Celebrity Health

USC student and model Alasdair Russell killed himself after suffering head injuries while pledging a fraternity, and now his mother wants the frat to pay up ... TMZ has learned.

Alasdair attended an October 2016 party at the Phi Kappa Psi frat house, where he was trying to become a member. According to a lawsuit, frat members forced him to drink in excess "to the point of passing out" -- and that's exactly what happened when he fell off a platform, smashed his head and lost consciousness.

In the suit, Alasdair's mother says after he passed out, frat brothers discouraged him from getting medical attention out of fear it would "expose PKP Local's conduct, including but not limited to supplying alcohol to minors and engaging in hazing activities."

The next day, Alasdair complained of concussion-like symptoms -- head pain, vomiting, blurry vision and wooziness. His mother claims PKP bros gave him Adderall and cocaine to keep him in the game ... as far as pledge duties and partying.

According to the suit -- obtained by TMZ -- over the next few months, his personality changed, he dropped out of school in January 2017, and he ended being involuntarily committed ... presumably to a psychiatric facility. Then, on April 1, he took his own life on a beach in Florida ... while wearing a tuxedo.

A photographer who travels the world with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West was seriously injured in a car accident ... TMZ has learned.

According to eyewitnesses ... Marcus Hyde was out driving in Malibu early Monday morning, cruising on the PCH, when he lost control and went over an embankment. We're told he was having seizures from the crash and was airlifted to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

One witness says Marcus went down 200 feet from the main road. As you can see from photos of the scene, obtained by TMZ, the car was completely destroyed in the wreck.

Marcus -- who regularly shoots for Kim, Kanye and other Kardashians -- is a big gearhead and has scheduled night drives with high-end exotic cars on Sunday nights. This time he was driving a Mercedes AMG CLS ... which he's shown off on social media.

We're told Marcus had a female passenger, who was hospitalized.

His condition is unknown at this time, but a law enforcement source tells us he suffered a critical head injury.

Ron White won't be able to crack jokes this weekend -- not onstage, anyway -- we've learned he's postponing a number of performances due to a neck infection.

Sources close to Ron tell TMZ ... the comedian was forced to cancel his Thursday show in Bakersfield after swelling in his neck made it difficult for him to breath and move.

We're told Ron checked into a hospital and doctors believed he had a calcium deposit in his neck due to dehydration and being overworked. Doctors initially feared Ron had internal bleeding, but a CT scan came back negative. He's now en route to Los Angeles to see his personal doc.

All the hand-wringing over CTE and its link to football needs to SLOW THE HELL DOWN ... so says Merril Hoge -- who tells TMZ Sports he's getting support from NFL stars like Ben Roethlisberger.

Merril -- an ex-Steelers RB and former ESPN analyst -- makes the argument in his new book, "Brainwashed: The Bad Science Behind CTE and the Plot to Destroy Football," that football does NOT necessarily lead to CTE, as some reports have strongly suggested.

In fact ... Merril tells us it was those articles that made him want to write the book in the first place.

"You look at a headline and all of this fear that is driven from CTE, I wanted to understand the science."

Merril's findings?? CTE does exist and is a problem ... but he wants to know more about the condition and what causes it before pointing the finger at football.

Hoge tells us A TON of current and former players that have read the book couldn't agree more -- including Big Ben!!

"I have not had a player that has said anything negative that has read the book to this point," Merril says ... "A lot of them have been relieved!"

Ben Affleck's immersing himself in a new role that ya might say came along at the perfect time -- because he's playing an athlete-turned-addict who's trying to make a comeback.

Cameras were rolling in L.A. Monday as Ben filmed a scene for his new film, "Torrance," in which he stars as a former All-Star basketball player who's battling addiction while taking a high school coaching gig at his alma mater.

You can see he's pretty beefed up for the part, which explains those recent shots of him hitting the gym and showing off an impressive set of guns.

Ben completed a 40-day rehab stint for alcohol earlier this month, and is currently in outpatient care dealing with his real-life addiction issues. We broke the story ... his ex, Jennifer Garner, took him to rehab after she staged an intervention.

WWE's Roman Reigns says his leukemia has returned in a health battle that's he's been fighting for more than 10 years.

Reigns made the solemn announcement on 'Monday Night Raw,' saying his leukemia was back, and that he wouldn't be able to carry out his duties as a wrestler ... and, as such, will have to relinquish the Universal Championship.

Reigns said he'd be heading home to focus on his health and treatment ... adding "I will beat this, I will be back, and you will see me very, very soon." The crowd was noticeably distraught and shocked over the news, but gave him a huge round of applause when he thanked them for their support over the years.

Reigns was diagnosed with leukemia at age 22. He's 33 now.

Bob Barker is hospitalized in L.A. after paramedics responded to his Hollywood Hills home ... TMZ has learned.

L.A. Fire Department got to the 'Price is Right' legend's home Monday around 1 PM, and immediately transported him to Cedars-Sinai hospital. He was sitting up on a stretcher, and seemed responsive, as they wheeled him into the emergency room.

His manager tells us, Bob woke up Monday morning with a major flare in back pain. His family decided to call in the professionals to transport him to the hospital ... rather than risk it themselves.

Dennis Hof's longtime pal in the sex biz, Heidi Fleiss, tells us the famous brothel owner's sugary diet and poor eating habits played a major role in his death.

Heidi would know better than anyone ... she's known Dennis forever and tells us he was constantly chowing down on an insane amount of Fudgsicles before and after dinner, and things got so bad recently, Dennis could barely walk.

Dennis' eating habits were so out of whack, Heidi says the famous pimp equated a Taco Bell salad to kale. She's convinced Dennis' declining health was a direct result of his poor diet, and believes it contributed to Hof's death.

The two longtime friends were planning to turn things around with a health retreat, but Heidi says they never got the chance.

As we first reported ... Dennis' Love Ranch has been shut down in the wake of his sudden death, and the future of his other brothel, the Bunny Ranch, is also up in the air.

6:54 PM PT -- A rep for Bruce tells TMZ, the actor did indeed fracture his hip while he was on a run -- Bruce is an avid runner. We're told he's in good spirits and could be released from the hospital as early as Friday night.

Bruce Dern collapsed Friday in Los Angeles, and he's been hospitalized for a possible fracture ... TMZ has learned.

The 82-year-old Hollywood veteran was in Runyon Canyon around 3:45 PM when it happened.

L.A. Fire Dept. responded to the scene. We've learned he was transported to a hospital to be checked out for a possible hip fracture. We've got a call in to his rep for an update on his condition.

Bruce, one of Hollywood's most beloved actors and Laura Dern's dad ... has been filming Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

He just joined the cast a few weeks ago -- taking over the role of George Spahn after Burt Reynolds died last month.

Pamela Anderson won't be doing that famous "Baywatch" run anytime soon -- she's on les crutches after she reportedly got banged up on France's version of "Dancing with the Stars."

Pamela was hobbling out of her doctor's office Thursday in Paris, and her left leg was heavily wrapped in bandages ... especially around the ankle. Zut alors!

We've seen TONS of injuries, almost weekly, on the stateside 'DWTS' ... so, good to know the Frenchies are no better than us.

Michelle Wie's callin' it a season ... 'cause her hand is COMPLETELY JACKED.

The superstar golfer announced she had surgery Thursday to fix a right hand that not only had a small avulsion fracture in it ... but also had bone spurring AND nerve entrapment.

The good news ... Wie says the surgery should fix the pain she's been dealing with FOR MONTHS.

"It’s been disheartening dealing with pain in my hand all year but hopefully I am finally on the path to being and STAYING pain free!" Wie said.

Michelle tried to stick out the season ... saying she even got 3 cortisone injections -- but it just became too much.

Wie says her season's now over ... but rehab and a big 2019 are comin'.

"I cannot wait to start my rehab so that I can come back stronger and healthier than ever."

She also quoted an inspirational lyric from a John Mayer song. It's from this song. Enjoy ...

Turn the lights off ... we're told the rumored Blink-182 reunion is NOT happening, despite some heavy social media speculation.

Drummer Travis Barker and former Blink singer/guitarist Tom DeLonge got the rumor mill turning Thursday with this playful Twitter exchange ... but sources close to the band tell us Travis and Tom were just trolling each other, and they don't wanna mislead their fans, who were all just unsuspecting victims for a few hours.

We're told Travis and Tom privately communicate all the time, and this was just fans seeing their relationship on social media.

There is some good news ... Travis has finally been medically cleared to drum after getting treatment for blood clots, and he'll perform with Blink on Oct. 26 and 27 in Vegas!

But, Tom won't be onstage ... it's still Travis, Mark Hoppus and Matt Skiba.

A Jenelle Evans house party ended abruptly with a visit from police and, apparently, a trip to the hospital for the "Teen Mom" star.

This all went down last weekend at Jenelle and David Eason's home in North Carolina. Cops reportedly got a 911 call for a woman being assaulted, and a request for an ambulance. However, when officers arrived ... Jenelle told them she didn't want to take any legal action, and no police report was filed. She also canceled the ambulance.

According to multiple reports, she was driven to the hospital -- either by a friend or her husband. A rep told People Jenelle had merely tripped and fallen by a bonfire they'd built for the party.

This tearjerker comes courtesy of "Empire" star Jussie Smollett, who just made life a little easier for a double amputee -- and if crying's your thing ... grab some tissues.

Jussie -- who plays Cookie and Lucious Lyon's son, Jamal, on "Empire" -- met up with 6-year-old Kayden Kinckle to deliver a handicapped-accessible van ... but first, he met Kayden's fam at a hotel, setting up the big surprise.

The reveal did not disappoint -- the look on Kayden's face when he sees the van is kinda everything. Kayden got a quick lesson on how to work his new ramp, prompting Jussie to say, "It's gonna be just like a chariot for the Pharaoh."

The timing of the gift couldn't come at a better time ... we're told Kayden's about to get new legs and the van will help him and his family get around.

Michael Buble has just revealed how devastating his son's cancer diagnosis was ... it has fundamentally altered his life to the point he may quit showbiz.

Michael told the Daily Mail his upcoming album, "Love", may be the last one he ever records. According to the article, he says, "I'm retiring from the business. I've made the perfect record and now I can leave at the very top."

Michael also says he's done with social media forever, saying the 2016 cancer diagnosis of son Noah has put everything into rack focus and that he realized the absurdity of "celebrity narcissism."

The singer says Noah's cancer made it almost impossible for him to go on, saying, "You just want to die. I don't even know how I was breathing."

The great news ... Noah, now 5, is in remission.

RZA was desperately seeking medical help for his son, and when doctors didn't jump in quickly enough he went into full on Papa Bear mode ... so much so the cops were called.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, the famous rapper had taken his son to the ER at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA early Saturday morning. We're told RZA was extremely unhappy with the medical care his son was receiving, and he began screaming at the medical staff.

We're told RZA was so agitated a hospital supervisor called the cops. By the time the police arrived RZA had calmed down so the police left. The rapper wasn't cited or arrested.

We're also told RZA and his son remained at Cedars.