Family

Reggie Warren -- one of the founding members of the R&B group TROOP -- was struggling financially before he died, so his family is crowdfunding to pay for medical bills and a funeral.

A rep for Reggie tells TMZ ... the money started drying up around 2014 because TROOP hadn't had a big hit song since the 1990s, and now his family is feeling the squeeze.

Reggie's fam set up a GoFundMe to try and raise $30,000, which we're told will go toward paying hospital bills and burial expenses.

TMZ broke the story ... Reggie died Sunday in Pasadena, the day after being released from a two-month stay in the hospital.

Meghan Markle's estranged half-sister has gone from armchair psychologist to marriage counselor for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but not a very hopeful one ... because she's predicting divorce.

Samantha Markle -- who has no relationship with Harry or Meghan and has never been with them since they hooked up -- says Meghan and Prince Harry are inevitably heading for a split unless they get some serious counseling and go on an apology tour to undo all the damage they've done to the Royal Family.

It doesn't sound like Sam's holding her breath for that though, and she suggests Harry's probably already questioning his marriage to Meghan ... whom she accuses of nonstop lying.

It's pretty incendiary stuff from Samantha, who thinks it's only a matter of time before Harry pulls away ... and divorce lawyers get involved. Again, she has no connection to the Royals either, but that hasn't stopped her from weighing in.

As we reported ... Meghan's half-sister trashed Meghan earlier this week for turning her back on their family ... claiming she suffers from "narcissistic personality disorder."

During the Oprah interview, Meghan said she's had little to no relationship with Samantha for more than 2 decades. Nevertheless, that didn't stop Samantha from writing a memoir titled, "The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister."

Unsurprisingly, Meghan's father Thomas also weighed in on Oprah's interview -- specifically Meghan's revelation of her mental health struggles -- claiming she might not have reached the point of feeling suicidal if she hadn't bailed on him and the fam.

Samantha has more thoughts on the broken relationship between Meghan and their dad, and what it would take to fix it.

Drew Brees is hanging up his cleats and helmet -- the legendary quarterback just announced he's retiring after a storied career ... and recruited his kids to help with the message.

The New Orleans Saints QB made the announcement Sunday with a video of his 4 young children telling the camera that, yes, their pops is ready to move on from the NFL. The kids go down the line and recite this ... "After 15 years with the Saints and 20 years in the NFL, our dad is finally gonna retire SO HE CAN SPEND MORE TIME WITH US!"

All 4 kids jump up in jubilation and let out some "YAYS!" ... which is awesome, you can tell just how excited they are. Drew had some parting words of his own in a touching caption for the Who Dat faithful.

He writes, "After 20 years as a player in the NFL and 15 years as a Saint, it is time I retire from the game of football. Each day, I poured my heart & soul into being your Quarterback." He adds, "Til the very end, I exhausted myself to give everything I had to the Saints organization, my team, and the great city of New Orleans."

Drew goes on to say that he's had built incredible memories in New Orleans with the folks living there, and that the city will always be a part of him and his fam. He adds, "You have molded me, strengthened me, inspired me, and given me a lifetime of memories. My goal for the last 15 years was striving to give to you everything you had given to me and more."

DB ends with this ... "I am only retiring from playing football, I am not retiring from New Orleans. This is not goodbye, rather a new beginning. Now my real life‘s work begins!"

Drew helped take the team to the Super Bowl in 2010, which they went on to win. He's one of the most decorated quarterbacks to ever play the game ... having won awards like Offensive Player of the Year, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Super Bowl MVP and so many more ... including being the NFL's All-time passing leader ahead of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Brees is in the pantheon of greats with the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning -- 2 of his contemporaries who are hands down HOFers. He got his start in the NFL back in 2001 with the San Diego Chargers, but headed off to the saints in '06 ... and the rest is history.

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez say reports of their demise as a couple have been greatly exaggerated -- well, maybe just exaggerated -- because they say they are still fighting to stay together ... TMZ has learned.

Both J Lo and A-Rod tell TMZ, "All the reports are inaccurate. We are working through some things." We're also told what they're working through has nothing to do with a third party.

Sources connected to the couple made it clear to TMZ and other outlets Friday ... the couple had called off their engagement and broken up. We asked our sources with direct knowledge why we were all told they broke up, and we were told things were "bad" on Friday.

As of now, A-Rod's still in Miami and J Lo's in the Dominican Republic shooting a movie, and it's unclear when they'll be back together. FYI, it's a hop, skip and a jump from Miami to the D.R.

There's a lot at stake in their relationship. Aside from them, they both have kids that have effectively blended as a big family, so that's got to come into play as they navigate their relationship.

Sebastian Telfair's sister just fessed up in court and admitted to threatening to kill the ex-NBA star's estranged wife -- and now, she's facing up to 5 years in prison over it all.

Octavia Telfair had been arrested in May 2019 after federal investigators said she spewed vile threats toward Samantha Telfair.

Prosecutors claimed after Samantha had testified against Sebastian in his gun case ... Octavia felt it was all treacherous, called Samantha repeatedly and left terrifying threats.

Samantha told investigators that Octavia had told her she would "kill my kids and cut my face." Investigators also said Octavia threatened to kill Samantha, her aunt and her siblings as well.

Octavia was initially charged with transmission of threats to injure ... and at a hearing Friday morning, TMZ Sports has confirmed she pleaded guilty to the charge.

"Yes, it was an argument with my sister-in-law, verbal argument," Octavia said on a video conference call with the court. "Yes, I admit it."

Octavia now faces up to 5 years in prison ... though the guilty plea will likely mean she'll spend far less time than that behind bars -- perhaps even no time at all depending on how the judge sees things.

Octavia is due back in court in July for a sentencing hearing.

Sebastian Telfair -- who famously appeared on Sports Illustrated's cover as a high schooler -- played for several teams in the NBA from 2004 to 2015.

He was a Trail Blazer's 1st-round pick in the '04 NBA Draft.

After his NBA career, Telfair was convicted of possessing an illegal firearm stemming from a June 2017 incident where he was caught with an arsenal of weapons during a traffic stop.

Officials say Telfair had 3 pistols, a semi-automatic rifle, a ton of ammo and a bulletproof vest ... as well as some weed.

He was sentenced to 3.5 years behind bars -- but was released in Sept. 2019 on $500,00 bail after only doing a few days in prison.

Dean Stott, one of Prince Harry's close friends, says the royal bros are staring down a deadline to squash their beef over alleged racism and other issues in the monarchy.

Dean joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and told us how Harry and Meghan Markle are dealing with the fallout from their Oprah interview, and why it's important for Harry to open a dialogue with his brother.

Remember ... William revealed Thursday morning he has not spoken to Harry since the interview aired -- a sign of just how deep the rift is between the brothers.

Although there's been no movement yet, Dean believes there will be in the next few months because they'll be face-to-face soon. Harry and William are both scheduled to attend events this July to honor their late mother, Princess Diana.

As for the bombshell revelations in the Oprah interview ... Dean says he knew about some of the issues plaguing Harry and Meghan but was totally blindsided when they said someone in the royal family voiced concern about Archie's skin color.

Patrick Mahomes' fiancee, Brittany Matthews, just introduced the world to the couple's newborn baby girl in a precious video ... and the little Mahomes is ADORABLE!!!

Brittany revealed the first-ever public images of Sterling Skye Mahomes Wednesday evening ... showing Matthews' journey from early pregnancy to motherhood in a workout montage.

The video is super cute ... it begins with Brittany doing hip thrusters at 24 weeks pregnant -- and then progresses into Brittany doing hip thrusters with little Sterling on her chest months later.

Brittany captioned the clip, "The most amazing journey, to bring the biggest blessing into our life. Baby girl, we love you!"

As we previously reported, the K.C. Chiefs' star quarterback and his fiancee's first baby was born on Feb. 20.

Brittany made the public announcement a day later, saying the little girl came out 6 lbs and 11 ounces!!!

FYI -- Patrick and Brittany have been dating for YEARS -- they connected way back in high school and got engaged at the Chiefs' Super Bowl ring ceremony in Sept. 2020.

The couple is still trying to lock down a wedding date amid the pandemic ... but something tells us they've got their hands full focusing on little Sterling at the moment!

The older sister of tennis superstar Naomi Osaka has announced her retirement from the sport ... saying she's just not having fun.

24-year-old Mari Osaka made her pro debut in 2011, according to the WTA website. She cracked the WTA's Top 1,000 ranking list in 2012 and made it all the way up to #280 in 2018.

But, she never really caught fire on the court -- failing to win a major tournament during her career. She's currently ranked #340 in the world and has only amassed $93,055 in career prize money.

Her sister Naomi has made close to $20 MILLION in prize money with signature victories over superstars like Serena Williams and Jennifer Brady.

Mari Osaka last competed in an International Tennis Federation tournament in Georgia back in January ... and has since decided to hang up her racket for good.

"I am retired from playing tennis," Mari announced on social media.

"It was a journey which I didn’t enjoy ultimately but I’m grateful for all the memories and support I’ve gained and received over the years from the sport."

"I’m moving on now so you can look forward to new fun projects upcoming in the future."

Mari and Naomi have a pretty tight relationship -- with Naomi playfully teasing Mari at the Australian Open back in February ... writing a message for everyone to see which read, "Mari stop sending weird images in the groupchat!"

So, what's next for Mari? She's big into fashion -- and most recently whipped up some cool designer COVID masks to raise money for UNICEF.

Sorry, Rep. Matt Gaetz, but your cohorts in Congress don't plan to put Britney Spears or conservatorships on a front burner -- there are just bigger issues, affecting millions of people, to tackle.

That's the gist from a spokesperson for the House Judiciary Committee anyway, who tells TMZ ... the committee is currently working "to advance critical legislation to protect and strengthen civil rights and civil liberties for all Americans."

We're told this includes holding hearings on enforcement of controlled substances, upholding standards of conduct for Congressional members, and reviving competition related to a free and diverse press ... and that's just this week.

So, sources close to the situation tell us there has been NO discussion whatsoever about the Britney-inspired hearing requested by Gaetz and Rep. Jim Jordan to discuss conservatorships and guardianships.

We're told that doesn't mean it won't happen down the road -- as it's been acknowledged that House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler has received their request -- but it seems the timing's just not right at this moment.

Here's Ben Simmons' best assist of the season so far ...

The Philadelphia 76ers star gifted his brother a brand new Audi for his birthday Tuesday ... and the pass off was so sweet, it brought big bro to tears!!!

Simmons recorded the whole thing on Instagram Live ... surprising his brother, Sean, in front of around 10,000 people who were watching on the live stream.

The video is super adorable ... Simmons walked toward his garage and told Sean, his older half-brother, "I got to show you something."

He then flipped around the camera -- and BOOM, brand-new Audi SUV!!!

"So, that's your car!" Ben told Sean. "I got you a car! It's yours, man! It's all yours, man!"

Sean was in complete shock ... and started laughing -- but a short time later, the tears started flowing!!!

"Why would you go and do something like that?!" Sean said, before thanking Ben over and over again.

The cutest part of the vid? Ben said he considered buying Sean a two-door, but got the bigger version to be "baby-friendly."

Simmons then joked about Sean's tears of joy ... screaming, "He's crying on the live!"

As for why Ben didn't hand-deliver the car himself -- the NBA point guard is currently under quarantine after he and teammate Joel Embiid reportedly came into close contact recently with someone who was COVID-19 positive.

Don't worry, Ben appears to be all good -- he's reportedly producing negative test results -- and could be back in time for Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.

President Biden's dogs just got the old heave-ho from the White House ... sounds like they were too aggressive for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The Bidens' 2 German Shepherds, Major and Champ, were shipped back to the family home in Delaware last week following some un-doglike (or maybe doglike) behavior at the White House, including a biting incident.

Major, the 3-year-old pooch Biden adopted from a Delaware animal shelter in 2019, reportedly got his chompers on a member of White House security.

Major's also said to have been pretty agitated around the residence ... allegedly charging, jumping and barking at staff and security.

Champ, meanwhile, seems to be getting the short end of the stick ... he's been sent back to Wilmington too ... even though he's about 13 years old and has slowed down considerably due to his age.

With the German Shepherds out of the White House, the place is going back to how it was under Donald Trump ... a no-pet zone.

Unclear if Major and Champ are banished to Delaware for good, or if they're just in timeout.

Thomas Markle says his daughter's mental health struggles were partly her fault, because she chose to ghost the family that could have helped her -- her own family.

Markle appeared Tuesday on "Good Morning Britain" and responded to Meghan's harsh comments about him during the Oprah interview ... in particular his decision to work with the tabloids as a roll-up to her wedding.

Thomas says he's apologized for that over and over, and then went on the offensive ... saying Meghan's psychological problems and loneliness could have been averted if she would have reached out to her family instead of shutting them out of her life.

Thomas took direct aim at Harry, saying he was heartless to him before the wedding as he lay in a hospital bed after suffering a heart attack. He says he had a conversation with Harry -- this was after Harry learned Thomas was dealing with the British tabloids -- and said, "If you had listened to me this wouldn't have happened to you." Thomas said he was so angry at Harry's "snotty" comment he hung up on him ... and that was their last conversation.

A few more items. Thomas said yeah, he's made mistakes, but he's never played naked pool or dressed up like Hitler ... referring, of course, to Harry.

Pepe Le Pew was never meant to be interpreted as rape-y, but the times have caught up with him to make it seem that way ... so says the daughter of the guy who first drew him.

Linda Jones -- whose father, Chuck Jones, is credited as the creator and original animator of Pepe and other Looney Tunes -- tells TMZ she strongly disagrees with the notion the suave skunk contributed to rape culture, as suggested in an NYT op-ed.

On the contrary, Linda says she doesn't think anyone who ever watched Pepe was inspired to go out and rape, or even harass, people. She gets pretty literal, saying Pepe never raped another character on the show -- which, okay ... that's a given.

Still, LJ just doesn't think Pepe should be canceled or shelved over this -- because the OG running gag with him was never meant to be predatory ... she says it was more about how much he stunk as a suitor, despite thinking he was desirable.

She does admit Pepe's grabby approach toward Penelope Pussycat certainly doesn't look good by today's standards ... but insists folks who were watching him in the '50s, '60s and '70s were NOT thinking of that dynamic as normalizing rape culture.

Perhaps that was wrong or ignorant of audiences back then, she muses, but that just wasn't the vibe, nor the intention -- as she explains her pops, Chuck, was a super liberal dude, and was never out to hurt people. Linda says the purpose of Pepe was pure comedy.

As for axing Pepe from the new 'Space Jam' movie entirely ... Linda tells us that's Warner Bros.'s prerogative -- and that if they choose to give him a break for a while, so be it.

She did suggest something interesting to rebrand Pepe and capture the spirit her father intended -- write him as a perpetual job-seeker who keeps getting rejected, but constantly changes up his routine thinking he's the perfect candidate.

Meghan Markle's sister is furious the Duchess essentially disavowed her family -- especially their dad -- during the Oprah interview, and claims she's merely playing victim for sympathy.

Samantha Markle went HAM Monday while on the Australian radio show "Fifi, Fev & Nick" ... calling BS on Meghan telling Oprah she'd lost her father because of Royal family pressures.

Samantha said, "When she said 'I lost my dad' -- the world watched as my dad was in interviews wanting communication with his daughter. She didn't lose her dad. She iced her dad!"

Samantha didn't pull punches, as she played dime-store psychologist on Meghan, saying ... "I see a narcissistic personality disorder," and suggested Meghan needs counseling.

It gets worse ... she also equated Prince Harry to a kidnapping victim who's falling in love with his captor. Samantha said, “I feel sorry for Harry. He fell victim to her negligence, and I will say sociopathy ... she pulled him away from his family, all of his friends, the life that he knew."

As for Meghan's claim to Oprah that she didn't know anything about the Royals and their way of life -- Samantha claims Meghan studied the UK Monarchy, and even tries to emulate Princess Diana.

Samantha added, she doesn't think Meghan's embarrassed of her family -- she just didn't want them around to expose lies Samantha claims her sister's told.

Wayne Gretzky was fighting back tears at his father's funeral this weekend -- especially during an emotional eulogy ... where he remembered the man as the ultimate hockey dad.

The NHL legend delivered remarks Saturday at the St. Mark's Anglican Church in Brantford, Ontario shortly after laying Walter Gretzky to rest. Wayne stepped up to the podium in front of a socially distanced crowd in the pews ... and reminisced about Walter's life. The service was limited to family.

He recounted a couple different stories that were pretty heartwarming -- one where Wayne says Walter insisted on going to a hockey tournament when he was young, this despite the fact his wife and Wayne's mom, Phyllis, was due to give birth at any moment.

Sure enough, she popped while he was away with Wayne ... and as people gave Walter a hard time about missing the birth of his own child, he hoisted up the first-place prize that Wayne and co. had won, and proudly said ... "Yes, but we got the trophy."

Wayne went on to remember Walter as an incredibly proud Canadian and hockey's #1 fan. He said he loved his kids and grandkids ... and was always looking to give back to Wayne's fans as he grew in his career.

WG said Walter was not afflicted with COVID, and his death had nothing to do with the virus. He reiterated his dad suffered a bad hip injury as a result of his Parkinson's ... and was already in declining health. He thanked the crowd and those afar for sending food and well-wishes as the family stayed with him for 21 straight days in the hospital until he eventually passed Thursday.

Toward the end of his speech, Wayne choked up and walked off stage ... and the audience gave him a slight round of applause.

Walter was 82.

Jeff George Jr. says he's so hellbent on following in his famous dad's NFL footsteps ... he's straight-up willing to sacrifice his life for an opportunity to play in the league.

The oldest son of the legendary quarterback broke it all down for TMZ Sports ... saying he's telling NFL scouts he's that committed to being The Shield's next great QB.

"They're getting a guy that's willing to put his life on the line for this," 24-year-old George Jr. said of what NFL teams will get from him if they draft him. "I don't want to do anything else."

"I put my blood, sweat, tears into this game. I love it more than anything."

JG2 started his college football career at Illinois and then went to Michigan before landing at Pitt, where he only played in 2 games in the 2019 season. He's 6'3", 220 lbs and just like his dad, he's got a cannon for an arm.

COVID screwed up his plans to show out in 2020 -- but George Jr. is now trying to showcase his skills for NFL teams at Brandon Marshall's House of Athlete combine in South Florida.

Look, Jeff has been around football his entire life and he knows what it takes to succeed in the NFL ... all he's looking for is a shot.

His message to teams is simple ... "You're gonna get a guy who's the hardest worker in the building, super competitive and ultimately has a drive to win."

Of course, Jeff's dad, Jeff George Sr., was the #1 overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft -- and played 13 seasons in the league, mostly for the Colts and Falcons. He led the NFL in passing yards in 1997.