Music

Beloved Scorpions bassist Francis Buchholz, who also played for Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock band, has died.

The German rock star passed away Thursday following a private battle with cancer, his family announced on social media Friday. They noted he "departed this world peacefully, surrounded by love" and thanked fans for their unwavering support over the years.

Francis was a lifelong musician, who started playing bass in a high school band. He got together with Uli Jon Roth, Jürgen Rosenthal and Achim Kirschning in the early '70s to form a band called Dawn Road ... and they eventually joined Scorpions, alongside Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker.

Francis' first release with Scorpions was 1974's "Fly to the Rainbow" ... and he was involved in every one of their projects through 1990's "Crazy World." They're best known for their 1984 rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and the 1990 ballad "Wind of Change."

Francis stepped away from the band in 1992 but teamed up with Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock to play bass in their 2012 tour. He contributed to Temple of Rock's 2013 album "Bridge the Gap" and 2015’s "Spirit on a Mission."

He was 71.

Nicki Minaj will not have to sell her home in order to pay off a bodyguard who her husband, Kenneth Petty, allegedly attacked ... because the bodyguard's lawyer says the judgment's been satisfied.

The rapper's team is in court Thursday ... and, we thought they had plans to argue that a judge shouldn't make her sell her Hidden Hills mansion to repay a $500K judgment awarded to Thomas Weidenmuller.

However, we talked to Weidenmuller's attorney, Paul Saso, before the hearing started ... and, he told us they planned to tell the judge Nicki has actually satisfied the judgment.

We’re living in the era where one little clip can flip your entire life ... and Daymond John came through TMZ to break down how viral fame really hits, especially after that now-famous Dr. Pepper jingle lady.

Catch "TMZ Live" Thursday... 'cause the "Shark Tank" star breaks down the ultimate power of social media story -- user @romeosshow uploaded a 10-second TikTok clip after being inspired in a dream, and that went hugely viral ... and Dr. Pepper turned it into their official National Championship jingle. Insane.

Daymond drops some wild stats too -- saying we touch our phones hundreds of times a day -- and explains how social media is basically a giant testing lab, for people chasing fame and for brands hunting their next breakout star.

The convo even lit a fire under our own Harvey -- who took his own shot at viral glory ... with a jingle about diarrhea. Yes, really.

6:03 PM PT -- A rep for Kansas City PD tells TMZ ... "Generally we do not comment in pending litigation to ensure fairness for all sides involved. Anything we have previously said on the subject in the process of your reporting is available for use, but nothing further at this time."

Trey Songz is fighting back about an arrest that happened half a decade ago ... suing the Kansas City Police Department over an incident at a Kansas City Chiefs NFL playoff game.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Trey claims he was at the AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills in January 2021 and was in his seat at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri when folks nearby started heckling him because of his celeb status.

Trey claims the verbal heckling escalated to threats and harassment, resulting in security and police being called to his seat ... and we were first to obtain video of the police interaction.

David Harbour and Lily Allen are officially closing the door on their Brooklyn chapter ... 'cause TMZ has learned the estranged couple has found a buyer for their NYC townhouse following their very public -- and very ugly -- breakup.

Sources with knowledge of the sale tell TMZ ... the former couple closed on the property for $7 million, after it went into contract earlier this week. The home was originally listed for $8 million back in October, before the price was slashed to $7.3 million in January, and now, it's finally off their hands.

The place isn't just any brownstone. The late 19th century 5-bedroom, 4-bath Carroll Gardens townhouse sits on one of the most sought-after blocks in the neighborhood. The 4-level home was purchased by the couple in 2021 for $3.35 million, then completely reimagined with AD100 designer Billy Cotton and architect Ben Bischoff of MADE.

But the timing of the sale is impossible to ignore. Harbour and Allen's breakup has been extremely messy, and Lily's new album, "West End Girl," appears to pull zero punches. The title track is reportedly all about this very townhouse, turning their one-time dream home into a symbol of everything that went wrong.

Blake Lively's trying to keep her famous friends out of her lawsuit fracas ... because this case isn't about them, it's about Justin Baldoni's treatment of her -- this according to her lawyer.

Sigrid McCawley -- Lively's high-profile attorney who famously represented victims of Jeffrey Epstein -- spoke to reporters outside a Manhattan courthouse Thursday after a hearing in the case wrapped.

McCawley told the assembled media Lively's standing up for all the young women out there ... becoming a real-life example for those who might be afraid to reveal they've been sexually harassed in the workplace.

Harry Styles has been defrosting all week, and now he’s officially thawed ... 'cause he's just announced his 2026 tour -- and there’s only one stop in all of North America!

Days after unveiling his new album, Harry dropped the news on IG, revealing his "Together, Together" tour kicks off in Amsterdam this May, before hitting cities like London, Melbourne ... and one very lonely U.S. stop in New York, ruffling some fans' feathers.

Thankfully, he's not just swinging by NYC -- he’s setting up camp with a 30-date residency at Madison Square Garden, meaning fans from across the country will be flying into the Big Apple to catch him.

Nicki Minaj has apparently done a complete 180-degree flip on her immigration stance ... according to a recently dug-up Facebook post from President Donald Trump's first term in office.

As you know ... Nicki has been very vocal in her support of the Trump administration lately. She praised Donald, despite his anti-immigration agenda ... and denigrated Don Lemon for covering an ICE protest at a Minnesota church.

But in 2018, she wrote, "I came to this country as an illegal immigrant @ 5 years old. I can’t imagine the horror of being in a strange place & having my parents stripped away from me at the age of 5. This is so scary to me. Please stop this. Can you try to imagine the terror & panic these kids feel right now?" The post is accompanied by a photo of kids on mats, some covered up with space blankets, in a large chain-link fenced-in cage.

You literally never know what will happen on a TMZ Brunch Bus tour! While "FBoy Island" star CJ Franco was hosting, "Love on the Spectrum" star Abbey Romeo boarded the bus ... as a passenger!

That's right ... Abbey may be a breakout favorite from one of Netflix's premier shows, but she wanted to get a tour of Hollywood just like any other tourist while she was in town.

But she didn't take a backseat for long.

Looks like Cardi B didn’t just fall for Stefon Diggs -- she fell for football too!!!

The Patriots star receiver couldn’t stop gushing about Cardi while speaking to reporters on Wednesday ... making it clear how much he appreciates having the rap queen as one of his loudest cheerleaders.

"She's an amazing supporter of just me and the Patriots," Diggs said. "She wasn't a football girl before, but I converted her over. I'm just thankful to have her in my corner."

Blake Lively basically bent over backwards to save her shaky relationship with Taylor Swift just before suing Justin Baldoni ... a move that may have ensured her most powerful ally was in her corner before launching this long and chaotic legal battle.

In a December 2024 text thread, obtained by TMZ, Blake awkwardly reached out to Taylor to check in because she "felt like a bad friend lately."

And Taylor just straight up agrees with her ... "You're not wrong," she wrote.

Good thing Blake reached out!

According to Taylor's texts, there had been a cold shift in the way Blake talked to her, which made Taylor feel more like an employee than a friend.

Travis Kelce's Instagram has become a meeting point for Taylor Swift discourse ... with folks flooding his comment section after his fiancée's texts about the Justin Baldoni drama were revealed.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end's phone had to have been buzzing due to Tuesday's development ... when legal documents, part of Blake Lively's deposition, suggested Swift may have been in on undermining Baldoni, even calling the actor a "bitch."

TMZ obtained the docs -- one of Swift's text messages, dated December 2024 and referencing Baldoni and a New York Times piece, said, "I think this bitch knows something is coming because he's gotten out his tiny violin."

Kim Kardashian is rewriting history with Taylor Swift after years of messy drama ... handing out a major compliment to her -- but make no mistake, it’s strictly about the music!

The SKIMS founder admitted on her sister Khloé's 'Wonder Land' podcast Wednesday she’s got Taylor’s music on her playlist ... even shouting out some of her older tracks and calling the pop star "super talented" -- a surprising statement after the decade-long beef.

Unclear if Taylor’s 2024 diss track "thanK you alMee" made the cut on Kim's playlist (🫣) ... you know, the one Swifties are convinced is all about her feud with Kim ... which you'll remember was nuclear!

50 Cent has some sage advice for Ye  and Nicki Minaj ... stay the f*** away from religion and politics.

While promoting his new film, "Moses the Black," 50 -- who executive-produced the movie -- stressed that while the project dapples in religious themes, it should be looked at as pure entertainment.

50 told an audience at a recent screening ... "There's two things they tell you to stay away from. They tell you to stay away from religion and stay away from politics, because no matter what you think, someone passionately disagrees with you."

Bianca Censori wasn’t about to let Kanye West get distracted by Sydney Sweeney ... so she turned date night into a full runway show to catch "The Housemaid."

Check the pics ... Bianca nearly stole the spotlight outside an L.A. theater Tuesday night in a barely-there strapless bodysuit perched over a tiny bra top, doing overtime to keep everything contained.

Bianca topped it off with sky-high, lace-up metallic heels that screamed "look at me" as she strutted along with Ye ... who was the polar opposite with a zero effort look.

Pharrell Williams knows how to pull a crowd -- and then some -- because his latest Louis Vuitton show turned into a full-blown celebrity takeover!

Usher, Future, Chris Brown and SZA were all front and center Tuesday at LV’s Men’s Fall-Winter 2026 show at the Jardin d’Acclimatation amusement park in Paris, France.

That was just the start -- take a scroll through our gallery and you’ll spot "Stranger Things" star Joe Keery, plus John Legend, Skepta and plenty more heavy hitters.