Family

Dak Prescott just revealed his older brother took his own life this past spring ... and the Dallas Cowboys QB says he's still having a hard time coping with it all.

"I'll never get another hug in my life like the ones he gave," Prescott said of his big brother, Jace. "He was my best friend."

Jace tragically died at 31 years old in April ... but the family hadn't disclosed the cause of death until Dak and his other brother, Tad, sat down for a recent interview with Graham Bensinger.

The two Prescott brothers were extremely emotional talking about Jace's death ... with Dak saying he believes their mom's 2013 fatal battle with colon cancer took an indescribable toll on Jace.

"Jace at the time was finishing with school and was home, was with her and watched it," said 27-year-old Dak, who was away from home playing at Mississippi State at the time.

"She couldn't necessarily hide it from Jace because he was there every day. He saw the times where she would have to spend probably 10-plus hours throwing up, this and that, and saw the medicine she had to take."

"And, almost, you can't even put into the words the burden," Dak continued. "It's something only Jace knew. And he didn't necessarily share that. And Jace was never really much of a talker so when something like that was a huge burden on him, he didn't know how to share it. He didn't know how to be vulnerable about it."

Dak says he was asleep when Jace died by suicide ... saying his father had to wake him up and deliver "some of the worst news that I'll ever get."

Dak says he cried for about 30 minutes with his dad and his friends ... and added, "I wanted to ask 'Why?' for so many reasons."

The NFL star says he's now imploring others to open up about their struggles ... adding, "It showed me how vulnerable we have to be as humans."

"How open we have to be because our adversity, our struggles, what we go through is always going to be too much for ourselves and maybe too much for even one or two people."

"But never too much for a community or never too much for the people and the family that you love. So we have to share those things."

Florida State coaching legend Sue Semrau will step away from the women's basketball program this season to focus on caring for her mother, who is battling ovarian cancer.

Semrau says she's been traveling back and forth from Tallahassee to the family home in Seattle to help out, but the COVID pandemic has complicated things.

"For the past several months I’ve found it increasingly difficult to commute back and forth due to the tedious and ever-changing restrictions as a result of COVID-19," Semrau said.

So, instead of trying to split her time between work and family, Semrau announced she will "step away from the day-to-day coaching through March 2021."

Semrau says she will also forfeit her salary "so it can be used to offset COVID-19-related budget cuts."

"This decision allows me to support my family while providing much needed resources for Seminole Athletics."

Semrau is one of the top coaches in college basketball -- in her 23 seasons at FSU, she's taken the Seminoles to the NCAA tourney 15 times and racked up a 468-252 record.

FSU associate head coach Brooke Wyckoff will take over the head coaching duties until Semrau returns.

"I need you to trust my decision and support our team and staff like never before," Semrau added.

Drake just hit another milestone of parenthood by sending his son to his first day of school, and it looks like papa made sure his own flesh and blood was fresh and ready for it.

Drizzy posted a photo Wednesday of 2-year-old Adonis about to hop into a waiting SUV, which was going to take him to class. You can tell his pops was pretty proud of the moment, as he captioned the pic ... "First Day Of School...The World Is Yours kid 🌍"

As for Adonis, he's laced up from head to toe ... rocking freshly braided cornrows, a black hoodie, matching pants and what might be some black Air Force 1s (don't quote us on that). Point is ... AG is ready to take preschool by the reins decked out in a sweet fit.

Here's another interesting aspect -- it looks like Adonis might be with dad over here in North America, possibly in Toronto.

In any case, Drake's son got mad love on the Gram ... most notably from 21 Savage, who said Adonis was on his way to being a great. He commented, "Already got a chauffeur 🐐."

Beyonce and Jay-Z are sailing the high seas of Europe right now -- aboard one of those baller mega yachts, and this one might be more gorgeous on the inside than out.

Paps recently snapped shots of B&J stepping off their luxury vacay vessel with a couple of their kids in tow in Croatia. Aside from the spectacle of seeing the Carters anywhere in the world, their floating home away from home is also turning heads.

Their ride is called LANA, which is exclusively for charter with Imperial Yachts. This one's brand, spanking new in their line of mega ships, and it's top of the line as far as luxury is concerned. Take a look for yourself.

LANA is longer than a football field, and it's jam-packed with amenities, accessories and plenty of room to spread out and relax. It fits up to 12 guests -- not counting the 34 crew members it also accommodates -- in 8 en-suite staterooms, 7 VIP rooms and a master suite.

There's more ... the superyacht comes with its own pool on the deck, a theater, a spa with professional masseuses, foldable terraces ... plus, a crap ton of "toys," including a jet ski, wakeboards, SEABOBs, water skies, inflatable paddleboards, fishing equipment, etc.

We could go on, but honestly ... we're already blushing, and we haven't even mentioned the price -- about $2 mil a week. Even for Beyonce and Jay-Z ... damn.

Buffalo Bills star Tre'Davious White nearly broke down in tears talking about his new $70 MILLION contract ... saying he's going to retire his parents with the new money!!

"It was a whole load that was lifted off of my shoulders," White told media members after inking the new 4-year deal.

"Because I knew that I could retire my parents and they'll never have to worry about anything."

White -- arguably the best cornerback in the NFL -- was super emotional during his entire press conference about the contract ... fighting back tears talking about his plans for the cash.

"I have a lot of people and a lot of family members that I could change their lives," White said. "And that's what I plan to do."

The 25-year-old, who was picked in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, added he's been able to take care of himself with his rookie contract ... but now, he can put the rest of his family in a good spot.

"There's a lot of people in my family that are hurt," White said. "So I plan on lightening the burden on them."

This is spooky, even for Zak Bagans ... he's the new owner of John Wayne Gacy's prison art, a potentially haunted haul which includes a creepy Killer Clown self-portrait.

The "Ghost Adventures" star tells TMZ ... he bought a bunch of the serial killer's paintings from prison, along with some letters Gacy sent to his stepdaughter ... and the clown themes are not unexpected but still striking.

Infamously known as the Killer Clown, Gacy was executed back in 1994 after being convicted of murdering 33 young men and boys in the '70s, burying most of the corpses in a crawl space under his Chicago-area home.

As you can see, Gacy painted himself as a clown while behind bars and sent the self-portrait to his stepdaughter, Tammy Hoff, along with letters decorated with clown stickers.

Zak tells us Tammy, who lives near his Haunted Museum in Vegas, recently contacted him about selling the items. Zak says Tammy lived with Gacy in Illinois during the murders, but didn't know her stepfather was a serial killer.

In addition to the weird art and letters, Zak also bought one of the last Polaroids Gacy snapped, plus his last pack of cigarettes before being executed.

Being a "Karen" has no expiration date, because an old woman proved she could play the role with the best worst of them when she freaked out over kids using sidewalk chalk and made a racist comment toward their father.

The unlucky dad shared video of his contentious encounter with the angry lady and her husband, which seems to have gone down this weekend in California.

It starts with elderly "Karen" -- who has barged into the father's garage -- shouting "You son of a bitch!" at him after he tells the couple to report him to the homeowner's association where they live.

Sounds like she must be pissed about something egregious right? Nope ... turns out, it's all over the guy's children using sidewalk chalk on what he says is a public street within their complex.

Regardless, the old woman -- sounds like her real name is Caroline -- is incensed ... so much that her husband can't get her to walk away without further incident.

That's too bad, because the "Karen" decides to make a racist comment about the dad having "slanted eyes" and questions whether he really lives there and is married to the mother of the kids.

After another couple minutes of jawing at the father and threatening to make his kids clean up the chalk, the guy insists they get the hell out of his garage ... but "Karen" gets in one last kick.

The man claims he finally had to brandish a knife to get the husband to escort his old lady out.

Chasten Buttigieg's coming out experience didn't get off to a good start, but thanks to his parents it turned out well, and speaking of things working out ... he's focused on the bright side of his husband's unsuccessful presidential bid.

Mayor Pete's husband joined "TMZ Live" to tell his story about confiding in his family that he was gay, the difficulty and pain that followed ... and the life-changing call from his Mom that helped them heal.

Chasten tells us he's thankful for his parents' allyship, and describes what has to be done to make sure people like him are protected and supported ... something he says he's striving to do for others.

As for his famous hubby and the disappointment of not becoming the Democratic nominee for Prez ... Chasten says it was a bummer, but it's not all bad.

He points out that they've been able to regain a little anonymity in their lives while still focusing on their dreams and goals, and reminds us that they are both still very young ... and the future is bright.

Of course, Chasten believes the outlook will be much better if a certain person is elected president in November ... you can probably guess who, but watch the clip anyway.

A university professor who posed as a Black woman for years had her own family completely in the dark about her double life ... and now, they're utterly ashamed.

Jessica Krug -- who says she publicly identified as North African, African-American and of Caribbean descent through most of her adult life -- outed herself Thursday in a Medium post, saying she'd been living a lie ... since she isn't Black at all, just a white Jewish woman.

Krug apologized for what she described as being a "culture leech," saying she'd finally seen the error in her ways ... and that her appropriation was, in fact, anti-Black and colonial.

While it's somewhat commendable she didn't go the route of Rachel Dolezal -- who, more or less, stuck to her guns on identifying as Black -- the damage was already done. George Washington University, where she taught African and Latin American Studies, announced she won't be teaching this semester ... this after her own department tore her a new one.

Not only that, but Krug's own family came out this week and said they were utterly oblivious to the fact she'd been lying about her race. Granted, it sounds like she's estranged.

Her sister-in-law -- who spoke to CNN -- says her husband (Krug's blood brother) hadn't spoken to Jessica in 20 years ... but went on to confirm that she is certainly not Black, going on to call her "white as snow white" and establishing her Kansas City upbringing.

Ahmaud Arbery's mom says her son's death has become a full-blown business for one of her son's friends, a former coach and others -- and she's blasting all of them for profiting off tragedy.

Wanda Cooper-Jones says she's alarmed by the "I RUN WITH MAUD" social media pages, which were initially started as a memorial to her son. She says Ahmaud's friend, Akeem Baker, came to her with the idea and she was on board at first, but doesn't like the fact the page is now being run like a business.

She also says she's being denied administrative access to the page.

Wanda claims Akeem even started a GoFundMe page for her son -- which she never asked him to do -- and it's raised nearly $2 million. The page says the money's going to Wanda, but she's already back to work.

Ahmaud's mother is also incensed someone filed for an "I Run With Maud" trademark. She doesn't say who did it, but does say the applicant never even knew Ahmaud.

Next on her list is Foundation 2.23 ... which refers to the date Ahmaud was killed. Wanda says it was founded by Jason Vaughn, a local high school coach who did not have a close relationship with Ahmaud. She says the org held a big fundraiser, but wants to make it clear the foundation is not affiliated with her family.

She says she could not stay silent in the face of what she sees as injustice. Wanda's bottom line is ... she's not asking for any money, because no amount of cash can change the fact she had to bury her son.

Britney Spears is making it clear -- she doesn't trust her dad and wants the public to hear what he and other professionals are doing to keep her in the conservatorship, and she also says the #FreeBritney movement's not only real ... she supports it.

Britney's lawyers just filed docs opposing her dad Jamie's motions to seal parts of her ongoing conservatorship case ... because she wants everyone to know what's up.

Britney is fighting her dad's move to appoint a co-conservator of her estate [handling business matters] to a lawyer who was deeply involved in her conservatorship for years. She wants someone independent to take the reins.

Britney argues there are no medical issues or sensitive issues with her children to protect, so there's no reason to keep the hearing secret.

The lawyer says, "... Britney herself is vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret."

The lawyer adds, "Far from being a conspiracy theory or a 'joke' as James [Jamie] reportedly told the media, in large part this scrutiny is a reasonable and even predictable result of James' aggressive use of the sealing procedure over the years to minimize the amount of meaningful information made available to the public."

Josh Gordon will have a home if/when he returns to the NFL -- the embattled wide receiver just inked a 1-year deal to return to the Seattle Seahawks, his agent announced Thursday.

The 29-year-old has been in and out of the league ever since his rookie season with the Cleveland Browns in 2012 ... battling a number of off-field issues and suspensions.

Gordon was most recently booted from the league while a member of the 'Hawks in December 2019 ... over a violation of the NFL's drug policy for a 5th time.

JG's lawyer later spoke out about his relapse, saying it was sparked by his brother's tragic death last season. The attorney claims Gordon has gotten back on the right path.

Gordon has been training non-stop in Seattle after filing for reinstatement back in June ... and it seems he will get yet another shot in the league after signing a 1-year deal to re-join his former team.

The deal is reportedly worth around $1 million, according to Ian Rapoport.

Top NBA draft prospect Cole Anthony ain't running from the dumpster fire that is the Knicks ... in fact, the former UNC star says he'd embrace being selected by NY!!!

"I mean, look," the projected 1st-round pick tells TMZ Sports, "hey, it would be cool!"

Of course, the Knicks are kind of in Anthony's genes ... his father, Greg Anthony, was drafted by NY back in 1991 and played with the team for the first 4 seasons of his lengthy NBA career.

But, the Knicks have devolved into a complete mess since Papa Anthony roamed Madison Square Garden ... and it's gotten so bad, a ton of free agents have passed on signing there the past couple years.

Cole, though, tells us he'd be fired up if the Knicks took him in October's draft ... adding he's going to give "everything I can" to any team that's willing to take a shot on him.

It'd make sense for the Knicks ... Cole was a MONSTER at UNC despite injuries last season -- he averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 22 games for the Tar Heels.

By the way, Anthony -- who was out at Cove Lounge in NYC for an event to give back to children over the weekend -- also told us his old UNC teammates are fighting like hell to make sure there's a college basketball season this year.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson just shared some sobering family news ... he tested positive for the coronavirus, along with everyone else in his immediate family.

The Rock just announced their positive COVID-19 diagnosis, saying the entire ordeal came as a shock and has been the most challenging thing he's ever been through.

Rock says he, Lauren and their 2 young girls, Tiana and Jasmine are on the other side of the virus and have recovered. He says his children didn't have bad symptoms and were able to bounce back to normal.

Dwayne says his fam's commitment to health and wellness boosted their immune systems, and he believes that's what helped pull them through.

He also says his ordeal is a cautionary tale, because the family contracted the virus from close family friends. He makes the point that just because you love and trust people, doesn't mean they can't unknowingly expose you to the virus.

Teresa Giudice is taking another major step in closing the book on her life with estranged husband Joe ... she's put their mansion on the market.

"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star's looking to unload their Montville home for $2.5 million. This is the home featured on the show, where they raised their family for years before going to jail for fraud in 2015.

As you know ... Teresa and Joe separated in December after 20 years of marriage, following his release from prison and deportation to Italy. He's got his own pad over there, and now she's looking for a fresh start somewhere with their 4 daughters.

Sources close to Teresa tell us the plan is to stay in Northern Jersey, but it's still bittersweet, especially for the kids who are leaving their childhood home.

The 6-bedroom palazzo Giudice is 10,000 square feet with a banquet-sized dining hall, soaring ceilings, fancy staircase, a pool and enough garage space for everyone in the family to park their ride.

Michelle Pais, one of Jersey's top real estate agents, is handling the sale. Interestingly, there were rumors Michelle might join the "Housewives" cast ... but we're told she only filmed a few scenes.

Scott Disick has more time on his hands following his split from Sofia Richie, and he's spending a lot of it with Kourtney Kardashian ... but the exes aren't getting back together.

Sources close to Scott and Kourtney tell TMZ ... they're NOT a couple, even though they've been hanging out more since his breakup with Sofia.

We broke the story ... Scott and Sofia called it quits last month ... this time for good.

As you know ... Scott and Kourtney hit up Nobu in Malibu over the weekend, where they ate under the same roof as Sofia. Sushi by the ocean is a hot date for a lot of folks, but we're told not so for Scott and Kourtney.

Our sources tell us Scott and Kourtney still consider themselves a family and co-parenting their 3 children is a priority for both. Hence, the time they spend together, even when the kids aren't there, is still all about fam.

Consider their recent trip to Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho. We're told the kids had a blast, and Scott and Kourtney realized it's good for the fam and they want to do more of it.

These family outings were rare when Scott was dating Sofia.