Celebrity Health

NBA superstar Karl-Anthony Towns says his mother had to be placed on a ventilator and then into a medically-induced coma after she displayed severe symptoms of COVID-19.

The Minnesota Timberwolves center revealed the devastating news in an emotional video late Tuesday night ... saying both of his parents came down with flu-like symptoms early last week.

KAT says he urged the two to go to the hospital, and while he says his dad eventually got better -- his mom, Jacqueline Cruz, didn't ... with her condition "deteriorating" daily.

Karl-Anthony says a fever ravaged her ... with Cruz's 103-degree temp only falling to 101.9 after meds -- and then re-spiking almost immediately after.

KAT, who didn't specifically say his parents had tested positive for coronavirus, says doctors tried all kinds of drugs to get his mom better ... but, eventually, the 24-year-old says her lungs got so bad, she was forced to be put on a ventilator.

Then, KAT says doctors put her in a medically induced coma.

"We always thought the next medicine would help," he said. "The next one would help. This is the one that's going to get it done. This one will make sure to get it done."

Towns says he's optimistic for his mom ... but you can see in the video, he's VERY concerned.

"My mother is the strongest woman I know, and I know she will beat this," he said. "And, we will rejoice when she does."

The NBA player says he made the video this week to explain the virus is VERY real ... and begged people to take stay-at-home orders seriously.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought live concerts to a total standstill, but the music industry is still set on churning out new tunes ... and producers are increasingly working from home and getting super creative.

Music industry sources tell TMZ ... recording studios across Los Angeles and New York City have all closed due to the virus, forcing lots of music producers to build mobile studios in their homes, where they can still make beats and record tracks.

Our sources tell us music producers are increasingly turning to video chats and streaming services to brainstorm ideas, collab and record pieces of songs with other producers.

We're told producers are still working directly with their artists to write and collab, but the interactions are going digital now that face-to-face meetings are highly discouraged due to COVID-19.

As you know ... Lady Gaga announced Tuesday she's delaying the release of her upcoming album, "Chromatica," in light of the outbreak, joining a growing list of artists and festivals that have seen disruptions on account of coronavirus.

It's likely just the tip of the iceberg, but our music industry sources say albums won't be delayed because they aren't finished. We're told home studios can essentially do everything traditional sessions can do, and pushing back release dates is more about marketing concerns.

Coronavirus has folks in heavily populated areas getting outta Dodge ... believing they'll be much safer away from people, isolating in homes on wheels.

It seems RV parks and campsites are the new safe haven for motor home owners fleeing COVID-19. Campground owners and managers in inland states -- like Nevada, Idaho and Wisconsin -- tell us they've seen an influx of folks from pandemic hot zones.

The owner of Devils River Campground in Manitowoc County, WI says they’re closed -- the ground is frozen, there’s no running water and power has been switched off -- but that hasn’t stopped diehards from trying to set up camp there anyway. As they say ... any port in a storm.

The owner tells us one couple from L.A. appeared in the middle of the night last week offering $40 just to hunker down for a night in the parking lot. A Chicago family had the same idea, and even told the owner they picked Manitowoc County because it had no reported coronavirus cases.

Anderson Camp in Eden, Idaho is also filling its RV spaces with folks from “areas that have been hit hard” ... according to the owner.

The same is true at the Canyon Trail RV Park in Boulder City, Nevada. Owner and operator Mike Wells says residents from California and Washington -- 2 of the hardest-hit states -- have accounted for 50 percent of patrons trying to crash on his 13 acres.

Mike says, “It’s been so busy and so many calls are coming in -- it’s like a call center here."

Camila Cabello says she's putting her upcoming world tour on ice before it even begins ... because things just ain't safe out there due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The "Senorita" singer announced Tuesday she's postponing her "Romance" tour, which was set to kick off in May and make stops across Europe and the United States, areas that are being ravaged by the virus.

Camila says she's postponing the tour as an extreme precaution and to protect her fans, team, dancers, band, crew and loved ones.

Concerts and social distancing just don't mix, and Camila says she can't even get her group together to start rehearsing. The singer is hoping to reschedule as soon as possible.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is putting his money where his heart his -- dropping a small fortune to help get crucial supplies to doctors and scientists battling the virus.

The ex-Gov of California shared the news Tuesday, telling his followers he'd donated a million bucks to a GoFundMe account called Frontline Responders Fund -- which is run by an organization called Flexport. They specialize in transporting must-have equipment to different causes around the world ... right now, all their efforts are focused on the coronavirus.

Arnold says, "I never believed in sitting on the couch and complaining about how bad things are, I always believed we should all do our part to make things better." He continued, "This is a simple way to protect our real action heroes on the frontlines in our hospitals, and I’m proud to be part of it."

He also encouraged everyone to follow in his footsteps by giving whatever you can "to support these heroes."

As for how exactly the money -- a whopping $3.2 million so far -- is going to be used ... Flexport breaks it down on the GFM page. They say it's a 4-step process: manufacturers make the stuff, trucks take it to airports and ports, cargo planes and ships transport it where it needs to go and then trucks deliver supplies to hospitals and anywhere else they're needed. Delivered items include masks, gloves, surgical gowns and thermometers.

All of that loading and unloading ain't cheap, and Flexport supports and finances companies directly involved in the endeavor. Arnold just made it a whole lot more affordable!

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the world, a cruise ship company continues to get hit with lawsuits ... 3 more former passengers are the most recent plaintiffs.

According to new legal docs ... Jeffrey and Anabel Jones, along with Eddy Castellanos, want at least $1 million in damages, claiming Princess Cruise Lines was grossly negligent in allowing them to travel on the Grand Princess cruise ship when it allegedly knew there would be coronavirus exposure.

A significant part of their argument -- according to the suit -- is what happened on another PCL cruise ship ... the Diamond Princess. As you'll recall, the Diamond was quarantined off the coast of Japan due to coronavirus concerns BEFORE the Grand set sail from San Fran and was quarantined in the Bay Area waters for a week.

The 3 passengers claim PCL should have handled the situation better based on what happened with the Diamond, but instead ... they botched it.

Furthermore, the defendants claim an email was sent to former PCL passengers on February 25 to inform them of the risk of coronavirus ... but the defendants say they received no such email. They claim if they had gotten word of it, they would have disembarked from the cruise at the next stop in Honolulu.

Also, just like in the suit first filed by Ronald and Eva Weissberger on March 9, the new suit alleges the ship's staff KNEW at least 2 other passengers with coronavirus had just disembarked from a previous voyage. Despite this, there was no testing done and the screening process was totally insufficient.

Van Jones says there's an urgent matter to address related to the coronavirus pandemic -- protecting prisoners from it ... in order to protect society as a whole.

The Reform Alliance CEO told us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" ... COVID-19 hitting the prison systems would be a catastrophe, but President Trump and the federal government have the power and opportunity to nip it in the bud.

Van says the First Step Act -- which Trump signed into law in December 2018 -- allows for "compassionate release" of qualifying prisoners ... meaning low-level and non-violent offenders. In this case, that could include older, ailing prisoners more at-risk of contracting COVID-19.

He wants these inmates released ASAP -- before they contract the virus -- so they can go into home confinement and help slow the spread.

Van says this would be huge in controlling coronavirus in prisons, where inmates are unable to practice social distancing or even use hand sanitizers. No alcohol allowed. He adds, this is best for the protection of guards and other prison staffers, too.

Bottom line ... he says the Prez should make "compassionate release" a priority because prison can quickly become a "petri dish" for the virus.

Olympic pole-vaulter Alysha Newman says there's a silver lining to the coronavirus pandemic -- yeah, it sucks that the Games are postponed, but it's uniting the world like never before.

The 25-year-old Canadian -- who competed at the '16 Games -- had been hardcore training for Tokyo 2020 until COVID-19 stopped the sports world in its tracks.

But Newman says she's trying to focus on the positive -- and spelled it out to TMZ Sports.

"I'm going to get a whole other year of training and competition under my belt. Another year of growth as a person," Newman says.

"For me, it's been extremely humbling. For me, there is no wealth, no race, no religion, no 'who you know' that can get you on the other side of it. It's literally an entire world coming together and doing the right thing so we can go back to living reality."

"I've never seen that since I have been living. I'm 25 years old, I have never seen an entire world come together and really, really do what we can ... because it's us. Literally the world against this coronavirus and we have to remember that."

Greta Thunberg -- the 17-year-old climate activist -- says she spent the last 10 days in isolation after coming down with what she believes is COVID-19.

Yeah, listen up young people ... this is important.

Thunberg says she started to feel symptoms -- fatigue, shivers, sore throat and cough -- when she returned to Sweden from a trip around Central Europe roughly 2 weeks ago. Her father, who also traveled with her, had similar symptoms but "much more intense."

In Sweden, Greta says, people are not allowed to test for coronavirus unless they need emergency medical treatment -- so instead of clogging up the healthcare system, she self-isolated instead "in a borrowed apartment away from my mother and sister."

"I have therefore not been tested for COVID-19, but it’s extremely likely that I’ve had it, given the combined symptoms and circumstances."

The good news ... Greta says she's "basically recovered" but she's sending a strong message to young people -- warning them to TAKE EXTREME PRECAUTIONS so they don't infect someone else who might not handle it as well.

"THIS IS THE BOTTOM LINE: I almost didn’t feel ill. My last cold was much worse than this! Had it not been for someone else having the virus simultaneously I might not even have suspected anything."

"We who don’t belong to a risk group have an enormous responsibility, our actions can be the difference between life and death for many others."

Conor McGregor just made a VERY passionate plea to the country of Ireland -- demanding they go into '"full lockdown" ASAP to protect themselves against COVID-19.

You gotta watch the clip ... the UFC superstar is HEATED -- saying straight-up, "True lockdown must begin, and it must begin now!!!"

McGregor shouted out the leaders of his country -- from the President on down -- saying, "While we are currently debating a full lockdown, I feel that we must! Any time spent debating this is needless time from the clock."

So far, at least 6 people have died from coronavirus in Ireland -- and more than 1,000 people have tested positive. Conor clearly believes the country needs to stop the spread.

Conor points to other countries that have seen success from quarantine -- and urges his people to take the threat seriously.

"Let's get it together and ring the bell ourselves," Conor says.

McGregor calls for the country to shut down everything from airports to non-essential businesses -- "along with stricter adherence to social distancing, must be put in place now!"

"We have the advantage here in that we can see this coming!"

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will NOT go down as scheduled on July 24, an IOC official just announced.

International's Olympic Committee member Dick Pound says that they have officially decided to postpone the games ... in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound told USA Today.

“The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”

It's unclear when officials will reschedule the games.

“We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense,” Pound says.

The move should surprise absolutely nobody ... the globe has been paralyzed by COVID-19, with major cities and even countries shutting down over fears of spreading the lethal virus.

IOC officials tried their best to keep the games on ... but pressure from critics clearly grew too heavy for them to move forward with the July games as planned.

Remember, both Canada AND Australia said they would NOT send players to Tokyo to compete if the games were not postponed.

"With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games," Canadian Olympic officials said in a statement.

"Containing the virus must be our paramount concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more significant than sport."

President Donald Trump has suggested officials reschedule the Summer Games next year.

Ex-NBA stud Jason Collins has tested positive for coronavirus ... and he says he feels so crappy, he's considering a return trip to the hospital Tuesday.

The 41-year-old former center says he took a trip to New York City earlier this month for the Brooklyn Nets' pride night game on March 4 ... and believes he contracted COVID-19 while there.

Collins says his symptoms started with a "terrible headache" just a few days later on March 11 ... and then quickly progressed.

"A few days later I had a fever and then the cough," Collins said. "On Saturday I went to the ER and got tested and spoke with some docs about the tightness in my chest."

Collins added, "I’m home now resting but still experiencing some tightness and might go back to the hospital later today."

The good news for JC ... he says initial tests Saturday showed his lungs were clear.

In the meantime, Collins -- who played 14 seasons in the NBA (and was famously the first openly gay man to play in an NBA game) -- is pleading with people to social-distance to stop the spread of the virus.

"Thank you to every single health care worker out there that are our true heroes on the frontline," Collins said. "Please let’s try to flatten the curve & not overwhelm our health care system."

Oprah's longtime partner, Stedman, isn't getting any snuggles during these days of sheltering at home -- he's in the guesthouse ... but you could call it the dog house, too.

Oprah's been quarantining at her home in Santa Barbara, CA during the coronavirus pandemic, but in an interview with her magazine she revealed her longtime partner is separately self-isolating in their guesthouse for an important reason ... to protect her health.

O says she's more at-risk because she had pneumonia late last year and just recently got off meds following a bronchial infection ... but it's still mostly Stedman's fault he's not able to be by her side now.

She claims Stedman's "one of those" people who didn't take the COVID-19 crisis seriously enough and was "late to the party" in getting onboard with taking precautions.

In fact, Oprah says Stedman flew from Chicago to California just on Thursday and when he asked her what the procedure was for coming home, she says she told him ... "The procedure is...you ain't coming and sleeping in my bed!"

Oprah says she added ... "Have you not been paying attention to the news? Social-distancing does not mean you go and sleep in the same bed with the person. When you just got off American Airlines!"

O says it's all good, though, and Stedman's happy to be keeping her safe. She says she and her girls bring him meals daily and they have "love chats" ... with a window between them.

For the record, he's not tested positive for coronavirus either ... they are just being extra-careful, and it's only for a couple weeks, right?

Therapists aren't going to stop putting patients on the couch due to the coronavirus outbreak -- they just have to find creative ways to do it ... billing included.

TMZ spoke with a number of therapists and patients across 3 states, and what we're hearing is that one-one-one sessions continue to be the norm during the outbreak. However, with the mandate for social distancing ... those appointments have moved to digital platforms.

As the "Peanuts" character, Lucy, would say, the doctor is still in -- but she's having phone convos or video chats with patients from home.

The biggest hurdle with the new format comes down to money. Shrinks are still charging top dollar even if all the communication is virtual -- but we're told some insurance companies won't cover telemedicine methods.

One option for patients appears to be going through a company called Doxy.Me, which lets doctors and patients hop into a private chat while honoring HIPPA.

That's one loophole, and a necessary one. Obviously, there's been plenty of upheaval in society that might prompt one to seek professional help -- as we did recently with Dr. Phil on "TMZ Live."

Our sources tell us some therapists are simply playing a good samaritan and only charging patients their out of pocket co-payments, if their insurance won't cover video or phone sessions.