Celebrity Health

The King's reign between the NHL pipes has officially come to an end ... Henrik Lundqvist announced Friday he's retiring from hockey due to his battle with heart issues.

The legendary goalkeeper said, according to the New York Post, that he could have tried to keep pushing to get to 100 percent and play another season eventually ... but ultimately decided hanging up the skates would be the better option.

"It came down to how badly I wanted to push it, how much of a gamble did I want to take?" Lundqvist said.

"And I came to the conclusion that there are too many unknowns and too much risk for not enough reward for me to keep playing."

Lundvqist was a STAR for the New York Rangers from 2005 to 2020 ... but he began suffering from heart problems shortly after NY bought him out after the 2019-20 season.

Lundvqist -- who had signed with the Washington Capitals before last season -- eventually missed the 2020-21 season due to the issues and finally had to have open-heart surgery in January.

Henrik has been steadily improving since the operation -- he even made a return to the ice just weeks after the procedure -- but he said Friday a complete comeback just isn't in the cards.

"It's all still fresh," Henrik said. "I decided only a few days ago. But I am at peace. I look back at my career, and all I have is gratitude and pride. I am just so grateful."

Sad and infuriating news out of SeaWorld where a 6-year-old female orca is dead, and the embattled San Diego marine park says it has no clue why.

SeaWorld says the orca, named Amaya, died unexpectedly Thursday with her animal care specialists by her side. The park says she'd shown signs of illness on Wednesday, but at this point they don't have a cause of death ... and won't until a post-mortem exam is complete, and that could take several weeks.

A spokesperson for the park said animal care specialists and veterinarians began treating Amaya immediately on Wednesday, but "despite her care team’s efforts, Amaya’s condition continued to deteriorate. Her death was sudden and unexpected."

The spokesperson described Amaya as "one of the most playful whales in our pod" and that she loved "interacting with her animal care specialists."

SeaWorld's no stranger to controversy over the treatment of its whales and other animals. According to the non-profit Whale and Dolphin Conservation USA ... at least 49 orcas have died at SeaWorld's 3 parks.

The park also came under heavy fire when the 2013 documentary "Blackfish" was released -- and the public pressure led to SeaWorld nixing its breeding program.

The documentary largely focused on the struggles of Tilikum, a male orca that died at 36 in 2017.

Amaya was crucial in helping the park research how a calf develops ... albeit in captivity.

Conor McGregor says he's absolutely crushing his leg rehab ... telling TMZ Sports he's three weeks ahead of schedule!!!

The UFC superstar shared the great news following a visit to the doc's office in L.A. on Thursday ... giddily explaining that he's been cleared to ride a bike nearly a month earlier than medical experts initially expected.

"Five weeks, five days since the surgery and they told me I wouldn't be able to cycle until eight weeks," Conor said. "And, he just told me just here today that I can cycle again!"

It's a very positive update from the 33-year-old ... 'cause back on July 10, he snapped his leg in gruesome fashion in his fight against Dustin Poirier that many believed could alter his life permanently.

You'll recall ... the leg bent in a way no leg every should -- and he needed hours of surgery just days later to repair the damage.

But, Conor's been in great spirits ever since going under the knife ... and he showed us again Thursday that he's genuinely pleased with how the injury is progressing.

"I can cycle again, my man!" Conor said before driving off from his doctor appointment. "Three weeks ahead of schedule!"

As for who he wants to fight when ultimately makes his return ... Conor clearly ain't ahead of schedule in that department -- telling us, "we'll see what happens."

Blues Traveler had a scary moment on its travels ... the band's tour bus crashed on an interstate and several band members were rushed to a hospital with minor injuries.

A rep for the band, Deborah Radel, tells TMZ ... their bus crashed Wednesday night in Minnesota on their way to Friday's tour stop, and the crash left everyone inside trapped until law enforcement and first responders arrived.

We're told the band was on the way to Rochester, MN and the single-vehicle crash left them shaken, while a few, including frontman John Popper, were injured and treated at a local hospital.

Minnesota State Police say the tour bus lost control on I-90 and crashed into the center median ditch, resulting in non-life threatening injuries for 3 passengers.

John was live-posting about the crash on Facebook, saying he injured his ribs and another bandmate suffered a dislocated shoulder.

Jerry Messing -- the "Freaks and Geeks" actor who's also the face of a famous meme -- has COVID and is fighting for his life in Florida ... TMZ has learned.

His father, James, tells us ... Jerry lives with his parents in an apartment in Tampa, and a few days ago he started feeling really sick all of a sudden and having shortness of breath, but assured his dad he was breathing fine.

A day later, James says he noticed Jerry was really struggling to breathe so he tested his oxygen level and it was very low.

James tells us he determined Jerry needed to go to the hospital right away, so they called an ambulance and he was transported Monday night.

We're told Jerry tested positive for COVID-19 and he was immediately placed on a ventilator. James says nobody is allowed to visit Jerry right now as he's struggling to survive.

According to James ... both he and Jerry's mom are fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, but they both started feeling ill around the same time Jerry did. So far, Jerry's dad has tested negative, while his mother's test results are pending.

James says Jerry had received his first Pfizer dose, and was waiting for his second shot before he got sick.

Along with his role as Gordon Crisp on "Freaks and Geeks," Jerry's played Pugsley on the "Addams Family Reunion" TV movie and Artie Ryan on "Even Stevens."

Scary news from legendary hoops announcer Dick Vitale ... who's opening up on his battle with melanoma this year -- but thankfully, he caught it early and is cancer free!!

82-year-old Dickie V revealed he first heard the news this summer after having a growth removed from above his nose ... which later came back positive for skin cancer.

"My heart sank," Vitale said.

But fortunately, the timing couldn't have been better ... with Vitale explaining, "It helped that we caught it early, and I was thrilled to learn it hadn’t spread."

"The bottom line is they removed all cancer cells, and I was relieved, big time, to be cancer clear."

As Vitale would say ... IT'S AWESOME NEWS, BABY!!!

Dickie V says he underwent 4 procedures to help clean up the area above his nose ... but jokes, "We all know I’m never going to look like Tom Cruise. I’ve got no hair on my dome and I’ve got a body by linguini."

"Fortunately, I continue to heal from those cosmetic surgeries and it’s working out fine."

Vitale gives credit to the V Foundation for getting checked early ... saying, "Because of early detection, something the V Foundation constantly emphasizes, thankfully we were more prepared."

The college hoops legend says he continues to heal, but will be back calling NCAA games for his 43rd(!!!) season -- and hopes this story inspires folks to get checked!

"Luckily, I took care of it when I did and I can’t stress enough that you all should do the same!"

"That’s how I’m going to achieve my goal of sitting courtside calling a game when I’m 100 years old!"

Dana White says The Ultimate Fighter 29 finalist, Tresean Gore -- the man many expected to win the show AND a UFC contract -- is OUT of the finale fight after suffering a knee injury.

The UFC prez broke the news while talking to TMZ Sports ... announcing 27-year-old Gore was recently injured, forcing him out of the scrap.

"Bryan Battle versus Tresean Gore. Nobody knows this yet, TMZ is breaking it. Tresean Gore is injured. It looks like his meniscus," White says.

Gore, a 3-0 fighter out of Georgia, arrived at the show unbeaten ... and has been super impressive ever since.

In fact, many thought Tresean was going to win the finale fight vs. Battle on August 28 at UFC Vegas 35 ... and the UFC deal that comes along with winning the show.

"I think a lot of people figured that this kid could win it. You know, obviously a great fight with him and Bryan Battle. Gore is out, probably gonna be out for 6 months. Now, Bryan Battle will be facing Gilbert Urbina."

FYI, 25-year-old, 6-1 Urbina lost to Tresean in the semifinals ... via a 2nd-round knockout.

Bad news for Gore ... but there's a silver lining.

Dana says Tresean will "100%" get a shot on a future UFC card ... once his knee heals.

"Brutal for this poor kid, you know? But, what we’ll do is when Tresean Gore is healthy, does he fight Bryan Battle if Bryan wins the fighter? You know, I don’t know. We’ll see how this thing plays out. But, yeah, Gore is out."

Speaking of middleweights and TUF, we also talked to Dana about Kelvin Gastelum's fight with Jared Cannonier Saturday night at UFC Fight Night ... a matchup White predicts will be a "badass fight."

Garth Brooks is pressing pause on the remaining stops on his stadium tour ... and he says it's because of the resurgence in COVID-19 cases across the country.

The country music star announced Wednesday he's scrapping 5 upcoming stadium shows at football stadiums in Baltimore, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Nashville and Foxborough, Mass. ... and he says he was wrong about COVID being done.

Garth says ... "In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us. Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part."

It's an about-face for Garth ... as we reported, just last month he played in front of a packed house of 68,000 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Ticketmaster says it will refund all tickets and Garth says he's hopeful the shows can be rescheduled "when this wave seems to be behind us."

Garth and his band are vaccinated, as are his tour crew, but he previously said he would not require concertgoers to be vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. The stadium shows were expected to follow local COVID protocols.

Oakland A's pitcher Chris Bassitt was taken off the field on a stretcher while bleeding profusely from his face Tuesday night ... after he was terrifyingly struck by a line drive.

The MLB ace -- who was one of the best starters in baseball this year -- threw an offspeed pitch to Brian Goodwin in the 2nd inning of the A's tilt with the White Sox in Chicago when tragedy struck.

Goodwin rocketed the baseball right back where it came from ... and Bassitt couldn't get out of the way in enough time.

Video shows the ball hit the 32-year-old near his right eye area, and he crumpled in pain while his teammates looked on in horror.

Footage shows Bassitt was bleeding heavily from his face ... and he was ultimately rushed to the hospital.

After the game, Oakland manager Bob Melvin didn't take questions from media but said Bassitt was "conscious" the entire time.

"We don't think the eye is a problem at this point," Melvin said. "It felt like it was below it. He's got some cuts. They had to do some stitches."

"He's in a scan and we'll know more about potential fractures tomorrow."

Bassitt was incredible for the A's this season before the injury ... compiling a 12-4 record with a 3.22 ERA.

Get well soon.

Alyssa Milano might have saved her uncle's life during a scary car accident that could've taken both their lives on an L.A. freeway, reaching over and using her hand to hit the brakes as he suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Alyssa was a passenger Tuesday in a Ford Edge driven by her Uncle, Mitch, who started to have a medical issue. Cops say another vehicle hit theirs as Mitch fell unconscious, suffering what appears to be a heart attack.

Their SUV drifted into another lane and struck another vehicle, but then it came to a stop thanks to Alyssa's quick thinking.

Our sources say she sprung into action from the passenger seat while her uncle was passed out, reaching over him and using her hand to slam the brakes and stop the car. We're told she started giving him CPR until help arrived and first responders took over.

Uncle Mitch was taken to a nearby hospital ... and a rep for Alyssa tells us he's still being treated.

Cops say a couple Good Samaritans stopped to help ... and Alyssa's camp tells us she's grateful for everyone who aided her uncle, including first responders and hospital staff.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is now among the thousands who've recently tested positive for the coronavirus in his state, and his breakthrough case comes on the heels of him being in very close contact with a lot of people.

Abbott says he's tested daily and Tuesday was his first positive test result. According to a statement from his office ... he's receiving Regeneron's antibody treatment even though he's not experiencing symptoms, and will isolate at the Governor's Mansion and test daily.

The good news is, he's also fully vaccinated and says he's in good health. The bad news is ... just last night he attended a standing-room-only event in Collin County where, as you can see, there were no masks in sight and no social distancing.

Gov. Abbott says everyone he's been in close contact with Tuesday has been notified, but does not clarify if that includes all the people at Monday night's event. His wife has tested negative so far, but he also recently tweeted about meeting musician Jimmie Vaughan ... brother of the late legend, Stevie Ray.

The Texas governor has been under fire as cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been on the rise lately -- especially in nursing homes and cases are up even among kids.

Paul Anka's got a simple but effective blueprint for planning his tour during a pandemic ... hope for the best, plan for the worst.

The legendary singer joined "TMZ Live" on Tuesday and broke down how he's gone about launching his tour this fall. Remember, his tour was upended last year due to COVID-19 raging out of control across the country. And, while things are ratcheting up again ... Paul's praying things settle down.

In any event ... Paul's "Anka Sings Sinatra" tour -- kicking off October 23 in New York -- is sold out. What's more ... Paul says the venues he's playing in will have some sort of requirement for those who want to attend. He didn't specify ... but tons of venues are now requiring vaccination proof or proof of a negative test.

Paul essentially says all he can do is worry about what's in his control ... like the logistics. He's done just that ... the rest is up to fate. In the meantime ... Paul says between now and his tour he'll be working on his next album, "Paul Anka: My Christmas 2021."

And, speaking of albums ... the crooner just dropped his new album "Making Memories," just weeks after he celebrated his 80th birthday. You'll recall practically all of Hollywood and beyond showered Paul with some touching tributes.

"Making Memories" will feature duets with Olivia Newton-John, Michael Buble, Il Divo and Andrea Bocelli.

Lady Gaga's dog walker is trekking across the country to try and heal his emotional wounds from the horrifying shooting ... and he says he's fallen on hard times.

Ryan Fischer says he's 2 months into a 6-month journey across America, which he's calling a sabbatical, but now he's crowdfunding ... because he says his van broke down and he needs money for travel expenses.

He says he's been relying on donations after blowing through his savings, and he's not just looking for money ... he's also asking folks to recommend retreats for trauma, plus queer spiritual leaders and healers.

Ryan says he's felt scared, lonely, abandoned and unsupported during his first 2 months on the road ... adding that he's had long bouts of depression, doubt and self-pity.

TMZ broke the story ... Ryan was shot back in February as robbers made off with Lady Gaga's French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav ... leaving Ryan bleeding on the sidewalk and screaming for help.

The dogs were ultimately found unharmed, and the LAPD later arrested 5 suspects for the attempted murder and dog heist.

Ryan says he had to get out of Hollywood, where he "fought for my life and mobility" after getting shot, and now he's devoted to strengthening his emotional and mental health.

Amazing news from Tyson Fury ... the boxing champ says his newborn daughter is out of the ICU and heading home soon!!!

The 33-year-old and his wife, Paris, gave birth to the baby earlier this month ... but have asked for prayers repeatedly after the little girl was forced into intensive care almost immediately after birth.

Fury, though, said on Monday his daughter has fought through it all ... and is now nearly ready to leave the hospital.

"Just here feeding my little girl," Fury said while holding Athena in his arms. "Out of the ICU, on the mend -- she'll be going home soon."

"Thank you to God and thank you to all of the doctors and nurses out there."

The little girl is Tyson and Paris' sixth child ... and third daughter.

It's unclear what ailments she was battling.

Dr. Phil is trying a new approach to therapy, one that takes him out on the road to make actual house calls ... and, so far, he's finding it remarkably effective

"House Calls" is the name of his new CBS primetime show and the good doc joined "TMZ Live" Monday to tell us the biggest difference between his daytime show and this new spinoff. For starters, there's no studio audience ... something Phil thinks helps the people he's counseling let their guard down.

He says he spends about a week with each family, most of whom have NO IDEA he's spending QT with them to arbitrate whatever major dispute is disrupting their household.

The doc tells us only one person knows he's going to show up ... which explains how he's able to get cameras into the crib before his arrival.

But, more importantly, once Dr. Phil arrives he says things get very layered, very deep and the families get very candid.

As you know, the pandemic's triggered significant emotional, physical and economic problems ... and Dr. Phil's previously talked to us about ways to cope with quarantine stress -- but his "House Calls" offers a more hands-on approach.

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera is absolutely sick and tired of the fake news about the COVID vaccines ... calling misinformation spreaders "f***ing a**holes" who are causing people to die.

The 59-year-old -- who is immune deficient after battling skin cancer last year -- has been a strong advocate for getting his team and others to take the COVID-19 vaccine this season ... saying back in July he was "beyond frustrated" with players who hadn't been vaccinated.

Rivera says one of the biggest hurdles he's had to get over is all the wild lies that "experts" have been sharing on the Internet ... which is leaving a negative impact on the younger crowd.

"Gen Z is relying on [phones]," Rivera told Sports Illustrated. "And you got some, quite frankly, f***ing a**holes, that are putting a bunch of misinformation out there, leading people to die."

"That’s frustrating to me, that these people are allowed to have a platform. And then, one specific news agency, every time they have someone on, 'I’m not a doctor, but the vaccines don’t work.' Or, 'I’m not an epidemiologist, but vaccines are going to give you a third nipple and make you sterile.'"

"Come on. That, to me? That should not be allowed."