Kids

The child Dikembe Mutombo flew to the U.S. to remove a massive tumor from his face has sadly died after he suffered a "rare and unpredictable genetic reaction to anesthesia" during surgery ... TMZ has learned.

8-year-old Matadi Sela Petit from the Democratic Republic of Congo died Friday night after complications from his delicate surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. ... according to The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation.

The foundation says ... "We are devastated by the loss of Matadi and our heart goes out to his father, his mother and the rest of his family, and all his old and new friends."

We broke the story ... Matadi went into cardiac arrest during his surgery and was transferred to the ICU, but we didn't know why his operation wasn't completed. Now we know it was due to his bad reaction to the anesthesia, but despite the best efforts of his medical staff ... he was never able to recover.

Matadi's operation was led by Dr. Ryan Osborne from Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Osborne volunteered his services, after being inspired by the good work of Mutumbo. The family had been staying at the Ronald McDonald House since arriving in Los Angeles last week.

As we showed you ... the former NBA star flew Matadi to the U.S. a week ago for free surgery in hopes of removing the life-threatening, massive tumor on his face. We captured their meeting at LAX.

Mutombo told us the boy had been shunned in society -- pulled out of school and secluded to his home -- because of his condition, so he wanted to help him out.

His foundation says Matadi was "was a pioneer, and his memory will inspire us to continue to develop efforts and partnerships to improve the lives of the children of the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

He was 8 years old.

UFC star Aljamain Sterling says the haircut incident with high school wrestler Andrew Johnson is "so f*cked up" ... but he was so impressed with the kid, he wants to train him personally.

"It's so messed up on so many levels," Sterling tells TMZ Sports ... "I felt bad."

Sterling says he's spent a lot of time coaching high school wrestling and has NEVER seen a situation where an athlete was forced to cut his hair.

In fact, Sterling says if he was the coach that day, he would have pulled his team out of the gym in protest and forfeited the rest of the match.

"We're not gonna stand for no sh*t like this," Sterling says.

The good news ... Sterling trains with other huge UFC stars like Al Iaquinta and Chris Weidman with the Serra-Longo fight team in Long Island, NY -- not too far from Johnson's high school in New Jersey.

Jason Momoa is having a ton of fun as "Aquaman" -- taking the onscreen gig to the beach in Hawaii with a huge trident -- and ya gotta see what he did next!!!

Jason quickly got into character when a bunch of kids came up to him Thursday in Oahu and asked him to play with their giant toy trident ... and then he channeled Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson and crashed a wedding!

The kids weren't the only ones making everlasting memories with Aquaman, because Jason and the trident sneaked up behind some unsuspecting newlyweds for an epic photobomb.

4:11 PM PT -- A source close to Cardi tells us the baby in the video isn't Kulture, in fact, it's not a real baby at all.

Cardi B took "bring your daughter to work day" to a whole new level ... by featuring Kulture in a not so traditional way in her brand new music video.

The rapper goes topless in her vid for "Money" -- which dropped Friday -- to breastfeed her baby girl, Kulture. Because it's Cardi, there's also no shortage of her in lavish outfits, sexy dance moves ... and shots of her ass.

Who knew she played piano?

As we've reported ... Cardi's been pretty stingy providing pics or vids of her daughter, but made a big reveal shortly after announcing her split with Offset.

Offset announced on his birthday he wanted Cardi back, and to spend Christmas together as a family. He also crashed her stage at Rolling Loud last weekend with $15,000 in roses ... only to be rejected in front of a ton of people.

Kulture was hidden from the world for a long time ... but she's definitely getting tons of attention now though.

Originally Published -- 12:08 PM PST

David Hogg is leaving the Sunshine State and shipping off to Boston -- the Marjory Stoneman Douglas student's been accepted to Harvard.

David's mom shared the incredible news this week after her son finally allowed her to spread the word. As you can imagine, she's super proud and said she's excited for David's bright future!

The Stoneman Douglas grad -- who emerged as one of his school's leaders after the mass shooting in Parkland, FL -- says he plans to major in political science. It seems right up his alley ... you'll recall, David helped organize the March For Our Lives rally that attracted nearly 800,000 people pushing for sensible gun reform.

David should feel right at home on campus ... he's already spoken twice this year at Harvard, and some of his mother's relatives attended the prestigious institution.

He also got into a bunch of other schools -- but there's nothing like the Ivy League.

This is ridiculous ...

A black high school wrestler was told by a white referee that he needed to cut off his dreadlocks or forfeit an important match ... and the whole incident was captured on video.

Andrew Johnson was about to compete for Buena Regional High School in New Jersey -- and was wearing a cover over his dreadlocks ... when referee Alan Maloney stepped in.

Maloney told Johnson his hair cover was not sufficient and gave him 2 choices -- chop off the locks or lose the match.

Johnson reluctantly chose the haircut -- but you can see he's visibly upset.

Johnson destroyed his opponent -- but he's clearly devastated about the hair cut ... even when the ref raises his hand in victory.

His teammates tried to console him but Johnson wasn't really having it.

Now, it's been revealed the ref has a history of racist behavior -- using a racial slur toward a black man during a social gathering in 2016 ... and getting his ass kicked in the process.

The offended party (an African American man) was so pissed, he slammed Maloney to the ground following the slur.

Maloney later apologized for the incident and the body that oversees high school wrestling in New Jersey ordered him to complete a sensitivity training class.

John Cena once again transformed himself into Make-A-Wish's biggest hero ... treating a bunch of kids to a private screening of his new blockbuster flick.

The WWE superstar (along with the good folks at Make-A-Wish) rented out a private theater for 21 kids to see "Bumblebee" in NYC on Thursday ... and judging from the footage, everyone was stoked!

Each kid got swag bags, snacks and drinks and some time to hang with their favorite action hero/wrestling star.

Some of the kids even busted out Cena's legendary "You Can't See Me" move with John right on the red carpet!!

Later on, Cena took some of the kids to the Empire State Building where they posed for more pics -- took in the sights -- and hung out with John's "Bumblebee" costar, Hailee Steinfeld.

Kodak Black wasn't kidding when he said he was getting more involved with charities ... he's done it again, this time bringing smiles with tons of Christmas gifts.

We're told the rapper hit up Paradise Childcare in Broward County, Florida earlier this week and delivered a bunch of toys that'll go to 150 kids. The non-profit group assists parents with childcare and other needs.

On top of the gifts ... we're told Kodak also dropped around $5k for the org's Christmas party.

A rep for Paradise Childcare tells TMZ ... they're grateful for Kodak's contribution, and the toys will be divided between 2 Paradise locations.

In addition to his gift-drop ... we're told Kodak took part in something called the "Gifts of Chai" with Rabbi Scheur Kaplan. Participants give or receive gifts in multiples of $18 ... which is considered good luck. Kodak donated $180.

Rabbi Kaplan tells us, "It isn't the amount of money that matters. Kodak sent the gift of Chai 10x which is amazing. This is very special and we are thankful."

Ex-Little League baseball phenom Mo'Ne Davis is all grown up -- and she's signed a letter of intent to play college softball at Hampton University in Virginia.

Remember, Davis SMOKED EVERYBODY with her insane 70 mph fastball during the 2014 Little League World Series -- becoming the first girl to toss a shutout in post-season play. She was only 13 at the time.

Now, she's a senior at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia -- where she's still murdering the competition on the softball field, the soccer pitch and the basketball court.

Davis has been recruited by a ton of major college programs -- but ultimately decided on Hampton because of the prestigious communications department, according to her parents.

Davis will reportedly be a middle infielder at Hampton. Unclear if she'll play basketball too, but we know she's a BALLER on the court.

Back in 2015, Mo'ne was drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters after COOKIN' Kevin Hart in a celebrity basketball game.

A buncha kids got a SWEET pre-Christmas surprise Wednesday -- 'cause Kobe Bryant brought the gift of Mamba -- and a bunch of books -- to a school in Southern California!!

The Lakers legend dropped by Oxford Prep Academy in Mission Viejo and hung out with a bunch of kids for a great cause.

Kobe's got a new podcast called "The Punies," -- a pod about kids who learn lessons through sports -- which Mamba hopes real-life children can draw from.

Turns out ... one of the teachers at the school is turning those podcasts into an actual curriculum -- so Kobe had to swing by to see it all in person.

We're told Bryant brought the kids books, played games ... and actually watched the kids present projects they'd been workin' on.

Best signing day announcement ever!!!

High school football star Cooper Dawson -- a top defensive end at Hanahan High in South Carolina -- didn't feel right holding a press conference by himself on Wednesday to announce his college plans.

So, he brought a friend with him ... a guy who's been his inspiration while he recovers from an ACL tear -- Kingsley Feinman.

Kingsley has cerebral palsy -- and Dawson explained that he's learned a major life lesson from his friend, "The only disability is a bad attitude."

And, when the big moment came, Cooper whispered his college destination into Kinglsey's ear so he could make the announcement to the media.

What ensued is just awesome ... and props to WCIV's Scott Eisberg for capturing the whole thing on video.

The only sad part ... is Cooper didn't pick the school Kinglsey had hoped he would attend.

Still, guessing KF will learn to root for a new team.

Congrats!!

Remy Ma is back in the hospital days after welcoming a baby girl, due to complications from giving birth ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us Remy was suffering from excessive bleeding Tuesday night and went right back to the hospital. The post-birth complications necessitated emergency surgery.

As we reported ... Remy and Papoose announced the birth of their daughter on social media, but didn't disclose her name. Papoose called it "tough labor." Mind you, Remy went into labor at age 38 -- Papoose is 40 himself -- and revealed last year she had recently suffered a miscarriage.

Amazingly, we're told she delivered her new baby naturally.

As for how things went on the operating table, Remy received blood transfusions ... and the good news, we're told the surgery was a success. We're told she's doing well, and she's expected to be released in the next day or so.

Get well soon, RM. And, of course, congrats on the kid.

The child Dikembe Mutombo brought to the United States for a surgery to remove a life-threatening tumor on his face, went into cardiac arrest during the operation ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the surgery tell us, at around 6 PM Sunday, more than 6 hours into the operation, 8-year-old Matadi went into cardiac arrest and was immediately taken to the Intensive Care Unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. We're told he's now in stable condition and is slowly recovering.

The emergency came toward the end of the surgery, which began at 11:30 AM.

We do not know if the surgeons had completed the surgery, but if it went according to schedule it should have been wrapping up.

Matadi and his family were staying at the Ronald McDonald house in Los Angeles leading up to Sunday's procedure. Mutombo, who met the little boy during a visit to the Congo, greeted the boy and his family when they landed Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Didn't take long for AJ McCarron to get over the Raiders loss Sunday ... 'cause dude had the happiest reunion with his son at the airport -- and the vid is adorable.

AJ's been away from his 2-year-old and his model wife, Katherine Webb, for a few weeks ... but the QB flew back to 'Bama after Oakland's game -- and his reunion with his son couldn't have been cuter.

Tripp is held back until his pops strolls through the door ... and then the baby boy unleashes all his love for AJ with a "DADDY!!!!" yell and a big hug.

"When you’re reunited with your BFF #5weekswithoutdaddy," Katherine posted on social media.

So, why's AJ back in town when the Raiders still have two weeks left in the season??

Webb is SUPER pregnant with the couple's second child ... and says the new baby is actually due TODAY!!!

AJ and the Raiders don't play again until Monday ... so timing is great -- McCarron's got an extra day off this week.

Congrats!!!

JWoww told police her estranged husband, Roger Mathews, was harassing her by filming her without consent, which is why he got kicked out of their home ... sources close to the couple tell TMZ.

As we reported ... cops hauled Mathews out of the family home early Friday morning per a restraining order JWoww got in the dead of night. Roger claimed the 2 had a disagreement earlier in the evening, but he did nothing wrong and was blindsided by police when they demanded he leave.

We're told the 'Jersey Shore' star waited until later in the night when Roger went to bed to contact authorities to claim he was harassing her ... which was enough to get him booted.

Surveillance video from inside their home during the incident shows JWoww telling cops Roger's "not a bad dad" and presumably wants the restraining order to only cover her. But, apparently cops said the temporary order bars Roger from contacting the entire fam, and if she wants it limited she'll have to take it up later in court.

Snooki hinted at harassment allegations when she claimed Roger was taunting JWoww by recording her with his phone to get a rise out of her. Mathews admitted recording JWoww on his phone, but only because his attorney advised him to do so.

We're told Roger is hoping more surveillance footage from the incident at their home gets released because he has nothing to hide and believes it will vindicate him.

Our sources also say the 2 have been doing couple's counseling for the past 3 months and Mathews was hoping to work things out, but JWoww told him recently she had no intention of reconciling ... and was only trying to keep things civil for the kids over the holidays.

We're told Roger's in the same boat now -- it's all about the kids ... not saving the marriage.

The little boy who came over from the Congo -- with a major assist from retired NBA star Dikembe Mutombo -- is on the operating table right now, and by day's end, he could be tumor free.

TMZ has learned 8-year-old Matadi went into surgery Sunday at 11:30 AM PST at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. We're told the operation is expected to last around 6 hours. His family is at the hospital waiting on word from doctors.

The operation is being led by Dr. Ryan Osborne from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in L.A. Dr. Osborne has volunteered his services, after being inspired by the good work of Mutumbo.

The family has been staying at the Ronald McDonald House since arriving in Los Angeles Wednesday. TMZ was there at Mutombo greeted the little boy as he got off the plane from Africa.

As we reported, Mutombo met the boy during a trip to the Congo and was so moved by his story he arranged to have him brought to the US for surgery.

This picture was taken shortly after Matadi arrived at Ronald McDonald. In case you didn't notice, Dikembe is on the right.

The large tumor on Matadi's face is not only life-threatening, it created a horrible set of circumstances. He has been shunned in his community, removed from school and has basically lived in his room. The surgery, hopefully, will be life-changing.