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A.J. Pero -- drummer for the legendary rock band Twisted Sister -- died Friday morning after he was found unresponsive on a tour bus in Poughkeepsie, New York. He was 55.

Jay Jay French, a fellow member of Twisted Sister, tells TMZ ... Pero was touring with the band Adrenaline Mob when he was found on the bus, but would not wake up. The band called 911 and paramedics rushed him to a nearby hospital ... but he didn't make it.

French tells TMZ, "A.J. Pero was a force, the likes of which I doubt I will ever have the chance to play in front of again. His drumming was legendary, but his heart, as a human being, was even greater."

He continued, "In our hearts he will always be the engine that drove the train. I loved him and today my heart has been ripped out. RIP."

Kevin Hart handed his ex-wife keys to a new Caddy, but she gave him something pretty awesome too -- peace between the mother of his 2 children and his new fiancée.

Torrei Hart tells TMZ, the 2015 Escalade Kev gave her for her 37th birthday came on the heels of her squashing all old beef between her and Eniko Parrish.

It's no secret ... the Harts' bitter divorce included nasty Twitter rants and cheating accusations -- but Torrei says things are so cool now with the future Mrs. Hart ... the ladies even hang together at the kids' hoops games.

Torrei adds Kevin was so supportive when he knew she needed a new ride ... he even let her pick out ANY vehicle she wanted.

Bottom line ... that crap they say about grudges might be true.

Now that Bristol Palin's got a man ... she has no need for a house -- at least not the one she's been living in because she's unloading her half a million dollar home near Sarah Palin.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... Bristol is rarely home now that she's all hooked up with her new fiance, Medal of Honor winner Sgt. Dakota Meyer -- so she doesn't need the 3-bed, 3.5-bath 3,200 sq. ft. pad anymore.

She snagged the lakeside digs in Wasilla back in 2011 for $388k, but now wants $549k for it. We're told she completely remodeled it -- plus, it's got sweet mountain and lake views from the master bedroom.

As for where Bristol and her man are moving -- we're not sure yet, but we'd be shocked if she ended up in the Lower 48.

Ex-NFL speedster Willie Gault is PUMPED UP ... because a jury just found he's not guilty in an alleged scheme to blow up the stock price of his heart device company.

After he hung up his cleats, Fast Willie became the CEO of Heart Tronics (which makes heart monitoring devices) ... and was accused of defrauding investors in a scheme to inflate the price of the company so he could cash in.

But moments ago, a jury in Santa Ana, CA found that Gault is no fraud -- and didn't really do anything wrong ... other than making a few sloppy technical mistakes.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is truly ingrained in his city ... because now, like most Seattleites, he's taken up cycling.

The shoulda-been two-time Super Bowl winner stopped into a Trek store in San Diego this week and picked up a couple of high-end road bikes. We're told he also grabbed a Garmin computer, helmet, pedals and gloves ... all the bells and whistles.

Wilson picked up the bike on Tuesday and when he did ... he just happened to spot former Miami Hurricanes star Kellen Winslow Jr. (a big-time cyclist in his own right) who posed for a pic with Russell.

Russell tweeted about his new ride, writing, "New hobbie & new training method after workouts! #Cycling There goes Kellen Winslow in @treksuperstore too!"

11:47 AM PT -- Call him Nostradamus ... 'cause just as Pierce predicted, he was CUT by the Ravens first thing this morning.

Baltimore Ravens running back Bernard Pierce told cops that he KNEW he was gonna get cut from the team during his DUI arrest ... saying, "Do you know what happened the last time a Ravens player got a DUI?"

TMZ Sports obtained the police report detailing the DUI arrest ... in which the Baltimore County Police Dept. says Pierce admitted to taking "3 shots of Jack" before he was popped.

As we previously reported, Pierce was initially pulled over around 2AM for speeding -- and then bombed his field sobriety test.

In the report, the officer asked Pierce how much he weighs -- and Pierce slurred, "530." The officer pressed him on it and he repeated it twice before correcting himself and saying, "230 pounds."

While he was being taken to a nearby police station, Pierce reportedly uttered, "Do you know what happened the last time a Ravens player got a DUI? I'm getting cut tomorrow, not like you care."

Former SF 49ers star Chris Borland is getting MAJOR support from his family for his decision to walk away from the NFL over head injury concerns -- with his mom telling TMZ Sports, "I'm extremely proud of him."

Borland's decision made headlines all over the country -- especially since he was a rising star in the league, only 24 years old, and left nearly $2 million on the table by not finishing out his contract.

But his mother Zebbie says Chris didn't take his decision lightly -- noting that he consulted with his parents and other family members before deciding to walk away from the league.

"He made the decision the other day. He's been here [Dayton, Ohio] a ton and on the road visiting his friends and siblings and the decision was made amongst the family."

"Right now he and his dad are handling the situation going forward and deciding on what his next steps will be."

As for how Chris' decision will affect other family members who want to play football, Zebbie says ... "I know Chris' 4-year-old nephews will end up playing sports soon, I'm sure he won't discourage them from playing football, I think he will work with them and provide knowledge."

There's a full scale mutiny behind Drake's feature film now -- just 2 days before it hits theaters -- because executive producers J. Prince and Jas are also discouraging fans from seeing it.

24 hours after Drizzy disavowed "Drake's Homecoming: The Lost Footage" ... the Rap-A-Lot Records honchos doubled down ... as Drake tweeted, "James Prince and I stand together on not supporting the Drake Homecoming footage in theaters. #protectingthefans"

Minutes later Jas showed his support for that statement by retweeting it.

Sources connected to the film tell us Drake wanted to make it clear he has no issues with the Prince family ... as many people thought after he torpedoed the movie Monday.

As for the movie's release -- we're told it's full steam ahead, even though its star and producers are telling fans to watch at their own risk.

The Princes aren't the only execs on the movie -- and sources close to the production tell us some of the others are pissed about Drake's attack. We're told there's already been talk about a possible lawsuit.

Very cool moment for the middle school basketball team that stood up for a cheerleader with Down syndrome -- when one of the stars of "Glee" sent a video message praising the squad.

The woman behind the message is Lauren Potter -- who plays cheerleader Becky Jackson on the show ... and also happens to have Down syndrome in real life.

When Lauren heard about the students at Lincoln Middle School in Wisconsin standing up for Desiree Andrews during a recent game ... she says she was blown away!

"You guys are my true heroes!"

The message was played for Desiree and the team during a ceremony in Kenosha -- where they all received a special commendation from the chief of police and other city officials.

#Amazing

Wladimir Klitschko:
Age: 38
Weight: 246 lbs
Size: 6'6"

Charlie the Alligator:
Age: 10-ish
Weight: 200 lbs
Size: 9'0"

It was boxer vs. man-eater at the Gator Park in Miami, Florida this week ... when Hayden Panettiere's baby daddy got up close and personal with a live male alligator ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

It's unclear why a guy whose hands are worth SO MUCH MONEY would put his fists near the mouth of a gator ... but we're told he was with a German TV crew that was shooting for some sort of reality-ish show about Klitschko's life.

We spoke with a rep for Charlie the Alligator (his trainer Tom) who tells us, "He had complete control over the alligator for about a minute and a half."

Turns out, gators pack one hell of a punch when they chomp down ... but the muscles that OPEN their jaws are super-weak, which is why Tom allowed Wlad to put his hands on Charlie's face.

"I'm sure it is uncomfortable for someone who is doing it for the first time, but he was brave."

The heroic middle school basketball players who rushed to the aid of a girl with Down syndrome as she was being bullied DURING their game ... are receiving the highest honor given to a citizen in their city ... TMZ Sports has learned.

In case you missed the awesome story ... the boys basketball team at Lincoln Middle School in Kenosha, WI confronted a bully who was tormenting Desiree Andrews, who serves as a cheerleader for the team.

On Monday, the whole team will receive a medal and a commendation signed by the mayor and the police chief for their "heroic act of kindness." Chief John Morrissey tells TMZ Sports the honor is rare. The last two honorees had rescued people from a major car crash, and another helped capture a man who allegedly killed his own child.

Chief Morrissey tells TMZ Sports, "The PD and the mayor are impressed that as seventh graders, these kids were smart enough to recognize they needed to stand up for what’s right."

Desiree will be at the ceremony as well, where she will receive a commendation for "standing tall and proud even when you were being bullied."

Mama June's hungry for the spotlight ... but sheddin' pounds may be what gets her back on TV.

June was spotted at a Hollywood park Friday puttin' in the work ... TMZ has learned she's got her eyes set on being a contestant on NBC's "The Biggest Loser" and she's hired celebrity personal trainer Natasha Kufa to get the ball rolling.

She may be in compromising positions but she's definitely on a mission ... she says she's determined to drop 100 lbs.

She's already shopping show ideas around ... maybe a workout tape too?

Sporting a sling on his injured arm, NFL running back Chris Johnson posed for a photo for the first time since he was shot in the shoulder during a drive by shooting in Florida this weekend.

Johnson appears in the photo with two other men -- one of whom is sporting bandages on an injured arm ... and the other who is flipping off the camera.

The man with the double-bird is rapper Kenny Turner -- a friend of Johnson's who posted the pic and included a message that appears to be directed at the shooter.

"I HEARD YOU P*SSIES LOOKIN 4 me!!!!! WE GOT something in common....f*ck YA!!!! #juice."

As we previously reported, one of Johnson's friends was killed in the shooting -- and Johnson is not cooperating with police in the investigation.

Judging by Turner's message -- seems cops aren't the only ones on the hunt ...

11:38 AM PT -- Johnson just issued a statement on Instagram insisting the message is NOT a threat directed at the gunman.

Frightening moment for a former USC football star -- when two men tried to break into his L.A. home ... while he was INSIDE ... and it was all captured on video.

TMZ Sports spoke with Alex Holmes -- who played tight end for the Trojans during their monster 2004 season -- who says he was hanging out on March 1st when two guys began casing his home.

The entire scene was captured on surveillance ... you can see the two guys ringing the doorbell to see if anyone is inside. When nobody answered, they snuck around to the backyard.

The men put on gloves (no fingerprints) and moved a table to try to enter the house through a 2nd story window ... but set off an alarm and eventually fled the scene.

Holmes was inside the house during the entire incident -- and called police, who raced to the scene moments after the guys bolted.

"I almost feel bad for the kids," Holmes says ... "As soon as they climbed up and opened that window, the alarm went off and they ran away."

The USC alum says it's the second time his house has been targeted in less than a year.

Floyd Mayweather was NOT charged with a crime after a 19-year-old close family friend filed a police report claiming the boxer put him in a chokehold during a 2014 argument.

The Las Vegas Metro Police tells TMZ Sports ... Devion Cromwell initially reported that Floyd put him in a "rear naked choke" at Mayweather's Vegas mansion on Halloween night.

FYI -- Cromwell is the son of Floyd's ex-girlfriend Melissa Brim ... who has a 14-year-old daughter with Floyd.

But when investigators tried to contact Cromwell to follow up on the case, cops say Cromwell stopped cooperating -- essentially stopping the investigation dead in its tracks.

Eventually, cops say ... they closed the case.

A rep for the Clark County District Attorney's office tells us the case was never presented to them for prosecution.

We're told the statute of limitations on the case is 1 year from the incident -- so, if Cromwell has a change of heart and wants to press the case ... the clock's ticking.

The Univision talk show host canned for racist remarks about Michelle Obama says the pink slip was generated from the First Lady's Office.

Rodner Figueroa's team tells TMZ ... no one from the station or social media uttered a peep when he said Wednesday morning that a makeup artist who transformed himself into Michelle Obama, looked like a member of the "Planet of the Apes" cast.

The team claims at 10:20 PM Wednesday they got a call from a Univision exec who said Michelle Obama's office called the network to complain.

Figueroa wrote a letter to the First Lady -- obtained by TMZ -- in which he says he's from a bi-racial family, half-black, half-Latin, and adds he's the first openly gay Hispanic TV presenter. He says, "I've been an activist for causes in favor of minorities, as I have been discriminated against."

Figueroa then writes, "I voted openly twice for your husband, Barack Obama."