Celebrity Health

Ric Flair is finally detailing the specifics of his recent health scare ... telling TMZ Sports he underwent surgery to receive a pacemaker -- and now plans to live 25 more years!!!

Now that Naitch is back home and feeling great ... he joined the guys on "TMZ Sports" TV show and reflected on his week in the hospital.

Ric says he went in to fix an issue with his heart ... and tells us he's confident the doctors fixed him just right -- hooking him up with a new pacemaker.

"This is the 4th time I've been in in 7 weeks," Flairs tells us ... "They finally figured out what type of pacemaker to put on me. Which I found out just how important the operation of your heart is. Ya can't breathe if your hearts not working."

In fact ... Naitch says they even were able to get rid of a blood clot he didn't know he had.

"I stayed for 48 hours [after surgery] just to make sure because we've been trying everything," Ric said, showing off his brand-new heart surgery scar.

"We finally got behind it and I think I'm good to go."

Ric says he's so confident everything was fixed in the procedure ... he told the guys he's planning on living for the next quarter of a century!!!

"I feel great. The prognosis is I could live to be 95."

There's more ... Ric also told us about all his super famous friends who reached out to him during his hospital stint ... and described how much it meant to him to hear from his buddies.

Flair says guys like Hulk Hogan, Charles Barkley, Bruce Smith and Darius Rucker all reached out.

Even Offset hit him on the video chat, with Ric saying, "He FaceTime'd me in the hospital. Then he sent out this ridiculous Tweet, 'my friend isn't dead!'"

Red Sox stud Michael Chavis is worried for the Cubs star who hit a child with a foul ball earlier this week ... telling TMZ Sports his ex-teammate was messed up for WEEKS after doing the same thing.

As we previously reported ... Chicago utility man Albert Almora Jr. hit a screaming line drive into foul territory in a game earlier this week -- and the ball connected squarely with a 4-year-old girl.

Almora Jr. was visibly upset -- even crying into his baseball mitt ... and when we got Chavis out in NYC on Friday before the Red Sox took on the Yanks -- he said he's concerned for Albert's immediate future.

And, why? Chavis says he had a minor league teammate who ripped a foul ball into a fan a few years ago in similar fashion ... and the guy took a while to recover from it.

"Honestly, for the next couple weeks, he was kind of like flustered," Chavis tells us ... "Scared to pull the ball and stuff like that."

Almora Jr. hasn't played in a game since the incident Wednesday night ... but there's hope he won't be bothered by the accident -- after all, the little girl he hit is reportedly doing fine.

As for Chavis ... he also spoke with us about how pumped he is for his first-ever trip to new Yankees Stadium.

Kit Harington is finding healthy ways to release stress -- getting in a workout down the street from his stay at a "wellness center" ... aka rehab.

The "Game of Thrones" star was walking out of a gym Friday in the Connecticut neighborhood where he's been taking what his people call a mental health retreat ... at a luxury facility.

Kit, who played Jon snow on the extremely popular HBO series, was rocking jeans and a button down on his way out of the gym. His female companion appears to be someone connected to the facility -- maybe a sponsor ... she's been seen with him around town in late April.

As we reported ... Kit's reportedly getting treatment for exhaustion, stress and alcohol abuse at a facility that's believed to cost about $120,000 per month. As you can see, he's allowed to leave the facility from time to time.

We're told Kit spent about 90 minutes at the gym ... plenty of time to get in a killer workout.

Ric Flair is praising the doctors who "brought me back again" -- saying it's a "miracle" he survived a terrifying medical scare earlier this month ... and he's got the $1.8 MIL bill to show for it.

In his first video since leaving the hospital last week, the 70-year-old apologized for not speaking out sooner ... but says his vocal cords have been sore from having a tube down his throat.

But, it didn't take long for Flair to start screaming and "woooing" again while explaining how he almost DIED for the second time in just 2 years.

As we previously reported, Flair was rushed to the hospital on May 16 after suffering a "very serious" medical emergency. He underwent surgery and was released a week later.

Flair says his treatment was a "$1.8 million tune" ... and said, "Thank god for insurance."

"I'm living here to tell you the kiss stealin', wheelin' dealin', limousine riding, jet flyin' son of a gun is not gonna change, slow down, I'm moving forward!!"

Naitch says a bunch of his famous friends checked in on him during his hospitalization -- from Triple H to Charles Barkley to Hulk Hogan to Offset.

But, Flair also CALLED OUT a bunch of his so-called friends who DIDN'T call. While he didn't name names, it's obvious he's really pissed at those people.

Doctors told Flair he needs to "grow up" and treat his body better -- but Flair says HELL NO ... he's gonna continue to push the limits and booze and party until his dying breath.

"I'm never gonna get old. I got a wife that wants a 35-year-old man every day of her life."

"I don't care how many doctors tell me, 'you gotta learn to grow up' ...I'm not gonna act like my age, don't ever tell me that!! I'm paying you to make me better so I can be me. That's me and that's all i'm ever gonna be ... good or bad."

"I'm up, I'm well, and I'm just starting to tell my story."

The Green Bay Packers just suffered their first major injury of the 2019 season -- because the HEAD COACH just popped his Achilles playing basketball!!!

Matt LaFleur -- who just locked down Green Bay's head coaching job back in January -- reportedly shredded his lower leg playing a game of knockout on a Lambeau court Wednesday.

Per NFL.com's Michael Silver -- the 39-year-old tore the tendon and will have surgery to fix the issue on Sunday.

Silver adds LaFleur -- a Sean McVay pupil -- will now be coaching from a golf cart during Packers practices the next few weeks.

Mama June is on a dark path heading toward looming death ... so frets Honey Boo Boo, who's desperately urging her mom to seek help for what looks like a severe crack cocaine addiction.

Mama June's family and friends are scared to death ... her life's in danger, and they confronted her during an intervention ... with Honey Boo Boo begging Mama to go to rehab, asking her if she values her life enough to get clean so she can watch her grandchild grow up.

We've got a clip from the finale of Mama June's 'Not to Hot' Friday night at 9 on WE tv -- and you see her, busted teeth and all, getting super defensive as her loved ones plead with her to turn her life around.

As we first showed you ... Mama looks like a shell of herself since she got busted for crack cocaine possession back in March with boyfriend Geno Doak. Mama's teeth are falling apart, and she collapses on camera during the dramatic family intervention.

We're told Geno wasn't present for the intervention ... which is interesting, because Mama's daughter, Pumpkin, insinuates he's cheating on her when she's not around.

Ex-WWE stars Big Cass and Enzo knew Ric Flair would come through after his medical emergency earlier this month ... telling TMZ Sports Ric is too much of an "indestructible" beast to die!!!

"He is immortal," Enzo says.

We broke the story ... Ric was rushed to the hospital on May 16 after the 70-year-old legend suffered a "very serious" health scare.

But, Flair -- as always -- was able to pull through ... and he even wore a t-shirt with his mug on it as he exited the hospital!!!

When we got the pro wrestling stars out in NYC earlier this week ... they weren't surprised one bit to see Flair make it out alive!!

In fact, the two joked they expect to see Ric in the squared circle again next week!!!!

"He'll be on Mania next year, watch," Big Cass says.

For his part ... Flair says he's back at home resting, saying, "I Will Be Back Up And WOOOOOing In No Time!"

Kanye West described in vivid detail what it's like to have a bipolar episode, and he grouses people just don't get it ... and actually made it way worse for him.

Ye opened up about his mental health struggles to David Letterman for his Netflix show, 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction' -- and we got hold of the footage where he tries to get people to imagine a sprained ankle and then transfer that concept to a sprained brain.

Listen to Kanye ... it's a revelation when you think of a people bearing down on a sprained ankle, causing pain and exacerbating the injury. Now, think of doctors and society doing the same sort of thing to a cerebrum.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye had what seemed like a nervous breakdown back in 2016, which turned out to be a bipolar episode. He was handcuffed to a hospital bed and left alone, which -- as he explains in this clip -- only made things worse.

He says he's opening up about all this to start a conversation about the way we treat bipolar disorder ... and has been applauded for his efforts in speaking about it so candidly.

The entire season -- which also includes interviews with Ellen DeGeneres and Melinda Gates -- drops Friday on Netflix and we're told through it all, Kanye is for the most part very cogent and clear.

5/31/19 -- Two other former UCLA players -- OL Zach Bateman and OL Poasi Moala -- have joined Lopez's lawsuit against the school and Mora.

"Each of these young men suffered serious, but significantly different injuries, while they were teammates at UCLA," said their attorney, Pamela Tahim Thakur.

"While the lawsuits involve many of the same facts, each case is distinct in its own way. But what they all have in common is the pattern of brutality and intentional disregard for player health and safey by Coach Mora and his staff at UCLA."

10:30 AM PT -- A spokesperson for UCLA Athletics released a statement to TMZ Sports ... saying, “While we cannot comment on the specific details of a pending lawsuit, we want to make it clear that the health and safety of our student-athletes is UCLA’s top priority."

"We strongly deny and will defend ourselves against the allegations made in the lawsuit. We handle every injury with the highest standard of care, and take potential head injuries very seriously. As one of the world’s leading research institutions, and a partner in the largest-ever concussion research study conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense and NCAA, we believe our concussion protocol is among the strongest in the country."

"Our team physicians and sports medicine staff work hand-in-hand on diagnosis, monitoring and treatment, and they are the only individuals who determine when a student-athlete is cleared to participate in their sport; coaches are not involved in these decisions.”

Former UCLA coach Jim Mora's practices were so rigorous -- and his concussion protocol was so flimsy -- an ex-OL tried to kill himself ... so claims one of Mora's former top recruits in a new lawsuit.

John Lopez -- a 6' 5", 305-pound offensive lineman -- says repeated concussions he suffered during Mora's practices led to his suicide attempt back in 2016.

Lopez claims after being recruited by Mora to UCLA ... he almost immediately suffered his first-ever concussion at the Bruins' August 2013 training camp in San Bernardino.

Lopez says Mora and his staff didn't take the proper steps to safely return him back to the field ... and rushed him back into practice.

In fact, Lopez says he was ridiculed for being injured ... and alleges one of Mora's coaches even made up a special drill where other players were encouraged to "f*ck him up!"

Lopez says the following year -- at the start of his sophomore season -- at UCLA's August 2014 training camp in San Bernardino ... he suffered a second concussion in an on-field drill.

John claims he was rushed back to the field once again ... and says the drills he was put through in his return were "unnecessarily brutal."

Lopez says a year later -- in December 2015 of his junior season -- he suffered yet another head injury ... and his post-concussion symptoms were so bad, he was forced to medically retire from the team.

But, John says the damage the brain injuries did were already crippling ... saying he suffered from short-term memory loss, depression and "drastic changes in his demeanor."

Lopez says it all came to a head in the fall of 2016 ... when he attempted to kill himself by overdosing on a combination of over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Lopez says he was able to inform family members and friends of his suicide attempt ... and they were able to save his life at the emergency center at UCLA's medical center shortly after.

John is now suing Mora, members of his staff, UCLA and the NCAA ... claiming they didn't do enough to protect him both before he suffered concussions and afterward.

Lopez is now seeking more than $15 MILLION ... saying the trauma he suffered during his time at UCLA is preventing him from finishing school and is causing him emotional pain, suffering and distress.

We've reached out to UCLA for comment -- so far, no word back.

Demaryius Thomas says his violent car crash earlier this year scared the hell of him ... telling TMZ Sports he could have DIED after he flipped his SUV in Denver back in February.

"I could have been gone," the NFL star receiver says.

As we previously reported ... Thomas was doing 70 MPH in a 30 at around 12:20 AM on Feb. 16 when he lost control of his SUV and crashed it into a curb.

A witness says he saw Thomas' car flip several times in the air ... and the pics we obtained from the accident show the gnarly scene.

Thomas says it was a pretty traumatic experience for him ... and tells us he's not only thankful he can still play football -- he's happy to just be a functioning human being.

"I wake up every morning and thank the lord above," Thomas says ... "And, just thankful for just not even just being able to do what I do -- being able to talk, walk, eat, all those things that we forget about on a daily basis."

Thomas -- who signed with the Patriots just a few weeks after the wreck -- is clearly taking advantage of the second chance ... he helped give kids free haircuts and braids at his "Summer Break" event over the weekend.

As far as David Letterman's concerned, fans need to keep the good vibes going Alex Trebek's way -- because he agrees, positivity is helping Alex near remission in his pancreatic cancer battle.

We got Letterman Wednesday in NYC and told him about Alex revealing his tumors have shrunk around 50 percent since beginning chemotherapy.

Dave made it clear, he's cosigning on Alex's assessment that his success isn't all attributed to science -- it's also very much about the flood of well-wishes from fans and friends contributing to an improved condition.

Remember, David's been in Alex's shoes before -- undergoing quintuple heart bypass surgery in 2000, and making a full recovery.

Nichelle Nichols, who famously played Lt. Uhura on "Star Trek," is enraged at her son for putting her under a conservatorship ... and unleashed a blood-curdling scream when he attempted to take her home.

Audio of their confrontation was recorded by Gilbert Bell, Nichelle's manager and longtime friend -- and was first reported by Jonathan Carlson at Atlanta's CBS46. While Gilbert was visiting her last month, they got into a discussion about Nichelle's son and her conservatorship.

TMZ broke the story, Kyle Johnson was granted the conservatorship over his mother a year ago ... when she was diagnosed with dementia. Nichelle made it clear to Gilbert that she's pissed off about her son's legal maneuver, insisting ... "He's not the boss of me!" She also says she never gave him permission to take control of her estate.

Then, Kyle walked into the room to take her home. Nichelle refused, saying ... "Kyle, I'll kill you. You get the f**k out of my way." She then screamed and shouted at Kyle, "Give me my stuff!! Nooooo!! You're trying to get rid of me!!!"

As we've reported, one of the "Star Trek" icon's friends filed docs last year opposing Kyle's conservatorship. The friend claims he's merely out for his mother's money, and questioned the dementia diagnosis.

The friend even filed a letter she says Nichelle wrote to her son, informing him she was amending her will because he had told her, "I can't wait to get rid of this s**t" and sell off her house.

Alex Trebek is revealing some incredible news ... he's nearing remission and his tumors have shrunk by more than 50 percent!!!

The "Jeopardy!" host told People his progress battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer has been "kind of mind-boggling" ... because the cancer has a 9 percent survival rate. The doctors themselves are SHOCKED by how well Trebek's been responding to chemo.

Trebek says, "The doctors said they hadn't seen this kind of positive result in their memory ... some of the tumors have already shrunk by more than 50 percent."

It wasn't long ago -- back on May 1 -- when Trebek said his battle with cancer gives him "surges of deep, deep sadness." The 'Jeopardy!' legend was diagnosed in March as he was nearing the end of the 35th season of the enduring game show.

While this is all great news, Trebek says he knows he's not outta the woods just yet. He's got several more rounds of chemo before he goes into full remission. The good news, however, brought Trebek to tears, adding, "But they were tears of joy, not tears of depression."

As for why he's responded so well to chemo, Trebek said he credits well wishes from fans and friends from around the world. He said, "I told the doctors, this has to be more than just the chemo, and they agreed it could very well be an important part of this."

"Love & Hip Hop" star Rah Ali gave birth 5 months into her pregnancy, and the baby only survived for a few minutes ... which is why Nicki Minaj is trying like hell to ease her close friend's pain.

Sources close to Rah Ali tell TMZ ... her baby girl died Sunday, almost immediately after the premature birth. She was not due until the middle of October.

We're told Rah Ali was in her house Sunday when her water broke and contractions started. She was rushed to the hospital, but doctors were unable to save her baby.

The premature birth came as a complete shock -- we're told all of Rah's previous doctors visits revealed no signs of trouble with her pregnancy.

Nicki and Rah have been close forever. Rah Ali allegedly tried to fight Cardi B on behalf of Nicki during last year's infamous shoe-throwing incident at a New York Fashion Week party.

Our sources say Nicki's doing everything she can to be supportive in the wake of the child's death ... calling and checking on Rah, and trying to lift her spirits ... as much as possible considering the devastating situation.

Is this interaction the reason Josh Harrison went straight from the diamond to the injured list this week!?!

Seems like a decent possibility ... 'cause just 24-or-so hours after a fan begged Harrison to steal more bags for his fantasy team -- Josh got injured running the bases!!!

Here's the deal ... the Tigers played the Mets in New York on Sunday -- and as Harrison was boarding the team bus ... a fan stopped him for a fist bump and a small request.

"I got you on my fantasy team and if it's not too much to ask, more stolen bases."

Harrison shrugged off the guy with a smile, saying, "I'm just worried about wins right now!"

BUT ... during Detroit's game against Baltimore on Monday -- Harrison stole third base in the ninth inning (only his 3rd steal of the season) -- and he had to leave with an injury right after!!!

3:34 PM PT -- Kit's reps got back to us, and say he "has decided to utilize this break in his schedule as an opportunity to spend some time at a wellness retreat to work on some personal issues."

They say he's NOT there for "rehab," and emphasize the words, "wellness retreat."

Kit Harington was hit hard by "Game of Thrones" coming to an end -- so hard, he checked himself into a rehab center for stress and alcohol before the final episode aired.

The actor, who famously played Jon Snow on 'Thrones,' entered a luxury Connecticut facility for a mental health retreat weeks before the May 19 finale ... according to the NY Post, which first reported his rehab stay.

Kit's been getting treatment for stress, exhaustion and alcohol abuse. The Post says his wife -- fellow 'GoT' star Rose Leslie -- has been very supportive of the decision to get professional help.

The rehab facility is believed to cost over $120,000 per month ... no word yet on when Harington will be released.

As you know, 'GoT' wrapped its highly-anticipated 8th final season earlier this month. Reviews of the whole season were extremely mixed, at best, and downright awful at worst. It still got HUGE ratings, though.

Video of Kit reacting to the final script in the 'GoT' behind-the-scenes documentary as he read the fate of his character and Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen went viral ... because he broke down in tears.

Clearly, he wasn't just being dramatic. He has since said he needed therapy after learning how the show ends for his character.

Kit's also been very open about how much the show's worldwide attention has impacted his life. He told Variety the "darkest" point was when Jon Snow was killed ... but later came back to life.