Celebrity Health

Fox News commentator, Bre Payton, has died suddenly ... and she was only 26.

Payton, a conservative who wrote for The Federalist magazine, died in San Diego after suffering some sort of sudden illness ... this according to the mag.

Morgan Murtaugh, a friend of hers who just ran for Congress in San Diego and lost, said she found Payton unconscious Thursday. Murtaugh called 911, but apparently Payton was already in a coma and beyond hope.

Murtaugh asked people to reach out to God, saying, "Please if you're religious at all, send prayers this way. We really need them."

It was too late. Payton died Friday.

It appears she was suffering from meningitis, but so far authorities have not determined a cause of death.

Payton was 26.

Selena Gomez is continuing on her road to wellness ... with a positive New Year's message emblazoned on her sweatshirt.

The singer was spotted with a friend Friday leaving Hot Pilates in West Hollywood in a comfy all-black outfit ... including a sweatshirt with the words, "Choose Empathy."

Selena's been a model of healthy living this month after leaving treatment for her mental health ... we've seen her hitting the slopes and going on nature hikes.

We broke the story ... Gomez checked into a facility a couple months ago following what we were told was an emotional breakdown. Sources close to her told us she's happy and healthy now.

Ariana Grande has bailed on her New Year's Eve weekend concert due to illness ... TMZ has learned.

Ariana was set to headline at the Cosmopolitan hotel Saturday night, but moments ago we learned the plug has been pulled.

Sources connected to Ariana tells us the singer has been sick all week and wasn't getting better. We're told she has bronchitis.

The show was to be held at The Chelsea -- a 3,200 seat venue inside the casino -- and some resale tickets were well over $1,000 a pop. Vegas is a hot spot for big time performers during the holiday.

We're told Ariana will reschedule at a later date.

This caps off a rough year for Ariana ... most recently her difficult breakup with ex-fiance Pete Davidson.

12/28 6:05 AM PT -- It appears Iggy's been taking tons of heat for continuing to sing in the midst of her backup dancer having a seizure, saying, "It feels like ANY thing I do becomes an opportunity for people to tell me why I'm s***, why my music sucks, my clothes are ugly, why I don't matter or why I'm a horrible person. I'm worn down." She goes on to say, "Everyone is just trying to make it through their day. Could we be a little kinder to each other? Seeing how much people enjoy being awful to one another is depressing."

Iggy Azalea's concert in Brazil came to a grinding halt after one of her backup dancers collapsed in the middle of a song after suffering a seizure.

The scary scene unfolded Thursday during Iggy's performance at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. You see a backup dancer collapse onstage and her body shaking uncontrollably. Iggy calls for a medic, then starts singing "Black Widow" before the music stops and an eerie silence falls over the stadium.

Medics actually drove an ambulance onstage to take the woman away. Then it was back to business for Iggy.

It sounds like the backup dancer will be okay ... Iggy addressed the incident on social media, saying the lights and heat in the venue triggered the seizure, and the woman's feeling much better now. Iggy says she kept singing because she thought the dancer just fell down or twisted an ankle.

Magic Johnson doesn't seem too concerned that his franchise player is sidelined with a groin injury -- telling TMZ Sports it's all gonna be okay!

Of course, LeBron James scared the entire NBA when he left the Lakers' Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors after coming up limpy after an awkward fall.

Bron later announced the injury was just a groin strain -- nothing more serious -- but still, people are wondering if this is the beginning of the end for a soon-to-be 34-year-old who's never had any serious injuries.

"We don't worry about what people say," Johnson told us on the way out of Craig's in Los Angeles ... "We're having a great season, you can't worry about what people say."

"I'm happy and we'll be okay."

We asked if the injury scare increased Magic's sense of urgency in getting another superstar to the Lakers -- to which he replied, "Nope. Nope. Nope."

So, what's the message to the rest of the Lakers who will have to soldier on without LeBron?

"Play hard, play together, play Laker basketball."

As for LeBron's return date, Magic wasn't specific -- saying James is "taking a little time."

We also asked Magic how he felt about LeBron's controversy regarding his "Jewish Money" comments earlier this week ... and the NBA legend seemed satisfied with how James has handled it.

"He apologized so that's a good thing," Magic said.

"He's a great man and he apologized and everybody moves on, right?"

Legendary jockey Victor Espinoza is a BEAST ... 'cause just six months after nearly dying in a training accident -- the dude was choppin' down a tree in Mexico!!!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the Hall of Famer was severely injured after a horse he was riding went into cardiac arrest on the track on July 22 in Del Mar, California.

Victor nearly died from the fall ... with a chipped bone in his neck almost cutting an artery.

But, we're told Victor's well on the road to recovery -- and his workout while he was visiting family this week in Yucatan clearly proves that.

The dude hacked away at a tree with an axe the size of his body ... and yeah, he looked like his neck's doing just fine.

We're told Victor will be back on a horse January 1 ... and he's actually expected to start racing again in mid-January.

Here's some great news going into your holiday weekend ... Shareef O'Neal could be back on the UCLA basketball court in 4 to 5 months!

... this according to his dad, Shaq.

The Diesel was at the Magic Wheels Toy Giveaway in L.A. doing his Santa Shaq thing (awesome, BTW) when he gave us the update on his son who underwent heart surgery on Dec. 13.

As we previously reported, UCLA doctors detected an abnormality during a routine check up and advised O'Neal that a heart procedure was crucial.

Shaq told us Shareef is continuing to focus on his recovery and hopes to be back on the floor as early as April -- which is fantastic news!

There's more ... Shaq also weighed in on Lil Wayne recently saying he thinks Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan.

When we asked Shaq to pick his #1 -- he went with someone else entirely ... not Magic Johnson, not LeBron, not himself!

But, the best part of this clip is the great work Shaq continues to do in the community -- making sure every kid has a Merry Christmas!

Shaq has been doing toy drives for 26 YEARS -- and you can tell from the video ... he's just as passionate about helping out now as he was when he started.

Pete Davidson wanted a bird's-eye view at Machine Gun Kelly's concert Saturday, and he got it ... and then some.

The 'SNL' star was spotted at MGK's show inside the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University, where he was taking in the scene seated on an elevated stage platform. He was wearing a dark hoodie and seemed to be covering his head ... but rocked out regardless.

You can see one concert goer zoom in on Pete as Kelly performed 'Rap Devil,' and he puts his hands up while seemingly rapping along. "Saturday Night Live" is on break for the holidays and won't be back 'til January ... so Pete had some time on his hands this weekend.

It's great to see him out and enjoying himself -- albeit all by his lonesome up there near the rafters. Pete's outing comes one week after an alarming social media post that appeared to imply he was suicidal ... which set off a wave of support from loved ones.

MGK gave us a bit of a mixed update on his pal earlier last week ... telling us things were weird for Pete and co. during this time. We'd been told he was still in a dark place following the suicide scare, but he now seems to have turned a new leaf for the better.

Josh Gordon's substance abuse issues run deeper than weed ... so says Dr. Drew, who tells TMZ Sports he believes the WR is dealing with something far more serious than pot.

Gordon announced Thursday he's stepping away from football to focus on his mental health -- but the NFL says he violated the league's substance abuse policy, once again.

Dr. Drew says it just can't be a weed issue that the Patriots WR is dealing with ... telling us Josh is most likely hooked on something much more powerful.

"I'm certain a lot of people think, 'Could this be cannabis? Could this be pot?' There's no way they'd be this harsh with him if it were."

"It's gotta be something more here. What he's talking about and the way he's talking about it, it sounds like he's really struggling with something more serious."

Dr. Drew says he's happy Josh is taking time away from the game to get sober ... but warns if Gordon returns too soon -- it could be dire for the superstar wideout.

"It's a high-risk game for him to be in the NFL. If he returns to work too early, it's definitely a risk to his sobriety."

BTW ... Dr. Drew also ripped the NFL for it's handling of players with mental illnesses -- telling us Roger Goodell and co. need to learn a lesson from the NBA.

The child Dikembe Mutombo flew to the U.S. to remove a massive tumor from his face has sadly died after he suffered a "rare and unpredictable genetic reaction to anesthesia" during surgery ... TMZ has learned.

8-year-old Matadi Sela Petit from the Democratic Republic of Congo died Friday night after complications from his delicate surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. ... according to The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation.

The foundation says ... "We are devastated by the loss of Matadi and our heart goes out to his father, his mother and the rest of his family, and all his old and new friends."

We broke the story ... Matadi went into cardiac arrest during his surgery and was transferred to the ICU, but we didn't know why his operation wasn't completed. Now we know it was due to his bad reaction to the anesthesia, but despite the best efforts of his medical staff ... he was never able to recover.

Matadi's operation was led by Dr. Ryan Osborne from Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Osborne volunteered his services, after being inspired by the good work of Mutumbo. The family had been staying at the Ronald McDonald House since arriving in Los Angeles last week.

As we showed you ... the former NBA star flew Matadi to the U.S. a week ago for free surgery in hopes of removing the life-threatening, massive tumor on his face. We captured their meeting at LAX.

Mutombo told us the boy had been shunned in society -- pulled out of school and secluded to his home -- because of his condition, so he wanted to help him out.

His foundation says Matadi was "was a pioneer, and his memory will inspire us to continue to develop efforts and partnerships to improve the lives of the children of the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

He was 8 years old.

Demi Lovato broke her silence on the overdose that nearly killed her ... making it clear it was a near-death experience.

Demi went on social media to say she's "grateful to be alive," and is now sober and getting the help she needs.

She goes off on the media for making up crap about her to sell stories, saying, "If I feel like the world needs to know something, I will tell them MYSELF."

She goes on to say, "Someday I'll tell the world what exactly happened, why it happened and what my life is like today but until I'm ready to share that with people, please stop prying."

TMZ broke the story ... Demi almost died earlier this year after OD'ing at her Hollywood Hills home. She was hospitalized for 10 days before going to rehab for extensive treatment.

Yankees star CC Sabathia underwent heart surgery earlier this month ... but New York GM Brian Cashman says, thankfully, the pitcher is expected to be okay.

"We are thankful that CC was smart enough to convey his symptoms to our medical staff ... We are also encouraged that the procedure CC underwent was performed as planned."

Sabathia reportedly needed an angioplasty -- a procedure where docs unblocked an artery in the former ace's heart -- after experiencing acid reflux, heartburn and other symptoms.

It's good news for the pitcher that he caught the signs early ... 'cause The Athletic reports Sabathia could have been in danger of suffering a heart attack if his blockage had gone undiscovered.

Cashman says the team expects Sabathia to make a full recovery and report in time for the team's 2019 spring training in Tampa.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent a procedure to remove cancerous growths from her lung, but the good news is ... things are looking good for her post-surgery.

RBG reportedly underwent a pulmonary lobectomy in NYC Friday to remove 2 nodules from her lung which were recently discovered to be malignant. It appears doctors removed all of the cancer. It's unclear, but since she waited a bit to have the surgery around Xmas, it's possible RBG timed it so she wouldn't miss work.

Ginsburg's had a rough Fall ... she fell down in November, and fractured 3 ribs. While she was hospitalized doctors ran some tests and discovered the cancerous growths.

Doctors seem confident they got to the core -- based on post-op scans -- and the cancer has been removed.

RBG is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days to recover, but no further treatment is planned.

RBG's already a cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009. Despite the new lung cancer discovery, she's never been a smoker.

Get well, Ruth!!!

Pete Davidson's life is on the line and Ariana Grande is putting it at risk by trying to contact him ... so says Dr. Drew.

Drew was in Culver City Thursday and he railed on the trolls who have been attacking Pete, calling them "evil." He says Pete is in a super delicate state after a gut-wrenching breakup with Ariana, and people need to get off his back ... because, at this point, his life depends on it.

As we reported, Ariana rushed to see Pete at 30 Rock Saturday after he posted apparent suicide threats ... something that was triggered by one of Ariana's posts in which she went after Kanye West, saying "stop weaponizing mental health. everyone." Pete, who suffers from mental health issues, took it in a deeply personal way.

Bottom line ... Dr. Drew says Pete needs some space to heal.

Bill Belichick says Josh Gordon's departure from the Patriots is "an unfortunate situation" ... and the coach is hoping his troubled wideout is able to handle his issues going forward.

"Personally, I wish him the very best as we all do on this team," Bill told reporters Friday.

Gordon announced Thursday he was stepping away from the Pats to focus on his mental health ... just minutes before the NFL announced he violated the league's substance abuse policy once again.

Belichick declined to get into specifics of Gordon's problems with media members -- callin' it, "a private matter" -- but repeated he hopes the WR gets the help he needs.

"I hope that he's able to deal with it successfully," Belichick said.

As for if the Pats will continue to help Josh while he's away from the team ... Bill said, "We're going to get ready for Buffalo and play Buffalo on Sunday."

The Patriots traded for Gordon earlier in the season after the Cleveland Browns decided to cut bait. Over the years, Gordon had been suspended multiple times for substance abuse issues.

But, the final straw for Cleveland was when Gordon suffered an injury in Sept. while shooting a promotional video.

Orlando Brown has an explanation for why he was rocking snake eyes on "Dr. Phil" -- and, as it turns out, he might've just been in a festive mood.

TMZ has obtained a new clip previewing Orlando's upcoming appearance, in which Dr. Phil attempts to help Orlando amid claims he's suffering from a mental disorder. Phil addresses the elephant snake in the room ... what's with the contacts, bro?

Orlando bursts into laughter and describes them as some sort of homage to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Phil tried to play off the awkward moment by calling it a Halloween gag.

The interview was shot around mid-October ... so it kinda makes sense.

Still, the MJ reference comes off as troubling ... especially in light of Orlando's friend telling Dr. Phil that OB sometimes claims Michael is his father.

As we reported ... Orlando's pal says the one-time Disney Channel star has burned just about all his bridges.