Family

Eazy-E would've been happy about this -- his family just put in a new tombstone over his grave that's worthy of his excellence ... and that's properly fact-checked too.

The unveiling of E's new headstone went down Saturday at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Whittier, CA -- where his kids, friends, fam and die-hard fans came out to show the world a newly commissioned engraving that was way more decked out than his OG slab.

It also included his correct date of birth, with the right year ... 1964, not 1963 as his tombstone had indicated for years since he was buried in the '90s.

Besides that, the headstone is truly a work of art -- with photos of Eazy from his NWA days, and a new title that reads, "The Godfather of Gangsta Rap." It includes the same line from his old tombstone -- "We loved him, but God loved him more" -- but has an additional remembrance as well ... "He Put Compton On The Map." Yep, he sure did.

Eazy's kids have told the media that this is something they've wanted to do for a long time for their dad, as the old grave site was, frankly, not up to par ... not to mention misleading.

What makes the day so special in addition to the new headstone itself is the fact that it was put on display on what would've been Eazy's 55th birthday. People were certainly in a celebratory mood too, as the crowd rapped his lyrics and released doves to boot.

We talked to Cemetery Tim, the creator of the new tombstone, and he told us about the pressure he felt in creating this new one in the ground. Looks like he did a job well done, 'cause his daughter was pretty ecstatic with how it all played out.

The rapper died in 1995 from complications due to HIV/AIDS. He was only 30 years old.

Chester Bennington's widow is moving forward with her life because we've learned she's now engaged ... and at the same time she's honoring her late husband with some pretty noble work in the field of mental health.

Our sources tell us Talinda Bennington got engaged in April to a Los Angeles County firefighter. She says, "I can find love after tragedy." She adds, "To all suicide loss survivors, you CAN be happy again. You CAN have space in your heart for grief, joy, happiness, sadness and love."

We're told Chester's relatives are super supportive of Talinda's new relationship. They think her fiance's a good guy and they're especially pleased he's involved with Chester and Talinda's kids. The family thinks Talinda's fiance will help provide stability for the children. We're told the kids are happy, especially because it makes their mom happy.

TMZ broke the story ... Chester took his own life in his Palos Verdes home back in 2017, while Talinda and their children were out of town.

Talinda has now made mental heath her life's work to honor her late husband. She's the executive director and co-founder of 320 Changes Direction, a mental health awareness org created in honor of Chester.

Jamie Spears wants a judge to let him take a breather for a few months as Britney's conservator and put one of his people in his place -- temporarily -- but we've learned Britney's mom appears to have different ideas ... TMZ has learned.

Lynne's lawyer, Gladstone Jones, tells us he and Lynne will be in court next week for Jamie's hearing. Gladstone will not say if they will challenge Jamie, but it's not hard to read the tea leaves.

Lynne was on board with the "Free Britney" social media campaign against Jamie earlier this year -- that escalated into real-life protests, and even celeb shout-outs onstage. Some people online accused Jamie of forcing Britney into a mental health facility against her will. BTW ... that didn't happen -- it would be a crime for a facility to allow that, and Britney was coming and going as she wished during her stay.

Nevertheless ... as we reported, Lynne asked the judge in the conservatorship case to involve her in the process -- especially with respect to medical issues. She also reconnected with Britney and stayed at her home during the whole social media campaign.

Jones would not say if Lynne will challenge Jamie's latest move, and even ask the judge to appoint her conservator. If that were to happen, Lynne would almost certainly have to move from her home in Louisiana to SoCal. It's a 24/7 job.

Jamie Spears wants out as his daughter's conservator, at least through January 20, 2020.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, Jamie is asking "to temporarily relinquish the powers of conservatorship ... due to personal health reasons."

Jamie wants a temporary conservator ... Jodi Montgomery, whom he describes as Britney's care manager over the last year ... who he says has the ability to take on the responsibilities.

As we reported, Jamie's team believed Kevin Federline and/or Lynne Spears might try and challenge his conservatorship, in the wake of the criminal investigation regarding Jamie's confrontation with Britney's 13-year-old son, Sean.

According to the docs, Jamie is asking the judge to give Montgomery the same powers he has, which includes --

1. The power to restrict or limit visitors by any means.
2. The power to retain caretakers and security for Britney on a 24-hour basis.
3. The power to prosecute civil harassment restraining orders.
4. The power to communicate with expert medical personnel regarding Britney and to have full access to her medical and psychiatric records.

Montgomery has already consented to act as the temporary conservator.

Jamie wants a hearing expedited to next Monday. He also indicated Britney is "able but unwilling" to attend the hearing. He also says she does not want to contest the proceeding and does not object to temporarily appointing Montgomery as conservator.

Jamie has battled intestinal issues for nearly a year and was in serious condition late last year. His colon had ruptured and he underwent multiple surgeries.

Britney Spears has been under a conservatorship with Jamie Spears at the helm for 11 years, but sources connected with the singer believe Kevin Federline could make a move to get Jamie removed ... in the wake of the incident between Jamie and Britney's 13-year-old son.

As we reported, Jamie is now under criminal investigation for allegedly breaking a door down and putting his hands on Sean. A temporary restraining order is now in place prohibiting Jamie from having contact with Jayden and Sean.

Certain members of Britney's team believe Kevin might go to the judge overseeing the conservatorship and ask to remove Jamie because he's ultimately responsible for the welfare of the children -- since he oversees their mom -- children with whom he's temporarily prohibited from having any contact.

Our Britney sources believe Jamie is secure in his role for one reason ... there's really no one else who can handle it. The judges associated with the conservatorship over the years have acknowledged Jamie righted the ship when Britney was at her worst -- in danger of losing custody, bleeding money and extremely unstable. Britney is now flush with cash, has joint custody and by all rights is considered a good parent.

As one Britney source put it ... "Jamie certainly has his flaws, but everyone knows he's done a good job and there's no one else who can do it."

The wild card -- will Britney's mom, Lynne Spears, make a move to wrestle the conservatorship away from Jamie? As we reported, Lynne expressed an interest to become involved in the conservatorship earlier this year, after a social media campaign went after Jamie. She spent time with Britney in L.A., reconnecting after years of estrangement, but she's been in the background ever since.

Nicki Minaj's retirement announcement not only came out of nowhere, but it absolutely doesn't add up -- as in it doesn't seem real -- based on her recent actions ... so say sources close to her.

TMZ's learned Nicki has been busy in the studio working on new music in recent weeks and on top of that ... we're told she made plans to record with several artists just in the past few days.

Our sources say Minaj has a lot of songs already in the can, and despite saying on Thursday she's retiring in order to "have my family" -- she still has studio time booked until next month.

So, why the sudden decision to hang it up? We're told Nicki's been growing increasingly fed up with internet trolls who've been harassing her lately, and finally reached a boiling point.

Our sources say the rapper was pushed over the edge by constantly defending herself over accusations of not writing her own songs, questions about her hip-hop legacy ... and her relationship with her fiance, Kenneth Petty. BTW, rumor is she's already Mrs. Petty, but that's another thing Nicki's tired of discussing.

The good news for the Barbs ... we're told those close to Nicki believe she's just taking a much-needed break from the haters and simply needs a moment to chill and reevaluate. As we told you ... DJ Paul agrees.

One more thing -- Minaj's comment about family got many wondering if she's pregnant. We're told she's not ... yet.

Nicki Minaj says she's leaving the music biz ... she's decided to retire because HER family's the next priority.

The rapper made the stunning announcement in a Thursday morning tweet ... saying she's gonna retire because she's ready to become a mom. She wrote, "I've decided to retire & have my family. I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me, X in the box- cuz ain't nobody checkin me. Love you for LIFE."

Nicki seems to be saying 2 things ... 1. that she wants to become a mom, and 2. that she's sick of the trolls.

What's not clear ... is she blowing off steam or is this the real deal?

If Nicki's in fact done with the rap game ... she leaves behind a storied legacy. The pride of Trinidad and Tobago and Queens earlier this year became the first female rapper to officially sell 100 million units across her albums, singles and features as certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Nicki's been nominated for 10 Grammys, earned a Guinness World Record in 2017 for most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a solo female artist and hauled in five MTV Video Music Awards. It's unclear if retirement means she's also done with the popular "Queen Radio" show.

TMZ broke the story ... Nicki and her boyfriend, Kenneth Petty, got a marriage license not long ago. She's called him her husband since then but we haven't been able to confirm they've actually tied the knot.

But one thing's clear, they seem to be going full steam ahead ... with starting their family seemingly on the horizon.

Originally Published -- 11:50 AM PT

'Bachelorette' star Tyler Cameron is so in with Gigi Hadid ... he scored an invite to a family event ... sadly it was grandma's funeral.

Tyler and Gigi winged it to Rotterdam, Netherlands ... where Yolanda Hadid's mother, Ans van den Herik, was laid to rest.

Remember ... Gigi and Tyler have only been dating for a month ... this after the superfan model sought him out after he came up short on the reality show.

Tyler has made the most of it, and now he's embedded in the fam ... we're guessing he didn't deliver the eulogy ... but nice he was there to support his girl.

Anwar's also there with his new girl, British singer Dua Lipa. They've also been moving fast after just 2 months of dating ... they're supposedly moving in together.

Bella, on the other hand, is still fresh off her breakup from The Weeknd and went solo.

Gigi and Anwar weren't the only ones with a little arm candy. Yolanda walked hand-in-hand with her new man, Joseph Jingoli.

Amber Portwood isn't about to let her ex-BF hightail it outta Indiana with their son without a fight ... and says he has zero reason to leave their home state because he can do his job anywhere.

Amber filed her opposition to Andrew Glennon's proposed move to Malibu. As we reported, Andrew filed his own docs last month, informing the court and Amber that he wanted to with their 1-year-old son, James.

Andrew said he had nothing tying him to Indiana, but Amber says ... not so fast! In her docs, she points out her ex has put down roots in the Hoosier state -- he's lived there for 2 years and, obviously, had a child during that time.

As for his claim he works on left coast ... Amber says that's BS, because he's been a day trader -- which she points out can be done from anywhere. In the docs, Amber calls his attempt to move for employment "disingenuous."

Dog the Bounty Hunter is about to be a first-time viewer, just like Joe Q. Public, of his new reality show ... and he nearly broke down as he told us why.

We spoke to Duane "Dog" Chapman on "TMZ Live" about Wednesday night's debut of "Dog's Most Wanted" and he broke some interesting news. Dog says he has NOT seen the final edit of the of show -- which is not his normal process.

Dog said he usually weighs in on edits of the show, but after his wife, Beth Chapman, passed in June ... things changed for him.

Dog says it was too difficult to watch footage of Beth, and therefore ... he stayed out of how the show was cut. As far as what's documented though -- Dog tells us the show captures Beth's final days before she passed away in June, including one final ass-kicking moment in the field.

We also asked Dog for an update on the break-in at his Colorado storefront last month, in which crooks made off with some of Beth's personal belongings. The investigation is ongoing, but he opens up about what local police begged him to do ... or NOT do.

As we reported ... Dog had a hunch the crime was an inside job based on what a psychic told him, who claimed she'd spoken to Beth from the great beyond.

He admitted it wouldn't be pretty if he ends up getting a hold of the culprits.

Trina's mother has passed away ... TMZ has learned.

The 'Love & Hip Hop' star and legendary femcee's mom, Vernessa 'Nessa' Taylor, died Tuesday morning, according to Trina's rep. We're told she lost a battle to cancer.

Trina's camp tells us that Nessa was the rock that molded her daughter into the strong, successful woman she's become, and that she was also a pillar in her community in advocating for self-love, confidence and perseverance among women in general.

The rep tells TMZ ... "Thank you all for your kind words and condolences regarding Trina’s mother. It truly gives the family some peace and comfort knowing that 'Nessa' lived such a fulfilling life filled with love and abundance." Trina's team asks for privacy as the family mourns.

Trina mentioned her mother in her music, notably referencing her in a song similar to Pac's "Dear Mama." In her 2017 track -- simply titled "Mama (The One)" -- Trina raps about wanting to pass before her mother did 'cause of how attached she was to her.

Trina's lyrics go like this ... "Thinking 'bout you mama / Got me running to the liquor / Mama where you goin'? / I'm gon' have to beg to differ / I'd rather go first, so I wanna go with you 'cause I can't do this without you." Obviously, they were incredibly close.

Just last year, Trina and co. threw Nessa an extravagant rooftop birthday party, where photos and music were in abundance and a good time was had by all. Even in this clip though, you can see Nessa struggling a bit to walk -- it's clear she was ill at the time.

We're told Trina's inner circle is trying to keep her grounded during this difficult time, and that she's surrounded by loved ones as she works through the grieving process.

Nessa was 62.

Kevin Federline claims Britney Spears' father abused one of his grandsons, which Kevin reported to cops ... and now there's an active investigation.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the alleged incident went down on Aug. 24 at Jamie Spears' home in Ventura County. We're told Federline claims his 13-year-old son and Jamie got into an argument, and at some point Jamie allegedly put hands on him.

Our sources say Jamie broke down a door to get to his grandson and grabbed him once he was in the room -- however, we're told there were no visible bruises or injuries to the child. Still, the incident was serious enough to Kevin that he reported it the next to day to the Ventura Co. Sheriff's Department. We're told investigators have already interviewed witnesses and turned over their findings to the D.A.'s Office.

The D.A. will decide whether to charge Jamie.

As we first reported, Britney and Kevin just formalized a shift in their child custody agreement -- he now has their 2 boys 70% of the time. We're told that's been their informal arrangement for a year now, but they filed docs to make it official with the court.

That filing came just 3 days after Kevin went to cops about the alleged abuse.

Sasha Obama is the it girl ... just ask University of Michigan sororities champing at the bit to land her as a pledge, but we've learned one Greek sisterhood has the edge.

We've called around Ann Arbor ... there's a scramble to recruit 44's youngest daughter, who's been dubbed a "rush crush."

The people we've spoken to say it's undeniable -- having an Obama in the house is an unquestionable badge of honor -- but that's not the only reason Sasha's a hot commodity. They say she's smart, personable and she can draw a crowd.

We're told Alpha Chi Omega (AXO) is the front-runner for a couple of reasons. For starters, when she visited the school earlier this year, Sasha stayed at AXO's house. Turns out, one of Sasha's close friends from high school pledged there.

Sasha's just started her freshman year, but rushing doesn't begin until Spring. If she decides to pledge, all signs seem to point to AXO, which has a mantra that will surely get her parents' seal of approval ... a sorority populated by "unique, talented, genuine women choosing a fun and meaningful way to enhance your college experience and building lifelong bonds that extend long into your alumni years."

Simone Biles says her "heart aches" for everyone involved in the horrific triple murder that her brother allegedly committed -- saying, "There is nothing that I can say that will heal anyone's pain."

The Team USA gymnastics superstar's brother, Tevin Biles-Thomas, is facing murder charges for the Dec. 31 shooting in Cleveland, which left 3 dead.

Cops say the shooting broke out during a fight at a house party at an Airbnb rental in Cleveland -- and say they have identified 24-year-old Biles-Thomas as the shooter. After an investigation, he was arrested on Friday.

Simone -- the 5-time Olympic medalist -- finally spoke out about the situation late Monday night ... saying, "My heart aches for everyone involved, especially for the victims and their families."

"There is nothing that I can say that will heal anyone's pain, but I do want to express my sincere condolences to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy."

"I ask everyone to please respect my family's privacy as we deal with our pain. XO."

She added, "Still having a hard time processing last weeks news."

Serena Williams and her husband are worth nearly $200 million, but they still opt for the simplest form of mass transit in NYC -- a dude on a bicycle.

Serena spent part of Saturday, her off-day from the U.S. Open, cruising in a pedicab with hubby Alexis Ohanian and their daughter, Alexis. Talk about pressure on the pedicab rider -- just weaving through crazy city traffic with the G.O.A.T. of tennis hitched to you!

The fam was most likely having an early celebration their little girl's birthday ... she turns 2 on Sunday, but Mom's gonna be busy playing Petra Martic for a spot in the quarterfinals.

We're used to seeing Serena's killer instincts on the tennis court, but it's cool to see her maternal side here. Serena cradled her little girl -- while rocking matching tennis skirts, BTW -- while Dad settled up with the cab rider. Pretty freakin' cute.

Ric Flair says his wife, Wendy Barlow, is "100 percent" the reason The Nature Boy is alive today ... telling TMZ Sports, "She's responsible for all of it."

Ric's had some close calls when it comes to his health the last few years ... he was on death's doorstep in 2017 and just a few months ago he needed a heart procedure to keep his ticker going.

Flair says the docs obviously did a great job piecing him together ... but tells us Wendy truly deserves all the credit for getting him back to being a jet flyin' son of a gun!!

"Doctors 20, her 80," Flair says of Wendy ... "No, 90-10. She's responsible for all of it."

As for how he's feeling now, after the heart procedure in May, Naitch tells us he's doing great ... saying, "Best I've been in 10 years!"

By the way, we also talked to Ric about Taylor Swift's new song, "The Man," and ya gotta hear why Flair has some issues with it.

Hint: As Wendy says, "Ya gotta beat the man to be the man!"