RIP

Cops in Aurora, CO targeted Elijah McClain's violin vigil to make an example out of nonviolent musicians ... so says a famous violinist who saw it all play out.

Lee England Jr. -- who Michael Jordan calls "the Michael Jordan of the violin" -- tells TMZ ... Aurora police made a calculated decision to disrupt the vigil because they knew they had easy targets at a peaceful protest full of musicians and children.

Lee was one of the musicians who trekked to Aurora to pay respects to Elijah, who died last year while in custody of Aurora PD. Elijah was a big fan of the violin, which is why his Saturday night vigil was serenaded by violinists, who played on even after police showed up in riot gear and unleashed pepper spray.

Lee says the sad outcome of the violin vigil inspired him and other musicians to host a private performance for Elijah's entire family after police ended the protest.

Garrett Rolfe -- the fired Atlanta PD officer charged with felony murder for the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks -- might be released from jail Tuesday ... TMZ's live streaming his bond hearing.

Rolfe has been holed up at the Gwinnett County Jail in Georgia since his arrest, but will be appearing virtually at the Fulton County courthouse Tuesday to ask the judge to be let him out on bond. The hearing's scheduled for 11 AM PT.

According to legal docs ... Rolfe is asking to be granted a "reasonable bond" for a few reasons. First, he claims he's a "longstanding, law-abiding" citizen, and says he poses no threat to the public or potential witnesses.

Next, Rolfe claims there is "significant evidence that proves he was legally justified in using deadly force in this case." In the docs, Rolfe argues that Brooks committed multiple felonies "in resisting lawful arrest" -- including firing the TASER at him -- and Brooks' actions justified Rolfe's use of deadly force "if he reasonably believed that Mr. Brooks possessed a deadly weapon."

He claims the Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard "has declared that a TASER is a deadly weapon under Georgia law."

Finally, Rolfe argues he should be granted bond so he has an opportunity to help his lawyers prepare for the case, adding the D.A. "made several important factual misstatements to the public."

Rolfe's legal team is also expected to present character witnesses to testify that the former officer is a good man and will not present a flight risk. Some experts predict the judge will grant some sort of bond ... but at a steep price.

As we've reported ... Brooks was shot by Rolfe on the evening of June 12 during a chase in a Wendy's parking lot. Brooks had been speaking with Rolfe, along with officer Devin Brosnan, before Rolfe tried to arrest him and a struggle ensued.

Video of the incident shows Brooks had obtained one of the officers' Tasers and was attempting to flee following a failed breathalyzer test, and that's when Rolfe opened fire on him ... shooting him twice in the back.

Fulton County D.A. Howard announced 11 charges against Rolfe, including felony murder and multiple acts of aggravated assault.

While announcing the charges, Howard said Rolfe kicked Brooks while he lay dying, and added he doesn't believe Rolfe feared for his life ... noting that Rayshard had been cordial and cooperative for more than 41 minutes before he was fatally shot.

Brosnan's also been charged for his role in the incident -- with aggravated assault and failure to render timely aid ... something he and his lawyer have denied.

DeSean Jackson is once again using his cleats to send a message -- this time, he's paying tribute to Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

The Philadelphia Eagles WR has a history of expressing himself through custom artwork on his kicks -- and this time, he went back to SolesBySir to take on police brutality.

"I stand on what’s right," Jackson says ... "Let’s not get caught up in the false impulsive message behind #BLM We just want fair rights!"

He added, "400 plus years .... The time is now #ahmaudarbery #breonnataylor."

Of course, Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police after they executed a no-knock warrant on the WRONG apartment in Kentucky back in March. Taylor was in bed during the incident and was shot 8 times. None of the 3 officers involved in the shooting have been charged with a crime.

Ahmaud Arbery was chased down and killed by 2 white men in Georgia back in February -- while 3rd man watched and recorded the incident. After a public outcry, all 3 men were charged with felony murder in what some people are calling a modern-day lynching.

On both sets of cleats, DeSean included an image of the victims -- adding the word, "Enough" on the Arbery pair.

Jackson has previously gone to SolesBySir for tributes to people like George Floyd, Rodney King and Muhammad Ali.

Carl Reiner, one of the most prolific entertainers in the history of show business has died ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Reiner died Monday night at his Beverly Hills home.  We're told his family was with him when he passed.

Reiner was a producer. He was also a director. He was also an actor. He was also a Grammy winner. He won 9 Emmys in over 7 decades. He has more than 400 credits.

Where to begin? Well, for all you youngins' ... you may have caught Carl in "Toy Story 4."

For most people ... they remember Carl best for "The Dick Van Dyke Show," which he created and starred in. Carl played the role of a very temperamental comedian -- Alan Brady -- who terrorized Dick Van Dyke's character and the other writers. Oh, and there was this new actress Carl cast for Dick's wife -- Mary Tyler Moore.

Carl made a best-selling album with Mel Brooks called "The 2000 Year Old Man" which earned a Grammy nomination and sparked his writing career.

There were other smash hits, including directing "Oh God" with George Burns and "The Jerk" with Steve Martin. He worked with Martin on several movies, including "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid," "Man with Two Brains" and "All of Me."

Reiner appeared in a bunch of TV shows and movies, including "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming," and "Enter Laughing."

The directing credits are endless -- "Summer Rental" with John Candy, "Summer School" with Mark Harmon, "That Old Feeling" with Bette Midler and "Sibling Rivalry" with Kirstie Alley and Carrie Fisher.

Carl appeared on lots of hit TV shows, including "Two and a Half Men," "Hot in Cleveland" and "House." He was also in "Ocean's 11" and "Ocean's Thirteen."

We last talked to him in 2013, leaving "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

Reiner received the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor back in 2000.

Did we mention one of his three kids is Rob Reiner? Definitely like father like son.

Carl's wife, Estelle, whom he married in 1943, died in 2008.

Carl was 98.

RIP

Pop Smoke's fans have spoken -- loudly and clearly -- the cover art designed by Virgil Abloh for the rapper's posthumous album is trash ... so a change is coming.

Pop's highly anticipated album, "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon" is set to release July 3, but when the cover art was revealed Monday ... it was widely ridiculed and roasted, and fans immediately demanded a do-over.

Among the most common complaints about the cover ... the lazy Photoshop job, along with using a photo of Smoke that's the first one that comes up on Google images.

In his defense, when Abloh posted the artwork he said he'd just finished it and explained ... "this album cover was one of like 5 things we talked about. he mentioned his story felt like the metaphor of a rose & thorns growing from concrete of his hood in Canarsie, Brooklyn."

Fans weren't buying it though. Even 50 Cent -- a mentor to the late hip-hop star -- called out Abloh.

Fif tweeted ... "Hey Virgil we need new album art, they ain’t going for this bulls**t. Love ya work let’s get to it. Steven i told you this s**t was eww let’s get it right!"

That Steven is Pop's manager, Steven Victor, who's already made it clear that Abloh's art will be redone before the album is released.

Victor says Pop -- who was on the rise when he was fatally shot in February in a home invasion -- would listen to his fans and make a change ... so that's what they're going to do.

It's unclear if Abloh will get another crack at it or if the cover art will be done by someone else, but ya gotta think ... anything new will be an improvement.

The man known as the Golden State Killer will finally admit to the horrific crimes he committed in the '70s and '80s ... including 13 first-degree murder charges he's facing.

Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. is appearing in a makeshift courtroom Monday -- onstage in a ballroom at Cal State Sacramento -- where he will plead guilty to the 13 counts of murder and 13 counts of kidnapping for purposes of robbery.

DeAngelo's also expected to admit guilt to 62 other rapes and abductions during the plea hearing ... crimes for which the statute of limitations expired long ago.

Sacramento County Deputy D.A. Amy Holliday says prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty and expect DeAngelo to be sentenced to life without parole.

The 74-year-old former police officer's guilty plea comes after decades of mystery over the rapes and killings at his hands, which took place between 1973 and 1986.

DeAngelo's trail of terror led to monikers like the "Visalia Ransacker," "East Area Rapist," "Original Night Stalker" and finally, the "Golden State Killer," and left "communities terrified for years" ... according to prosecutor Thien Ho at Monday's hearing.

After more than a 40-year hunt, DeAngelo was arrested on April 24, 2018 after being ID'd by crime-scene DNA.

The slayings of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks have law enforcement agencies getting proactive about recording their officers in the field by adding body cams ... TMZ has learned.

We spoke to a few of the companies supplying body cameras to law enforcement, and both tell us they've had an influx of inquiries over the past month. Nick Hamner of 10-8 Video in Tennessee, tells us his business has seen more than a 70 percent increase this month in calls from law enforcement agencies looking for specs and pricing.

Hamner says 10-8 serves mostly middle and smaller sized police and sheriff's departments ... meaning less than 200 officers. From what he's heard, he says most of them are preemptively scouting, because they're expecting body cams to be mandated ... whether it be by cities, states, or even from the feds.

Likewise, Will Walker of PatrolEyes out of Michigan -- which outfits a couple hundred U.S. police agencies, and over a dozen overseas -- tells us the recent spike in body cam interest mirrors what they got in 2014 ... after Michael Brown was fatally shot by a cop.

That rush for body cams was evident by 2016, when, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics, nearly half of all U.S. law enforcement agencies had slapped body cams on their officers and deputies.

Walker says the latest increased sales aren't just for law enforcement, though. Other customers include process servers, tow truck drivers and sometimes even parties in a bad divorce.

Special moment from Lil Wayne on Sunday night -- he perfumed his 2009 track, "Kobe Bryant" ... with new lyrics to honor Mamba and Gianna.

It all went down at the BET Awards -- where Wayne debuted a new music video for the song, performing in front of the screen with Kobe's name on it.

The original lyrics already painted Kobe as a legend:

"He the greatest on the court ...
And I'm the greatest on the verse.
Goin' for the 4th ring like it was his 1st...
Gotta get the gleam. Do it for Kareem ...
2-4 so nice. My flow is so mean."

But, in the wake of recent events, Weezy updated the track to acknowledge the passing of Kobe and Gianna.

"Two fingers for the Mambacita. I’m screamin’ 'Black Mamba matters.'"

He continued ... "Heart goes out to Vanessa and the whole Black Mamba family."

"G-O-A-T like Kobe Bean, rest in power and hope for peace.”

Vanessa acknowledged it on her IG page -- calling the performance a "beautiful tribute."

Kobe, Gianna and 7 others passed away in a helicopter crash on January 26. He was 41. She was only 13.

Milton Glaser, a super famous graphic designer who created one of the most iconic campaigns for a city has died on his 91st birthday.

Glaser was embedded in pop culture in the '60's and '70's. In '67 he fashioned a poster of Bob Dylan with wildly-colored hair and it sold millions. But, his biggest splash came with the “I ❤️ NY” logo, which it seems was subsequently printed on about a trillion t-shirts.

Glaser's wife, Shirley, said the cause of death was a stroke and renal failure.

Glaser was big in commercial art, which went hand-in-hand with advertising. He was considered one of the boldest artists in his field -- swinging for the fences with radical and colorful designs. One of the boldest ... he created art for a 1968 Olivetti typewriter ad. He used a piece of 15th century art featuring a grieving dog and strategically placed an Olivetti at the feet of the dead nymph the dog was mourning.

As for the “I ❤️ NY” campaign ... it was launched in 1977 to promote tourism when New York really needed it, and it was a sensation. What's amazing ... he sketched the image on the back of an envelope with a red crayon while sitting in the back of a cab. The logo helped define the Big Apple.

And, check out his modesty ... he told The Village Voice back in 2011 ... “I’m flabbergasted by what happened to this little, simple nothing of an idea."

After 911, Glaser modified the design to ... “I ❤️ NY More Than Ever,” but this time the heart had a bruise.

And, there's this great quote ... “I’m a person who deals with visual material whatever it is — architecture, an object, a set of plates, wallpaper — right now I’m doing T-shirts.”

Kelly Asbury, who worked on some huge animated films, including directing the blockbuster "Shrek 2" ... is dead after a long battle with cancer.

Kelly died peacefully Friday in Encino, CA ... according to his rep, and leaves behind an amazing resume in the world of animation.

He's best known for directing the Oscar-nominated 'Shrek' sequel, but also worked on some of Disney's biggest animated hits ... such as "Beauty and the Beast."

Kelly directed and wrote the screenplay for the 2011 flick, "Gnomeo & Juliet," Most recently, he directed "UglyDolls," which came out last year.

Asbury earned his stripes in the animation industry at the Mouse House -- from 1983 to 1995 he contributed storyboards for iconic movies like "The Little Mermaid," "The Rescuers Down Under" and "The Black Cauldron," just to name a few.

He moved over to DreamWorks in 1995, making his directorial debut in 2002 on the Oscar-nominated movie, 'Spirit.'

Asbury eventually returned to Disney for a brief stint, working as a story artist for popular hits like "Wreck-It Ralph" and "Frozen." Safe to say, he put smiles on the faces of millions upon millions of movie-goers

He was also a published children's book author, and even wrote a biography profiling ventriloquists like Jeff Dunham, Edgar Bergen, Shari Lewis, Jimmy Nelson and Paul Winchell.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported his death. Kelly was 60.

St. Louis rapper Huey -- best known for his 2007 hit, "Pop, Lock & Drop It" -- is dead after an unsolved shooting incident ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... Huey is one of two men who were shot Thursday in St. Louis County. Huey succumbed to his injuries late Thursday night.

Cops say they got a call about a 32-year-old male shooting victim who'd arrived at a local hospital suffering from at least one apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

The second man who was shot was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Cops say the shootings are related and say it went down in Kinloch, Missouri, where as many as 10 people were present during the time of the shooting. It remains under investigation.

Huey's "Pop, Lock & Drop It" track was a huge hit back in 2007. It spent 23 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and peaked at No. 6 before earning double-platinum status.

The track was the single from his "Notebook Paper" album, which included collaborations with T-Pain and Bow Wow. Huey's music also became popular with St. Louis' most famous rapper, Nelly.

Huey -- who had recently released his single "Pulled Away" back in April -- was reportedly the target of a triple-homicide back in 2009 in St. Louis. The threats were so real ... a concert promoter allegedly told the rapper not to perform because he was being targeted.

Huey is survived by his 13-year-old daughter. He was 32.

Colorado authorities are taking a second crack at investigating the death of Elijah McClain, who died last year after being stopped by police, and put into a chokehold.

Governor Jared Polis appointed a special prosecutor Thursday to reopen the inquiry into Elijah's death and potentially prosecute the cops who were involved.

As you've probably read ... Elijah died back in August 2019 after police stopped him on a street in suburban Denver. His story has gone viral this week, and become a rallying cry for protests against police brutality and systemic racism.

Mari Newman -- the attorney for Elijah's family -- tells TMZ ... "It shouldn't take a petition signed by millions to hold police accountable when they kill an innocent black man."

The Governor is putting state Attorney General Phil Weiser on the case and Polis says, "Elijah McClain should be alive today, and we owe it to his family to take this step and elevate the pursuit of justice in his name to a statewide concern."

Polis says he was moved to act in part because of Elijah's mother, who described her son as a "responsible and curious child ... who could inspire the darkest soul."

Aurora PD officers stopped Elijah on August 24, 2019, while responding to a call about a suspicious person walking the streets wearing a ski mask and waving his arms. His family says he commonly wore the mask to keep warm ... due to his anemia.

Cops say Elijah refused to stop walking down the street and resisted when police confronted him and attempted to place him in custody. One of the cops placed Elijah in a chokehold.

Body-camera footage of the incident shows Elijah telling the cops, "Let go of me. I am an introvert. Please respect the boundaries that I am speaking." His words are now popping up on social media posts demanding justice.

Devastating news .. 3-time Paralympian rower Angela Madsen was found dead on Monday after attempting to become the first paraplegic athlete to row across the Pacific Ocean. She was 60.

Madsen had dreams of being the first paraplegic, openly gay athlete and oldest woman to cross the Pacific, according to Long Beach Press-Telegram ... so in April, she left Marina del Rey in Los Angeles on a 20-foot rowboat heading towards Honolulu.

She reportedly journeyed alone -- brining only food, desalinator for water and supplies with her.

Madsen's wife Deb said on Facebook she became worried when Madsen stopped responding to her text messages on Sunday.

"When I checked the main message inbox, she had not returned any messages. When I looked at the tracking, it did not appear that she was rowing the boat, but rather that is was drifting."

Madsen's body was discovered the next day by the U.S. Coast Guard. An official cause of death has not been determined.

Madsen, who is also a U.S. Marine vet, became paralyzed in 1993 when things went wrong after a surgery on her injured spine -- which she had suffered during a basketball game at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro.

She later became homeless -- which she blamed on the massive medical bills that followed. But, she found wheelchair sports -- and it changed her life.

Madsen earned a spot on the U.S. Paralympic team three times, winning the bronze medal in shot put in 2012.

Rayshard Brooks is being laid to rest with a home going ceremony in one of Atlanta's most historic churches ... and TMZ is streaming the service live.

The procession is getting underway Tuesday morning at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once served as co-pastor for years. Rayshard's casket actually arrived at the church on Monday for a public viewing ahead of Tuesday's funeral service.

His golden casket was brought in by pallbearers wearing "Here 2 Serve" t-shirts. During the viewing, his casket was open, and his widow, Tomika Miller, reached out to touch her husband at one point.

As for Tuesday's ceremony, it's meant to be a more private affair with some noteworthy speakers ... including MLK's daughter, Rev. Bernice A. King, as well as Rev. Raphael G. Warnock -- the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist, who's supposed to deliver the eulogy.

On Friday, June 12, Rayshard was approached by two APD officers after he was found asleep in his car and partially blocking the line at Wendy's drive-thru. After a lot of cordial back-and-forth interaction, for about 30 minutes, the cops tried to handcuff Rayshard place him under arrest.

When Rayshard resisted, a struggle ensued, and he broke free with one of the officers' tasers ... which he pointed back at them as they gave chase. Officer Garrett Rolfe then opened fire and struck Rayshard twice in the back. He also allegedly kicked him after he was down.

Rayshard later died from his injuries -- and the Wendy's where and the officers tussled was burned to the ground the next day as intense protests sprung up in Atlanta.

The Fulton County D.A. announced murder charges against Officer Rolfe. His partner, Devin Brosnan, faces less severe charges ... aggravated assault, specifically. Both men have since turned themselves in for booking. Brosnan, for his part, has denied wrongdoing.

If Rolfe is convicted, the death penalty would be on the table for sentencing.

Malcolm Gladwell says the George Floyd killing is a tipping point for changing police culture in America ... but the solutions won't be simple, they will be long and hard.

"The Tipping Point" and "Outliers" author joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" and explained why simple solutions won't be enough to change the way police work is conducted in this country. He agrees, as many have said, Floyd's death was the catalyst Americans needed to stand up against police brutality -- but he warns fixing the problem won't be as easy as firing cops or reducing their budgets.

Malcolm also says it's not enough for good cops to simply step in when they see bad cops doing something wrong. Changing the "chain of command" culture is a theme he addressed in "Outliers" with a brilliant look at Korean airline pilots and what caused a series of crashes.

MG -- who just debuted a new season of his "Revisionist History" podcast -- says tackling policing issues will require a much harder look at deep cultural questions.

He reminded us there are 18,000 police departments across the country ... and in order to fix police culture on the whole, ya gotta visit each department and work with officers to help them be better at their jobs.

Steve Bing -- best known for writing "Kangaroo Jack" and investing hugely in the Tom Hanks' film, "The Polar Express" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the famed writer/producer died by suicide Monday after jumping from the 27th floor of a luxury apartment building in L.A.'s Century City neighborhood. Bing lived in the building, and sources connected to him tell us he'd been depressed about lack of human contact during quarantine. We don't know if that's behind the suicide.

Bing -- who founded Shangri-La Entertainment -- reportedly dropped out of Stanford his junior year after inheriting around $600 million from his grandfather, who was a real estate developer. After dropping out, Bing pursued a career in Hollywood ... and his first big-budget hit came as executive producer of the Sylvester Stallone film, "Get Carter," in 2000.

He went on to write "Kangaroo Jack" in 2003 ... and later invested nearly $100 million in 'Polar Express.' That was reportedly nearly half the production cost, and it went on to gross nearly $300 million globally at the box office.

Bing also produced "Hotel Noir" in 2012. That same year, Bing committed to Bill Gates and Warren Buffett's "Giving Pledge" to give away the majority of his wealth over his lifetime. Bing donated to a lot of progressive issues.

Bing is survived by his 2 children -- Damian Hurley from his relationship with Elizabeth Hurley and daughter Kira Bonder, who he had with former pro tennis player Lisa Bonder.

Bing was 55.