Family

Lil Durk's older brother, OTF DThang, died this weekend ... TMZ has confirmed.

Cook County officials tell us Dontay Banks Jr. -- DThang's government name -- was found deceased on the 7900 block of S. Loomis Blvd. in Chicago, and has been assigned a case number. An autopsy still has to be done to figure out the cause and manner of death.

Reports say DThang was shot in the head outside of a nightclub and died on the spot ... citing alleged witnesses who say they saw the shooting go down.

DThang was a rapper himself ... but wasn't nearly as big as Durk is, who's blowing up right now. Still, he's got a string of songs out -- although it doesn't look like they ever collab'd.

This is just the latest tragedy to strike Durk's inner circle -- he's lost a handful of friends and loved ones over the years ... including, famously, the death of his labelmate King Von ... who was shot and killed last year. A producer he worked closely with named Turn Me Up Josh also died just last week ... something Durk himself commemorated with a post.

Durk hasn't commented on his brother's passing yet, but condolences have been pouring in all over social media. DThang was 32.

Paul Walker's brother says Vin Diesel and the rest of the 'Fast and the Furious' family made the right move letting his character ride off into the sunset ... and he thinks Paul would get a kick out of where the franchise is these days.

We got Cody Walker at Sancho's Tacos in Huntington Beach and asked how he feels about the way 'F&F' has honored his bro's legacy with the 9th installment about to hit theaters.

Cody says Vin and co. have done a really good job of tastefully paying tribute to Paul's character, Brian O'Conner, and he thinks Paul would have never imagined the franchise going this far.

As you know ... Paul died in a fiery wreck in November 2013. The crash didn't happen on the set, but he was in the middle of filming "Furious 7" at the time. The script for the 8th installment referred to Paul's character a few times.

It's pretty cool ... Cody says he was in middle school when the OG 'F&F' came out, and his brother's movie is what Cody credits for his own love of cars. He says folks stop him in the street all the time to tell him Paul is the reason they love cars, and he always has the same response ... "Me too!!!"

We also asked Cody about one of the original movie cars -- Paul's orange 1994 Toyota Supra -- going up for auction later this month. Cody's anticipating a huge figure for the winning bid, and he tells us why Paul would think the whole sale is hilarious.

Speaking of fast cars ... Cody's FuelFest is coming to Los Angeles later this month, right before the movie release, featuring some of the top custom, exotic, rare and exclusive cars from all over the world ... along with live music, drifting and drag racing.

Jennifer Lopez was on a mission Friday, visiting at least one school in the L.A. area, which could be a blazing signal she and Ben could end up under the same roof.

J Lo was tooling around with her trusty notepad, after spending time with Ben at his home on the Westside of L.A.

They have been crisscrossing the country since hooking up ... Ben traveled to Miami to be with her, and she's now in L.A. returning the favor.

Unlike some celeb couples, they are not hiding their relationship ... they have been out and about together, arm-in-arm and arm on waist.

This would be pretty huge, not just for Ben and Jen ... but for J Lo's kids too -- who've been doing their schooling out of Miami in recent years. Prior to the pandemic ... her twins, Max and Emme, attended in-person classes ... and obviously went virtual when the pandemic hit.

Dan Ige always wanted to be a champion ... but now the UFC fighter says he’s got a little extra motivation to beat the "Korean Zombie’s" ass -- his newborn baby boy, Bam.

TMZ Sports talked to the 29-year-old, 8th ranked UFC Featherweight star -- who's taking on Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Night on June 19 -- and we asked if the birth of his newborn changed the way he approached fighting.

FYI, Dan's wife, Savannah, gave birth to Bam Alexander Ige at the beginning of April.

"Yeah, for sure," Ige says ... "I've always been a pretty motivated guy. I was never a guy to look for that type of external motivation to push me. I've always had that internal drive but definitely having a little external motivation doesn't hurt at all."

"50K" Ige continued ... "Having my son and my family and my wife and everyone just kinda adds to that fuel and yeah, now it's not just about me anymore."

"It's about my son, it's about making sure he has a good life and he's set and he's secure, making sure my family is secure, so it's definitely a driving factor when I go to training every day or when I'm tired."

As for the fight ... Dan -- who's 15-3 as a pro and has beaten beasts like Edson Barboza -- believe's a win over the 4th ranked Zombie will put him in a prime position to make a run at the 145-pound title.

Winnipeg Jets superstar Mark Scheifele says his family is being targeted by angry fans upset with his cheap shot hit on Jake Evans ... and he's begging for them to stop.

Scheifele just received a 4-game suspension for taking out the Montreal Canadiens forward in Game 1 of their playoff series earlier this week.

The hit knocked Evans unconscious -- and was widely condemned by hockey fans and players alike who say Scheifele viciously targeted a defenseless player in a compromised position.

On Friday morning, Scheifele finally spoke to the media about the suspension -- saying he will NOT appeal the 4-game ban because he does not want to be a distraction to his team.

But, he also revealed his family has been harassed non-stop since the Wednesday incident ... and he's very upset about it.

"I'm a big boy. I signed up for this. I can handle this," Scheifele said ... "But, to put my parents, brother and sister, my loved ones through this, is unacceptable."

He continued, "I got held accountable. But, there's no right to go after my parents and my loved ones."

Scheifele says he's praying for Evans -- and hopes he can make a full and speedy recovery.

Evans suffered a concussion on the play -- and so far no update on when he's expected to return.

Amazing news for Greg Olsen and his family ... the former NFL star says his 8-year-old son, TJ, has found a donor match for his heart transplant!

The 36-year-old tight end made the announcement on his social media page Friday morning, calling the news "a huge step forward."

"A day we have prayed for has arrived," Olsen said while posting a picture of him smiling with TJ and his wife, Kara.

"We were alerted last night that there was a donor match for TJ to receive his heart transplant. Walking our little boy, with tears of hope and fear in our eyes, was one of the toughest moments of our lives."

Olsen added, "We ask for everyone’s prayers for TJ and his amazing team of doctors and nurses. TJ has a long road ahead of him but today is a huge step forward."

As we previously reported, TJ was hospitalized last month in North Carolina with a serious heart condition.

Olsen said it was all very terrifying, 'cause TJ "has already undergone 3 open heart surgeries and has survived with a modified heart for his first 8 years of life."

It's unclear when TJ will have his operation ... but he's already got at least one big NFL star rooting for him -- Julian Edelman tweeted to Olsen on Friday, "Thoughts are you with your little one today bubs."

Swizz Beatz's son, Nasir Dean, is ready to make a name for himself in Hollywood ... and he's taken his first big step after landing a role in a feature film.

We've learned Nasir will star in the new film, "Charge It To The Game" ... a coming-of-age story about 4 best friends who are finding their way through adolescence while navigating the obstacles that come with growing up.

Nasir will play the role of Preach ... one of the four best friends.

We're told this is a huge step for Nasir ... who's wanted to break into the acting biz for a long time. Just a couple of years ago ... Nasir was featured in a music video for Common's track "Hercules" featuring Swizz Beatz. After that performance ... he got several offers from producers and filmmakers but, at the time, Nasir wanted to stay focused on his music career.

Under his stage name, Note Marcato, he released an EP "BeachBum Limbo" last year with Epic Records and he's got a new music project slated to be released later this year dubbed "Mr. Cardinal."

But, the itch to act has always been there, according to his manager and attorney, Nichole Levy. We're told he auditioned for a role in season 2 of HBO's hit show "Euphoria." He didn't land it but then "Charge It To The Game" came a-knockin'.

We're told Swizz is psyched about his son landing the role ... and while he's got a ton of pull in Hollywood and beyond, we're told he's been hands-off about Nasir's career ... given Nasir's desire to develop his own brand.

Weddings in India are hardcore, 'cause even a bride's death didn't kill the wedding day vibes -- the groom just married the woman who was going to be his sister-in-law ... on the spot!

The strange tale played out when a bride, identified only as Surbhi, reportedly collapsed and died of a heart attack just as the ceremony kicked off last week, and she exchanged traditional garlands with her hubby-to-be, Mangesh Kumar.

Sadly, Surbhi was declared dead at the scene. Now, this would normally put a halt to most, if not all, wedding ceremonies. But in this case, the bride and groom's families reportedly huddled up and came up with a solution -- Surbhi's family offered up her sister, Nisha.

When the wedding resumed ... the dead bride's body was taken to another room. 😑

Nisha and Surbhi's bro told the Times of India, "It was a bizarre situation as the wedding of my younger sister took place while the dead body of my other sister was laying in another room."

So, why'd the wedding continue? The bride's mother reportedly pled for the shindig to go on as planned. The groom's family reportedly would have been expecting a dowry.

Vanessa Bryant says Nike shoes she designed to honor Kobe and Gianna have been leaked ... and she's outraged over it, claiming they should have NEVER been made.

VB explained the situation early Thursday morning ... saying during recent talks with Nike, she helped create a version of the Kobe 6 Protro that was meant to honor her two loved ones who tragically died in a 2020 helicopter crash.

Vanessa says the shoes featured a black and white colorway, Gianna's #2, and other specific marks like a butterfly, wings and a halo.

The problem? Vanessa says after her split with Nike this spring, approval for the shoes to be made was NOT given -- but she claims they've somehow been leaked anyway and posted a photo of someone holding the shoe in their hand!

"Nike has NOT sent any of these pairs to me and my girls," Vanessa said in a statement.

"I do not know how someone else has their hands on shoes I designed in honor of my daughter, Gigi, and we don't. I hope these shoes did not get sold."

Vanessa added she wanted the shoes to be sold "to honor my daughter with ALL of the proceeds benefitting our @mambamambacitasports foundation."

Vanessa then asked her followers to track down the shoes ... writing on social media, "If someone can share how they have these shoes in their possession, that would be great because my daughters and I don’t have any of Gigi’s MAMBACITA shoes."

An Instagram user, brandon1an, who originally posted professional photos of the "Mambacita" shoes nearly 3 weeks ago, claims Nike is the one responsible for the shoe leak.

"I just want to make it clear that I don't own a pair of those Mambacita Kobes," the IG user said in a statement Thursday morning.

"The pictures I posted are official product pictures from a Nike authorized retailer."

The user continued, "Unfortunately for [Vanessa Bryant], Nike clearly sent pairs to this retailer (as well as others) with the intent of selling pairs."

Grizzlies star Ja Morant's mom will NOT be in Utah to watch Memphis take on the Jazz on Wednesday ... after fans made disgusting and racist remarks towards their family earlier in the playoff series.

3 Jazz fans were banned indefinitely for comments made to Morant's parents during Game 2 on May 26 ... with Ja's dad, Tee, telling ESPN the harassment was "straight up disrespectful."

Jazz owner Ryan Smith apologized to the Morants and offered courtside seats, transportation and a hotel to Game 5 for family and friends ... but Tee says Ja's mother, Jamie, will not be in attendance due to their recent experience at Vivint Arena.

"She said her anxiety couldn't take it," Tee told the outlet ... while adding it was a "nice gesture" for the Jazz to offer their services for Wednesday's game.

Tee also spoke about the harassment experienced during Game 2 ... saying, "It was unfortunate. It was just a few fans -- most of them were great and cheering right alongside with us."

Ja denounced the Jazz fans' actions on Twitter last week, saying, "my family should be able cheer for me & my teammates without getting inappropriate s*** said to them."

Smith added ... "Memphis Grizzlies and Morant family... we are embarrassed and sorry. The @utahjazz have zero tolerance for offensive behavior. We are committed to creating a respectful, competitive environment."

Bam Margera's been sending increasingly disturbing messages to 'Jackass' director Jeff Tremaine, including threatening his safety and that of his children ... according to new legal docs.

The court has granted Tremaine's request for a temporary restraining order against Bam, requiring him to stay at least 100 yards away from Jeff, his wife and kids ... and to stop contacting him.

Tremaine claims he's been getting harassed by Bam since February, after Jeff says Bam no-showed for a virtual meeting to discuss how he could help Margera with his mental health and sobriety struggles.

Since then, according to the docs, Bam's been on the warpath on social media. Tremaine claims Margera's publicly attacked him, threatened violence, compared him to Harvey Weinstein, posted obscene drawings and made a comment that he and Johnny Knoxville can "pencil in there [sic] death certificate."

On top of that, Tremaine claims Bam's sent him several direct threats against his kids, including one that read ... "Look at your children and grab your pocket book and write a check, if you are greedy, and cheap, look at your children again. If you don‘t sign the paper, look at you children. Sign your stupid f***ing contract before your (sic) not safe anywhere."

According to Jeff, the contract Bam is referring to seems to be one Margera wrote up himself. Tremaine says he's in great fear for his family's and his personal safety.

Lance Bass and his husband Michael Turchin are doubling their family fun -- and perhaps their number of sleepless hours -- they're expecting twins this fall, one boy and one girl!!!

The 'NSYNC singer says the twins are due in early November, and things are finally looking up this time after going through 9 different egg donors and tons of hurdles.

Lance and Michael told PEOPLE the stars finally aligned after a different surrogate suffered a miscarriage in March 2020, sending them back to square one.

The couple's crediting their actor friend Taylor Frey with turning them on to their current surrogate and egg donor, and despite the heartbreak from 2020 ... Lance and Michael felt comfortable telling family about the pregnancy after 9 weeks in.

Remember, Lance and Michael were in the super early baby planning stages back in April 2018, telling us how they were going to decide whose sperm to use.

The competition sounds like it ended in a tie ... Lance and Michael say they each fertilized one of the embryos.

DMX's music is still living on through his daughter ... she took the stage at a show in his honor, and she put her own twist on her father's famous songs.

X's 8-year-old daughter, Sonovah Hillman Jr., grabbed the mic and did her thing Saturday at the Wildcatter Saloon in Katy, TX ... remixing a few classic DMX songs like "Slippin'" and "Ruff Ryders' Anthem."

Check out the video ... Sonovah can flow just like X.

TMZ broke the story ... the late rapper was set to play at the venue in late May, but after X's death, the bar decided to throw a tribute concert instead.

The tribute show developed into a family affair, with DMX's fiancée, Desiree, and their son, Exodus, in attendance ... thanking fans for all their prayers. Sonovah's mother was also there.

Metro Marrs vows to pull off the same stunt next year and make it rain at his brother's HS graduation ... but the forecast will call for twice as much rain.

The budding rapper tells TMZ ... he plans to throw $20k in the air next year when he hits up his bro's ceremony at Langston Hughes High in nearby Atlanta. But, now that the cat's out of the bag, how does he plan on pulling off the stunt if he's giving school officials a heads up?

Don't fret ... Marrs says the school's cool with him and, even though he was detained by police for the stunt, he says it's totally worth it because in his eyes he's giving back.

And, to show the school's got no hard feelings ... Marrs tells us he actually visited his principal's office the day after graduation, and they pretty much dapped it up.

As we reported ... the "Bye Felicia" rapper was busted for throwing $10k after crossing stage at his own HS graduation. The crowd went nuts ... but the stunt ultimately led to him being detained for inciting a riot and disorderly conduct. He also got ticketed. 😑

Juice WRLD ripped off another musician's beat and tried to pass it off as his own ... this according to a new lawsuit against the rapper's estate.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, a guy with the stage name Ghost Loft claims he made a song called "So High" way back in 2013, only for Juice WRLD to rip off 16 bars for his song "Scared of Love" on JW's 2018 album "Goodbye & Good Riddance."

In the docs, Ghost Loft claims Juice WRLD and Mitch Mula are the only credited writers on 'Scared,' even though he says Mula later admitted to sampling his beat, and he says 'Scared' wouldn't exist without him.

Ghost Loft is suing Juice WRLD's mother and executor of his estate, Carmella Wallace, as well as Mula, Universal Music Group and Interscope ... and he's going after them for damages, an injunction prohibiting Juice's estate from profiting off the song and a writing credit.

TMZ broke the story ... Juice WRLD died in December 2019 at Chicago's Midway airport, the result of an accidental overdose of oxycodone.

Kim Kardashian had a really bad case of COVID-19 along with her kids, which shut down production of her show for 2 weeks ... and she says it disrupted her studying for her second crack at the baby bar.

A teaser for "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" already revealed Saint had tested positive for the virus -- but on Thursday night's episode we find out the health crisis went far beyond her oldest son, and affected her whole brood.

Kim says Saint tested positive after an apparent outbreak at his school, and she was really worried about him because he was crying and coughing a lot ... on her. Of course, with 3 other kids in the house, she was also concerned about it spreading, and that's exactly what happened.

North started feeling sick soon after, and eventually both she and Kim discovered they had COVID too. At that point, producers decided to shut down all 'KUWTK' shoots for 14 days while the family quarantined.

Kim says she had some severe symptoms, like a 104-degree fever ... exactly when she was supposed to be putting in 12-hour daily study sessions to retake the baby bar exam -- which as we reported, she'd previously flunked.

Fortunately, everyone in the fam recovered okay, but it seems Kim failed on take 2 of the test. Earlier this week, she said she was studying to take it again.

It's still unclear exactly when COVID hit Kim and her kids since the show was filmed months ago, but we know Khloe contracted the virus sometime in 2020 and revealed on 'KUWTK' that her symptoms were so bad ... Kris Jenner called every doctor she could think of for help.

Kim previously stated Kanye West also had it in the very early days of the pandemic.