Family

It's eerie for sure ... George Michael's sister died on Christmas Day ... exactly 3 years after the singer himself died.

Melanie Panayiotou was found dead in her London home by her sister, Yioda. The cause of death was not revealed, but cops say it's not being treated as suspicious. Police would not elaborate.

55-year-old Melanie was close to her famous brother, who died on Xmas Day 2016, at age 53. He was also found dead in his home. The cause of death was dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis and a fatty liver.

Ring and Amazon allegedly ducked for cover when their surveillance devices got hacked, but some of their customers are now firing back ... you can run, but you can't hide.

Ring and Amazon, which owns the security system, are now at the wrong end of a class-action lawsuit, claiming the companies were negligent by not providing "robust" security to fend off hackers.

The named plaintiff -- John Baker Orange -- claims last July someone hacked into his outdoor security cameras and started commenting on his kids who were playing basketball ... encouraging them to get closer to the camera.

Of course, there's the now-infamous video of a hacker talking to a little girl in her bedroom ... telling her he was Santa Claus.

A UK couple joined in a frantic rescue effort that saved a family from drowning.

Duncan Bannatyne -- who was one of the sharks on the UK version of "Shark Tank" -- and his wife, Nigora, were enjoying their vacation at Sandy Lane beach in Barbados Thursday when they came upon what looked like a tragedy ... a mother and her 2 young sons near death after being pulled out of the water by an off-duty lifeguard.

Duncan and Nigora joined in the best they could. The lifeguard is the true hero here. Not sure which one he is, but it appears to be the man in the black bathing suit cradling one of the kids.

The family was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance where they're being treated.

Martin Scorsese got absolutely owned on Christmas ... by his own daughter, who poked fun at her pops with some simple gift wrapping paper.

The famed director's daughter, Francesca, shared on Twitter the wrapping paper she used for Martin's gift ... and it's hilarious -- Marvel Comics!!! In case you missed it ... earlier this year, Martin created one helluva firestorm when he said Marvel movies aren't cinema.

It was the comment heard around the world ... cause pretty much the entire universe came after Martin for shading Marvel films. Things got so bad ... the "Taxi Driver" and "Goodfellas" director was forced to write an op-ed in the New York Times to explain himself.

The storm has since passed ... that is until Martin's 20-year-old daughter went there and used wrapping paper featuring Hulk and Captain America.

Joe Giudice got exactly what he wanted for Christmas ... his daughters, who will be spending the holiday with him in Italy.

Gia, Gabriella, Milania and Audriana all flew in Tuesday to reunite with their dad, who has been deported from the U.S. after his 41-month prison stint.

Joe was thrilled ... saying, "They are so cute, so happy."

The girls overpacked for the trip, at least that's what Joe seems to think. You hear him say,  “Think we can do this or what? We have to take apart this whole thing. We still got another three [suitcases].”

As you know ... Teresa and Joe have split up. She does not want to move to Italy and it's all but certain his appeals to return to the U.S. will be rejected.

Dog The Bounty Hunter is honoring his late wife's memory this Christmas ... with mementos from their holidays of yore.

Our Dog sources tell TMZ ... he used all of Beth's old Christmas decorations to get his home in the holiday spirit, and just couldn't bear to put up any new decor after her passing.

As you can see, Dog's got a huge Christmas tree in his living room ... and we're told it's full of Beth's favorite ornaments.

He'll be spending Christmas at his home in Colorado, where he'll be surrounded by close friends and family, including his son, Garry, and daughter, Bonnie Jo.

As you can imagine, it will be an emotional time for the Chapmans -- it's their first Xmas without Beth.

The holiday spread will have some of Beth's touches too ... we're told the family will be chowing down on Beth's old recipes for their Christmas dinner, as she used to cook for everyone.

On the menu -- deviled eggs with jalapenos, sweet potatoes with tons of brown sugar and corn syrup and homemade apple cider to wash it all down.

Get those tissues out.

Kylie Jenner's daughter, Stormi Webster, would like to welcome you to her crib for Christmas.

Little Stormi recently got gifted with a major surprise from her grandma, Kris, which was documented on KJ's newest vlog, "My 2019 Christmas Decorations." Check it out ... the kid got a freakin' playhouse, which is just the right size for the almost 2-year-old.

And, by that we mean it's life-size ... and it's got everything inside to make it feel like a real pad, including AC, furniture, a kitchen, a second story and a balcony. A BALCONY!!!

Kris and Kylie give a brief tour of the interior before showing it to Stormi, who seemed pretty excited to go inside. Funny enough, her mom says she used to have something very similar herself when she was Stormi's age, and that memory makes Kris super emotional.

Stormi definitely makes herself at home as she explores the nooks and crannies. And, as Grandma Kris says ... it's her house now -- and you can certainly tell she's claiming it.

Anyway, if you'd be so kind as to leave your Birkin bags and shoes at the door, please. We're sure Stormi would appreciate it.

The 49ers' victory this weekend was secured with heavy hearts after the team learned C.J. Beathard's brother had been killed -- something their head coach addressed head-on with grace after heading back to the locker room.

Kyle Shanahan talked to his guys after beating the Rams in the final seconds of Saturday's game, and he didn't shy away from the obvious ... their backup QB just learned of a major tragedy within his family hours before kickoff.

His younger bro, Clayton Beathard, had been stabbed to death in a bar fight out in Nashville earlier that morning.

Cops are reportedly saying the fight erupted after an "argument over a woman," which then ended up outside where Clayton and another man were fatally attacked. He was only 22.

Shanahan said he was with C.J. shortly after hearing the horrific news, and then shared what the quarterback told him as he was heading out the door. Watch ... it's gut-wrenching.

In video of the heart-to-heart moment, you can clearly see the 49ers players have tears in their eyes. Things end on an uplifting note though, as Shanahan thanks the team for playing tough in the wake of such news and pulling out a W for one of their own.

Carrie Fisher shows up in the new 'Star Wars' movie in the flesh -- without much digital magic -- but her fam says they would've signed off on a complete CGI Princess Leia ... if it was needed.

The late actress's brother, Todd Fisher, tells TMZ ... while director J.J. Abrams and co. told them ahead of time they'd mostly be using old footage of Carrie for Leia's final appearances in 'Rise of Skywalker,' he says he wouldn't have minded a full computer-generated recreation for action sequences.

Even crazier ... Todd tells us he doesn't think his sister would've cared about a CGI rendering either. If anything, he believes she would've given her full blessing, so long as it facilitated the story, and honored the legacy of the character. Todd says, "[B]etter that than nothing."

There's more evidence Carrie would've been on board with a CGI version of herself because one already exists. Princess Leia's young face was superimposed onto another actress in the prequel to 'A New Hope' in 'Rogue One,' which filmed before Carrie died in 2016.

Kanye West has a simple message on what people should take away from his journey in 2019 -- but his son has an even louder one that might resonate more.

We got the Kardashian-West family Saturday in NYC, where they left a restaurant and boarded a waiting SUV with two of their kids in tow ... North and Saint, who were feeling chatty after dinner. Saint had a firm message for the paps standing by ... they didn't listen.

As Kim got the kids situated in the car, we asked Ye what it was he wanted folks to know or remember about him and his religious awakening from this past year ... which was pretty much a complete 180 from his rocky 2018 and mostly positive, all things considered.

At the start of this year, Kanye pivoted away from politics and dove head first into music -- and as it turned out, God too. His Sunday Services seemed to be his focal point, which started indoors but quickly went outside ... and, eventually, to Coachella and beyond.

Teresa Giudice is cozying up to a new man after breaking things off with her husband, Joe -- but the question now ... is this just friendly, or signs of a new match?

The 'Real Housewives' star was spotted walking into a breakfast joint Saturday morning in NJ with a hunky guy by her side the whole time. And, by that we literally mean he had her wrapped up close as they made their way in to eat ...  laughing all the way.

The flirtatious touching didn't end there ... Teresa and this fella were seen hugging a couple times during their outing, and she was hanging off his arm as well as they stood outside.

Now, the one thing they didn't do was kiss ... which would've all but confirmed she's moved on from Joe. And, yes, this might've just been friends palling around ... not unheard of.

To us, though, it appears like these two are more than just friends -- and if that's the case, you can't really blame TG. In the wake of splitting up, word has it Joe's already been on a few dates himself in the motherland ... so obviously, it's NBD if Teresa did the same.

One big consideration though ... how would the kids react to a new man in the house??? Time will tell, we suppose.

50 Cent just spoiled his son rotten for Christmas ... getting an entire Toys 'R' Us on lock and letting the kid have whatever his heart desired. Jealous much?

The rapper pulled the ultimate parenting move this weekend for his 7-year-old, Sire, by renting out an entire store in New Jersey -- only one of two locations open at the moment -- and closing it off to the public while his boy went around and picked out anything that caught his eye and letting him take it all home as his gift(s) for the holiday.

Basically, a personal shopping spree for a kid ... which became even more of a custom experience with Sire's name and mug incorporated into the presentation. A decal on the ground read 'Sire's Toys R Us' ... not even Charlie Bucket could've dreamt of this.

As for how much all of this cost ... we're told Fitty dropped a pretty penny to give his son the best Christmas ever -- about $100k to have this place to himself and Sire.

Hell, it looks the cash went so far as to pull Geoffrey the Giraffe out of retirement -- who posed with 50 and Sire in a sweet photo-op. You'll recall, Toys 'R' Us temporarily closed up shop last year -- but it's being brought back, slowly but surely, under new ownership.

Britney Spears and company mean business when anyone insinuates her conservatorship is secretly harming her ... because her people just nailed a hater with a big, fat injunction.

Britney's dad, Jamie, just got the order, prohibiting a guy named Anthony Elia from talking smack about the conservatorship. As we reported, Elia created the "Absolute Britney" blog suggesting Jamie and his team were manipulating Britney's Instagram account to make it look like she needs help when she did not ... in other words to make it look like she needs a conservatorship.

Elia went so far as to call the treatment of Britney "a human rights violation." What especially enraged Jamie ... that Elia says he came to the conclusion on a "gut feeling."

Jamie and his lawyer, Larry Stein, claimed this is defamation, pure and simple, and went to court to muzzle Elia.

The judge saw it Jamie's way and ordered Elia to immediately stop his claims ... especially those suggesting the conservatorship is harming Britney.

Lindsie Chrisley is going over the river and through the woods for a special Christmas retreat ... shacking up in a majestic tree house and steering clear of her daddy drama.

Sources close to Lindsie tell TMZ ... she and her husband are renting a luxury tree house tucked away in a South Carolina forest, spending Christmas Eve unplugging from the world and her father, Todd.

As you know ... Lindsie and Todd's relationship is very turbulent, and she's publicly accused her father of trying to extort her with a sex tape.

We're told Lindsie isn't expecting to hear from her father on one of the most important days of the year for most families ... instead, she'll be snuggling up to her hubby, Will, in a tree house that rents for $395 a night.

The whimsical space comes with 2 connecting tree house decks, a fireplace, heated outdoor shower and 40 acres of private wilderness for uninterrupted seclusion. The bedroom is huge, with four rows of windows overlooking beautiful white oaks, red oaks, hickory and dogwood trees.

The place is filled with antiques, and there's a record player to set the mood and campfire perfect for making good ole fashioned s'mores. When they wake up Xmas morning, Lindsie's planning to make a homemade breakfast.

After Lindsie and Will get their fill of forest fun, we're told they'll mosey over to his relative's to open presents with their son, Jackson, and sit down for Christmas dinner.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are doing just fine despite some bad optics making their relationship seem rocky ... at least that's the story our Royal sources are selling.

Sources directly connected to Will and Kate insist there's been no falling out between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ... this after signs of friction in their marriage.

As you know, Kate seemingly denied William's PDA attempt with a super-awkward shoulder shrug this week on TV, bringing comparisons to Donald Trump getting swatted away by Melania.

The sources insist the whole interaction was taken out of context from the rest of the TV special, and what most folks didn't see was Will and Kate being very affectionate and close-knit.

The bad optics didn't end there, because as we reported ... William and Kate showed up to the Royal Family's Christmas lunch in separate cars.

We're told the couple rode separately because Prince George and William needed to be at Buckingham Palace 30 minutes earlier for a special event -- which sources say will soon be made public, and explain the whole car situation.

The family certainly looks happy in their annual Christmas card. Still ... that's just a moment in time. Remember ... Princess Diana looked happy in her family Xmas card pics, and she was anything but.

Matt Barnes asked Dwyane Wade straight-up what it's like raising a gay son coming from a hyper-masculine NBA background ... and what D-Wade says is powerful stuff.

Dwyane and his wife, Gabrielle Union, have been publicly supportive of 12-year-old Zion (Wade's son from a previous relationship) over the past year ... even taking him to a Gay Pride Festival in Miami Beach last April.

So, when Wade appeared on Stephen Jackson and Barnes' "All The Smoke" podcast this week ... Matt asked Dwyane about his approach to parenting a gay son.

That's when Dwyane delivered a powerful message ... saying Zion essentially forced him to learn about accepting people for who they are.

"I had to look myself in the mirror when my son at the time was 3 years old and me and my wife started having conversations about us noticing that he wasn't on the boy vibe that Zaire [Wade's other son] was on," Wade said.

"And, I had to look myself in the mirror and say, 'What if your son come home and tell you he's gay? What are you going to do? How are you going to be? How are you going to act? It ain't about him. He knows who he is. It's about you. Who are you?'"

Wade says that conversation with himself wasn't easy ... the 37-year-old told Barnes and Jackson he grew up "ignorant" and had to lean on his wife to open his eyes.

"I grew up with the same perspective as a lot of these people out here that's a little ignorant. I grew up with a similar perspective," Wade says. "And, you meet people along the way that help you take those glasses off and put on some different ones. Look through life through a different lens. That's what my wife has been able to do. So, it's been cool."

Wade has been very vocal in defending his son and his family from critics ... and he tells Barnes and Jackson he feels a duty to be a voice for others who can't speak up the way he can.

"Everybody get used to it, man," Wade says. "This is the new normal. So if anybody different, we looked at as different. You know what I'm saying? The ones that don't understand it. The ones that don't get it. The ones that are stuck in a box. You're different. Not the people that are out here living their lives, man."

As for how his son is handling it all ... Wade said, "You want to talk about strength and courage? My 12-year-old has way more than I have."