Famous Food

Harry Morton went under the knife to repair a deviated septum just weeks before his death -- and we're told authorities are looking at this as one scenario that could have caused his death.

Sources close to Morton tell us he recently got a septoplasty -- a surgery designed to straighten out the septum to allow for better airflow through the nose. Here's the scenario ... if the surgical instruments go deeper than they should, it could end up damaging the base of the brain ... something that could lead to death.

There's no way of knowing precisely what caused Harry's death until an autopsy is performed ... that will occur Monday. What's more ... our sources say Harry was back to his normal routine and as far as we could determine, he never complained about complications from the surgery.

As for other theories ... our law enforcement sources say there were no illegal drugs found at the scene and only a couple prescription drugs. There are other possibilities as well ... that would result in the death of an apparently healthy 38-year-old male, but so far, no answers.

TMZ broke the story ... Morton was found unresponsive by a family member at his home in Beverly Hills on Saturday. He was pronounced dead at his home.

Harry's ex, Lindsay Lohan, posted a photo of the couple in their heyday on Sunday, captioning the post, "Best friends. Best life."

Harry was best known as the founder of the Pink Taco restaurant chain, which became a big hit on the Sunset Strip and has since expanded to other cities. His grandfather, Arnie, cofounded the incredibly popular Morton's The Steakhouse chain in 1978, and his dad, Peter, cofounded the Hard Rock Cafe empire in 1971. Harry worked at HRC for years and later headed up the business' development wing.

He was also a volunteer sheriff's deputy in and around L.A. and dedicated hundreds of hours a year to the department. Morton was recently honored as Reserve Detective of the Year.

Harry was 38.

RIP

The company behind M&M'S ice cream bars is bamboozling its customers into thinking its "vanilla" filling is on the up-and-up, when it isn't ... so claims a new class action lawsuit.

A woman named Sherise Richardson is suing Mars, Inc. -- the food manufacturer that runs the M&M'S brand, as well as its ice cream bar products. Sherise says the M&M'S vanilla ice cream bar is a sham, 'cause allegedly ... the flavor doesn't come from real vanilla.

In her suit, Sherise goes into EXTREME detail about the history of vanilla -- describing how, according to lore, Thomas Jefferson jacked it from Europe and brought it to the States -- and then goes on to explain federal regulations surrounding the highly coveted flavor.

According to her, any companies here in the U.S. of A. that are trying to peddle vanilla-like products or any such derivative (like reduced fat vanilla ice cream) must derive their flavor exclusively from real vanilla -- and if it doesn't, the company must disclose that. Also, she says they can't advertise it as actual "vanilla" -- like the M&M'S box does.

Sherise also claims the M&M'S vanilla ice cream bar box doesn't have any mention of vanilla in its ingredients list on the back, and thus ... Mars, Inc. is allegedly pulling a fast one.

She says that rather than paying a premium rate of no less than $5.99 per 9.78 fluid ounces -- not including tax -- she insists that it should be cheaper than that. Sherise is outraged about this alleged false advertising, and wants a judge to award her damages.

Harry Morton -- the business tycoon and son of Peter Morton -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us that Harry was found unresponsive Saturday afternoon at his Beverly Hills home by a family member. Paramedics were called, but we're told Harry was pronounced dead at the scene and was then transported to the coroner's office -- where an autopsy is pending. Our sources say no foul play is suspected at this point.

Harry is perhaps best known as the founder of the Pink Taco restaurant chain, which blossomed on the Sunset Strip in L.A. but has since expanded to other cities across the U.S. He is also part of a very famous family of restaurateurs. His grandfather, Arnie, cofounded the incredibly popular Morton's The Steakhouse chain in 1978, and his dad, Peter, cofounded the Hard Rock Cafe empire in 1971. Harry worked at HRC for years, and later headed up the business's development wing.

He founded Pink Taco in 1999 when he was just 18. He's also the owner of the Hollywood nightclub the Viper Room -- where Joaquin Phoenix's brother, River Phoenix, died of a drug overdose in 1993. Harry bought it in 2008 -- it appears he still owns it to this day.

Harry recently made headlines for buying Elvis Presley's former Bev Hills estate the singer bought the year he married Priscilla Presley. We're told that Harry did not die there though -- he was found at a separate Beverly Hills residence of his.

It should also be noted that Harry was a volunteer sheriff's deputy in and around L.A. -- specifically, with the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station, where he was recently honored as a Reserve Detective of the Year. The station says he had dedicated hundreds of hours a year in support of the station's Detective Bureau. In other words, he was big on giving back.

Harry dated Lindsay Lohan back in the 2000s. He's also been linked to Demi Moore after her breakup from Ashton Kutcher, as well as Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Jennifer Aniston and Hayden Panettiere. It doesn't appear he's been married or has any kids of his own.

His half-sister, model/bounty hunter Domino Harvey, died of a drug overdose in 2005. Both of his parents -- Peter Morton and Paulene Stone -- are still alive today.

Harry was 38.

RIP

Great news regarding one of the greats ... Randy Couture is BACK in the Hollywood scene less than a month after a serious heart attack -- and he seems better than ever!!

"Everything's great, man," Couture told us on the way out of a late dinner at Craig's with his longtime girlfriend, Mindy Robinson ... "I feel amazing!"

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 56-year-old UFC Hall of Famer was hospitalized on Oct. 23 after experiencing chest pains and underwent emergency surgery to remove a clot in his Diagonal artery.

But, Couture is so damn tough, he WALKED HOME from the hospital just 3 days later.

Now, Couture says he's been working with doctors and "everything's back to normal."

One of the issues with Randy ... doctors told him he's got thick blood, something he needs to monitor. But, it sounds like Randy's all over it.

We also spoke with Couture -- a military veteran -- about Conor McGregor's $1 million donation to first responders ... and if the move can help CM's badly damaged image.

Couture also dished out some post-MMA career advice to the recently retired Ben Askren.

Boxing superstar Devin Haney just made $1 MILLION bucks in his last fight -- so he hit the streets of L.A. to share the wealth with people in need ... WE'RE TALKING CASH MONEY!

The 21-year-old WBC lightweight champ loaded up his SUV with everything from shrimp to crab legs and other delicious stuff to serve up some quality meals to people on Skid Row.

"Today, I gave out food on Skid Row," Haney said ... "And, when I ran out of food, I gave money to the ones that didn’t get a plate."

We're told Haney was in town celebrating his birthday -- but instead of accepting gifts, he decided it was more important to help out other people.

Haney is one of hottest young fighters in boxing -- he's 24-0 and coming off a straight beatdown of Alfredo Santiago on the undercard of the KSI vs. Logan Paul fight.

He's got big things in his future ... including a possible superfight with fellow rising superstar Ryan Garcia ... which would be HUGE!

But, in the meantime, good to see Haney giving back to the community ... just because he felt like it.

Post Malone is celebrating the final leg of his tour in the most Posty way possible ... by renting out Hooters to chug beer and rip cigs with his boys!!!

We got the "Rockstar" rapper outside the world-famous Hooters on Hollywood Blvd bright and early Monday morning ... sipping a cold brew (not coffee) and bumming a cigarette after spending some quality time inside the wing joint with his buds and a solo Hooters waitress.

The family restaurant normally opens at 11 AM, but when you're Post Malone and you decide you want wings and things to kick off your Monday morning, you make a few calls, pull a few strings and get the place to yourself!!!

Post tells us he rented out the Hooters to celebrate life and the final 2 shows of his tour ... but he must want to keep the party going. Live Nation just announced a 2nd leg of his tour that extends into 2020.

A bunch of vegans are suing Burger King because they want to have their Impossible Burgers their way ... pristine, without any meat residue on the grill.

Phillip Williams just filed a class-action lawsuit, claiming the burger giant advertises the Impossible Burger as a vegan alternative to its meat burgers, yet they're all cooked on the same grill.

Williams says his burger was contaminated by meat byproducts. He bought the burger in question in ATL.

The lawsuit says Burger King has no disclosures on its menu that would notify a consumer prior to the purchase of the Impossible Whopper that it was cooked in a manner that would result in meat by-products on the burger.

He notes there have been numerous complaints posted online by outraged vegans.

Lizzo may have bitten off more than she could chew by claiming a Postmates driver stole her food ... because the driver is now coming after her in court.

Tiffany Wells claims in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Lizzo has really screwed up her life when she went on social media and posted a picture of Tiffany claiming she pilfered the meal she was delivering to Lizzo's Boston hotel back in September.

Lizzo belatedly acknowledged she was wrong and Tiffany did nothing wrong. In fact, Tiffany went beyond what she had to do to find Lizzo in the hotel, but she was nowhere to be seen so Tiffany eventually left.

Tiffany also notes Postmates sided with her, and she moved on to the next delivery like she was supposed to after she couldn't reach Lizzo.

Tiffany says she's received threats and is concerned for her safety. She no longer works for Postmates because of the Lizzo incident. She says she lives in fear and is subject to ridicule and humiliation, along with stress and anxiety.

She's suing Lizzo -- who has more than a million twitter followers -- for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Popeyes is no longer a breeding ground for violence over its chicken sandwich ... the mania's finally died down at many locations.

We hit up the store on world-famous Hollywood Blvd., which is normally swarmed just because of tourists ... but there was only a small line of customers. Also, everyone was cool as a cucumber.

It's a far cry from the scenes we saw across the country earlier this month when the fast food chicken joint brought back its massively popular chicken sando, causing insane lines and wild moments of mayhem.

As we reported ... there was a fatal stabbing at a Popeyes in Maryland, and there was a rash of videos showing brawls between employees and customers alike ... all dealing with lines out the door and at the drive-thru.

Question is ... is the bloom off the rose, or are hungry customers just too fearful of potential violence?

We're not trying to start another rush, but if you're spicy chicken curious ... looks like the coast is clear.

Guess George Lopez struck a chord when he told us some fried chicken stuffed between a bun ain't worth risking your life.

Waffle House is being sued for discrimination by a black woman whose arrest went viral ... and she's claiming the restaurant treats black customers like crap.

The woman behind the lawsuit is Chikesia Clemons, and she says she went to the WH in Saraland, AL with 2 friends in April 2018 -- a visit that ended with her in handcuffs following a scuffle with police ... all of it recorded by a friend.

In the suit, Clemons claims within 2 minutes of walking in, the manager told a Waffle House employee to call 911 and tell the dispatcher the group was intoxicated and refusing to leave. Clemons claims the 911 operator asked if the customers were male or female, but the employee responded, "They're black."

According to the docs, Clemons claims a white waitress told her she would be charged 50 cents for plastic utensils, which sparked an argument because Clemons says white customers don't get hit with that charge. Clemons says the waitress then refused to serve the table.

Another waitress -- also white -- tapped in, but things didn't go any smoother ... according to Clemons who claims the woman said, "You're racist," and "You need to learn your place."

The viral video shows 2 cops showing up, one grabbing Clemons and throwing her to the ground. One of the officers told her, "I'm about to break your arm," as they tried to put cuffs on her.

In her lawsuit, Clemons claims the only reason the officers roughed her up was because Waffle House employees falsely reported her and her friends as being drunk. She wants Waffle House to serve up some money -- as in damages -- and to stop the alleged discriminatory treatment.

We reached out to Waffle House for comment ... no word back, so far.

The guy who allegedly stabbed someone to death at a Popeyes on the East Coast has been ID'd by cops -- and now they're looking to bring him in on murder charges.

The Prince George's County Police Department in Maryland say they believe 30-year-old Ricoh McClain is the one responsible for the fatal stabbing that took place last week that left 28-year-old Kevin Tyrell Davis dead after an in-line dispute escalated.

Cops say they were called in to respond to a fight, and when they arrived ... they discovered Davis in the restaurant's parking lot with a single stab wound that ultimately killed him.

As for what exactly led up to the stabbing, cops say they believe Davis had cut in line ... which turned into a verbal dispute, and then into a physical altercation outside. Police say McClain fled from the area and has not been captured yet. A warrant for his arrest has been issued, and authorities there are asking anyone who knows his whereabouts to speak up.

Police have released a mug shot of McClain from a previous arrest, and they've also put out an image of him in the Popeyes that was captured on surveillance video.

A Popeyes employee was caught making their now-infamous chicken sandwiches above a trash can -- for which the owner has now taken full responsibility and corrected.

TMZ has obtained some pretty shocking photos taken Friday at a Popeyes restaurant in Fairfax, VA -- where it appears an employee behind the counter is fast at work putting together as many sandos as possible. But, it's being done on top of a tray that's conveniently resting on top of a large trash bin ... and the setup was in customers' line of sight.

The placement begs many different questions -- the obvious one being ... WHY? Not enough counter space? Not enough hands on deck? Too much demand? Turns out, it was pretty much all of the above, according to this location's owner.

The guy tells us that on this particular day, the restaurant was overwhelmed after only having been open a few days, and then getting slammed with a 100 chicken sandwich order.

He says when he saw his brand new employees using the bin -- which he claims was totally empty -- he immediately ordered another table, which is in the store now.

Of course, this is just the latest eyebrow-raising behavior that's surfaced over the past week or so since Popeyes reintroduced their viral sensation sandwich.

The fights over the reintroduction of Popeyes' chicken sandwich are not slowing down ... workers at one franchise ganged up on a fellow employee they say was selling the popular item on the low.

Check out this insane video from a Popeyes restaurant in Los Angeles ... it's a madhouse behind the counter, with employees swinging on each other and one worker wielding a frying pan above their head.

The person behind the camera claims the violence erupted after an employee was caught selling the chicken sandwich out of the back door.

In the video, you hear a worker screaming, "You f**king hit me, bitch!!!"

As we've reported ... fights have been erupting across the country after Popeyes brought back the chicken sandwich last weekend, and a man waiting in line in Maryland ended up dead after a violent altercation.

A fight in another part of Maryland shows a customer brawling with employees behind the counter, and getting a bunch of flour dumped on his sweatshirt.

Footage from a fight in Florida showed two men going at it in the drive-thru line, with one dude hitting the pavement after taking a punch.

The founders of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream know they're most likely about to spend a night in cold jail cell, but they're totally down to follow Jane Fonda's lead in protesting climate change.

Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen are joining forces with Jane for her "Fire Drill Fridays" demonstration on Capitol Hill ... and Jerry told us on "TMZ Live" it didn't take much pressure from Jane to join her on the frontlines. He said climate change would have been enough, but this Friday's demonstration also focuses on war and the military -- 2 subjects he and Ben have strong feelings.

As we've reported ... Jane has been arrested each of the past four Fridays as part of her climate change crusade, and her arrest last week resulted in her spending a night in the slammer.

Jerry says he's ready to do the same, because of the grave consequences for our planet's future.

Ben and Jerry have been sounding the climate change alarm for years -- there's even a Ben & Jerry's flavor called Save Our Swirled -- but Jerry says Jane's helped him realize more has to be done.

Popeyes' wildly popular chicken sandwich will remain on menus nationwide, despite the chaos it's causing at several locations ... including a fatal stabbing.

A rep for the fried chicken fast-food chain tells TMZ the sandwich is still available ... meaning it's not being pulled in the wake of scattered mayhem erupting across the country since its return to the menu this week.

As we've reported ... fights have broken out all over the place as customers are heading to Popeyes in droves to wait in long lines for a taste of the chicken sandwich, and one altercation in Prince George's County, Maryland Monday night left a 28-year-old dead from a stab wound.

A Popeyes spokesperson tells us the Maryland incident "is a tragedy and we are saddened to hear about this senseless act of violence," adding ... "We, along with the franchisee, are fully cooperating with local authorities and actively working to gather more information."

Some other violent incidents include a rowdy kitchen brawl in Edgewood, Maryland (above) ... and a drive-thru beatdown in Ellenton, Florida (below). But, there are many, many more examples online.

The chicken chain says the safety of its employees and customers is always a priority, and franchisees have worked to boost staffing during this craze to be ready to serve guests quickly and safely.

It adds that most Popeyes restaurants are franchised and "additional onsite security matters are handled by the franchisees."

So, there you have it -- Popeyes customers can expect long lines and potential fights to continue ... 'cause the delicious chicken sandwich isn't going anywhere.

George Lopez says the chaos and literal bloodshed that's erupting over the Popeyes famous chicken sandwich just ain't worth it, especially considering what he believes you're actually eating.

The comedian was at LAX Tuesday when he weighed in on the frenzy over the notorious sandwich's comeback, telling us plain and simple ... don't get taken out for a chicken breast between a couple of buns -- 'cause there's more to live for beyond that.

ICYMI ... full-on brawls have been breaking out at Popeye's restaurants across the country over these things, and one guy even got stabbed to death waiting in line for one.

Like we said ... utter madness.

BTW, if you're gonna go and get yourself killed over something, George thinks there's only one thing worth the ultimate sacrifice. We think he's kidding. We hope he is.

As far as GL is concerned, people have lost sense of what's important. Besides, he thinks what's going into these chickens isn't all that healthy to begin with.