Celebrity Health

Former UFC star Ben Askren is still deep in the throes of a battle with pneumonia, his family said on Thursday morning.

In a message to TMZ Sports, Askren's loved ones confirmed the 40-year-old is "definitely still fighting" for his life.

They added, "He is alive and any rumor he has died is completely false."

Amy, Askren's wife, revealed back on June 7 that Ben had been hospitalized after he had "developed severe pneumonia." She indicated the situation was dire -- writing on her Facebook page Ben was "unable to respond to anything at this time."

Ananda Lewis, a popular host from the MTV "veejay" era in the late '90s ... died on Wednesday after a lengthy breast cancer battle.

The news was broken by her sister Lakshmi on Facebook, who celebrated the end of Ananda's suffering in an emotional post.

Lakshmi tells TMZ Hip Hop ... Ananda died from stage 4 breast cancer at 11:35 AM on Wednesday while in hospice at her Los Angeles home.

Lakshmi tell us she braved the diagnosis for 6 years and even tried out some conventional/some unconventional treatments ... choosing her own path.

We're told her family has heard from a lot of celebs already who want to speak on how Ananda influenced their careers and handled her interviews so well with them at her memorial, which will be in a few weeks.

Lakshmi tells us Ananda's 14-year-old son graduated middle school today ... a terribly bittersweet day.

"General Hospital" and "The Bold and the Beautiful" star Chris Robinson has died.

The actor passed peacefully in his sleep early Monday morning at his ranch near Sedona, Arizona, his collaborator and friend MJ Allen announced on Facebook. Allen said his official cause of death is heart failure, which he had been dealing with for "some time."

They notably worked together on what would be his final film credit -- 2022's "Just for a Week."

Deion Sanders is opening up on the health issue that has kept him away from the University of Colorado football team ... assuring fans "everything is OKAY," and he'll return soon.

The Buffaloes head coach released a statement on social media a day after his son, Deion Jr., revealed Prime was missing the team's summer camp ... and shared his gratefulness for all the love and support he's received.

"Wow, I am truly blessed for the abundance of well wishes, for all the thoughts, and all of the prayers. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" Sanders said.

We've learned how popular YouTuber P2istheName died in March ... the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner released Philip Enewally's cause of death Tuesday.

The 26-year-old died from sudden cardiac dysfunction due to solitary papillary muscle hypertrophy, a rare heart condition ... a "subtype of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is a risk factor for a sudden fatal cardiac event." The manner of death was determined as natural.

P2 was found collapsed in his mailroom at his Los Angeles apartment building on March 14. The county medical examiner's report says responding fire department paramedics pronounced him dead at 3:11 PM PT that day.

Deion Sanders is dealing with a health issue ... and it's reportedly so problematic, he's missing Univ. of Colorado summer camps this month to recover at his Texas home.

According to USA Today, Sanders' oldest son, Deion Jr., revealed during a YouTube livestream on Sunday the Buffs head coach currently has no timetable for a return to Boulder while he gets a handle on the ailment.

Fortunately, Deion Jr. said his 57-year-old father is "feeling well."

A family dog had the scare of a lifetime -- yanked into an alligator’s jaws right from his Florida backyard -- and while he somehow made it out alive, his injuries are nothing short of brutal.

The pics are rough -- the German Shepherd named Zeus suffered a fractured jaw and deep puncture wounds ... he had his jaw realigned and wired shut by a veterinarian, all after he broke free from the gator that busted through the backyard fence in Wesley Chapel, near Tampa, and dragged him to a nearby pond.

Zeus’ owner, Susan Alkhatib, told WFLA it all unfolded in a blur last week -- the whole family rushed outside to watch in horror as the gator thrashed around with Zeus' head locked in its jaws.

Jamie Foxx let the tears flow on stage at the 2025 BET Awards Monday night ... breaking down while accepting the Ultimate Icon Award and recalling his near-death experience in 2023.

The comedian and actor graciously accepted the trophy from Stevie Wonder and immediately got vulnerable ... noting he thought of his stroke and subsequent hospitalization when the "In Memoriam" tribute was playing -- 'cause just two years ago, he almost didn’t make it.

He debated ... "I was like man, that could have been me. But I don't know why I went through what I went through, but I know my second chance I'm not going turn down. I'm not going to turn down."

06/10 10:28 AM PT -- Roll out the pink carpet ... Skyh Black and KJ Smith revealed they're having a girl at the 2025 BET Awards!!!

"All the Queen's Men" actor Skyh Black says he was in the dark about his wife KJ Smith's fertility issues ... and things stayed that way until they saw those two little blue lines on the stick.

His wife refused to believe the doctor's expertise!!!

TMZ caught up with Skyh outside the Waymakers Men’s Summit last week ... and he's a few months out from putting a nice blue or pink bow on his fairy tale romance.

Police plan to take Travis Decker -- the Washington man accused of savagely killing his three young daughters -- alive when they track him down ... despite the military veteran's dangerous reputation, and the fact he's possibly armed.

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison tells TMZ it's unclear if Decker has weapons ... but they are tracking him diligently and hope to come into contact with him soon ... and their Plan A is to detain him peacefully.

Of course, it's possible Decker will get aggressive with authorities -- and Morrison says any use of force by law enforcement to neutralize a threat "will be determined by what is reasonable and necessary at the time."

Scooter Braun's crumbling marriage to Yael Cohen Braun nearly broke him -- admitting it got so dark, he thought about ending it all.

The music exec confessed on Steven Bartlett’s podcast "The Diary of a CEO" that the thought of missing out on time with his kids had him battling suicidal thoughts back in 2020 -- all while the world saw him living large on the surface, managing the likes of thriving stars Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber.

Scooter said the marriage breakdown was a real gut punch after some rough patches on the career front ... noting that everything he had worked for -- his picture-perfect marriage, the powerhouse career, the golden-boy image -- all came crashing down.

Rod Stewart’s tour is hitting another speed bump -- the rock legend just axed six more shows as he continues to battle a nasty flu that’s kept him offstage all month.

Stewart broke the news Saturday, telling fans on Instagram he’s been ordered to rest by doctors as he recovers. The cancellations affect a string of June dates across California and Nevada -- including a multi-night Vegas run at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and a big show in Lake Tahoe.

Four of the concerts are officially scrapped, while two others have been bumped to September.

Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe -- a potential presidential frontrunner -- is clinging to life after being shot in broad daylight during a political event over the weekend.

The stunning attack went down in Bogota on Saturday while 39-year-old Uribe was greeting supporters at a park. According to officials, a gunman fired at him from behind -- and graphic footage circulating online shows the terrifying moment.

Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, issued an update on social media, revealing he’s fighting for his life. Outside the hospital, crowds gathered for a candlelight vigil.

Rapper Vic Mensa has some deep thoughts on musicians, the industry and creative personalities in the modern world ... after a viral social media clip had some questioning his sincerity and sanity.

We caught up with Vic in L.A., at the Waymaker Men’s Summit event, part of BET Weekend, and asked about the emotional video he posted earlier this week on X, in which he got teary-eyed about the modern state of the industry. He labeled his breakdown, "Mental Health & the Streaming Era."

The "Dark Things" rapper told us Thursday, he was initially worried about being seen as weak in the video, but now says he's on a mission ... and no longer "allowing fear to make my decisions for me."

Diddy's ex-girlfriend is testifying about the pain she says she went through during her relationship with the mogul ... saying she had to fight off multiple infections and other ailments.

"Jane" -- the pseudonym one of Diddy's exes is using on the stand -- has run the court through the many freak-offs she says she participated in ... telling the jury she kept doing them because she loved Diddy and wanted to make him happy.

Jane even says she got a nipple piercing for Diddy because she says he told her it would turn him on if she did.

Billy Joel is recalling a heartbreaking period in his life ... revealing he attempted suicide twice in his 20s over the guilt he carried after having an affair with his best friend's wife.

The music icon dropped the bombshell confession in his new documentary, "Billy Joel: And So It Goes," which premiered Wednesday at NYC's Tribeca Festival. Notably, he was not present.

In the no-bars-held revelation, reported by People, Billy said he admitted to having an affair with Elizabeth Weber -- the wife of his pal and former bandmate Jon Small -- when Jon became suspicious. At the time, they were all living together -- which is when BJ said he fell "in love" with her.