Family

Richie Incognito's father's death was unexpected -- and the Pro Bowl lineman took it extremely hard in the time leading up to his arrest at an Arizona funeral home ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Incognito was taken into custody Monday after officials say he went off the rails at a mortuary following the death of his father. He was released from jail 24 hours later.

Now, Richie's Las Vegas attorney, Joseph Ganley, has issued a statement on Richie's behalf.

"Richie Incognito would like to thank everyone who has reached out to express their condolences and concern over the last several days. Richie had a tremendous relationship with his father; he admired him, he emulated him, and he loved him."

"His father, Richard D. Incognito, Sr., served this country bravely and honorably during the Vietnam War in the United States Army, which made his sons extremely proud. Mr. Incognito’s unexpected death this past weekend was traumatic for the entire Incognito family."

"Richie’s lawyers are investigating the complete circumstances surrounding his misdemeanor arrest on Monday by the Scottsdale Police Department, and may have more to report when that investigation is concluded."

Cardi B and Offset just gave us a first glimpse of their newborn after keeping her under wraps for a little more than a month -- keep in mind though ... it's literally just a glimpse.

The new parents posted a sliver of a photo of baby Kulture Wednesday -- the first time we're seeing her in any capacity -- with Cardi captioning the pic "KultureK."

It's definitely more of Kulture than we saw Monday night when Cardi pretended to be holding the kid in her arms as she opened the VMAs ... only to reveal it was a Moonman statue. We already knew she wasn't bringing Kulture though ... so no big surprises there.

Gotta say -- Cardi and Offset are definitely keeping their cards close to the vest. If Cardi holds out long enough ... she might beat all the newest Kardashian kids' debuts. Khloe's baby, True, currently holds the title at 2 months and change.

Stefan Karl Stefansson -- the actor who played Robbie Rotten on the popular children's show "LazyTown" -- will have a performing arts academy built in his honor ... TMZ has learned.

The Stefan Karl Academy & Center for the Performing Arts will be constructed and launched next year in Switzerland. It's the actor's dream project.

Stefansson died Tuesday after a long battle with cancer ... and we're told he was hammering away at curriculum details for the academy during his final hours.

The project will be a celebration of Stefan's life and contributions to the world of humor and human expression. The academy will focus on training young people in the history and skills of expression across multiple genres. The campus will include a theater, which will host live performances.

Stefan dreamed of opening a performing arts center for years. He envisioned humor as the center piece of the academy's mission.

Stefan's wife, Steinunn Olina, will provide creative leadership in opening the academy.

Aretha Franklin shockingly left no will behind ... which is surprising given her circumstances.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the singer died "intestate" -- meaning she had no will at the time of death.

It's especially surprising given that she has a special needs son named Clarence who needs financial and other forms of support for his entire life.

Aretha was ill for several years, but apparently did not see the end coming ... or possibly a will was low on the priority list.

According to Michigan law, Aretha's 4 kids will share equally in her estate.

Aretha died on August 16 at her Detroit home surrounded by friends and family after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The Queen of Soul's death occurred on the same calendar day as "The King" Elvis Presley's ... albeit 41 years later.

As expected, Franklin's passing sparked an outpouring of emotion, sympathy, tributes and love from countless celebs ... including the Obamas, who said of Aretha -- "every time she sang, we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine."

Aretha's family has scheduled a multiple-day celebration of her life next week, beginning with an open casket memorial at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. Her funeral will then be held August 31 at the Greater Grace Temple -- just for close friends and family.

1:00 PM PT -- Richie is out of jail. A source close to Richie tells us he was bonded out by family members who love and support him.

Ex-NFL star Richie Incognito was arrested in Arizona on Monday after allegedly going berserk in a funeral home following the death of his father ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told ... the 35-year-old offensive lineman was talking with staffers at the funeral home when he suddenly exploded and began yelling at various people.

Sources say Incognito allegedly told people he had guns in his Ford Raptor and would shoot people. We're told he also threatened to damage property at the funeral home.

TMZ Sports obtained the emergency dispatch audio in which you can hear the operator say Richie was "mad at employees and wants to kill someone."

Cops were called to the scene to respond to an "out of control" Incognito. He was ultimately arrested for disorderly conduct and taken to a nearby station where he was booked and posed for a mug shot.

We're told cops got a search warrant on the Ford -- and did find guns inside the vehicle. The vehicle and the weapons were impounded.

We're told he's still in custody at the time of this post.

Incognito had tweeted that his father passed away over the weekend. Richie had been in Arizona to move out of his longtime home.

As we previously reported, Incognito was taken into custody at a gym in Florida back in May after he allegedly attacked another patron while cussing the guy out.

Cops said Incognito appeared to be in an "altered paranoid state" during the incident. He was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold. He was released a few days later.

Incognito had announced he had retired from pro football after the 2017 season -- but told TMZ Sports he was open to signing with a team in 2018 if the money was right.

We've reached out to Richie and his attorney for comment -- so far, no word back.

Incognito was a helluva player during his 13 seasons in the NFL -- making the Pro Bowl 4 times and reportedly earning more than $25 million dollars in contract money.

Incognito was infamously linked to the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal back in 2013 -- when he was suspended for misconduct for hazing teammate Jonathan Martin.

Years later, Martin threatened Incognito on social media -- and was apprehended by police a short time later. Cops found guns and knives on Martin at the time of his arrest.

Incognito told TMZ Sports he had no hard feelings for Martin and was praying for him.

Madonna tried (and failed) to adequately pay tribute to Aretha Franklin at the VMAs this week -- and while many of Aretha's fans are pissed ... the woman's own kin isn't.

We spoke with one of Aretha's nephews, Tim Franklin, who says the family was not upset over Madonna's awkward VMAs speech about how Aretha led her to who she is today. It was long-winded and rambling ... but more importantly, all about herself and not Aretha.

Tim tells us not only are the Franklins not mad, but they believe Aretha herself would not have been upset either. While they didn't catch Madonna's misfire, their point is this ... Aretha's far bigger than any kind of tribute, and her fans shouldn't be so sensitive. She wouldn't have been, according to Tim.

Madge herself addressed the controversy Tuesday, saying her "tribute" was never meant to be a full-blown thing or production. She says she was instructed to share a personal anecdote about Aretha, and that's exactly what she did. Considering the tight restraints of a televised award show, Madonna says ... "I could never do her justice in this context or environment."

As we reported ... Aretha died last Thursday from advanced pancreatic cancer. Tributes of all forms have been coming in from across the country since she passed.

Pat Houston says she and her family have no animus toward Max Lomas, a close friend of Bobbi Kristina's who himself died of a drug overdose last week.

We got Pat Monday on her way into LAX ... and Bobbi's aunt was remorseful and saddened by Max's passing -- last week he was found unresponsive on a bathroom floor with a syringe near his body.

As we reported ... Max played a big role in the mystery surrounding Bobbi Kristina's death. Lomas found Whitney Houston's daughter in her bathtub on the verge of death, and was often seen with Bobbi and her BF, Nick Gordon, in the days leading up to the incident.

Former 'Bachelorette' star Jordan Rodgers had a big bash for his 30th birthday over the weekend -- featuring friends and family ... but NOT his famous brother, Aaron Rodgers.

The family beef is well known -- hell, they even played it up during Jordan's season on "The Bachelorette" -- but people in Aaron's life had been trying to convince him to reconcile.

Doesn't seem like it worked ... because when Jordan posted pics from his birthday bash in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Saturday -- we saw brother Luke and dad Edward but no Aaron.

One source who was there confirms to TMZ Sports Aaron did not attend.

JoJo Fletcher -- the woman Jordan proposed to on "The Bachelorette" -- was there (she's in the gold wig). So was Luke's fiancee, Aimee.

If you're wondering, the Packers had a preseason game on Thursday ... so, it would have been theoretically possible for the QB to make it.

Jake Paul can multitask -- here he is threatening to "f**k up" Deji ... while some dude repeatedly punches him in the stomach!

Jake and Deji are just 5 days away from their boxing match in England -- an event that some say could have more viewers than Mayweather vs. McGregor.

The main event features Jake and Deji's older brothers -- Logan Paul vs. KSI -- two YouTube stars who both claim they're using this fight as a step toward becoming pro fighters.

As for Jake and Deji -- no pro aspirations here ... these guys just hate each other.

Don't expect Cardi B to make a triumphant return to rap at the VMAs Monday, 'cause her appearance won't include a performance ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the production tell us Cardi will in fact open the VMAs Monday as has been announced, but she won't be rockin' the mic for MTV. We're told she will either do a monologue or partake in some sort of skit instead.

Many speculated the show would mark Cardi's first musical performance since giving birth to baby Kulture ... but it just ain't happening.

Speaking of Kulture ... we're told she won't be making the trek to the show with mom either.

It's unclear whether or not Cardi's gig will be in the flesh or a pre-taped segment ... but one thing's for sure, fans will finally get their long overdue Cardi fix.

The former home of Comedy Store founder Mitzi Shore is getting a facelift, courtesy of her son, Pauly Shore.

Pauly's remodeling the 3-story home. The stand-up comic now owns the property after Mitzi transferred it to him before she died.

The house is located directly behind The Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip. The renovations include vaulted ceilings in the bedrooms and extending the deck. The house needs updating -- both cosmetically and internally, and that's why Pauly's also upgrading the stuff you can't see, like plumbing and wiring.

Sources close to Pauly tell TMZ ... he's not sure what he's going to do with the home after the remodel, but it clearly needs a lot of love.

Shaunie O'Neal says life at the ultra-exclusive Crossroads School in L.A. will be a breeze for LeBron James Jr. ... because her son Shareef O'Neal educated the institute on how to deal with a celebrity student.

Shareef transferred into Crossroads after his sophomore year in high school, and Shaunie thinks all the media coverage he got will help Bronny, who as the son of LeBron James will probably get more.

But, it's not just the media ... Shaquille's ex-wife thinks Bronny will also benefit from the fact that the school is now more equipped on how to get superstar offspring ready for college.

"When Baron was there the rules like NCAA rules were so drastically different then they are now, and it was fortunate but unfortunate that they were learning that process with Shareef ... They hadn't had a student athlete on that level since Baron."

BTW -- O'Neal's youngest son Shaqir is also currently at Crossroads, and at 15 he's already 6'3" according to Shaunie.

Gonna be a fun couple of years in Santa Monica (that's the rich-ass neighborhood the school is in).

Angelina Jolie's out and about with the kiddos again, and this time they're hitting up the theater.

Ang and 4 of her 6 kids -- Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox -- were seen in L.A. Saturday heading to see a movie together ... flanked by a couple bodyguards.

Not sure what they're seeing, but they've got some good family options with "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation," "Christopher Robin" ... or maybe even the hit shark flick "The Meg."

As we reported ... Angelina returned to the U.S. with her children last week after being ordered to do so by a judge in her divorce case with Brad Pitt.

As for the divorce ... it's grown increasingly contentious and hostile the past couple months, so much so that Jolie's lawyer is quitting.

We've also been told Brad's been struggling to maintain a relationship with their 6 kids, with sources claiming she's not helping any.

NHL star Alex Ovechkin is still livin' the dream -- on top of winning his first Stanley Cup ... he's now welcomed his first child to the world.

The Washington Caps' captain is a new dad after his wife, Nastya Ovechkina, gave birth to a son Saturday ... and his name is Sergei Aleksandrovich Ovechkin.

He's reportedly named after Alex's uncle, who died when he was 10.

Ovechkin's kid was born in South Florida, meaning he'll have both Russian and American citizenship.

The Conn Smythe winner took to Instagram to post a pic holding his son's foot and thanking his wife, writing ... "Thank you my girl for the very best day of my life."

Stevie Wonder choked back tears during an interview in which he revealed his last words to Aretha Franklin before she died.

Stevie joined "CBS This Morning" Friday and almost immediately got emotional when asked about his last real conversation with the Queen of Soul, which was about 2 months ago. Stevie -- who said Aretha couldn't talk when he visited her Tuesday -- said he told her to "say hello to my sister."

Stevie's sister died earlier this year. Reports say her decomposed body was found in her home.

Stevie revealed there were plans to do some music together ... including a duet with Aretha for a song he'd written. Aretha and Stevie were incredibly close. She covered Stevie's 'Until You Come Back to Me' and they performed it together at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards in 2005.

Nichelle Nichols is spry and lucid, and doesn't need to be controlled by a bunch of people who don't have her best interests at heart -- including her son-- so says a woman claiming to be her close friend.

According to new legal docs filed by Angelique Fawcette ... the 'Star Trek' icon's son, Kyle Johnson, doesn't really care about Nichols' well-being ... she says he's trying to use her health issues as an excuse to gain possession of her riches.

Fawcette claims Nichelle even wrote a note to her son in March 2017, letting him know she wants to amend her will because he allegedly told her ... "I can't wait to get rid of this sh*t and sell [your] house and property."

As for Nichols' recent dementia diagnosis ... Fawcette says it's not credible because the doctor who diagnosed is not a psychiatrist and lacks necessary qualifications. And, Fawcette says she's consistently observed Nichelle performing daily activities with no issues ... she just needs occasional reminders to pay her bills.

We broke the story ... Johnson claimed his mother needed court-ordered protection because people were taking advantage of her. A judge signed off on a conservatorship.

Fawcette claims it's all a ruse set up by Nichols' son, so he can get his hands on her money. She says Nichelle's doing just fine and wants to keep living her life and handling her own business ... and her 2013 video interview with Nichols is more proof.