RIP

Herman Cain's political takes from beyond the grave will continue -- even if some Twitter users think it's dirty pool -- because they're not breaking any rules.

The late pizza tycoon and politician's Twitter account raised eyebrows Wednesday night when it started firing off anti-Joe Biden posts in response to Joe announcing Kamala Harris as his running mate.

The tweets drew a mixed reaction -- some joked Cain had jumped online posthumously to keep supporting President Trump. But, others fumed the account was violating Twitter policy ... since the person posting is obviously not HC.

Not so, according to a Twitter spokesperson, who tells us the profile info and images have been updated to reflect who is truly managing the account ... so, it's all Kosher.

The new group in charge calls itself "The Cain Gang," and -- led by his daughter Dr. Melanie Cain Gallo -- vows to continue working on his political mission.

Since Wednesday, that's included several tweets and retweets supporting Trump and slamming his opponents.

The updated account also includes a disclaimer ... "The Cain Gang consists of different writers who have their own opinions. We all lean right, but we're also individuals. Each piece reflects the opinions of that writer. That's how Herman wanted it to work."

As we reported ... Cain died last month from COVID-19. He tested positive for the virus after attending Trump's Tulsa rally on June 20 -- where he was seen without a face mask.

For the first time in team history, the Miami Dolphins will wear a special patch to honor an individual person -- the late, great Don Shula.

Coach Shula passed away back in May at 90 years old -- and the team has decided to honor his memory during the 2020 NFL season.

All players will wear a special patch on their uniforms with Shula's last name and the number 347 -- which represents his record number of wins as an NFL coach.

The team says, "This will be the first time in the Dolphins' 54 seasons that a patch will be worn to honor an individual."

The team will debut the patch at their season opener on Sept. 13 against the New England Patriots.

Shula is a bona fide NFL legend -- he broke George Haas' all-time wins record in 1993 before finally retiring in 1995.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

"Don Shula's lasting impact on the Miami Dolphins, NFL and South Florida community is immeasurable," Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said.

Legendary Indianapolis Colts coach Howard Mudd -- the man responsible for getting O-linemen to block for Peyton Manning for YEARS -- died Wednesday, team owner Jim Irsay announced.

He was 78 years old.

According to Mudd's family members ... the famous NFL coach was involved in a serious accident on July 29 -- and succumbed to injuries Wednesday.

"Right after the accident he fought so hard against all odds to communicate to us that he loves us and that he knows we love him," Mudd's family said in a statement.

"[On Tuesday], it became clear that he was ready and that we needed to surround him with love and fight for his right to comfort and peace."

"This morning he was surrounded in the room by his sons [Darren and Adam] who held his arms and prayed over him as he passed away."

Mudd is known as one of the league's greatest offensive line coaches ever ... he famously produced O-lines year after year in Indy that protected Manning during the Hall of Fame QB's prime.

Mudd ultimately coached for nearly 5 DECADES in the league ... and was a damn good O-lineman himself during his playing days in the 1960s.

"Rest in peace, Howard Mudd," Irsay said Wednesday. "Howard was a GREAT player during a shortened career and then became one of the game's all-time greatest offensive line coaches."

"He contributed to many different teams over 47 years in our league---but he will always be a Colt. #LoveYouHoward."

Dak Prescott spoke out Wednesday on the tragic passing of his older brother, Jace ... and the Dallas Cowboys QB said emotionally, "it's tough, obviously."

"He meant a lot to my family, meant a lot to me," the 27-year-old told reporters in his first news conference since Jace's passing. "He's part of the reason I am a quarterback."

"When I was a little kid, he's the reason that I first started throwing the football."

Jace -- one of Dak's two older brothers -- died suddenly at the age of 31 this past April. The family has not publicly revealed the cause of death.

Dak was clearly torn up over the loss. In fact, it took the QB nearly four months to open up about it all publicly ... telling reporters Wednesday he's now making it his life's mission to carry on his brother's legacy.

"It's been a tough year," Dak said. "It's been a tough year for me personally. It's been a tough year for my family. It's been a tough year for this country and this world, obviously. So, it's all been tough."

Dak says he leaned on his Cowboys teammates and his other family members to get him through it all ... adding, "I have a great family to count on, to lean on. Great supporters here, great teammates. Great coaches."

As we previously reported ... Dak and Jace were extremely close -- the two famously filmed a Campbell's Chunky Soup commercial together in 2019, where the QB praised Jace and his other brother for being a great support system.

8/24 is now officially "Kobe Bryant Day" in Orange County!

The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to honor the late Lakers legend -- and the measure passed with flying colors.

"During his career, Kobe Bryant’s numbers on his jerseys were 8 and 24, therefore a fitting day to celebrate his legacy would be August 24," the resolution said.

Of course, Kobe lived in Orange County for most of his 20-year career with the L.A. Lakers ... and his family stayed there even after he retired.

Kobe was well-liked around town -- and was seen several times playing the role of Good Samaritan when he spotted car accidents.

So, when Kobe -- along with daughter Gianna and 7 other people -- passed away in a January 26 helicopter crash, officials wanted to make sure to honor his legacy.

"Kobe Bryant was a basketball legend that inspired so many globally to pursue their dreams and taught us that hard work truly pays off," the resolution says.

Officials even spell out how fans can celebrate KBD -- "By engaging in community building, helping young people in need, encouraging aspiring youth to follow their dreams, and living by Bryant's words: 'The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they could be great in whatever they want to do.'"

FYI, Kobe's #8 and #24 jerseys were both retired by the Lakers -- he's the only player in franchise history to have two numbers hanging in the rafters.

The family of Elijah McClain is going after the city of Aurora and 13 of its police officers, claiming they're all to blame for his 2019 death.

McClain's parents just filed the lawsuit in Colorado claiming the city, the cops, a paramedic, and a doctor should be held responsible for the August 24, 2019 fatal incident based on their "needless use of excessive force and torture."

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the family says Elijah was listening to music on a short walk home from the corner store "when Aurora police officers grabbed, tackled, and assaulted him."

In the lawsuit, they claim officers "continued to brutalize Elijah for nearly eighteen minutes—approximately fifteen minutes of which he was handcuffed." They also allege the force the officers used against Elijah included "compressing his neck and the blood flow to his brain with two consecutive carotid holds, cranking his left shoulder with an armbar hammerlock that caused it to repeatedly pop."

Describing the arrest even further ... the family claims Elijah vomited after they slammed him to the ground. According to the docs, another officer allegedly "jammed his knee into Elijah's arm for minutes on end" with the sole purpose of inflicting pain and eventually separating Elijah's biceps and triceps muscles.

Then the paramedics arrived, but the family claims things only got worse. In the suit, they claim an EMT "involuntarily injected him with a massive dose of ketamine" even though he was not experiencing any medical condition that would have required ketamine ... a powerful sedative.

Minutes after they injected him with the sedative, Elijah stopped breathing, had no pulse and never regained consciousness before dying a few days later.

As we reported ... Aurora PD officers stopped Elijah while responding to a call about a suspicious person walking the streets wearing a ski mask and waving his arms. His family had previously said he commonly wore the mask to keep warm.

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 final words -- documented at the beginning of the lawsuit from start to finish -- popped up on social media posts demanding justice.

Raymond G. Allen, Sr., a character actor who played Uncle Woody in "Sanford and Son," has died.

Allen's family tells TMZ, he was in a long-term facility in California when he was found unresponsive early Monday morning. EMT's tried reviving him, to no avail.

The family says Allen died as a result of respiratory issues, but not COVID-related.

Allen was a working character actor, who also played Ned the Wino on "Good Times."

"Good Times" was a huge hit in the '70s, and Allen's character was hilarious. In "Sanford and Son" he played Aunt Esther's husband who never turned down a drink.

Allen also had roles in "Starsky and Hutch," playing a mechanic -- Merle the Earl.

And, there were many guest appearances, including "The Jeffersons," "What's Happening!!" and "The Love Boat,"

Allen had been sick for a while ... he was in a health care facility since 2016 ... where he had bouts with pneumonia.

Raymond Allen is survived by 2 children.

He was 91.

Hilary Tisch, one of New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch's daughters, is dead after taking her own life ... TMZ has learned.

Hilary attempted suicide over the weekend, and died Monday in a hospital, according to sources with direct knowledge. The Giants honcho mourned his daughter's death in a statement to TMZ ... remembering her as "a kind, caring and beautiful person."

Steve adds ... Hilary's "mother, sisters, brothers and I are devastated by her passing. It leaves a hole in our hearts and our lives. She, like so many others, bravely fought the disease of depression for as long as she could."

Our sources say Hilary, a successful jewelry designer, had struggled through depression for many years. Despite that, she poured her heart and soul into volunteering with Operation Smile, a nonprofit medical service organization that's provided over 220,000 free surgeries around the world for kids and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.

Hilary's father says the Tisch "family is utterly heartbroken and is mourning its tragic loss. We love and will miss her dearly."

Hilary was 36.

George Floyd was terrified and afraid when cops first approached him in his car ... pleading for his life with a gun trained on his head.

The footage -- just released by a judge -- from Floyd's fatal interaction with Minnesota cops shows him begging Thomas Lane at gunpoint, "Mr. Officer, please don't shoot me." George also tells Lane his mom just died while pleading with him not to pull the trigger.

A distressed Floyd was finally yanked outta the driver's seat and police yelled at him to stop resisting arrest as they slapped on a pair of handcuffs. Lane and J. Alexander Kueng walked George across the street and tried to stuff him in the back of a police SUV ... and that's when things got way more tense.

In the video, George again says he's not resisting and didn't do anything, then sobs and wails while telling the officers he's afraid of getting in the back of the SUV because he's claustrophobic.

Floyd told the officers he's "going to die in here" as they manhandled him into the back of the car. He said he was scared and anxious, then screamed and sobbed as they forced him inside.

A massive struggle ensues and suddenly Floyd is on the pavement and Derek Chauvin's knee is pinned on his neck. All the while, George tells the cops he can't breathe.

You know what happens next ... Chauvin's knee remains on Floyd's neck for nearly 9 minutes and he dies.

Although a judge just made this video available to the media ... it had been leaked a week ago.

The family of Don Lewis -- Carole Baskin's millionaire husband who went missing in 1997, whose story was featured on 'Tiger King' -- is going all out to find out what happened to him ... including putting up billboards and offering a $100k reward.

Don's 3 daughters, alongside attorney John Phillips and family spokesperson Jack Smith, announced a series of steps currently in place to get more info on his disappearance ... which occurred on August 18, 1997, after Don left his Tampa home.

Don's daughters say a team is in place, led by Smith, that has restored their hope of finding out what happened to their father ... and they believe Phillips is the lawyer they've been waiting for to handle the case.

Along with erecting 4 billboards across Tampa reading, "Who Murdered Don Lewis?" -- which also highlights the reward for info -- Don's family spokesperson says a cold case group on Facebook was started to hunt for clues ... which he says has already yielded results.

For instance, they looked into details about a septic tank installation allegedly connected to the case, and claim they found a discrepancy with what Carole had previously stated about it.

Other revelations from the Monday press conference include Phillips' plan to sue Baskin -- presumably for wrongful death -- and that the $100k reward money was made possible by an anonymous donor. BTW ... Carole has denied any involvement in Don's disappearance.

The team said it would not discuss further evidence at this time, but TMZ's learned an anonymous letter was sent to Jeff Lowe at the GW Zoo allegedly detailing where Don's body is buried ... so the letter writer claimed. We're told Jeff turned the letter over to authorities.

The family hopes the money and heightened interest in the case will lead to someone finally coming forward with a helpful tip that breaks the cold case open ... and results in justice for Don.

As you may know ... rumors over the cause of Don's death were fueled on 'Tiger King' by Joe Exotic, who made it clear he believes Baskin killed him. Although Carole's not a suspect, the Sheriff has said he's suspicious.

Ex-L.A. Angels employee Eric Kay has been charged with distributing fentanyl in connection with pitcher Tyler Skaggs' death ... and prosecutors say they have text messages to prove it.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports on Friday, federal authorities just hit Kay with the charge.

In the docs, prosecutors claim to have a text conversation between Kay and Skaggs from the night of the pitcher's overdose.

In the exchange, Kay asks "Hoe [sic] many?" ... to which Skaggs responded, "Just a few like 5."

Law enforcement officials say in the docs they believe Kay and Skaggs are discussing drugs ... clearly implying the exchange proves Kay is the one who supplied the pitcher with the lethal dose of the pills.

In the docs, law enforcement claims Kay provided "30 milligram oxycodone pills" to Skaggs on multiple occasions.

There's more, and it could spell out more problems for the Angels organization.

Investigators say they learned during the course of the investigation that "several individuals" who were associated with Kay and Skaggs "knew" that Kay was providing pills to the pitcher.

Investigators also say Kay would distribute pills to others "in their place of employment and while they were working."

Investigators do not say if these "others" worked for the Angels organization ... but it seems to be what they're pointing to.

As we previously reported, Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Southlake, TX in July 2019 ... hours before the Angels were set to play the Texas Rangers.

In the toxicology report released by the ME, the cause of death was a mix of "alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents."

The Angels released a statement Friday, saying, "It has been more than a year since the tragic passing of Tyler Skaggs, and all of us affected by this loss continue to grieve. The circumstances surrounding his death are a tragedy that has impacted countless individuals and families."

"The Angels Organization had fully cooperated with Law Enforcement and Major League Baseball. Additionally, in order to comprehensively understand the circumstances that led to his death, we hired a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation."

The statement continued ... "We learned that there was unacceptable behavior inconsistent with our code of conduct, and we took steps to address it. Our investigation also confirmed that no one in management was aware, or informed, of any employee providing opioids to any player, nor that Tyler was using opioids."

"As we try to heal from the loss of Tyler, we continue to work with authorities as they complete their investigation."

Oprah Winfrey is amping up the pressure to get justice for Breonna Taylor by blanketing Louisville with billboards demanding the arrest of the cops who shot her.

Oprah purchased dozens of billboards Thursday in Breonna's hometown -- her latest push for justice in the case.

The new billboards will also feature the Until Freedom website, a social justice org whose mission is to address systemic and racial injustice. This same group organized a rally outside of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's home, which resulted in 87 arrests. Their stories -- dubbed the "Louisville 87" -- are featured on Until Freedom's site.

There will be a total of 26 billboards across the city -- one for every year of Breonna's life. They're expected to be completed by Monday.

Remember, Det. Brett Hankison -- one of the 3 Louisville cops who fired their weapons during the deadly March 13 raid at Breonna's home -- has been fired but not charged.

The other 2 officers involved -- Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Det. Myles Cosgrove -- were placed on administrative leave, but that's it.

The family has also claimed Breonna's home was targeted by cops as part of the city's gentrification plan.

As we reported ... Breonna posthumously made history last week when she landed on the cover of Oprah's magazine, the first time EVER in the magazine's 20-year history O herself was not front and center.

Ex-Florida State basketball player Michael Ojo -- a fan favorite from 2012-17 -- has died after suffering a heart attack during a workout in Serbia.

He was only 27 years old.

The 7'1", 310-lb center was practicing Friday with Serbian pro basketball team Partizan at the team facility when he collapsed while running, according to Eurohoops.net.

Ojo was reportedly raced to a nearby hospital in Belgrade but it was too late. Doctors were unable to save him.

Ojo was discovered while playing soccer in Nigeria ... and later came to America for high school to learn the sport of basketball.

The friendly giant made national headlines when it was reported Nike dropped $15,000 to build a machine to make Ojo's size 22 shoes.

Ojo played professionally in Serbia after going undrafted in 2017 ... averaging 11.7 points, 5.9 rebs and 1.1 blocks in one season with ABA League team FMP.

He went on to sign a 2-year deal with Crvena Zvezda ... where he won the ABA SuperCup in 2018 and ABA and Serbian League in 2019.

Former FSU player Trent Forrest tweeted about his teammate's passing, saying, "This definitely a tough one man.. One of the best dudes I done came across."

"Was the first to welcome me to fsu and was nothing short of a big brother my freshman year and even after.. it’s crazy to think we was just talking about life last week.. Gone miss ya fasho O!!"

Sam Lunt, former FSU associate director of sports medicine for men’s basketball, spoke with the Tallahassee Democrat about Ojo's passing ... saying, "I am devastated."

"He was one of the best humans I know."

RIP

Wayne Fontana -- a '60s pop star known for his massive hit, "Game of Love" -- has died at a hospital in England.

Wayne died Thursday with his long-term partner by his side ... according to a family statement released by his managers.

He was most famous for being the lead singer on that 1965 #1 single with his backing group, The Mindbenders.

After Fontana left the group, they went on to score another big hit with " A Groovy Kind of Love."

Wayne had his own success with a pair of top 20 hits -- "Come on Home" in 1966 and "Pamela Pamela" in 1967. He was also one of the performers at the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970, but struggled to maintain his solo career in the decades that followed.

Fun fact -- he was born Glyn Ellis, but took his stage name from Elvis Presley's drummer, DJ Fontana.

Wayne was 74.

Daisy Coleman's mother was gravely concerned about her daughter's state of mind shortly before her suicide, but tragically ... even a wellness check couldn't prevent it.

TMZ broke the story ... Daisy -- one of the teenage girls featured in the Netflix documentary "Audrie & Daisy" about multiple rape cases -- took her own life Tuesday night. We've since learned that she died in Lakewood, Colorado.

John Romero, spokesperson for the Lakewood PD, tells us Daisy was at an apartment around 4 PM that day when officers were called to make a wellness check for a "possible suicidal party" at the residence.

As we told you, the person who called this in was Daisy's mom, Melinda. Romero says the police department responded by sending paramedics and agents trained in crisis intervention.

We're told Daisy talked to the agents for over an hour, but she never said anything or gave any indication she wanted to harm herself ... so she was medically cleared, and there was no legal reason to hold her for mental health issues.

Sadly, we’re told police received another call around 8:30 PM from a female friend of Daisy's, reporting that she had shot herself inside the same apartment. Cops say Daisy used a pistol to fire the fatal shot.

Daisy was one of the subjects of the 2016 Netflix doc, which followed her and members of her family as they dealt with the trauma of her alleged sexual assault in January 2012 when she was just 14 years old ... as well as the hostile reaction of her Missouri community.

Daisy was 23.

Daisy Coleman -- one of the teenage girls featured in "Audrie & Daisy," the Netflix documentary about multiple rape cases -- has died by suicide ... according to her mother.

Daisy's mom, Melinda, says her daughter took her own life Tuesday night. Her body was discovered after Melinda called the police to do a welfare check.

Melinda says ... "She was my best friend and amazing daughter. I think she had to make it seem like I could live without her. I can’t. I wish I could have taken the pain from her!"

Daisy was 14 years old in January 2012 when she was allegedly raped at a Missouri house party after being plied with alcohol ... though no one was ever convicted.

The 2016 Netflix doc followed Daisy and members of her family as they dealt with the trauma of her alleged assault, and the hostile reaction of their community.

Daisy's mom says, "She never recovered from what those boys did to her and it’s just not fair. My baby girl is gone." The family coped with another tragedy just last year when Daisy's younger brother was killed in a car accident.

"Audrie & Daisy" also focused on the sexual assault of Audrie Pott in September 2012 in California. Audrie died by suicide 10 days later.

Following her rape case, Daisy co-founded the organization SafeBAE with the mission of ending sexual assault among middle and high school students and helping survivors. The org says it is devastated by her death and has "suffered an irreplaceable loss."

Daisy was 23.