Dozens of athletes and celebs have gotten Kobe Bryant tattoos in the wake of the NBA legend's passing, but Gerald Green's new Mamba ink might just top them all ...

The former NBA player -- who just announced his retirement last week -- revealed he had a pic of him defending Bryant tatted on his right arm recently.

The artwork is very cool -- it's a tat based on a photo of him trying to block Bryant's shot at the rim during a game when Green played for the Suns.

The piece is a big one ... it stretches from the top of Green's bicep almost all the way down to his inner elbow -- and it's all in black and white coloring.

Of course, Green made the move to honor Bryant -- someone he's never shied away from publicly praising.

You'll recall, Green wore a #8 Bryant jersey to a game in the days following the ex-hooper's tragic death ... saying at the time that Kobe had inspired him since he was a child.

"I don't think anybody could ever achieve the things that he did," the 35-year-old said, adding, "There will never be another number 8 or 24. Never."

Stu Billett -- the mastermind who created "The People's Court" and birthed the whole genre of courtroom TV shows -- has died.

Stu died Friday in Los Angeles as a result of natural causes ... according to reps for 'People's Court.' He was surrounded by family when he passed.

Billett dreamed up 'TPC' back in 1981, and while it was a big TV ratings winner, it was much more than that ... as it became a pop culture phenomenon.

The show's OG judge, Joseph Wapner, became a catchphrase when Dustin Hoffman's character in "Rain Man" obsessed over 'People's Court' ... continually counting down, "15 minutes to Wapner."

The show also spawned countless satirical takes over the years on 'SNL' -- the most recent one featured Kim Kardashian playing her older sister in "The People's Kourt."

The OG 'People's Court' ran from 1981 to 1993 ... first with Wapner as the star. It was rebooted in 1997 with former NYC Mayor Ed Koch as the judge, then Judge Judy's husband, Jerry Sheindlin, took on the role and finally Judge Marilyn Milian took the bench ... and the show's still going strong.

Stu, who won 4 Daytime Emmy awards for his work as the show's executive producer, served in the military -- as a U.S. Marine -- before getting into TV as a producer's assistant on several shows.

He's being remembered by his 'TPC' family as "a kind and remarkable man who made a great impact on the lives of so many people, and he will be missed tremendously."

Stu is survived by his wife of more than 40 years and his children and grandkids.

He was 85.

A Texas drag racing event turned deadly on Saturday when a driver lost control of his ride and slammed into spectators -- killing two boys and injuring eight others.

The tragic incident happened at Kerrville-Kerr County Airport in Kerrville, Texas (60 miles north of San Antonio) during an event called "Airport Race Wars 2."

In footage of the race, you can see two cars sped down the runway ... when things took a tragic turn.

The driver in the right lane suddenly veered hard to the left ... and crashed into parked cars and spectators.

The Kerrville Police Department said in a statement that a 6-year-old boy was killed at the scene and an 8-year-old boy later died at the Peterson Regional Medical Center due to injuries suffered in the wreck.

Cops say eight others -- ranging from three months old to 46 years old -- were injured in the accident as well. The driver, meanwhile, was hurt in the crash but is said to be in stable condition.

The KPD says an investigation into the wreck is ongoing.

Flyin Diesel Performance -- which organized the event for the 3,500 fans -- added that it's working with the KPD ... and is devastated by the tragedy.

"On behalf of the entire Flyin Diesel team we extend our most sincere condolences to the families affected on Saturdays event!"

Halyna Hutchins was honored with yet another candlelight vigil in the wake of her tragic death -- only this time, it was held on the West Coast ... with members of the union of which she was in.

Dozens of people came out Sunday night with lit candles in hand, congregating at the I.A.T.S.E. Local 80 building in Burbank -- the main California headquarters, which advocates for scores of creatives who work in the film and TV industry ... presumably, Halyna too.

It was a somber gathering, where folks looked to be hanging out mostly in silence ... or speaking quietly to their neighbor. Most everyone was wearing face masks. There also appeared to be some people with signs, calling for the firing of I.A.T.S.E. Prez Matt Loeb.

The union has been in the news lately ... threatening to have its members go on strike if certain demands weren't met, including higher pay. A deal was recently struck to avoid any such shutdown -- but after Halyna's death, ya gotta wonder if safety was brought up in these negotiations. If not, it will almost certainly be addressed at the next juncture.

This is the second candlelight vigil for Halyna -- there was one held last week in Albuquerque, NM ... not far from where she was accidentally shot and killed by Alec Baldwin.

Snoop Dogg's mother, Beverly Tate, has died ... this according to her own son.

The rapper broke the news Sunday, posting a tribute to her on Instagram and writing ... "Thank u god for giving me an angel 🕊 for a mother 💖🙏🏽🌹💝 TWMA." There's another post where he thanks his mom for having him. A cause of death wasn't revealed.

SD's father, Vernell, also confirmed the news ... and he too asked for prayers, noting the family needed it now more than ever.

Ms. Tate had been hospitalized earlier this year for undisclosed reasons -- Snoop had asked his fans send good vibes while his mother was in the hospital. He later updated folks by letting them know she was "still fighting" and had opened her eyes ... but didn't mention much else specifically.

Clearly, they were close. Snoop attributes a lot of his good qualities to how she raised him -- even recently disclosing that she was the one who encouraged him to apologize to Gayle King over his comments in response to her Kobe Bryant remark last year.

Beverly had two other sons by Vernell ... and raised the family in Long Beach, CA. She brought Snoop up in a church environment -- something he still alludes to this day.

James Michael Tyler -- famous for playing Gunther on "Friends" -- has died.

The actor's rep tells TMZ ... JMT passed away peacefully Sunday morning at his home in L.A. -- this after battling stage 4 prostate cancer.

His family says ... "The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh "Friend"), from the hit series "Friends," but Michael’s loved ones knew him as an actor, musician, cancer-awareness advocate, and loving husband."

They add, "Michael loved live music, cheering on his Clemson Tigers, and would often find himself in fun and unplanned adventures. If you met him once you made a friend for life."

James first revealed his cancer diagnosis earlier this year -- which stunned fans, as he'd just appeared in the reunion special and made no mention of it. He later clarified why he hadn't gone public at that time -- saying he didn't wanna be a downer for the special moment.

He was first diagnosed with cancer in 2018, and kept it private for 3 years.

James has acted in several big shows over the course of his career -- including "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Scrubs," "Modern Music," "Just Shoot Me!" and others ... but his biggest claim to fame is the long-running sitcom, where he played a worker at the Central Perk cafe.

He starred in 150 episodes of "Friends" over the course of its 10-year run ... and is absolutely beloved by the fan base. James is survived by his wife, Jennifer Carno.

James Michael Tyler was 59.

The assistant director on the set of "Rust" who told Alec Baldwin the prop gun he was about to fire was safe has allowed an unsafe working environment on previous productions ... this according to someone who worked with him on a previous production.

Propmaker Maggie Goll worked with A.D. Dave Halls in 2019 on Hulu's "Into the Dark" series. She says, "At first he seemed like an older, affable first [A.D.] with the usual run of idiosyncrasies, but that facade soon disappeared," adding, "He did not maintain a safe working environment."

"He did not maintain a safe working environment," Goll said in a statement to NBC News. "Sets were almost always allowed to become increasingly claustrophobic, no established fire lanes, exits blocked ... safety meetings were nonexistent."

Goll says in one case Halls continued to let cameras roll in the middle of a medical emergency -- when something happened to the pyrotechnician -- and she says that created a dangerous situation.

Perhaps most alarming ... she says Halls didn't hold safety meetings when a gun was used on the set.

Halls is the one who gave Baldwin the prop gun and yelled, "cold gun" ... meaning it had no live rounds. Apparently that was a fatal error.

Simon Monjack isn't the monster he was portrayed to be in HBO's newest Brittany Murphy doc, so says his brother, who feels he was duped into participating in the whole thing.

The two-part series investigates the life, relationships and death of the actress ... but mostly focuses on her bizarre marriage to Simon Monjack -- who died just 5 months after Murphy. There's a lot of suspicions raised about the circumstances surrounding her death, but one theme in the doc remains constant ... Simon wasn't a good dude.

Throughout the episodes, Simon is accused of controlling Brittany, taking her money, having secret kids and eventually preventing her from getting medical attention.

Monjack's brother, James, who is interviewed in the series tells us he was disappointed that the filmmakers made Simon out to be the villain.

James says the project was originally pitched to him to be investigative journalism into the couple's deaths, but instead, it came off as a sensationalistic piece. James said he and his mother -- who was also interviewed -- had hoped the series would lead to a breakthrough in what actually killed Simon and Brittany, but made it seem more like Simon led to her death.

While James says he was able to watch the entire thing, his mom won't ... and she too is upset that all it really did was point fingers at Simon.

Jay Black, who fronted the '60s hit group Jay and the Americans, has died.

Jay sang some big hits for the group ... the biggest of which was "This Magic Moment."

The band posted the death notice on its Facebook page ... “Today, we mourn the passing of David Blatt a/k/a Jay Black and we acknowledge the great successes we had with him both as a partner and as a lead singer,” a spokesperson wrote. “We shared both wonderful and very contentious times, and much like an ex-wife, we are so proud of the beautiful children we created. We’ll always remember The Voice.”

The group was big when England took over American music ... in case you didn't catch it, Jay and the Americans are Americans.

They were big enough to open for The Beatles in 1964 at their Washington D.C. concert.

Among the other hits ... "Come a Little Bit Closer," "Blockbusters," "Cara Mia," and "Walkin' in the Rain."

The Facebook reference to "The Voice" is his nickname coined by his bandmates.

Jay and the Americans was at the height of its output in the 1960s, officially disbanding in 1973.

Jay continued to perform long after the band broke up ... all the way up 'till 2017.

He is survived by 4 children, 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Jay was 82.

Hailey Bieber is speaking up on the accidental shooting that claimed Halyna Hutchins' life -- meanwhile ... her own director and husband have something to say as well.

Alec Baldwin's niece shared some somber words on behalf of all affected parties, taking to IG to write ... "Sending all my love to the family of Halyna Hutchins. This is a truly unimaginable and devastating tragedy."

She adds, "My thoughts are also with Joel Souza as he recovers. I am absolutely heartbroken for everyone involved." No explicit mention of Alec -- to whom she has a direct tie -- but it's obvious why Hailey's weighing in ... as this is a family affair.

As Hailey sent her own thoughts ... Joel Souza -- the director of the Baldwin flick, "Rust," who was also injured during the accident -- has broken his silence on the tragedy. He tells Deadline, "I am gutted by the loss of my friend and colleague, Halyna. She was kind, vibrant, incredibly talented, fought for every inch and always pushed me to be better."

He adds, "My thoughts are with her family at this most difficult time. I am humbled and grateful by the outpouring of affection we have received from our filmmaking community, the people of Santa Fe, and the hundreds of strangers who have reached out. It will surely aid in my recovery." Souza was reportedly released from the hospital Friday with a shoulder injury.

Finally, Hutchins' widowed hubby, Matt, also shared some thoughts publicly for the first time -- writing, "Thank you to Halyna's friends and mentors at AFI for establishing a scholarship to honor her memory and support aspiring female cinematographers."

He continues, "Anyone seeking to honor her memory, please direct your giving to this fund."

Alec had previously said he was in contact with Matt ... and was cooperating with law enforcement to figure out how exactly this might've happened. There are already some clues, however, that have surfaced in a warrant -- which said an assistant director handed Alec the hot gun, thinking it was "cold."

The woman responsible for handling weapons on the set of Alec Baldwin's "Rust" had only recently taken on a gig as a head armorer, and shared she had real doubts about doing the job.

Hannah Reed -- daughter of Hollywood armorer Thell Reed -- appeared on the "Voices of the West" podcast last month to talk about her new experiences in the biz. Reed told the hosts she had just wrapped a western movie with Nic Cage called "The Old Way" ... and it was her first time as head armorer on a movie.

In a now-eerie confession, Reed says of the Cage job, "You know, I was really nervous about it at first, and I almost didn't take the job because I wasn't sure if I was ready ... but, doing it, like, it went really smoothly."

Reed also talked about the guidance she's gotten from her dad -- who has previously worked on "Django: Unchained" "3:10 to Yuma" and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" -- as an armorer.

In talking about her training, Reed told the podcast hosts loading blanks in prop guns was "the scariest" thing to her, because she didn't know how to do it ... but it was something her dad had helped her work through.

Of course, there are still a lot of questions surrounding the accident on set ... including whether it was a live round in the gun Baldwin fired or a blank. Indiewire obtained an email sent by the propmasters union which claimed the gun Alec Baldwin fired had a "live single round" which struck 2 crew members.

A source who was working on the film tells us just last weekend there were several issues with blanks being shot when they weren't supposed to ... it's unclear who the head armorer was at that time.

The gun handed to Alec Baldwin before the fatal shooting on the "Rust" movie set was loaded with a live round ... according to a warrant from the ongoing police investigation.

The warrant says an assistant director handed the gun to Alec and told the actor it was safe to use before the deadly incident ... according to the warrant obtained by the Associated Press.

The warrant says the assistant director didn't know the gun was loaded, but it doesn't mention who actually loaded the gun ... which may become the central issue.

Alec's blood-stained costume from the movie has been taken as evidence, as well as the gun that went off, plus other prop guns and ammo being used on set, according to the warrant.

The warrant says Halyna Hutchins was shot in the chest and Joel Souza was wounded as he was standing behind her.

A source working on the movie tells us gun safety has been a consistent issue on set, and just last weekend blank rounds were shot when they weren't supposed to go off.

As we reported ... Alec pulled the trigger on the gun and the accident resulted in the death of 42-year-old cinematographer Hutchins. She was struck and airlifted to a hospital, where she died. Director Souza was also hit, but has reportedly been released from the hospital.

Crew members on the set of "Rust" were quick to dial 911 after a gun accident that left one woman dead, telling operators "we need help immediately."

The caller is the film's script supervisor, and it's clear to hear the panic in her voice when she says 2 people were accidentally shot by a prop gun. The operator asks if a real bullet was fired from the gun, but the caller does not know what shot out.

The newly released call also gives some insight as to how people were shot, telling the dispatch it was during a rehearsal that the gun went off ... she does not know how serious the bleeding on either victim is.

Eventually, a male takes over the call from the film set, and let's the operator know both people are alert and a medic is tending to them ... but clearly, things took a turn for the worse.

As we reported, Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger on the gun, which caused the accident ... 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins died at the hospital after being airlifted and Director Joel Souza was also struck, but was reportedly released from the hospital.

Baldwin released a statement Friday, saying, "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred."

He continued, "I am in touch with with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."

There have not yet been any arrests from the incident, and it continues to be investigated by the local sheriff, district attorney and OHSB.

Peter Scolari, who famously co-starred alongside Tom Hanks in the sitcom "Bosom Buddies," is dead, following an extended cancer battle.

Peter's reps announced he died early Friday ... he'd been diagnosed with cancer 2 years ago, but it seems he kept that news private.

The ABC sitcom "Bosom Buddies" put Peter and Tom on the map when it came out in 1980, and they remained close friends throughout their lives. Peter went on to costar on "Newhart" and, most recently, played Lena Dunham's dad on "Girls." He won his first Emmy in 2016 for that role.

On their hit show, Hanks and Scolari played 2 single men who dressed like and pretended to be women so they could live together in an NYC apartment. Yeah, the plot doesn't exactly hold up to today's standards.

Peter also had roles in "Murphy Brown," "The West Wing," "ER," and "Ally McBeal." He also found success in several Broadway plays, including "Hairspray" and "Wicked."

He's survived by his wife and their 4 children.

Peter was 66.

The woman killed on the set of Alec Baldwin's film "Rust" once described herself as a "restless dreamer" and "adrenaline junkie" -- but it was her "brilliant talent" that stuck with those who worked with her.

Halyna Hutchins, the 42-year-old Director of Photography, hailed from Ukraine and grew up as an "army brat" on a Soviet military base "surrounded by reindeer and and nuclear submarines" ... according to her website. She was also named one of American Cinematographer magazine’s “rising stars” in 2019.

Most recently, Halyna worked on the film "Archenemy" as the DP. The project starred Joe Manganiello, who praised her talent in a touching tribute, saying, "... she was the kind of cinematographer that you wanted to see succeed because you wanted to see what she could pull off next."

Adam Egypt Mortimer, who directed "Archenemy," also paid tribute, calling Halyna a "brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film."

As we reported, Halyna and "Rust" director Joel Souza were both struck -- either by a bullet or shrapnel -- after a serious mishap from a gun fired by Alec Baldwin. Halyna was airlifted to a local hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she died from her injuries. Souza is expected to survive.

Baldwin was spotted shortly after the accident looking distraught ... he had also recently posted a photo from set, which was later deleted.

Halyna leaves behind a husband and a son.