RIP

Nipsey Hussle's birthday is still a couple weeks away ... but cops are already gearing up and bracing for a huge turnout at his Marathon Clothing store in his honor.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD has August 15 marked on its calendar, planning a heavy presence at the location where the rapper was shot and killed earlier this year.

The police force is fully aware Nipsey was a beloved member of the community, so its anticipating thousands of fans showing up to pay their respects on his bday.

We're told the LAPD is not taking any chances.

Our sources say more than 100 officers will be in the area -- but many will be in plain clothes because they don't want to come off as threatening.

Interestingly, Hussle's camp hasn't even released any official plans about how it will celebrate his bday ... but cops are making an educated guess it will revolve around Marathon.

Nipsey's memorial service and funeral procession were attended by thousands in April. We're told just like that gathering, cops don't foresee violence ... but they'll be ready if things get out of control.

As we reported ... Nipsey and his business partners were being investigated at the time of his death for alleged gang activity around his clothing store, despite the LAPD praising him at the very same time for taking a stand against gang violence.

The LAPD later said it wasn't specifically targeting Hussle ... just looking to curb the long-standing gang problem in the area surrounding Marathon.

Adrien Broner thinks Maxim Dadashev's death from in-ring injuries was tragic ... but the star boxer tells TMZ Sports nothing about the sport has to change going forward.

"Hell nah," Broner says ... "Ain't nothing got to change."

Dadashev -- a 28-year-old Russian junior welterweight contender -- took repeated punches to the face and head during his fight last Friday night with Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matias.

After his trainer threw in the towel to stop the bout ... Dadashev collapsed and was rushed to the hospital -- where he later died Tuesday from brain injuries suffered during the fight.

Broner tells us the tragedy was eye-opening ... and says people need to start appreciating him more now because "it only take one shot and we can die."

But, as far as putting in measures to prevent that from happening in the future, Broner says that's unnecessary for boxing.

"It's a part about growing up," Broner says ... "Who your teacher is. What he taught you. 'Cause when I grew up, my coach, Mike Stafford, the first thing he taught me was defense."

"And that's why my career is still lasting as long as it is."

As for whether Dadashev's corner let him down by not stopping the fight sooner ... Broner says their actions were fine by him.

Russi Taylor -- the woman who voiced Minnie Mouse for more than three decades -- has died.

Taylor passed away Friday at her Glendale home in Southern California, according to Disney CEO Bob Iger. He says, "Minnie Mouse lost her voice with the passing of Russi Taylor."

Iger went on to say, "We’re so grateful for Russi’s talent as well as the tremendous spirit and great joy she brought to everything she did. It was a privilege to have known her and an honor to have worked with her, and we take comfort in the knowledge that her work will continue to entertain and inspire for generations to come."

He added, "Russi will be sorely missed and our hearts go out to her family and friends, along with our deepest condolences." The circumstances around her death are unclear.

Russi voiced the iconic Disney character consistently since the '80s -- 1987 to be exact, which is when she's first credited for playing Minnie in a TV movie called "DTV 'Doggone' Valentine." She auditioned and landed the coveted role. Hers is the Minnie voice most millennials and kids are familiar with.

She's continued to voice Minnie as recently as 2019, and has a little over 80 Minnie credits to her name over the a variety of Disney projects. Some of the most notable contributions to the Disney canon as Minnie ... "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" "Runaway Brain," "Goofy and the Three Musketeers," "Mickey Mouse Works," "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and lots of others.

Russi's voice talents went well beyond Disney though ... she's voice other iconic characters too, like Pebbles on "The Flinstones," the Mackleberry Twins and Martin Prince on "The Simpsons" and other characters on "The Jetsons," "Scooby Doo," "The Muppets" ... plus plenty of other Disney favorites.

She was once married to longtime Mickey Mouse voice actor Wayne Allwine, who died of diabetes in 2009. They didn't have any children together, but she's got a whole country of kids who love her.

Sophie Turner was understandably emotional Friday night as she cradled her dog, Porky, and watched her husband Joe Jonas shoot a music video.

TMZ broke the story ... Joe and Sophie's other Alaskan Klee Kai, Waldo, was struck and killed by a car Wednesday as he was walking in Lower Manhattan with his dog walker. Waldo got spooked by a pedestrian, broke free and ran into the street where he was hit by a vehicle.

Joe Jonas and Sophie were torn up by the tragedy. They filed a police report and told cops they were so distraught they had to see a therapist.

Before the video shoot, Joe and Sophie comforted each other as they walked in a New York City park with Porky.

Tragic news ... Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner's Alaskan Klee Kai, Waldo, was struck and killed by a car in New York City ... TMZ has learned.

We're told it happened Wednesday on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Their dog walker had Waldo on a leash when the dog got spooked by a pedestrian, broke free, ran into the street and was struck by a vehicle. A rep for Joe called it "a freak accident."

We're told Joe and Sophie went to police Friday to report the incident. We're also told they informed police they delayed filing the report because they were so torn up they had to go to a therapist after the incident.

Joe and Sophie got Waldo in April 2018.

Joe and Sophie have another dog from the same litter -- Porky. Joe was seen walking with Porky Thursday ... a day after the tragedy.

Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife has pled GUILTY to facilitating the murder of the former NBA player -- and she'll be locked away for at least 9 years.

Wright -- the 7th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft -- was shot to death in 2010. His body was discovered in a swampy field 10 days after he went missing.

Officials say his body was riddled with bullet wounds.

Investigators eventually pointed the finger at Lorenzen's ex-wife, Sherra Wright, and a male friend, Billy Turner. The two attended the same church.

But, officials say Sherra called the shots in a diabolical murder plot. Sherra initially planned to kill Lorenzen at his Atlanta home but when that plan failed, she conspired with Turner to murder him in Tennessee instead, prosecutors say.

Both Wright and Turner were charged with 1st-degree murder among other charges and she was facing up to 100 years behind bars.

But, Sherra cut a deal with prosecutors in which she agreed to plead guilty to facilitation of murder and facilitation to commit attempted 1st-degree murder.

In exchange for her plea, Sherra got 30 years in prison ... but will be eligible for parole after 9.

Outside court Thursday, Sherra's attorney told reporters she had planned to argue that Lorenzen was a violent man who beat her for years and she was pushed to the edge.

However, Lorenzen's family members have accused Sherra of offing the basketball player in hopes of collecting a $1 million life insurance policy.

Wright played in the NBA from 1996 to 2009 ... most famously playing for the Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The boxing world is dealing with its second tragedy in one week -- 23-year-old fighter Hugo Santillan died in Argentina on Thursday after suffering injuries during his fight over the weekend.

Santillan fought Eduardo Javier Abreu for the WBC Latino Silver lightweight title in Buenos Aires on Saturday. The bout ended in a draw after 10 violent rounds -- but it was clear something was wrong.

Santillan collapsed in the ring as the announcer presented the results of the fight ... and doctors rushed to give him oxygen. He was stretchered out of the venue and taken to a nearby hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for a clot in his brain.

The boxer went into cardiorespiratory failure twice before ultimately succumbing to his injuries.

The doctor who treated Santillan issued a statement ... saying, "Upon admission to the hospital, he had successive kidney failure and he did not come out of his coma."

"He had swelling of his brain and he never recovered consciousness. The swelling continued to worsen and it affected the functioning of the rest of his organs."

The super lightweight succumbed to his injuries on Thursday ... just 2 days after 28-year-old boxer Maxim Dadashev died from injuries he suffered during his fight on Friday.

"We join Hugo’s family and friends in grief, support and wish prompt resignation," the World Boxing Council said in a statement.

Santillan had a 19-6-2 record as a pro ... with 8 KOs.

The boxing world is reeling from the two tragedies ... earlier this week, Gennady Golovkin told us Maxim's death wasn't only tragic on a personal level, but was also terrible for the sport of boxing.

Margot Robbie's portrayal of Sharon Tate in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" is so spot-on it's surreal ... according to someone who would know -- Sharon's sister.

Debra Tate tells TMZ ... after attending the premiere of Quentin Tarantino's 9th film Monday, she can officially say Margot nailed it. She tells us Robbie's portrayal actually made her feel like she was visiting her sister, and her only complaint is the visit was too short -- the movie left her wanting more. Ironic, since the flick is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

In fact ... she says she'd absolutely love for Margot to play Sharon in a biopic about her sister's whole life.

Of course, Debra's rave review comes after months of trepidation over how her late sister would be played on the big screen. We broke the story ... she actually met with Tarantino and voiced her concerns to him, and he assured her he and Margot would do Sharon right.

Debra tells us ... "I wasn't disappointed."

She says the famed director did everything he promised her he would do, and she adds ... "It’s the first time ever that I haven’t been lied to or tricked or not given any consideration whatsoever” about how Sharon is portrayed.

As for the movie as a whole, Debra says it's vintage Quentin, and she was impressed by the immense detail and accurate portrayal of 1969 Los Angeles ... right down to the music on the radio. She says it was like a time machine.

Debra also says it never felt exploitative of the Manson Family victims, and she actually hopes the film will remind people of the grisly crimes they committed and how some members could still get parole ... something she fights against to this day.

Cameron Boyce's memory is living on in the people he was closest to in his career -- which couldn't have been more clear than at Kenny Ortega's Walk of Fame ceremony.

The esteemed director -- who headed up Disney's "Descendants" film, which starred Cameron -- was honored Wednesday with his own star on Hollywood Boulevard. During his speech, he made sure to mention the late actor, who tragically died this month.

Kenny said Cameron -- whose father and sister attended the event as well -- had inspired him beyond words, and also inspired a generation of kids who were familiar with his work.

He went on to say that Cameron told him something once that he relayed to the crowd -- watch the clip ... it's pretty profound that Cameron was talking like that before his sudden passing. Kenny also touted a foundation Cameron's family has started in his name.

As we've reported ... Cameron suffered from epilepsy throughout his life, before dying in his sleep in early July after enduring a fatal seizure. His exact cause of death has yet to be released, but authorities have listed it as a "natural death."

His family has thanked all of Cameron's fans for the outpouring of love and support, and said of their son ... "He was and is, so cherished and we will hold him in our hearts forever. He is our shooting star."

Rutger Hauer -- the Dutch actor best known for costarring with Harrison Ford in the classic film "Blade Runner" -- has died.

The veteran actor died at his home in the Netherlands last week after a short illness, according to his agent. His funeral was held Wednesday.

Hauer's Hollywood career spanned over 5 decades, and his credits include leading roles in movies like "The Hitcher" and playing Roy Batty in Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi film, "Blade Runner."

Rutger won a Golden Globe in 1988 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in the TV series "Escape from Sobibor," and was nominated again in 1995 for "Fatherland."

His more recent credits include "Sin City," "Batman Begins" and the titular role in 2011's "Hobo with a Shotgun." He also had a notable supporting role on the HBO series, "True Blood."

After several big roles in the Netherlands in the '70s, Hauer made his mark on American cinema in 1981, starring alongside Sly Stallone in "Nighthawks."

He was big in the horror genre, as well -- he played Van Helsing in 2012's "Dracula 3D" to follow up going full vampire in the 2004 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s "Salem’s Lot."

Rutger was 75.

Maxim Dadashev -- the boxer who went into a coma after suffering injuries during a fight Friday night -- has died, both his trainer and coach announced Tuesday.

He was 28 years old.

Dadashev, a Russian junior welterweight contender, was fighting Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matias in the co-main event of Top Rank's boxing card on ESPN last week, when things took a horrible turn in the later rounds.

Dadashev was taking a lot of punches to the face and head ... and it got so ugly, his trainer, Buddy McGirt, had to beg the boxer to throw in the towel.

Ultimately, McGirt was able to get the fight stopped -- but the damage had been done ... Dadashev collapsed after the bout and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital in Maryland after taking more than 300 punches in the bout.

Dadashev was diagnosed with a brain bleed and underwent a 2 hour procedure Friday evening in the hopes of saving his life. He was later placed in a medically induced coma.

But, McGirt announced Tuesday Dadashev had passed away from his injuries.

Dadashev was 13-1 in his boxing career and was considered one of the sport's bright young stars before Friday's fight.

Tyler Skaggs' wife, Carli, gave a heartfelt tribute to the late MLB pitcher on Monday ... delivering an emotional speech at his private funeral.

"I made a last-minute decision to speak. I didn't think I'd be able to. But, Tyler has given me some strength today," Carli said in front of Skaggs' family, friends and L.A. Angels teammates.

"Tyler, my most handsome husband and love of my life. You showed me what real love is. And, as badly as I'm hurting, I consider myself blessed to have been loved by you."

The service in Skaggs' native Santa Monica featured 14 different speakers -- including Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney and Skaggs' former teammate Garrett Richards -- as well as several family members.

"When I look back at our life together, I have no regrets," Carli added. "We said 'I love you' every hour. We never missed an opportunity to say how fortunate we are to have found our true love."

"6 years later, we never got tired of being together, and looked forward to those sacred off days. I'm grateful we never took our love for granted. Always showing the utmost respect for each other."

Carli reminisced about the first time they met ... as well as their "breakfast traditions, dinner at Benihana, daily jacuzzi, and late night runs to In-N-Out."

"You are my forever soulmate, lover, confidante and best friend. You are my rock and I know you are by my side helping me to move forward one step at a time."

Skaggs died in his team hotel room in the Dallas area on July 1 during a road trip to Texas to play the Rangers. A cause of death has not been released.

He was 27 years old.

"I will love you til my last breath until we are together again. Miss you, babe."

Art Neville of the Neville Brothers -- a legend in the New Orleans music scene and a funk pioneer -- has died.

The musician passed away Monday after years of declining health, according to his family. His longtime manager, Kent Sorrell, said Art's death was "peaceful" ... adding that he died at his home with his wife, Lorraine, by his side.

Art was a singer, songwriter and prominent keyboardist in the NOLA music scene for a long time. He's perhaps best known as the voice of the Carnival season anthem, "Mardi Gras Mambo," which he wrote and originally recorded in the 1950's ... and has endured to this day.

He formed multiple bands throughout the decades -- and along the way, pumped out well over 10 singles and at least a couple dozen albums between the Neville Bros. and The Meters.

The Thousand Oaks bar where 12 people were killed in a shooting rampage hosted its first public gathering at the site of the tragedy, with hundreds of people showing up Sunday night for a ceremonial tree lighting ... a tribute to the victims.

The Borderline Bar & Grill parking lot was buzzing with activity for the first time since the November mass shooting ... with the community coming together to listen to country music, line dance and remember those they lost by illuminating an oak tree that served as a symbol of healing in the shooting's aftermath.

Borderline Bar owner Brian Hynes says the oak tree -- located on the edge of the bar parking lot -- will remain lit every night to represent the 12 people who were killed. People gathered at the tree in the days after the shooting, sharing hugs, shedding tears and lending each other support.

Following the ceremonial tree lighting, the crowd stuck around and everyone sang Garth Brooks' country classic, "Friends in Low Places."

You may recall ... the massacre occurred last November during the bar's popular College Country Night, when a retired Marine stormed the venue and killed 12 people before police shot and killed him.

It's been 8 days since the Angels honored Tyler Skaggs by throwing a no-hitter ... but Tampa Bay Rays star Austin Meadows STILL can't believe it, telling TMZ Sports, "It was pretty surreal."

Skaggs tragically died at the team's hotel during a road trip to Texas earlier this month ... and in the Angels' first game back in L.A. without the pitcher, they threw a combined no-hitter.

The moment was amazing ... especially afterward, when players took off their jerseys and placed them on the mound as a tribute to the pitcher.

When we got Meadows out in NYC this week ... he said he's still having a hard time imagining the Angels were able to do all that, telling us, "It was unbelievable."

"It was just definitely jaw-dropping. It was amazing."

Meadows was able to hang out with the most famous Angel -- Mike Trout -- during the All-Star Game shortly after Skaggs' death ... and he told us being with Mike at that time was an incredible experience.

"That was awesome, man. Just being around him, just being in his presence, it was pretty special."

Ex-NFL player Mitch Petrus -- who won a Super Bowl with the Giants in 2012 -- tragically died of a heat stroke on Thursday. He was 32 years old.

Petrus had complained about feeling ill on Thursday after spending all day outside working at his family's shop ... and was taken to a local hospital, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Officials say he died at 10:45 PM after suffering a heat stroke.

Petrus was a standout guard with the Arkansas Razorbacks after walking on to the team -- earning All-SEC honors in 2007 and 2009 -- and was drafted by the Giants in the 5th round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

While at Arkansas, Petrus blocked for stars Darren McFadden and Felix Jones ... and didn't give up a single sack during his senior year.

He also played for the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans before retiring from the league in 2013.

Petrus played bass guitar in his band, Vikings of the North Atlantic ... and also made regular local TV appearances as a Razorbacks football analyst.

Petrus' Giants teammate, Lawrence Tynes, shared his condolences ... saying "RIP Mitch Petrus, another loss to our Giants family way too young. Fun dude who played hard. Prayers to his family and friends."