Celebrity Health

The well-endowed man from the coronavirus prank text is popping up on all kinds of gear -- but since he's now dead, the guy who snapped the pic wants some dough to get in the right hands.

You've probably fallen victim to it -- folks are sending friends messages offering crucial pandemic info, but the links all lead to this image of a black man with an anaconda. The prank's so popular, blogs are now selling his likeness on t-shirts.

TMZ did some digging, and we discovered the OG snapshot was taken by Pantheon Productions owner Walter Smith for a porn site. Walter tells us he took it around 2009, and on the site, his subject went by the name, "Wood."

Seems appropriate, but Walter says that's not his real name, and the guy died back in 2016. Now, Barstool Sports and other sites are selling merch with the model's face.

Walter owns the rights to the photo, but says he's not upset folks are hawking shirts because that's just the way the world works nowadays. However, he'd like to see profits from that merch to go to the man's family.

He says he won't give out Wood's real name, because he's no longer here to give permission -- however, Walter tells us he'd put vendors in touch with the family if they want to donate to them.

Famous golf courses all over the country are still keeping their fairways open despite the coronavirus pandemic ... with some telling TMZ Sports there are no restrictions on the course.

Golf ain't exactly a contact sport ... and it seems well-known courses in the U.S. know this, 'cause most clubhouse officials tell us they aren't changing a whole lot of policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Most major private clubs -- a la Augusta National and Pine Valley GC -- aren't in season yet ... but officials from some of those courses tell us they're planning on business as usual when they open in April and May.

As for public courses ... the ones that are in-season -- like Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Bethpage in New York -- explained to us tee times can still be had with little-to-no limitations on play.

A few notable public courses in Northern California tell us they're closed due to the "shelter in place" regulations inputted by local authorities ... but the plan for those courses is to open up once the orders are lifted.

As for the Los Angeles area, prior to governor Gavin Newsom's "stay at home" order Thursday night ... we're told public courses were still open with regulations.

Officials from one course told us they removed ball washers from tee boxes, and rakes from bunkers ... and instructed players to not pull pins on the greens.

It seems clear they'll all be shutting down after Newsom's speech Thursday, however.

Meanwhile, almost every other course we spoke with tells us their food and drink shops are takeout only.

Of course, golfers all over the U.S. still want to play -- as O.J. Simpson pointed out in a video Wednesday, it's pretty easy to social-distance while playing the sport.

Coronavirus ain't alone ... researchers are seeing more and more bugs with the same potential to create pandemics, according to a guy on the front lines of the battle.

Dr. Dennis Carroll is featured in the Netflix docuseries, "Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak" -- and he joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday with a warning about future viruses spilling over from animals to humans.

BTW, Carroll travels all over the world trying to identify those viruses before they reach pandemic or even epidemic levels. He was a senior infectious disease adviser at the CDC and also worked in Prez Obama and George W.'s administrations. So, yeah ... he knows his stuff.

If ya haven't seen 'Pandemic' ... it was shot before this coronavirus outbreak, but all the information in it applies to what the world's going through right now. Carroll told us COVID-19 is NOT a surprise to experts, but he fully expects outbreaks like this will continue.

A 34-year-old man has died in California after testing positive of coronavirus just days ago, and 2 weeks after visiting Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida ... TMZ has learned.

Jeffrey Ghazarian died Thursday morning at a Pasadena hospital after spending 5 days hooked up to a ventilator and battling for his life ... according to his family.

His sister says ... "He suffered a lot and put up a good fight. We will miss our Jeff everyday but we are thankful for all the fun happy memories of the times we had together."

Jeff's timeline regarding his COVID-19 infection is terrifying and should be eye-opening for people of all ages. According to his family, he flew from L.A. to Orlando on March 2 for a work conference, but stayed a few extra days to visit Disney World and Universal theme parks with friends.

We're told on March 7 he developed a cough, and the next day he coughed up blood. He flew back to LAX on March 9 ... and immediately went to the ER, where he also had a high fever.

The family says a chest x-ray confirmed Jeff had pneumonia, and he was tested for COVID-19 and sent home with fluids and antibiotics and instructed to self-quarantine until he got the results back.

We're told the results came back positive on March 13, and Jeff was provided a portable oxygen meter to keep an eye on his levels ... which took a turn for the worse that afternoon.

On March 14 he was taken by ambulance to the hospital and quickly transferred to the ICU when it was discovered his lungs were 60-70 percent blocked with pneumonia. Doctors decided the best path forward was to sedate and intubate, hoping a ventilator would help his lungs heal.

Sadly -- and despite the family claiming he was approved for antiviral meds -- the medication was delayed in getting to him, he took a turn for the worse ... and passed away Thursday morning.

It appears Jeffrey was higher-risk patient. He had a history of asthma and frequent bronchitis as a child, though he outgrew that. He also had undergone surgery for testicular cancer back in 2016.

The CDC now says young people can also be at grave risk ... and this underscores the danger.

He was 34.

Coronavirus has officially infiltrated the NFL ... with New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton revealing he tested positive for COVID-19.

56-year-old Payton came forward with the info to ESPN on Thursday. Payton says he started feeling under the weather on Sunday and got tested Monday. Payton says he has no fever and no cough and expects to make a full recovery.

Payton told ESPN he came forward because "he wants all people to heed the warnings of government officials, stay inside, and behave responsibly."

The craziest part ... over the weekend, Payton was at a horse racing event at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas talking with a TVG reporter ... ABOUT CORONAVIRUS! And, he was definitely NOT social distancing!!!!

Payton told ESPN's Adam Schefter, "This is not just about social distancing. It's shutting down here for a week to two weeks."

"If people understand the curve, and understand the bump, we can easily work together as a country to reduce it. Take a minute to understand what the experts are saying."

"It's not complicated to do what they're asking of us. Just that type of small investment by every one of us will have a dramatic impact."

In the past week, multiple high-profile people have been diagnosed with the virus -- from Kevin Durant to Tom Hanks, Rudy Gobert, Idris Elba, Prince Albert of Monaco and more.

The NFL has canceled multiple events due to the pandemic -- including the 2020 NFL Draft which was set to go down next month in Las Vegas.

So far, the league has NOT planned on pushing back the start of the 2020 NFL season.

Story developing ...

And, the band played on -- FL Gov. Ron DeSantis is digging in his heels, refusing to close beaches to block huge gatherings during the coronavirus outbreak ... despite alarming new CDC info.

You've seen the images of packed beaches in Clearwater, Panama Beach City and other Gulf Coast locations. Clearly, spring break is marching on, undaunted in the Sunshine State ... and many critics are pointing the finger at Gov. DeSantis.

So far, he's only said the state would enforce CDC's suggestion to keep parties under 10 people -- but anyone with eyes can see, cops are having a tough time getting partying kids to toe that line.

Ironically, the Governor's stance flies in the face of some other CDC data -- the fact they're now seeing more and more patients in their 30s, 40s and 50s suffering severe COVID-19 symptoms ... many in critical care.

We don't know if DeSantis ever watched "Jaws," but sure seems like he's a big fan of Vaughn ... the Amityville Mayor who kept the beaches open for 4th of July.

That worked out well.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced folks to get creative with how they kill time, burn carbs and socialize ... and modern technology is clutch in making it happen.

People stuck in self-quarantine or shelter-in-place mode across the world right now are facing a challenge like never before -- how to spend quality time with family, friends and coworkers without being in the same buildings, bars, gyms, restaurants or homes as them.

Apps like Houseparty -- which allow group video chats -- are used to talk, play games, virtually hang out and even throw back some beers together ... all from the comfort of your own couch.

Comedians Joellen Redlingshafer and Anne Feuss took to IG Live Thursday to have some fun with followers with an at-home workout using items from around their apartment.

Some companies are even getting in on this action by organizing virtual happy hours at the ends of the week ... just on the app and not at the pub.

Of course, FaceTime on the iPhone allows for group chats or 1-one-1 connections as always ... but it's being utilized way more now with most of the country on lockdown or social distancing. The Airtime app also lets people stream shows to watch together.

Along with finding fun new ways to pass the time with friends, people are also focusing on learning new skills or focusing on hobbies ... like cooking.

There are tons of YouTube cooking classes to help you turn your kitchen into a gourmet restaurant you can no longer go to ... or just help you make the most of what's in your cupboard.

Evangeline Lilly is going against the grain in a big way ... sending her kids off to gymnastics and having lots of dicey interactions, because she believes the coronavirus scare is not only overblown ... it might even have some sinister tinges to it.

Evangeline just said for her and her fam, it's business as usual. She said, "Just dropped my kids off at gymnastic camp. They all washed their hands before going in. They are playing and laughing."

It gets even more real ... The actress says she's living with her dad who has stage 4 leukemia. She says, "I am also immune compromised at the moment."

And then, there's this mantra ... "Some people value their lives over freedom, some people value freedom over their lives. We all make our choices."

One thing that she doesn't address .... if anyone in her family contracts the virus and interacts with others, they could spread it to people who might be at risk and, as you know, a number of those people are dying.

She says the virus is really just a "respiratory flu" ... despite just about every doctor saying it's more serious than the flu.

She feels the government has taken too much control over our lives and it's getting too close to Martial Law for comfort.

The Monaco Grand Prix -- one of the most famous F1 races in the world -- has been postponed ... hours after Prince Albert tested positive for COVID-19.

FIA -- the body that oversees Formula 1 -- made the announcement Thursday that it was pulling the plug on THREE major races ... the Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Grand Prix.

Officials say the decision was made "in order to ensure the health and safety of the traveling staff, championship participants and fans, which remains our primary concern."

FIA says it is studying the "viability of potential alternative dates for each Grand Prix later in the year should the situation improve."

"Formula 1 and the FIA expect to begin the 2020 championship season as soon as it's safe to do so after May and will continue to regularly monitor the ongoing COVID-19 situation."

The Monaco Grand Prix was originally scheduled for May 24th.

Hollywood's movie theater and valet workers are in major crisis mode now that their job opportunities have completely dried up.

We're told it's been especially devastating to valet companies that have contracts with high-end restaurants because with restaurants closed for in-seating service ... that means valet attendants have no cars to park.

Those valet companies also work Hollywood's private events ... and those ain't happening either with the federal guideline of keeping gatherings under 10 people.

Hourly wage staffers at movie theaters are screwed too. Companies like AMC, the largest theater chain in the U.S., announced Tuesday it's closing all of its 630 locations for 6 to 12 weeks. Ditto for the Regal chain's 532 theaters.

According to Variety, somewhere around 120,000 entertainment industry staff and crew jobs have already been lost, seemingly with no end in sight. The movie theater industry has reportedly requested a bailout from Congress to help theaters and their 150,000 employees.

Elon Musk's offering to make ventilators to help coronavirus patients who desperately need them, but his proposal begs the question ... what's the freakin' holdup?!

The Tesla founder stirred the pot on Twitter late Wednesday night when he replied to someone who told him to "stop being an idiot" about the COVID-19 pandemic and use his factory to make ventilators as quickly as possible.

Elon's response -- "We will make ventilators if there is a shortage."

It's not necessarily the most heroic way of putting it, but it's promising to see Musk committing to helping out ... following the footsteps of other major motor companies that have already promised to lend a hand in any way possible.

Problem is ... health experts are already clear ... there WILL be a shortage of ventilators for those seriously infected with the coronavirus. So, Elon's "if" seems moot.

Of course, just days ago he said the "danger of panic still far exceeds danger" of COVID-19, and cited a CDC graph suggesting if we over-allocate medical resources to coronavirus it will come at the expense of treating other illnesses.

He may be right, but if time is of the essence with producing ventilators ... there's no time to argue.

Australia's most prestigious pro rugby league is combating the coronavirus pandemic ... by appointing a special BALL WASHER to keep things clean on the field.

The problem??? The rest of the players are smothering each other!!

It all went down Thursday in Sydney -- where the North Queensland Cowboys took on the  Canterbury Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium.

Officials in Australia have outlawed public gatherings of more than 500 people -- so the National Rugby League (NRL) decided to push forward with games ... with limited people in attendance.

In total, there were 241 people at the stadium (including the players) so the game was allowed to take place.

Still, a disturbing sight to see the players sweating, breathing and bleeding on each other with the global COVID-19 pandemic in full swing.

After the game, the players were seen hugging family members in the stands -- another big NO-NO according to some health experts.