in attendance, Keisha says, "When u said all you want is to have ALL OF YOUR CHILDREN IN ONE PLACE, AT ONE TIME meant the most to you, And I’m completely down to do that for you."

TMZ broke the story ... Frankie died at home in Oakland on Sunday, her birthday. Her son, Sam, told us she died of an overdose after a decades-long struggle with addiction.

Shaun Weiss, the goalie in the 'Mighty Ducks' movie, has scored a hat trick -- finishing a court-ordered drug program, getting a criminal case dismissed ... and most importantly, getting his life back on track.

The D.A.'s Office in Yuba County, CA praised Shaun for successfully completing the drug court program. As we've reported, Shaun's struggled with addiction for years ... but he was recently in court -- dressed to the nines in a three-piece suit, mind you -- to proudly receive his certificate from the judge.

He'd entered the program back in March 2020 after getting busted for burglary.

The D.A.'s Office said Shaun has "demonstrated perseverance during his recovery complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. He had to move treatment and transitional living programs on several occasions. He underwent dental reconstructive surgery, and had a close family member suffer a serious accident during his treatment."

The D.A. added, "Shaun regained employment and has been traveling across the country making guest appearances and signing autographs. He received tremendous support from friends and fans of the character, Goldberg, he played in the 1992 hit 'The Mighty Ducks.'"

For staying on the straight and narrow his burglary case has been dismissed.

As we reported ... Shaun looked unrecognizable back in January 2020 when he was busted for residential burglary. Cops said they found Shaun trying to steal stuff from a car in someone's garage.

Since then, Shaun's been doing the work, and slowly getting his life together -- from getting sober to beaming with pride thanks to that new set of chompers.

Sha'Carri Richardson isn't competing in the Olympics -- but she's still making it onto millions of TV, phone and tablet screens across the world -- thanks to a new collab with Dr. Dre and Kanye West.

The Dre Beats commercial just aired during Game 6 of the NBA finals between The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.

The ad features Richardson donning a pair of the famous headphones while hitting the track and a never-before-heard Kanye song called, "No Child Left Behind" playing the background. West repeats the lyrics, "He's done miracles on Me" throughout the clip -- seemingly referring to God.

It's the first official listen the public-at-large has gotten of West's upcoming album, titled "DONDA" ... after his late mother. The Beats ad also worked as an announcement that the album will drop Friday.

Richardson has become the most talked about name in sports over the last few weeks after getting suspended and then disqualified from the 2021 Tokyo Game after a positive test for marijuana ... so it makes total sense why Kanye would want to collab for some album press.

TMZ Sports has obtained the crash report from Richard Sherman's car accident last week ... and it looks like the NFL star just barely avoided a head-on collision with a barrier.

In the docs, police produced a diagram of how they say Sherman wrecked his 2014 Mercedes on a highway in Washington at around 1:24 AM on July 14 ... and it appears to be more evidence the 33-year-old is fortunate to be alive today.

According to cops, it appears Sherman didn't see a right turn coming, and instead of navigating around the bend -- he crashed the left side of his car into a barrier.

The picture shows just how close Sherman was to a head-on collision ... which could have been potentially life-threatening, given that officials have accused Sherman of driving drunk at the time of the wreck.

In the docs, cops say Sherman -- despite the collision -- continued to drive into a parking lot before he ditched the ride due to the severe damage to the car.

As we previously reported, law enforcement says Sherman then eventually made his way to his in-laws' home in Redmond, Wash. ... where they say he attempted to break in his wife's parents' front door.

Cops say when they arrived on the scene ... Sherman fought them, and claim the football player was so aggressive, they needed K9 help to take him down.

Sherman was arrested and eventually charged with five misdemeanors over the incident -- including driving while under the influence and reckless endangerment of roadway workers.

Keyshia Cole's biological mother, Frankie Lons, has died, passing away on her birthday after a several-decades-long struggle with addiction ... TMZ has learned.

The R&B singer's brother, Sam, tells us ... Frankie overdosed at her Oakland home Sunday ... the same day she was celebrating her born day, when she apparently took drugs while partying -- relapsing on what we're told was a long, hard-fought journey to sobriety.

Sam says he was checking in with Frankie daily, trying to help her stay clean ... a well-documented battle that Keyshia and co. had captured and shared publicly in recent years ... via television, social media and other channels.

Sam also says the family wants the world to remember Frankie as someone who loved her kids, and who wanted her children to be together ... despite their turbulent history.

Keyshia was given up by Frankie and her biological father, Virgil Hunter, for adoption at a very young age -- she ended up being raised by family friends ... and reunited with her birth parents later in life as an adult -- after she'd hit it big on the music scene.

Their family dynamic is one Keyshia actually filmed for reality TV on BET -- featuring a few different shows -- with the main series being "Keyshia Cole My New Life" ... on which Frankie cameoed often, and where the mother and daughter duo shared many heart-to-hearts.

Keyshia was also quite vocal on her mother's addiction struggles ... keeping tabs on her checking into rehab and encouraging her to stay on the straight and narrow -- posting photos and videos of her mom before her time at a facility and cheering on her success.

As of March of last year, Frankie hit a huge benchmark ... staying 60 days sober, something her daughter was proud to share with her IG fans and followers. She has yet to comment on her mother's death.

Frankie had just turned 61.

Jenn Harley's looking to turn her life around following her recent domestic violence arrest ...  and it all starts with getting sober.

Jenn's rep, Gina Rodriguez, tells TMZ, "Jenn Harley has decided to check into a Las Vegas rehab facility to seek treatment for her alcohol dependency. She made the decision to get help because she wants to be the best parent she can be for her children."

We're told it was Jenn's idea to go, because she wants to get her life together and be a better mom for Ariana, her 3-year-old daughter she shares with ex, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro. Rodriguez says she's entered a 28-day program which started Saturday morning.

As for Jenn's arrest -- she allegedly pointed a gun last month at a new boyfriend and threatened to shoot him. Not shockingly, we're told they've broken up.

LeBron James isn't playing in the NBA Finals, but he's definitely playing AT them ... as he was spotted chilling courtside in Phoenix ... with a full bottle of Tequila!!! Hardcore playing.

King James was quite the sight Saturday night during Game 5 -- he had the bottle of booze between his legs, sitting on the court. Fans know LeBron typically gets his way on the court, but this seemed ridiculous. Ever try bringing your own liquor into a game? Don't.

Of course, if you're LeBron it's a different story, and the bottle of Lobos 1707 was more for business than drunken fun, we're guessing.

As we've reported ... LBJ and several other NBA players are investors in the brand. There's a reason the Lakers star had the label out toward cameras. Smart business, man.

His teammate Anthony Davis and Warriors star Draymond Green are also investors in the booze.

LeBron's pal, Chris Paul, and the Phoenix Suns lost the game and now trail 3-2 in the series -- but LeBron came out the winner off the court.

And yeah, he probably enjoyed a shot or 2 himself to celebrate "Space Jam: A New Legacy" hitting theaters.

A pro baseball game turned ugly Thursday night ... when players charged at fans in the stands after some spectators allegedly threw beer at them.

The wild scene all went down in a Frontier League game at Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls, NJ ... when the New Jersey Jackals vs. Sussex County Miners tilt had to be paused due to a near-brawl in the stands.

The incident was all captured on video ... and it's crazy -- 'cause players from both teams bum-rushed at spectators, nearly igniting a huge fight in the seats.

You can see in the clip, players were all the way up in the 2nd and 3rd rows, getting in the faces of fans ... and it appeared the guys were just moments away from letting fists fly.

Fortunately, other players were able to hold aggressors back ... and play resumed without any real, major tiffs blowing up.

As for why it all happened ... it was $1 beer night at the stadium -- and one witness said a fan had no problem throwing some suds at players during a break in the action -- 'causing the athletes to explode.

Whitney Collings -- one of the early members of TV's "Bad Girls Club" -- died from a toxic mix of booze and hard drugs ... including fentanyl and cocaine.

According to her death certificate, obtained by TMZ, Whitney's immediate cause of death was acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, cocaine, alcohol and clonazepam ... which is a prescription medication used to prevent/control seizures and prevent panic attacks.

Whitney died at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital in Boston. The manner of death is listed as accidental and she was buried in Peabody, MA on December 10.

Interesting side note: Her occupation is listed as sales in the cannabis industry. Recreational weed is legal in Massachusetts.

TMZ broke the story ... Whitney died on December 3 at the age of 33. Her mother revealed the news on Facebook, saying "I am completely broken and will never get over this. Life is so unfair. She was kind with a big heart."

A 911 caller says Richard Sherman drank two bottles of hard alcohol and was threatening to kill himself before he was arrested on Wednesday ... new police audio, obtained TMZ Sports, reveals.

In the call, which was 4 minutes in length, a woman who ID'ed herself as Sherman's wife told dispatch the NFL star was "drunk and belligerent and threatening to kill himself."

The woman was frantic -- breathing heavily and speaking quickly -- and was pleading for dispatch to send officers to her home in Washington right away.

"I need officers here now!" the woman can be heard saying on the call. "He's trying to leave now. In the house, he was being aggressive. He was wrestling with my uncle. He's threatening to kill himself. He has sent text messages to people saying he's going to hang himself."

"And, he's saying that if the police show up -- please don't shoot is what I'm asking."

The woman continued, "He said if the police show up, he'll try to fight them."

The woman then can be heard saying she was worried that Sherman was going to leave the home ... telling dispatch, "It's Richard Sherman! Like, ma'am, this is, like, a f***ing emergency! I need officers here now!"

It should be noted the 911 dispatcher appeared annoyed and frustrated multiple times with the woman on the call ... telling her at one point, "Listen to me! I'm handling this! You need to stop telling me that!"

The caller eventually told the 911 dispatcher that Sherman had drank 1 bottle of vodka and 1 bottle of Hennessey ... and was concerned for everyone's safety.

As we previously reported, Sherman was arrested a short time following the call ... after cops say he tried to break into his in-laws' home in Redmond, Wash.