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5:52 PM PT -- Tyler Perry has broken his silence over the death of Steve Mensch ... expressing his deep admiration and respect for his friend ... while noting how hard this time of year is for him with devastating losses.

"This time of year, grief meets me like an unwanted visitor, as tomorrow marks 15 years since the loss of my mother. It feels especially harder because I have lost so many friends and mentors this year, ranging in age from as young as 40 to 92. And today, yet another loss.

I’ve been trying to understand this tragedy all day—what went wrong with that plane. Steve loved flying, and he loved that plane; he took so much pride in it. I’m praying for his family as we all try to make sense of this heartbreak.

Life is but a moment; we are like vapors. Hold strong to the people you love AND TELL THEM!"

9:03 AM PT -- Tyler Perry Studios Studios has released an official statement on Steve Mensch's death.

“Steve was a cherished member of our team for more than 8 years, and well beloved in the community of Atlanta. It is hard to imagine not seeing him smiling throughout the halls. We will miss him dearly. Our heart goes out to his family as we all send them our prayers.”

Steve Mensch, the president and manager of general operations at Tyler Perry Studios, was killed in a single-seater plane crash in Florida on Friday night, a source close to the studios told TMZ.

The Biden administration is ready to clean house ahead of Donald Trump's return to the Oval Office ... setting up a pricey cleaning service ahead of the handoff.

According tofederal financial documents obtained by TMZ ... the WH has tapped cleaners to do a deep clean of the West Wing, East Wing, and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door. The scrub-down will cost a whopping $140,930 ... and actually kicked off last month ahead of Thanksgiving.

The White House is also shelling out an additional $46,800 to have the carpets thoroughly cleaned in the aforementioned spaces ... noting the cleaning was needed before the 2025 Inauguration.

Sophie Rain has been inundated with opportunities since going viral over her massive OnlyFans paycheck ... but a high-end sex doll of her likeness is an offer she can refuse.

RealDoll -- the same sex doll company Lamar Odom purchased a model from -- reached out to the 20-year-old brunette bombshell a couple of times with an offer to recreate her nude torso.

She likely could have made a serious chunk of change for the mold, as those torsos usually retail for $1,900 ... but the company is pretty damn sure they could sell hers for $3K!

But, the butt offer ain't happening ... at least, not anytime soon, as a source close to SR tells us she is not interested right now.

As TMZ exclusively reported ... Sophie has been flooded with different offers since she went viral after claiming she made more than $40 million on OnlyFans this year.

Sophie joined us on "TMZ Live" earlier this week, and told us she's still a virgin and marketing herself as one is a big draw for men.

A source close to Sophie told us she's been getting offers to get her virginity taken on camera for big bucks ... but she isn't interested and passed on all the asks.

The Florida high school quarterback who beat Tom Brady in a passing competition apparently has a solid head on his shoulders to go along with a great throwing arm ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he's got very modest plans for his $100K winnings.

If you haven't seen it yet, Jake Balanovich scored the big payday as part of MrBeast's recent competition video ... where the senior popped four balloons with a football just before Brady could.

Many expected the teenager to do something extravagant with the prize ... but he said in an interview with us this week he's "just planning on being smart with that money, not blowing it on anything dumb."

Glen "Big Baby" Davis' pursuit of his dream body in prison might be a little tougher than he imagined ... 'cause TMZ Sports has obtained the menus from his first couple weeks in the slammer -- and they featured a whole lot of carbs.

Davis entered into FPC Duluth in Minnesota back in October ... after he was sentenced to 40 months behind bars for his role in a scheme that defrauded the NBA's Players' Health and Benefit Welfare Plan.

Just a few months before he began his sentence, he told us he was going to use his time in isolation to get jacked ... but check out the options for some of his first meals in the pen -- some weren't exactly the most bodybuilder-friendly.

Ian Machado Garry had Shavkat Rakhmonov on his mind before he ever signed on to fight the undefeated contender ... telling TMZ Sports he told the UFC he wanted to serve as backup for the UFC 310 main event before Belal Muhammad pulled out with an injury.

TMZ Sports talked to the No. 7-ranked, 15-0 fighter just days before his title eliminator vs. 18-0 Shavkat, the No. 3-ranked challenger.

"For me, it wasn't a hard decision whatsoever. I had told UFC six weeks prior that I would be willing to be the backup for the world title fight," Garry said, explaining people were turning him down, and he just wanted a fight.

Tyler Perry might as well be living at Fort Knox ... because we're told his high-tech home security system helped prevent masked intruders from burglarizing the place.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... four intruders wearing masks and gloves made their way onto Tyler's Los Angeles-area property early Wednesday evening, where they were observed by Perry's 24-hour security team.

We're told the intruders were spotted thanks to a thermal imaging camera system, and Tyler's security guards chased the individuals away.

The suspect who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson handled his gun proficiently during Wednesday's shooting -- something that's painfully clear, according to a former FBI agent.

Jennifer Coffindaffer spoke with us on "TMZ Live" Friday and broke down the suspect's expertise -- pointing out how he used a silencer on the gun, fully aware it could cause jams, and cleared it like a pro without missing a beat when it did.

Watch the video ... Coffindaffer digs into the suspect’s firearm skills and breaks down what the 3 distinct shots reveal about the man behind the trigger.

Private security firms have been inundated with calls since the cold-blooded murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ... but the high-profile case won't necessarily change how companies protect execs long-term, TMZ is told.

In the days since Thompson was shot dead on the streets of NYC ... multiple private security firms have been flooded with service inquiries and price quotes.

Ian Dahlberg, owner of Dahlcore Security Guard Services, tells TMZ ... there has been a noticeable uptick in calls -- from executes looking for private security to film studios wanting to beef up guards on the lot.

Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good sound like they had a pretty romantic engagement ... because she tells us he dropped to a knee in the City of Love.

We got Jonathan and Meagan on Thursday at Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles and our photog asked them how the proposal went down.

Meagan says they were in Paris when Jonathan popped the question ... and she also tells us he asked her parents for their blessing ... and got the green light.

Kabir "Kabeezy" Singh, a comedian famous for appearing on "America's Got Talent," is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Kabir died Wednesday and authorities are waiting on toxicology results to determine a cause of death.

We're told he had a history of health issues and at this point, investigators believe he may have died from natural causes, though the investigation is still ongoing.

Ohio State Buckeye fans are still dealing with the effects of their loss to hated rival Michigan ... OSU legend Maurice Clarett has begun to look ahead, telling us the Buckeyes will be in the playoffs, with an opportunity to win a championship!

Babcock caught up with the former national champion following the Wolverines 13-10 win over his alma mater on Saturday. While Clarett hoped the team would compete for the Big Ten championship this weekend, he's not going to cry over spilled milk.

"I'm not the person to cry over one moment when you have a bunch of other things in front of you. We still have the playoffs coming up. Chances are we'll play here either December 21 or 22, and we have a handful of games."

LL Cool J only needs a mirror to see the "greatest rapper of all time" -- a claim that's not getting any pushback from Slick Rick.

If LL says he's the G.O.A.T. -- it's because he coined the term!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the legendary rapper at LAX on Thursday ... MC Ricky D got his start a few years after LL on Def Jam Records and for all intents and purposes, holds his own place in hip hop history.

Whitney Cummings says rejecting Sabrina Carpenter from "The Conners" was the best thing that could have happened to the pop star.

We got Whitney on Thursday at LAX and our photog asked the former 'Conners' showrunner about the time Sabrina tried to get on the show.

Whitney says Sabrina auditioned for the role of Harris Conner-Healy back in the day, but they ultimately passed because they were looking for someone with a darker energy.

OnlyFans model Sophie Rain's net worth could get even bigger ... if she's willing to cash in on the X-rated offers she's received following her viral payday.

A source close to Sophie tells TMZ ... the brunette beauty has been inundated with offers after she broke the Internet with her claim that she's made more than $40 million working as a virgin OnlyFans model.

We're told Sophie has received offers from other OF stars, as well as porn companies ... some of which include dudes who want to document the swiping of her V-card on camera.

Flavor Flav's all about fighting the power, standing up to NBC security ... but, it seems they were just doing their jobs -- 'cause we're told he wasn't expected at the tree-lighting, and security booted him.

Here's the deal ... Flav took to X to air some grievances about NBC kicking him out of the Backstreet Boys dressing room at the the Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony Wednesday night -- despite all his work with them during the Olympics.

However, sources tell TMZ security had a very good reason to kick him out of the event ... 'cause he wasn't on the list of expected attendees.