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Jill Sobule was staying with close friends when a fire broke out at their home ... and they believed she was with them while making their escape from the blaze.

The singer/songwriter died Thursday in an early morning house fire while staying with the married couple in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Craig Grossman, Jill’s agent, tells TMZ … the unidentified couple quickly scrambled when they realized the home was on fire -- and they thought Jill was with them while they were running out.

Martin Lawrence has big plans for his developing "Martin" spin-off starring Tommy Davidson but sorry, longtime fans ... the adventures of Sheneneh are over!!!

TMZ caught up with the "Bad Boys" franchise star at LAX on Thursday afternoon and he guaranteed "Varnell Hill" on BET+ will be a riot!!!

"Martin" is arguably the favorite African-American sitcom ever, and Davidson left his mark with just 2 episodes on the '90s series ... but not more than the show's nosy neighbor Sheneneh Jenkins!!!

Rap-Rock rager Destroy Lonely says he'll never confuse the love of his life for another woman -- even if she happens to have a twin!!!

We caught up with Playboi Carti's Opium artist at LAX this week and he told us he's head over heels for his GF Shannade Clermont, one half of former "Bad Girls Club" stars The Clermont Twins.

Destroy Lonely says anyway you want to slice or dice it, fried outta of his mind in the darkest of the night -- he'd still be able to differentiate Shannade from Shannon!!!

Jill Sobule's death is receiving heightened scrutiny by investigators ... because they're trying to determine when she died -- and if drugs, alcohol or carbon monoxide played any part.

A rep for the Ramsey County Medical Examiner in Minnesota tells TMZ ... investigators are digging into the cause and manner of Jill's death -- and, a major detail investigators are trying to determine is whether she was still alive when a house fire broke out, where she was later found dead.

Remember, Woodbury Public Safety received a call about an active housefire around 5:30 AM Thursday ... with first responders arriving to find the house fully engulfed in flames.

Rolly Romero will step into the ring against Ryan Garcia on Friday night in some custom, "Marty McFly" Nikes ... and, Great Scott, they're cool!!!

TMZ Sports has learned Jose Coronado, AKA Aztek Kustoms, "deconstructed" the $40,000, "Back To The Future"-themed kicks so the 29-year-old could wear them in the ring for his huge tilt with King Ry ... and check 'em out, they're fully functional.

The shoes -- which were originally created by the Swoosh to honor the self-tying kicks Michael J. Fox once wore in "Back to the Future Part II" -- have operational LED lights and all the same markings of the OG ones McFly wore in the old-school flick.

'Star Wars' fans are standing by, just like their favorite rebel pilots -- 'cause a big ticket item from the franchise is hitting the auction block ... but, you'll need a whole bunch of Galactic Credits to pick up this one.

A rebel pilot helmet used during the filming of 'The Empire Strikes Back' has been added to the Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction in Los Angeles, taking place in September.

Propstore -- a trusted name in the memorabilia game -- is selling this custom-made helmet used during the Rebel Alliance's battle against the Empire on the ice planet Hoth.

George Santos says there's a lot of bad hombres behind bars who want to rough him up for one reason or another ... and he's again turning up the pressure on the Federal Bureau of Prisons to keep him safe.

The former New York Congressman joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and we asked him about his warning to the BOP -- that there will be hell to pay if he's brutalized behind bars.

George is set to begin a 7-year sentence this summer and he tells us there's a big target on his back for a number of reasons ... namely, his sexuality and his Congressional activity.

Joaquin Phoenix sure wasn't laughing Monday after his car was stolen from his L.A.-area home ... but "The Joker" star could have the last chuckle 'cause we're told police are now working the case.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the famous actor was not at his house Monday afternoon when his 2022 Volvo SUV -- parked just outside -- was stolen.

Brandi Glanville's a 'Real Housewives' star with real friends in the porn industry ... which is how she linked up with Alexis Texas for their steamy photo shoot.

The reality star and actress tells TMZ ... Alexis was in town for business and asked Brandi to hop on her podcast "Private Talk with Alexis Texas."

The two hit it off ... and, they even realized they know the same people in the adult film world. Brandi's pretty non-judgmental about that kinda thing -- the parents of her son's best friend are actually in the industry too.

Sebastian Stan fans can rest easy ... the star isn't having a Britney Spears-level meltdown -- 'cause he only shaved his head for a role.

We caught up with the actor in West Los Angeles Wednesday ... and, we had to ask him about his new bald head since ladies loved his luscious locks.

Stan tells us he shaved it all off for a new role, though he didn't go into detail on what that role might be. However, he's clear -- this isn't a midlife crisis ... at least, not yet, he jokes.

Kanye West is gearing up to sue his former dentist ... claiming he suffered injuries and financial damages due to alleged reckless administration of nitrous oxide.

The rapper's legal team -- headed by Andrew Cherkasky -- sent a notice of intention to sue to Dr. Thomas P. Connelly, who they say became Ye's dentist in early 2024.

Ye's team claims that while he was under Connelly's care, the dentist "engaged in numerous inappropriate and dangerous practices that were far outside the bounds of any legitimate medical purpose or standard of care."

Kesha’s not calling it a relationship just yet -- telling us the guy she’s been cozying up to for about a year to is more of a "for fun" situation … and, she means the X-rated kind!

TMZ caught up with Kesha at LAX strolling alongside health-tech entrepreneur Michael Gilvary -- and while she looked a little red-faced at first, she didn’t hold back for long … telling us flat-out they’re not dating, she's just using him for some good ol’ fashioned sex.

You gotta see the whole exchange -- Kesha's spilling the tea, while Michael plays the silent, slightly awkward, shy sidekick.

Jeff Sperbeck, John Elway's longtime agent and friend, has died at 62 years old, officials announced on Wednesday.

Sperbeck's time of death was listed as 1:10 AM.

As we previously reported, Jeff was on life support following Saturday's accident ... where he suffered a traumatic brain injury after falling off a golf cart that Elway was driving.

We're told Elway, Sperbeck, their wives, and John's son were on their way back from a post-Stagecoach party around 7 PM on April 26 ... when Jeff fell off the back of the cart, hitting his head on the ground, and suffering a traumatic brain injury.

George Santos is warning the Bureau of Prisons ... predicting an "international nightmare" if he's brutalized behind bars during an upcoming prison stint.

The former New York congressman tells TMZ ... if anything bad happens to him in federal prison, the BOP is going to have a problem on their hands.

Santos warns ... if his bodily autonomy is violated, it's going to be bad for the BOP. He imagines his attorney releasing a statement about him being brutalized or sexually assaulted in prison ... something he doesn't think the BOP wants to deal with.

It's Ana de Armas' birthday Wednesday, and she appears to be celebrating with her new rumored boo Tom Cruise ... the pair were spotted landing in London yesterday in a helicopter piloted by the 'Mission: Impossible' daredevil himself.

The dynamic duo was all smiles as they were deposited on a helipad Tuesday, and Ana had her two pooches with her along for the ride. She looked sporty-casual in shorty-shorts, a hoodie and sneakers, rocking classic black shades.

Check out the video ... her action-hero possible paramour was clad in classic dark colors, wearing a navy T-shirt accentuating his muscular arms, dark jeans, and black boots, carrying a black backpack.

President Trump is selling a meme coin and making a nice profit from a contest offering big buyers a chance to have dinner with him -- but that doesn't mean the White House is for sale ... at least according to Michael Knowles.

The Daily Wire host joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we asked him about Trump's unprecedented use of cryptocurrency ... and he defended POTUS.

Trump's offering 220 people a chance to have dinner with him at one of his golf clubs ... as long as they buy a bunch of his meme coins ... and while the Prez and his allies are reportedly raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result, Michael doesn't see an issue.