Celebrity Health

No characters. No script.

Just a heartfelt message from WWE superstar The Miz to his childhood hero, Ric Flair -- telling Nature Boy to keep fighting like hell until he's healthy and back with his wrestling family!!!

The Miz says he found out about Ric's medical emergency like everyone else ... and was crushed when he heard the 70-year-old needed more surgery.

But, Miz knows Flair's not the kinda guy to lay down and give up ... and tells TMZ Sports, "He just keeps fighting man! Nothing can take Ric Flair down!"

Miz tells us how Ric not only inspired him as a kid, but how continues to influence him now as a pro wrestling superstar.

Behind-the-scenes, Miz says Ric's even nicer than he comes off on TV ... and always greets him with his signature, "WOOOO!!!!"

So, what's Miz's message to Ric???

"Just always be Ric Flair. You're the best. No one's better. You're the G.O.A.T. Keep fighting. Keep doing well."

As we previously reported, Flair was initially hospitalized on Thursday and underwent surgery on Monday.

We're told he's expected to make a full recovery and he's been in good spirits.

Jay-Z is being sued by a former Roc Nation Sports boxer -- who blames Hova and the company for the severe brain injuries he suffered after taking 3 fights in 79 days.

The boxer behind the lawsuit is Daniel Franco -- who claims he signed a deal with Roc Nation Sports back in 2015 ... and won his first 5 fights with Jay-Z's company.

But, the problems started in March 2017 ... Franco claims he came down with a bad flu before a big fight which sidelined him from training for 3 weeks.

Franco claims he told Roc Nation he needed to postpone or cancel the March 23 fight -- but Roc Nation pressured him into fighting anyway.

Franco says he lost badly in the 3rd round and should have taken time off to recover ... but instead, Roc Nation booked him to fight again 50 days later on May 12.

Then, Franco claims Roc Nation booked him for a third fight just a month later on June 10 ... his third fight in 79 days.

But, Franco claims Roc Nation never took the steps to make sure he was medically fit to take that third fight ... and it could have cost him his life.

In the court documents, Franco claims he believes he suffered 2 skull fractures and a brain bleed before the June 10 fight that could have been detected.

Instead, Franco says he fought on June 10 -- and lost again -- suffering major damage in the process.

Franco claims he was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage and went into a coma. Doctors needed to remove a piece of his skull to relieve pressure from the bleed.

After 2 weeks, Franco awoke from his coma but claims he still has severe neurological and cognitive issues ... and is required to wear a helmet at all times to protect his brain.

In his suit, Franco says Roc Nation and Jay-Z had a duty to protect him -- but instead acted recklessly by scheduling him to fight 3 times in 79 days without "necessary medical testing."

He's asking for unspecified damages.

11:48 AM PT -- Cardi's team tells TMZ ... "Cardi says she's very disappointed and hates to let her fans down, but she wants to reassure them that she'll see them in September!"

10:20 AM PT -- Event organizers have announced the makeup date is September 8.

Cardi B is backing out of a Memorial Day Weekend concert in Maryland, and TMZ has learned it's all because of some serious fallout from her recent cosmetic surgeries.

Cardi was set to headline the 92Q Spring Bling Festival this Friday night in Baltimore, but now it's been postponed because she's gotta pull out. Sources close to the rapper tell us ... CB needs to recover from her recent liposuction and breast augmentation.

We're told it's gotten so bad, she simply can't perform -- a move her doctors had encouraged, telling Cardi she needs time to let the swelling go down and for her body to fully recover. Doctors are recommending a couple of weeks of R & R.

Cardi's been extremely open about recently deciding to undergo the procedures after giving birth to baby Kulture.

Going under the knife didn't stop Cardi from working her ass off ... until now.

She recently performed at Rolling Loud in Miami and was twerking non-stop in L.A. at the launch party for her Fashion Nova clothing line.

Cardi told the crowd at her May 5 concert in Memphis she should have canceled because "moving too much is going to f*** up my lipo" ... but she rocked the house anyway.

Our Cardi sources tell us the surgeries are finally catching up to her ... and the heavy workload proved to be too much, too soon.

Get well soon!!!

Ex-WWE superstar Ashley Massaro was found hanging in an apparent suicide, multiple sources connected with the situation tell TMZ Sports.

The 39-year-old was found unconscious inside of her Suffolk County, NY home early Thursday morning -- and she was transported to a nearby hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

The death is being classified as "non-criminal."

She is survived by her daughter.

Massaro is being laid to rest in Suffolk County. The WWE honored Massaro with a full screen "In Memory" slate on Sunday during the "Money in the Bank" pay-per-view event.

CM Punk called into WMGM on Friday and had heard Ashley had taken her own life (the manner of death had not been publicly disclosed). He implored anyone listening who's struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts to get help.

"Tremendously sad way to go," Punk said ... "thoughts obviously go out to her family, especially her daughter."

"It's May. It's Mental Health Month ... if you're depressed and things aren't going your way, there's no reason to feel alone," Punk added.

"Just reach out to somebody. Text a friend. Call somebody. There's hotlines. There's ways you can get help."

Here's a link to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

The WWE had put out a statement on the former wrestler on Thursday saying, "We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro,"

"She performed in WWE from 2005-2008 and was beloved by her fellow Superstars and fans around the world. WWE offers its condolences to Ashley’s family and friends."

"Game of Thrones" broke down barriers for the disabled community during its 8-year run ... a fact that's earning the show high praise, even though one group says producers made a big flub in the finale.

Felicia Nurmsen -- a top dog at the National Organization on Disability -- tells TMZ ... the hit HBO show gets tons of props for working on behalf of those with disabilities, 'cause it didn't shy away from the subject and served as a pretty accurate mirror to our society, even in a fantasy setting.

Specifically, Nurmsen says she's impressed with the story lines and ultimate fates of 2 of the most prominent characters with disabilities on 'GoT' -- Tyrion Lannister and Bran Stark.

She says even though wheelchair-bound Bran and Tyrion, a little person, were often written off by other characters, they landed in powerful positions in the end by resorting to natural born (or divinely-gained) gifts.

SPOILER ALERT -- if you're not among the 19 mil who watched Sunday night.

Bran is named King of Westeros and Tyrion becomes his hand.

That said ... Nurmsen can't help but point out the irony that even when a disabled person reaches the highest point -- the Iron Throne -- 'GoT' writers leaned into the narrative that disabled people aren't whole.

Case in point ... Tyrion and co. end up dubbing their new king, "Bran the Broken." You could see that as an attempt to embrace his disability as a good thing, but Nurmsen suggests it's problematic.

Two steps up, one step back?

Mel B's eye problems are a lot scarier than some media folks are reporting, so she's setting the record straight ... and searching for a cool eye patch.

Scary Spice says she had an awful experience last week -- she went blind in her right eye and her left eye went blurry. She was freaked out and in a lot of pain so she went to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with severe iritis in her right eye and uveitis in her left.

This contradicts reports saying Mel B was doing fine and this has happened many times before ... due to her eye herpes. Mel says those reports are total BS, and the press "needs to get there [sic] silly facts right big time." She doesn't specifically address the eye herpes element in the report.

The Spice Girl claims this has never ever happened to her before, but the good news is the eye specialists she went to have it under control and she's no longer worried things might get worse.

She says she's now on meds and got heavy duty drops to heal her eyes, but she'll still be dealing with it for the next 3 or 4 months ... which means it'll be an issue on the upcoming Spice Girls reunion tour.

The tour's set to kick off Friday in Dublin, so Mel says she needs to find a "very cool Scary eye patch." She's asking for help on that too ... but not from Madonna.

Legendary Formula 1 racer Niki Lauda has died ... according to his family.

Lauda, considered one of F1's greatest drivers ever, died Monday ... nine months after undergoing surgery for a lung transplant.

Niki won the F1 drivers' championship in 1975 and '77 with Ferrari and again in '84 with McLaren ... but he's most famous for crashing and catching fire in 1976 at the German Grand Prix.

Lauda was badly burned in the crash, but he made a miraculous recovery an returned to racing only 6 weeks later.

Lauda's incredible comeback after dodging death instantly made him the stuff of legend .. and his 1976 rivalry with British driver James Hunt was the plot line of the movie "Rush."

Niki, who was born in Austria, had a tight working relationship with 5-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. Lauda was involved when Lewis signed with McClaren ahead of the 2013 racing season.

Niki's family released a statement after his death ... saying, "With deep sadness, we announce that our beloved Niki has peacefully passed away with his family on Monday."

"His unique achievements as an athlete and entrepreneur are and will remain unforgettable, his tireless zest for action, his straightforwardness and his courage remain."

"A role model and a benchmark for all of us, he was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather away from the public, and he will be missed."

Lauda was 70.

Ric Flair is out of surgery and in the recovery room -- and doctors say the procedure was a success, this according to Flair's wife, Wendy Barlow.

"Doctors said the procedure was a success," Wendy tells TMZ Sports ... noting that she wants to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this difficult time.

As we previously reported, Flair was hospitalized on Thursday after suffering a medical emergency. He was supposed to undergo surgery on Friday, but doctors postponed the surgery due to "complications."

But clearly, they felt he was good to go on Monday -- because they operated as planned.

Unclear exactly what surgery was performed on Ric -- but we know he had been experiencing heart issues over the past few months and doctors felt his current situation was "very serious."

The 70-year-old wrestling legend has been in good spirits over the past few days and has been chatting with his famous friends on the phone, including Offset.

Flair had to pull out of a celebrity roast set for this upcoming Friday in Las Vegas -- but doctors are still optimistic he will make a full recovery.

Sage Northcutt's fight injuries were worse than initially reported -- he didn't just suffer 8 fractures in his face, but his cheek shattered into 30 different pieces ... according to his coach, Urijah Faber.

As we previously reported, Northcutt suffered major damage Friday when he was knocked out by Cosmo Alexandre during his ONE Championship debut in Singapore ... and was rushed to a hospital for treatment.

"Dude got his face blasted, man," Faber said ... "His cheek shattered like an eggshell."

Faber says Northcutt described the pain as "40 times worse than any pain I've ever felt."

Sage went under the knife over the weekend -- requiring doctors to access the wound through 4 entry points ... including his hairline, mouth and eye.

You gotta listen to Faber describe the procedure -- it's gnarly.

The good news ... Sage is in good spirits and he's already talking about setting up his next fight.

Some good news, bad news on the Ric Flair health front ...

The good news is we're being told he's in good spirits and confident he'll be okay after he undergoes surgery following a medical emergency last week. The surgery is expected to take place Monday.

The bad news is Flair is officially pulling out of the May 24 celebrity roast he was supposed to attend in Las Vegas.

Flair was supposed to be the guest of honor at "The Roast of Ric Flair" at Caesars Palace ... where some huge wrestling stars and comedians were planning on blasting the guy with some friendly fire on the night before AEW's first pay-per-view event.

But, a spokesperson for Flair tells us ... unfortunately, Ric won't be healthy enough by Friday evening to make the trip from Atlanta to Vegas.

We're told a bunch of Ric's famous friends have been calling the WWE legend to check in -- including Offset -- and Flair has been cracking jokes and being his usual friendly self.

Great news, Rams fans ... your star running back, Todd Gurley, is doing great and should return to form in 2019, this according to head coach Sean McVay.

McVay and a bunch of his star players went out to the United Way's HomeWalk 5K to raise money to end homelessness in L.A. ... everyone from Aaron Donald to Johnny Hekker rolled through.

"It's great, man," McVay said about the event ... "We got a lot of players out here today."

So, what about Gurley? He wasn't at the event ... but everyone there was talking about him -- wondering how he's doing after a bizarre end to the 2018 season.

Remember, Gurley was killing it last year for most of the season ... then fell off hard in the playoffs and barely contributed in the Super Bowl. There were rumblings that he jacked up his knee bad.

But, McVay didn't seem worried over the weekend -- telling us Gurley's knee is "doing good" -- he expects him to be fine when the season starts.

We hope he's right ... but things didn't seem great when we saw Todd limping around L.A. back in April.

Kate Middleton designed a garden that she hopes will inspire others to get their kids outdoors and playing -- and her kids set a great example by leading the way on that front.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had themselves quite a day exploring Kate's new "Back to Nature" garden that she's officially unveiling to the public in a few days as part of the annual Chelsea Flower Show. The point of all of it ... early childhood development and getting folks (especially kids) reacquainted with the great outdoors. A great cause, really.

Before she opened the doors to everyone else, she had Will bring their own kiddos by to scope the joint out. Prince George, Princess Charlotte and the newest addition, 1-year-old Prince Louis, definitely had their run of the place ... it's practically a kid's playland paradise.

Charlotte and Louis rode the rope swing, which looks super fun ... and Georgie boy dipped his toes in a running stream under a baby bridge. We don't usually say this ... but damn, this is cute.

Seeing how they got a little cousin now who'll be able to play along soon enough -- ya gotta imagine the Royals might be here quite a bit in the near future.

Britney Spears is clearly trying to make it clear ... she's living her life.

Brit and BF Sam Ashgari went for some grub Saturday night at Lure Fish House in Westlake Village, near her home.

She looks great and seems happy ... at least from the pic.

TMZ broke the story, despite the social media cry to "Free Britney," her conservatorship is biz as usual. She interacts with her dad, conservator Jamie Spears, multiple times a day. She has freedom to do as she wishes, with an asterisk. Her dad makes sure security follows his daughter wherever she goes, to make sure she doesn't cross the line ... e.g., if she went to a liquor store, security would step in.

And, as we reported, smart phones are off limits to Brit, because her dad doesn't want people contacting her who might have ulterior motives.

Britney also said she'll perform again. As we reported, her longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, said he hasn't heard from her in months and it's Britney's decision when, if ever, she'll return to the stage.

Diablo seems to have rebounded in a big way ... after his involuntary psych hold and an apparent suicide attempt.

We got the DJ/producer in West Hollywood Saturday night outside Delilah, and he was super introspective about the downward spiral he had experienced just weeks before, when he posted an alarming note on Instagram, saying, "I'm gonna end it tonight. Goodbye everyone."

Diablo was placed on a 5150 hold after friends called the cops to rush over and help him. He now says one of his missions is to spread awareness about mental illness, and how to take steps to keep it in check.

Diablo was at the club with Lil Xan, who was clearly wasted as they made their exit.

Khloe Kardashian will not leave baby True alone with Kris Jenner ... because she fears Grandma will give the kid a sugar high!!!

True Thompson's momma dished with Disso Queen Laura Wasser on her hit podcast, 'Divorce Sucks!' which drops Monday ... and Khloe says Kris is like your typical grandma ... always fretting about extra layers and bribing the little ones with sugary treats.

Khloe reveals True's yet to taste any kind of unnatural sugars ... but she's got to watch her back around Kris because granny wants to fatten up the 1-year-old with all sorts of sweets.

Khloe believes Kris' tasty bribes are her way of getting Kim's and Kourtney's kids begging to go over the river and through the woods.

It's a fascinating conversation on parenting ... watch and learn how each of the Kardashian sisters deal with their broods ... from militant to permissive.

Britney Spears may be in the eye of a social media firestorm, but her conservatorship is working 24/7 and it's business as usual.

Sources with knowledge of the conservatorship tell TMZ ... Britney and her dad, conservator Jamie Spears, talk at least 3 times a day, often at Britney's behest. There have been reports Britney and Lynne Spears have squeezed Jamie out of his daughter's life, but it's not the case. In fact, we're told she's actually calling him "more than usual."

As for how the conservatorship runs ... we're told it's the same way it's run for 11 years. Britney fills her day with massages, acupuncture, facials, hair appointments and caring for her 2 sons.

She's free to come and go as she pleases, with certain restrictions. Security follows Britney at all times, but they don't meddle unless there's a red flag. For example, we're told liquor stores are off limits. You'll recall, Britney had issues with alcohol back in 2008 when she went into a tailspin.

There are other restrictions that Britney doesn't like, but they're in place nonetheless and haven't changed. Most notably, she really wants an iPhone, but we're told Jamie has put the kibosh on that because of concerns over social media and people with ulterior motives contacting her. Britney has taken the issue up with the judge -- as recently as a week ago Friday -- but the judge sided with Jamie.

Britney and Kevin Federline still have 50/50 joint custody of their sons ... the actual time week-to-week has gone back-and-forth for various reasons, but the formal arrangement hasn't changed.

As one source put it, "Britney does what she wants. The conservatorship protects her, but with a few exceptions it doesn't restrict her in her day-to-day life."