RIP

"F THE GAMES AND PLAYOFFS!!! THIS IS SICK AND IS A REAL PROBLEM WE DEMAND JUSTICE!"

Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell is shifting his focus from the NBA playoffs to the horrific shooting of unarmed black man Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI ... saying this is exactly why players have been speaking out about social injustice.

Blake was reportedly walking back to his vehicle after breaking up a fight between two women ... when a white officer followed him and shot him in the back 7 times as Blake's children watched from inside the car.

Blake was flown to a nearby hospital where he remains in serious condition.

Mitchell is one of many sports figures speaking out about the incident ... saying, "ITS CRAZY I DONT HAVE ANY WORDS BUT WTF MAN! THIS IS WHY WE DONT FEEL SAFE!!!!"

FYI -- Mitchell is currently wearing "Say Her Name" on the back of his jersey during the NBA restart in honor of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by three cops executing a no-knock search warrant in March.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Amir Garrett also spoke about the shooting, saying ... "They put 7 rounds into Jacob Blake in front of his children. I watched the video, you telling me he can’t be tazed? He immediately has to be shot?"

"Smh apparently black lives still don’t matter. I am outraged this morning."

K.C. Chiefs star Tyrann Mathieu tweeted, "Damn they shot that man 7 times.... why can’t 3 officers subdue one male? I truly need answers y’all comment on everything else......"

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara added ... "Attempted murder.. I pray he survives."

Hall of Famer Ray Allen spoke out as well, saying, "No person deserves to be treated this way. Can we all agree on this? Where is our human decency! What happened to "protect and serve."

"It looks more like harass and shoot!"

The Milwaukee Bucks -- who usually play 45 minutes from Kenosha -- released a statement on the incident, saying, "We stand firmly against reoccurring issues of excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging the black community."

"Our organization will continue to stand for all black lives as we demand accountability and systemic change on behalf of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sylville Smith, Ernest Lacy, Dontre Hamiltion, Tony Robinson, Joel Acevedo and countless other victims."

"We will work to enact policy change so these incidents no longer exist."

LeBron James has that Mamba Mentality on Kobe Bryant day ... wearing a Mamba tribute jersey on his way to play the Blazers in game 4 of their playoff series.

LBJ walked into the building sporting a limited-edition Bryant tribute jersey ... with #24 on the back and #8 on the front.

Nike only offered a small number of these custom jerseys on its website on Monday -- but James has some pull over there.

The Lakers have a much bigger tribute planned for the game -- the entire team will wear special Black Mamba jerseys, which were actually designed by Kobe a few years before he passed.

The jerseys feature a snakeskin pattern and a special patch on the shoulder to honor Gianna Bryant.

LeBron and Kobe were extremely close -- James famously got a Kobe tribute tattoo on his thigh in the wake of his death. He also gave an emotional address to Laker Nation in the first home game following the tragedy.

But, don't expect the Portland Trail Blazers to just let the Lakers run 'em over -- Damian Lillard is also hoping to honor Kobe tonight by playing his ass off and fighting for a victory, just like Kobe would have wanted.

Allan Rich -- a longtime character actor in Hollywood, who bounced back from being blacklisted -- has died.

The thespian passed away in New Jersey over the weekend due to complications from progressive dementia ... this according to his family. He was residing at an assisted-living facility called the Lillian Booth Actors Home, which houses people who were in the biz.

Allan hardly played the leading man in his filmography, but he did a helluva job with smaller roles in a number of huge hit films and shows dating back to the '60s and '70s. Perhaps most notably, he starred in flicks like "Serpico," "The Gambler" and "The Happy Hooker."

He also acted in TV series like "Hawaii Five-O," "All in the Family," "Kojak," "Little House on the Prairie," "Baretta," "Happy Days," "CHiPS," "The Incredible Hulk," "Alice," "Magnum PI," "Hill Street Blue" and countless others staples throughout the decades.

His acting career saw a nice steady rise in the '90s, with notable appearances in films like "Disclosure," "Amistad," "Quiz Show," "Jack," and many others. He often played a judge or a lawman of some sort -- Allan had a deep, authoritative voice ... and fit the part well.

What's crazy is that back in the '40s and '50 -- when he was doing more traditional acting in theater -- he was branded as a communist and blacklisted in Hollywood for a while as a result. He later said he got put on the "Red Channels" list because he tried helping free a Black man who had been wrongly convicted of rape.

Fortunately, he overcame that hard time in his life and went on to rack up well over 100 acting credits. He's survived by his children, step-children and grandchildren.

Allan was 94.

A young woman who was declared dead after 30 minutes of CPR from paramedics was actually found to be very much alive ... she started breathing again at a Detroit funeral home!!!

This eerie incident went down Sunday, when paramedics found a 20-year-old woman unresponsive in a home. The Southfield Fire Department says first responders tried to revive her, but after half an hour she was pronounced dead.

The fire chief says the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office also concurred the woman was dead, and her body was released to her family and ended up in the James H. Cole funeral home, where things took a strange turn.

Hours later, funeral home staffers made a strange discovery -- the woman was alive and breathing!!!

The woman was reportedly taken to a hospital, but her current condition remains unclear.

Turn left on Kobe Bryant Blvd?!

That's what your GPS will sound like in the future because Kobe Bryant is getting a street named after him right near Staples Center, where he balled out for almost 20 years.

Herb J. Wesson Jr. -- the president of the L.A. City Council --  made the announcement Monday morning (8/24) ... saying the plan is in the works.

"Figueroa St. will soon be Kobe Bryant Blvd. between Olympic & MLK," Wesson said.

In other words, Kobe Bryant Blvd. will essentially stretch from the L.A. Coliseum through USC and go just past Staples Center.

"Kobe’s legacy is bigger than basketball. Kobe Bryant Blvd will be a reminder to everyone, young and old who drive down it, there is no obstacle too big and that with the #Mambamentality," Wesson added ... "Anything is possible."

Kobe Bryant played every single season of his 20-year NBA career with the L.A. Lakers -- but they didn't move to Staples until 1999.

Kobe is especially beloved in Los Angeles -- and there have been rumbling about honoring Kobe in this way ever since he passed away back in January.

8/24 has already been declared Kobe Bryant Day in Orange County, where he lived with his family for so many years.

MLB superstar Bryce Harper went all out to honor Kobe Bryant on what would have been the Mamba's 42nd birthday ... rockin' cleats, a wristband and even a Lakers jersey for the tribute.

Bryce wore all the KB swag for the Phillies' game against the Braves on Sunday ... and afterward, he showed off up-close images of it all and praised the hell out of the L.A. legend.

"Kobe Bryant was my hero growing up," Harper said of the tribute. "It was him and my pops. If Kobe was playing I was watching."

"The way he went about it was something that nobody else had. He was fiery, smart, clutch, and just better than everybody I believed."

Harper says he always respected the way Kobe played on the court ... but added it was Bryant's off-court demeanor that really touched him as well.

"Thank you so much for the amazing ride you took us all on and sharing your talent and love for the sport with all of us," Harper said. "We are so lucky to have watched such greatness for so long."

Of course, Harper is an Under Armour athlete ... so the Nike-themed tribute is truly a special gesture from the Philly outfielder.

"Kobe Happy Birthday brotha and Happy Mamba Day," Harper said. "You are missed by so many. 8 and 24 will live on forever!!"

Seems the Kobe gear brought the Phils good luck ... while Harper didn't have his best day at the plate -- Philly won the game 5-4 with a thrilling play at the plate.

Kobe Bryant would have turned 42 Sunday ... and there's literally a worldwide celebration of his life on TV, online and on walls across the world.

Murals honoring Kobe have popped up all over the globe, especially in the hometown of the Lakers ... in downtown L.A. near the Convention Center, as well as the Shoe Palace in the Fairfax District, a super-large mural in the San Fernando Valley ... and on and on.

The way it breaks down ... 331 murals around the world. There are 208 in SoCal, 267 in the U.S. and 64 internationally.

One mural in mid-City pays homage to Kobe, his daughter Gianna and the 7 others who perished in the helicopter crash last January.

Vanessa Bryant posted a loving and sad message about how much she misses Kobe and Gigi and how she wishes she could celebrate his big day.

Natalia, Kobe and Vanessa's 17-year-old daughter, took to Instagram to share a loving message about her favorite memories with her father.

On Saturday Vanessa posted images showing how various people are honoring Kobe on his birthday. She posted photos of flowers, comfort food and messages written in the sand.

Nike has created its own tribute on video, narrated by Kendrick Lamar, and it's both emotional and inspiring. It speaks to the legacy Kobe left behind.

Nike is dubbing this week "Mamba Week," and today is "Mamba Day." Nike is donating $1 million to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, along with a promise to support the Mamba League.

As for the Lakers, well they have a playoff game Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers, and they'll wear their "Black Mamba" uniforms.

13 people died in a wild stampede early Sunday in Peru, after cops tried to shut down a nightclub that was operating illegally in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The video shows the chaotic scene as cops make their move. The 120 partygoers panicked and tried escaping through a single exit. A stampede followed and the victims were trampled.  A number of the victims were crushed in the stairwell area.

The aftermath is horrific, as bodies were being loaded onto pickup trucks.

The club was not supposed to be operating ... the Peruvian government re-instituted a 10 PM  curfew because COVID is out of control. Peru has been hit harder than most Latin American countries, with 576,000 cases and more than 27,000 deaths.

A Black man was fatally shot and killed by cops -- shot 11 times -- as he walked away from them, and it was all caught on video.

The man was at a gas station in Lafayette, Louisiana when someone called police to report a disturbance. At least half a dozen police arrived, and according to the eyewitness --who shot the video -- he appeared to be holding a knife.

You hear cops order the man on the ground, but he continues to walk. The woman who shot the video says she saw police tase him, but he was still upright.

As the man reaches the door of the gas station convenience store, shots ring out -- 11 shots, and the man is dead.

A spokesperson from the Louisiana State Police says the man was involved in an altercation in an intersection. It's unclear from police reports, but it appears cops may have followed the man for half a mile before the fatal encounter at the gas station.

The officers have all been placed on administrative leave with pay pending an investigation.

John Travolta paid homage to his late wife, Kelly Preston, Friday, with the help of their daughter.

John and 20-year-old Ella hit the dance floor ... something John says was Kelly's favorite thing ... dancing with him.

As we reported, Kelly died last month after a 2-year, very private battle with breast cancer. She was only 57 when she passed away. She and John were married for nearly 29 years.

John posted, "My daughter @ella.travolta and I dancing in memory of momma. One of Kelly's favorite things, dancing with me."

John and Kelly had 3 kids together ... Jett, Ella Blue and Benjamin. Jett died tragically in 2009, after suffering a seizure.

The SoCal lake where Naya Rivera was found dead after drowning is open to the public again, but her tragedy is having an impact on operations there.

TMZ's learned Lake Piru reopened Thursday, 43 days after the "Glee" star went out for a day of boating and swimming with her son. The man-made reservoir had been off-limits since Naya went missing. After authorities recovered her body, the lake remained closed as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified in L.A. County.

Now that the public can return there are restrictions. For starters, swimming is absolutely banned. Lake officials say that's due to COVID-19, but locals tell us they believe the ban is really about Naya's drowning.

As we reported ... more than 12,000 people signed a petition demanding more effective warnings to swimmers about debris under the water's surface.

As for boating on the lake ... that's back in full swing, along with picnicking, hiking and fishing.

However, the pontoon Naya rented on the night she went missing has been taken out of the fleet and it's been placed in storage.

Remember ... locals had reason to be concerned. Naya's drowning is the 9th death at Lake Piru since 1994.

You might say God is feeling the 'Noize' now ... Quiet Riot's drummer, Frankie Banali, has died following his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Frankie died Thursday night in Los Angeles surrounded by loved ones, according to his wife, Regina, who said he lost his 16-month battle with cancer. Frankie's wife says chemotherapy stopped working and Frankie suffered a series of strokes, making it impossible to continue a clinical trial.

The rocker was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer on April 17, 2019 and Regina says doctors had given him 6 months to live.

While Frankie was not a founding member of the popular 80's metal band, he debuted with Quiet Riot way back in 1983 on their third album, "Metal Health," and played drums on 12 of the band's records.

Quiet Riot was the first metal band to top the Billboard charts with their mega-hit cover of "Cum on Feel the Noize" ... which opens with Frankie's signature LOUD sound on the drums.

This is the band's second loss ... lead singer Kevin Dubrow died back in 2007, and Frankie remembered him as his "dearest friend."

Frankie also played drums for W.A.S.P, performing on 7 albums. He's survived by his wife and daughter, Ashley.

Frankie was 68.

Chi Chi DeVayne -- a fan favorite on "RuPaul's Drag Race" who competed on 'All-Stars' as well -- has died after recently being admitted to the hospital for pneumonia.

According to Chi Chi's family, the famed drag queen died Thursday morning at a hospital. Just days ago, Chi Chi shared a video from a hospital room saying they were "currently battling pneumonia" and asking for prayers.

DeVayne was also hospitalized in mid-July for apparent kidney failure related to scleroderma, an autoimmune disease the 'Drag Race' star was diagnosed with in 2018.

While undergoing dialysis treatment, Chi Chi wrote ... "I let it go too long without going to the doctor and these are the consequences."

Chi Chi, whose real name was Zavion Davenport, was a standout on season 8 of 'Drag Race' in 2016 and went on to finish in fourth place. Chi Chi later returned for the third season of RuPaul's 'All Stars' competition in early 2018 and placed eighth.

RuPaul says he's heartbroken over Chi Chi's passing, but "grateful that we got to experience her kind and beautiful soul." He adds ... "She will be dearly missed, but never forgotten. May her generous and loving spirit shine down on us all."

Chi Chi was 34.

Jason Mitchell's next big role is incredibly timely -- he's portraying the life of a Black man shot and killed by cops just hours before his wedding ... one of the most controversial police-involved shootings in recent history.

Jason, who's previously played Eazy-E in "Straight Outta Compton," has landed the role of Sean Bell in the film aptly titled "50 Shots" ... a reference to the 50 bullets cops fired in 2006, killing Sean in Jamaica, Queens.

Bell was only 23 and had just finished celebrating his bachelor party with his dad and 2 friends when cops opened fire on their car. Undercover cops investigating a nearby strip club believed the men were armed -- but they were not.

Four years later ... the city settled with Bell's family for $7 million, but 3 of the cops who opened fire were fully acquitted. It's one helluva story ... one Jason couldn't pass up when he read the script.

Jason will be an executive producer along with Tru of TruVision Films, as was first reported by Urban Hollywood 411. Jason initially read for the part of one of the undercover cops. But, as he read the script he immediately asked to instead play Sean's role because he wanted to help tell his story. Tru was all for it.

Jesse Goins -- best known for appearing on the Discovery show "Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine" -- has died.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Jesse was on set in Colorado Tuesday night during filming. His job on the show is to work in the gold room, where he separates and cleans the gold. We're told someone from the crew found him unconscious just outside the gold room. A medic on-site administered CPR and EMTs then arrived and rushed Jesse to the hospital, but efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful.

We're told it appeared to those on the scene ... Jesse suffered a heart attack, although the exact cause of death has yet to be confirmed.

Jesse's brother, Larry, posted on Facebook saying, "Heaven will never be the same!! My brother Jesse went home to be with his Father, Lord and Savior. He will be missed dearly. Love you brother."

'Lost Mine' premiered in March 2019 and took place near Prescott Valley, Arizona. The second season kicked off earlier this year from February to April and largely centered in Marysville, Montana.

Jesse appeared in 15 episodes of the "Gold Rush" series spinoff. In 'Dave Turin's Lost Mine' ... Jesse worked alongside Turin as they visited abandoned gold mines around the western U.S. They then decided which mine they'd get up and start running again ... in the hopes of turning a profit.

Jesse, who was 60, leaves behind a wife.

"Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" star Miss Robbie is dealing with a new family shocker tied to the murder of her grandson -- cops have arrested her own son for an alleged murder-for-hire plot straight outta "Dateline."

Miss Robbie's son, and costar on the OWN show, James Timothy Norman was busted by feds for his alleged role in the 2016 shooting death of Andre Montgomery ... his nephew and Miss Robbie's grandchild.

According to docs, prosecutors say Norman -- who owns Sweetie Pie's restaurant -- took out a $450k life insurance policy on his nephew back in 2014 ... and then worked with a woman named Terica Ellis to allegedly pull off the murder. The feds claim they communicated on burner phones in the days leading up to the killing in St. Louis.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors claim Ellis got Andre's location the day of the murder ... then placed a call to Norman. Shortly after that, on March 14, 2016 ... Montgomery was shot at killed, and the feds claim they ping'd Ellis' phone near the scene of the crime.

Immediately after Montgomery's murder ... Ellis allegedly called Norman, left town and deposited $9k in cash into various bank accounts. Prosecutors say Norman then contacted the life insurance company in an attempt to collect on the policy.

Ellis is facing the same murder-for-hire conspiracy charge as Norman.