Health

Danish soccer star Christian Eriksen is getting a "heart starter" implanted to his chest soon ... a big step toward ensuring he never suffers another terrifying cardiac episode again.

Denmark national team doctor Morten Boesen made the announcement Thursday ... saying after multiple exams on the athlete, specialists have determined the 29-year-old needs an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.

"This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances," Boesen said.

"Christian has accepted the solution and the plan has moreover been confirmed by specialists nationally and internationally who all recommend the same treatment."

As we previously reported, Eriksen went into cardiac arrest during last Saturday's Denmark vs. Finland game in Copenhagen ... and the scene was horrifying.

Eriksen collapsed on the pitch and needed a defibrillator to be revived ... and he's been in the hospital ever since.

Eriksen, though, has been in good spirits while recovering -- the soccer player posted an update from his hospital bed earlier this week saying, "I'm fine -- under the circumstances."

It's unclear if Eriksen will be able to play soccer again ... but he did make it clear he'll certainly be cheering on the Denmark team as it takes on Belgium on Thursday.

Moments after Naomi Osaka announced she was withdrawing from Wimbledon to focus on "personal time" ... the tennis superstar was already making good on her word, hitting up a fancy L.A. grocery store with a friend.

Osaka -- sporting a COVID mask -- hit up Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market, Bistro & Seafood Market.

So, no on French Open ... but yes on French food!

On her way out, Osaka was asked about her decision to take time away from pro tennis to focus on her mental health ... but the 23-year-old wasn't talking.

After all, her team already put out a statement explaining her position -- saying, "Naomi won't be playing Wimbledon this year. She is taking some personal time with friends and family."

"She will be ready for the Olympics and is excited to play in front of her home fans."

In the meantime, Osaka seemed relaxed ... sporting a vintage "Mulan" t-shirt and driving off in her baby blue Ford Bronco.

A Foo Fighters concert was swarming with more than just fans, with a protest against the show's vaccine rules raging on outside the venue while the band raged on inside.

Anti-vaxxers showed up Tuesday night to the Canyon Club in the San Fernando Valley where they protested the Foo Fighters requiring vaccine proof in order to attend their show.

Several dozen protesters showed up, carrying signs that read "Foo Fighters fight to bring segregation back" as well as "event for vaccinated only, unvaccinated not allowed." Ricky Schroder -- who helped the Kenosha shooter post bail -- was also there, he's been very public in his stance against vaccines.

One protester reportedly said, "And what they’re doing is saying only vax people, separating humans is not OK. Those of us who have healthy immune systems should be able to enjoy these freedoms just like everybody else."

Concertgoers were not thrilled to see the protesters. One person took to Twitter and said, "Some real low-quality humans at the @foofighters show in agoura hills CA tonight." Someone else wrote, "This is what happens when you just want to attend a @foofighters concert at a small local concert hall and the next thing out know you’re a ‘Vaccine Segregationist.'"

The concert -- considered to be California's first full-capacity show since the lockdown -- went on without a hitch ... FF played some of their biggest hits in the 20+ song set.

Jessie J's condition with Ménière’s disease has been compounded exponentially ... now she's also suffering from major acid reflux that's causing nodules in her throat.

The singer revealed the new medical drama while explaining why she posted video of herself quietly singing her new single, "I Want Love." Jessie, who choked back tears during the  video, said her speech therapist asked her to record herself singing quietly so they could hear her voice and mark any progress.

Problem is ... Jessie said back in February she started feeling a constant burn in her throat. She said she ignored it and presumed it was fatigue from the studio -- but a doctor eventually told her she has major acid reflux and nodules in her throat.

She said the acid reflux was presumably caused, at least partially, by steroids she had taken to treat her Ménière’s disease, but the root cause is still not clear.

Jessie immediately went on anti-acids and a 2-week run of no talking -- but she says it didn't stop the nodules from forming. It's been an incredible ordeal ... she says 6 different doctors have had 8 cameras down her nose, had to adjust her diet to eat the same 6 foods for 3 months, plus blood work, acupuncture and massages.

All of that seemed to work because the nodules went away ... but she says doctors have told her if she continues singing, they'll come right back.

Jessie's trying to fight through it, though, saying, “I am doing all I can to mend whatever it is that is broken to be able to sing these songs live. I will not mime. I refuse."

Tampa Bay Rays prospect Tyler Zombro is clearly lucky to be alive today ... the pitcher revealed he needed brain surgery after being drilled in the head by a line drive this month -- and the scar he showed off Thursday is gnarly.

Zombro -- who was struck by a comebacker in a minor league game on June 3 -- posted pics from his recovery on his Twitter page ... and it's truly miraculous he appears to be okay following the scary scene.

Zombro showed the entire right side of his head was opened up by docs after he was hit by the baseball ... and then later closed up with a grip of staples.

"Unbelievably grateful to be in the situation I’m currently in with the incredible help from @DukeHospital & staff," Zombro said.

"To all of you that have showered my family and I with positive thoughts, I have no doubt that all of the prayer support kept God with me throughout that night, as I’m in a very fortunate position all things considered."

The initial injury was one of the scariest incidents anybody's EVER seen on a baseball diamond ... Zombro let a fastball go and it was smacked right back at him.

The 26-year-old could be seen convulsing on the mound and was immediately rushed to the hospital.

In fact, things looked so dire, Zombro's minor league team, the Durham Bulls, postponed their game the following day in wake of the injury.

But, Zombro said Thursday he's doing much better ... even cracking a joke about his sprint speed!

"In optimistic news: I’ve never been the fastest on the field so I may have gotten a boost after this surgery," Zombro said.

Zombro added he intends to get back on the diamond eventually ... though there's no timetable for a return at this point.

Heidi Ferrer -- a Hollywood writer known for her work on the hit WB series "Dawson's Creek" and ABC's "Wasteland" -- has died by suicide following a long battle with COVID-19 ... TMZ has confirmed.

A family member tells us Heidi took her own life after fighting covid for more than a year, she died on May 26.

She contracted the virus when the pandemic was raging in late April 2020, and her symptoms worsened month after month. She was bedridden a couple of months after she first fell ill ... suffering from severe fatigue and neurological tremors.

Heidi wrote a blog post back in September detailing exactly how COVID knocked her down -- she called the recovery process the hardest thing her body's ever had to go through.

She said, "In my darkest moments, I told my husband that if I didn’t get better, I did not want to live like this. I wasn’t suicidal, I just couldn’t see any quality of life long term and there was no end in sight."

Her condition went through a steady decline this year as she battled long-haul COVID symptoms -- and last month, more than a year after contracting the virus, she was bedridden again before her death. Nick called long-haul COVID "a public health crisis that must be addressed quickly."

Heidi made a name for herself as a writer who, without a college degree, sold her first spec, "The C Word," to Oscar-winning producer Arnold Kopelson. She remained a member of the Writer's Guild of America for 24 years.

Heidi's survived by her husband, 13-year-old son, mother and 2 sisters. She was 50.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka is pulling out of another Grand Slam ... the #2-ranked player in the world has withdrawn from Wimbledon to spend time with loved ones ahead of the Olympics.

This is the second major tournament 23-year-old Osaka has decided to skip -- she withdrew from the French Open before the second round last month due to her opposition to mandatory media availability.

Now, Osaka will not be making the trip to London, with her agent releasing a statement Thursday.

"Naomi won't be playing Wimbledon this year," the rep said. "She is taking some personal time with friends and family."

It's unclear if Osaka's war with the reporters played a factor -- the All England Club reportedly reached out to the superstar to have a discussion about handling media ops ahead of the tournament.

As we previously reported, Osaka opened up on her battle with depression and social anxiety following her 2018 U.S. Open win ... saying she's struggled with coping with the spotlight.

Osaka has consistently said she has no issue with the journalists who have treated her fairly ... and has apologized to those affected by her decision to avoid talking.

Frank Bonner, famous for playing Herb Tarlek on the TV sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati," has died ... TMZ has learned.

Frank died Wednesday as a result of complications from Lewy body dementia ... according to his family. We're told his loved ones are heartbroken, and they were with him when he passed away peacefully.

An actor and director, Frank was best known for his work on 'WKRP' in the late 1970s and early '80s ... playing Herb, the radio station sales manager who could never land the big account.

Frank's character was also known for wearing loud, plaid suits on the show plus white shoes and a matching belt.

He directed a handful of episodes on the OG 'WKRP' and reprised his role as Herb in the 1990s spinoff, "The New WKRP in Cincinnati" ... and also acted and directed in "Saved By The Bell: The New Class."

Frank made headlines in October 1979 when he was hospitalized following a parachute accident. He was injured after falling about 20 feet when his ascendency chute collapsed in a freak wind while he was being towed by a four-wheel drive vehicle over a dry lake bed near Los Angeles.

He was 79.

"Please, just talk to us. Please, just work with us."

Gerrit Cole is BEGGING MLB officials to ease their latest stance on pitchers and foreign substances ... telling reporters Wednesday night he's VERY concerned a league crackdown on it all could lead to serious injuries.

The Yankees star kept it real in his meeting with the media after New York's huge win over Toronto ... saying the lack of sticky substances on his hand really hurt him during the game.

In fact, Cole said he struggled so much with gripping the baseball all night long ... he became not only concerned about his arm, but also batters in the box.

"I would just hate to see players get hurt," the 30-year-old said. "I would hate to see balls start flying at people's heads. I had a really tough time gripping the baseball tonight, especially early when it was windy."

Cole is now imploring MLB officials to back down from their threat to impose fines, ejections and even suspensions on pitchers who are caught putting foreign substances on their hands and baseballs.

"It's so hard to grip the ball," Cole said after the Yanks' 3-2 victory. "For Pete's sake, it's part of the reason why almost every player on the field has had something, regardless if they're a pitcher or not, to help them control the ball."

Of course, the comments echo Tyler Glasnow's concerns from earlier this week ... when the Tampa Bay Rays ace said he believed the league's crackdown ultimately caused a serious injury to his elbow.

For his part, despite grip issues and a dry hand, Cole still dominated a strong Blue Jays lineup ... throwing 8 innings and giving up just 4 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 4.

"I would encourage the commissioner's office to continue to talk with us, please, because we're the ones that throw the ball," Cole said.

LeBron James says the rash of injuries in this year's playoffs are all the NBA's fault ... claiming the bumps, bruises, tears and sprains are entirely due to the league's early start date.

Bron went off on the league in an epic Twitter rant Wednesday ... claiming he saw this coming from a million miles away once the NBA decided to start its 2021 season in December despite finishing the 2020 season in October.

"They all didn’t wanna listen to me about the start of the season," said LeBron, who did insist back before the season began that a December date was way too early to come back.

"I knew exactly what would happen. I only wanted to protect the well being of the players which ultimately is the PRODUCT & BENEFIT of OUR GAME!"

The NBA playoffs have been marred by injuries so far ... mega stars like Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, James Harden and Kyrie Irving have all missed time.

And, on Wednesday, it was announced Clippers star Kawhi Leonard could be done for the playoffs with a knee injury as well.

All of it has Bron fuming ... claiming it could have all been easily prevented.

"This is the best time of the year for our league and fans but missing a ton of our fav players. It’s insane," LeBron said.

"If there’s one person that know about the body and how it works all year round it’s ME! I speak for the health of all our players and I hate to see this many injuries this time of the year. Sorry fans wish you guys were seeing all your fav guys right now."

LeBron added, "And I know all about the business side too/factors so don’t even try me! I get it."

Awesome update from ex-NFL star Greg Olsen -- his son, TJ, just "rang the bell" to symbolize the end of treatment after receiving a heart transplant!!!

Olsen shared footage of the special moment at the hospital in Charlotte on Wednesday, saying, "Today we 'rang the bell,' and for the first time our family whole again."

"To everyone who prayed for our little buddy and sent us words of encouragement and support ... All we can say is THANK YOU and WE 💚 YOU ALL"

As we previously reported, TJ was born with a congenital heart disease that required 3 open-heart surgeries before his 3rd birthday.

Olsen revealed late last month TJ's heart was failing ... and doctors said he would need a transplant immediately.

TJ was quickly able to find a match and underwent surgery earlier this month ... and despite all the struggles, Greg says his son remained optimistic throughout the journey.

"TJ’s positive attitude and selflessness throughout has been an inspiration to us all," he added. "Never did he feel sorry for him self or play the victim. All he did was talk about what the future held and the things he looked forward to doing."

"My lifelong dream -- I want to go out and win a Cy Young, I want to be an All-Star, and now it's all just s*** on."

Rays superstar Tyler Glasnow melted down in front of reporters Tuesday ... claiming the MLB's new crackdown on foreign substances RUINED his elbow -- and he's now VERY upset about it.

The 27-year-old Tampa Bay ace said when MLB officials hinted at punishing pitchers for rubbing substances on their throwing hand and baseballs ... he was forced to adapt.

Glasnow -- who said he usually uses sunscreen and rosin on his hand to get a grip on balls -- did away with the stuff two starts ago against the Nationals on June 8.

And, while Tyler spun a gem, he said the lack of tack on his hands put strain all over his elbow ... claiming that led to it blowing out in his last start against the White Sox on June 14.

"Waking up after that [Nationals] start, I was like, 'Okay, this sucks,'" Glasnow said. "Something is weird here. And then that same feeling is persisting all week long."

"And then I go into my start [Monday] and that same feeling, it just pops or whatever the hell happened to my elbow. Like, I feel it. Something happens. And I'm sitting up here like, 'You've got to be f***ing kidding me.'"

The Rays say Glasnow was diagnosed with a torn lgiament in his elbow as well as a flexor tendon strain ... and it's now very possible the dude will need Tommy John surgery to recover.

Glasnow made it clear he wasn't using the foreign substances to cheat, but rather to just get a grip on the baseball -- and now he's concerned other pitchers might suffer his same fate because of MLB's sudden, midseason rule change.

"I'm frustrated that they don't understand how hard it is to pitch," Glasnow said. "And to tell us to do something completely different in the middle of the season is insane. It's ridiculous."

John Legend did more than put on a brave face to support his wife, Chrissy Teigen ... he smiled and claimed she's doing better than her lengthy apology for bullying made it seem.

The singer was out in WeHo Tuesday and seemed to be in great spirits. You can see him sporting a wide grin as he walked up to his car and was incredibly polite when a photog walked up to ask him about Chrissy's attempts to recover from the trolling scandal.

After exchanging some very quick pleasantries the pap got right to the point ... how's Chrissy doing? John had zero hesitation and answered with a smile ... she's doing great.

As we reported ... CT has apologized for her old ways of internet trolling. Chrissy insisted she's a changed woman ... and is trying to own up to her mistakes and become a better version of herself.

She issued a long apology and added she was reaching out privately to other people she insulted. She didn't name names but some have pointed out that Lindsay Lohan and Farrah Abraham were past targets of Teigen's trolling ... as was Courtney Stodden.

One of the peeps she may have to reach out to could be "Project Runway" star Michael Costello. As we reported ... Costello accused Teigen of getting him blacklisted after she mistakenly thought he posted something racist back in 2014.

Potentially devastating news for the Phoenix Suns -- superstar point guard Chris Paul has been sidelined for an indefinite period of time ... as part of the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

In other words, CP3's status for the start of the Western Conference Finals is reportedly "up in the air" ... depending on when the Clippers/Jazz series ends, according to Shams Charania.

Paul has been the backbone for the red-hot Suns -- averaging 15.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists through 10 games this postseason.

Phoenix has been on a tear in the playoffs ... eliminating LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round and sweeping the Denver Nuggets in the semifinals.

The Jazz vs. Clippers series is currently tied at 2 games apiece ... and if either team wins in 6, it sounds like Paul will not be ready to go.

The report adds if the series goes 7 games, the WCF will start after Sunday.

Shams also points out the isolation period may be shorter for vaccinated players -- depending on the medical circumstance -- but those details have not been revealed at this time.

Story developing ...

Jimmy Graham is VERY fortunate to be alive today ... the NFL star told reporters he was going NINETY MPH before flipping his car in that terrifying rollover March accident.

Graham walked away from the wreck in the Miami area unscathed ... but when he broke it all down for media members at his press conference Tuesday, it's truly hard to fathom how he wasn't seriously injured in the crash.

The 34-year-old says it all initially happened because he saw a cop car going down an off-ramp with its reverse lights on.

"He was reversing," the Chicago Bears tight end said. "So I got over two lanes and, you know, the sun is kind of coming up, and as I go up over that hill, I'm looking at the cop and when I look up, there's a disabled vehicle on the center lane."

"And I'm going about 90. So, probably about 15 yards away, so I swerved to the left and barely missed him, but I was headed for a bridge so I had to make kind of a last-minute decision and decided to turn right and flip it to avoid jumping that thing."

Graham says cops told him he rolled his vehicle over FOUR times and skidded on his roof for about 100 yards.

Somehow, though, Jimmy says he and his dog were able to simply get out of the ride after it came to a stop and walk away.

"Sparks and glass is going everywhere and I'm just sitting there in the seat belt," Jimmy said. "I get out the seat belt and I'm on the roof kind of hollering for my dog. I don't hear her so I get out and she's in the back and we just walked way."

"Couple hours later, ended up flying [out for a charity event]. So, it was a wild one."

Gov. Gavin Newsom went all Hollywood, literally, to announce California's reopening from pandemic restrictions.

Newsom hit up Universal Studios on Tuesday to officially reopen the Golden State's economy, and announce it's finally turning the page beyond capacity limits, color coding, social distancing and mask coverings.

Taking full advantage of his location, the Gov roped in the Minions, Trolls, Optimus Prime and fake Chris Pratt from "Jurassic World" to dress up the event -- although, it did make for a couple awkward moments.

For starters, the Gov called the famous Autobot "Optimum." Then, there was the awkward countdown. After the quick glitch ... confetti rained down and the famous Universal theme song played to officially signal California's reopening.

It should be noted ... masks are still required in K-12 schools, airports/public transportation and hospitals. But, still, masks and social distancing are virtually now in the rearview mirror thanks to the state having one of the lowest rates (below 1%) of infection in the U.S.

New York's celebrating too. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is reportedly having a firework show Tuesday night to celebrate the state reaching its goal of 70% adult vaccination -- and the end of state-mandated COVID restrictions.