RIP

Sad news in the golf world ... PGA Tour star Jason Day's mom has passed away following a lengthy battle with cancer.

The 34-year-old golfer made the heartbreaking announcement on his Instagram page Thursday ... saying his mom, Adenil "Dening" Day, died on Wednesday night five years after she was diagnosed with lung cancer.

"We are heart broken but incredibly grateful for the gift we had in her living with us for the last almost two years full time," Day said. "She fought so hard until the very last breath."

According to the PGA Tour, Dening passed away peacefully with Jason and other family members by her side.

"I am forever indebted to her for the sacrifices she made for me to be successful, and for the person she helped me to become," said Day, who pulled out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this week to be with his mother in her final days.

"We will miss her so much."

Tragically, Dening is not the first parent Jason has lost to cancer ... his father passed away from stomach cancer when Jason was just 12 years old.

Brett Hankison -- the former Louisville cop being prosecuted in connection with Breonna Taylor's death-- was just acquitted on all the charges against him.

A jury found Hankison not guilty of all 3 counts of felony wanton endangerment in the Breonna case ... returning the verdict Thursday in a Kentucky court.

You'll recall ... Hankison was never charged for shooting and killing Breonna during a botched police raid back in 2020 ... instead, he was charged for shooting into one of her neighbor's apartments.

Hankison pled not guilty and was fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department ... and he was facing 1 to 5 years in prison for each charge.

During the trial, prosecutors argued Hankison blindly fired bullets through Breonna's window and sliding glass door into a neighboring apartment with 3 people inside ... and one of the neighbors testified they would have been shot if the bullets were one or two inches in a different direction.

Former Ohio State star Shane Olivea -- who played for the San Diego Chargers after his time in Columbus -- died on Wednesday, his good friend and ex-Buckeye teammate Bobby Carpenter announced.

He was just 40 years old.

Carpenter did not reveal a cause of the death ... but said the former offensive lineman passed away at night.

"I'll never forget the kindness he showed to a young freshman who was clueless and didn't know anything about anything," Carpenter said in a statement on Twitter. "#RIPShane #Thankyou."

Olivea played for the Buckeyes from 2000 to 2003, and won a national championship with the team in 2002. He went on to get picked by the Chargers in the seventh round of the '04 draft, and started 57 games for the Bolts from 2004 to 2007.

Sadly, an addiction to pain killers ended up derailing his career following the '07 season. Olivea had said to The Columbus Dispatch in 2017 that his addiction during his playing days was so bad, doctors told him he was fortunate to be alive.

Olivea went to rehab and eventually got better, and he later said he had aspirations of coaching football and mentoring kids.

"Very sad to hear the news of my former teammate Shane Olivea," ex-NFL O-lineman Roman Oben said on Twitter after learning of the news. "Praying for his family today."

DMX's fiancée Desiree Lindstrom opened up on "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" about how she's been after her beau's passing ... and how things are going with their son, Exodus.

"My life changed so fast," Desiree told Raq. "Holidays get lonely ... because Earl was my family, but I do have Exodus and I try to make the best of it, because I know that's what he would've wanted me to do."

The emotional discussion is tough for her ... but she thanks everyone that's checked on her and their son. She thinks X's fans played a big part in keeping her going in the months following his death.

TMZ broke the story ... the legendary rapper was rushed to the hospital following an overdose. After a week of being on life support last April, he passed away ... survived by his 15 children.

At his celebration of life, tons of artists came to say goodbye -- Ye, Swizz Beatz, and Nas were just a few. Desiree gave a tear-jerking speech about how much he meant to her ... ending it with "Forever X."

Stanford women's soccer star Katie Meyer -- a Cardinal goalkeeper and a team captain -- has tragically died, the school announced Tuesday.

She was only 22 years old. No cause of death was revealed.

"Please join us in offering our deepest condolences to her parents and sisters," university officials said of Meyer in a statement. "We would also like to extend our heartfelt condolences to Katie's friends, hallmates, classmates, teammates, faculty and coaches."

School officials added that counseling has been made available all over campus to students and others who are grieving the loss.

Meyer -- described by the school as "a bright shining light for so many" -- was one of the Cardinal's best players ... and had helped the team win the NCAA women's soccer championship in 2019.

During that title game against North Carolina, she made two massive saves to help secure the victory. Her celebration afterward went viral.

Meyer was slated to be a redshirt senior on Stanford's team this season.

Darren Criss' older brother, Charles Criss, has died by suicide -- and his sibling is sending out a powerful message about mental health in the wake of such a tragedy.

The actor revealed the sad news Wednesday in a social media post, throwing up a bunch of photos of his bro, as well as a lengthy statement about what had happened ... and what the takeaway is for him as a result.

Charles -- who Darren refers to as Chuck -- took his own life sometime last month ... although the exact circumstances are unclear.

What is clear, however, is how much thought Darren put into breaking this to the public -- because his note here is incredibly powerful and well worth a read in full.

To sum it up, he says that Chuck -- with whom Darren actually started a band -- had apparently suffered from depression ... something DC says he and his family were somewhat aware of, but not to the extent they thought it would ever lead to this.

He says his brother lost sight to the darkness -- despite the fact he was so very loved -- and also takes a moment to acknowledge ... this is something that cannot be discussed in just a sentence or two, going on to acknowledge the complexities of mental health that any one individual may be going through ... even if everything looks okay from the outside.

Darren writes, "There is simply no sense, nay, compassion or decency, to try to find blame in any direction other than the inner most tragedy of an untreated illness," going on to add ... "Which is why it is paramount for me to remind anyone reading this that may be feeling consumed by any similar kind of darkness -- that there is absolutely no shame in feeling shame, and furthermore, nothing wrong whatsoever with seeking help."

He also makes sure to hit this point home ... that Chuck's life is not defined by his suicide, and that it was so much more than just that -- acknowledging the great things he contributed to this world, including three young children that he leaves behind.

Darren's brother was just 36. RIP

Yevhen Malyshev -- a former Ukrainian biathlete -- lost his life while defending his country in the war with Russia ... officials announced Wednesday. He was only 19 years old.

The International Biathlon Union's executive board released a statement confirming the tragic news earlier this week ... saying Malyshev died following Russia's invasion.

"The EB expresses its deepest condolences on the loss," officials said.

Specific details surrounding the circumstances of his passing are unclear ... though officials added he died "serving in the Ukrainian military."

Malyshev raced for Ukraine's biathlon junior team in 2018 and ended his career when the pandemic started in 2020.

"The EB once again condemns the Russian attacks on Ukraine and the support provided by Belarus and reiterates its hope for an immediate end to the war," officials said.

It's been common for Ukrainian athletes to take up arms in the country since Russia's attack ... with star boxers Oleksandr Usyk, Vasyl Lomachenko, Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko already in the country fighting off invaders.

Ukrainian tennis star Sergiy Stakhovsky also left his family in Hungary to fight ... saying on "Good Morning Britain," "The world needs to unite and stop this mess."

Tragically, several other Ukrainian athletes have been killed during the war ... with the FIFPRO World Players Union saying earlier this week "young Ukrainian footballers Vitalii Sapylo (21) and Dmytro Martynenko (25)" also passed away.

Kirk Baily -- best known for his role as Kevin "Ug" Lee in the Nickelodeon sitcom "Salute Your Shorts" -- has died.

Kirk's family tells TMZ the actor died over the weekend. We're told he died from lung cancer ... and had only been diagnosed 6 months ago.

Early in his career, Kirk studied comedy at Groundlings and Second City. He got his start as a sound coordinator on the cult classic film "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" before getting acting roles, including "3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain" and "The Sixth Man."

He also landed a number of guest roles on shows such as "Felicity," "Sisters," and "NYPD Blue." Recently, Kirk has worked primarily as a voice artist on a number of anime shows and video games, including "Cowboy Bebop," "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" and ".hack//."

Most notably, he played Kevin "Ug' Lee in Nickelodeon's "Salute Your Shorts" in 1991 and 1992.

In 2019, the cast had a reunion in Hollywood at the Good Burger pop-up shop. He remained close friends with most of the cast members and production staff.

He worked up until the last few months of his life, loving his career until the end.

Kirk was 59.

President Volodymyr Zelensky turned the tables on Putin Wednesday, telegraphing he was acting like a Nazi by bombing a sacred part of his country that has become a memorial to Ukrainian Holocaust victims.

Zelensky was incredulous over the Russians bombing Babyn Yar, the site where 33,000 Jews were killed by the Nazis in 1941. It is sacred ground in Ukraine and the bombing has further galvanized the country.

It's rich, right? Putin brazenly lied in a weak attempt to justify the invasion by saying he was doing it to rid Ukraine of Nazis, but by bombing Babyn Yar he's acted like one himself. As Zelensky said, "You are killing Holocaust victims for the second time."

Zelensky went on to observe, "Nazism is born in silence." He has been defending his country on 2 fronts -- internally against the Russians, and externally by pressuring the U.S., European allies and other countries to lend a hand.

As the Russian invasion intensified, Zelensky remains strong, speaking of what things will look like "after the victory."

If you thought the story behind Matthew Coleman -- the QAnon-obsessed dad who confessed to killing his 2 kids because he believed they had "serpent DNA" -- couldn't get any weirder ... it just did.

According to new docs in the horrifying case ... Coleman told the FBI, last August, he'd been "seeing all the pieces being decoded like 'The Matrix,' and that he was Neo," before he says he murdered his children.

In that same interview, following his arrest, Coleman also talked to FBI agents about time travel, teleportation and claimed his kids -- 2-year-old Kaleo and 10-month-old Roxy -- had told him about babies being placed in fireworks, food and walls.

The affidavit, first obtained by People, is a truly bizarre read, and includes Coleman's assertion he had to kill Kaleo and Roxy because they might have been corrupted with serpent DNA from their mom ... and he had "to prevent them from becoming an alien species that would release carnage over the Earth."

Also interesting ... months before the kids were killed, Coleman spent hours each day looking up conspiracy theories online, according to one of his close friends.

Serena Williams gave a touching tribute to her late friend, Virgil Abloh, after suiting up as a model in the Off-White fashion show at Paris Fashion Week ... saying, "I am so grateful to show love to my friend."

The fashion show marked the first of its kind since Abloh passed away in November ... and featured some of the biggest names and icons in the fashion industry.

Serena -- an icon in her own right -- was overjoyed at the experience, writing how incredible it was for her to participate in the largescale event.

"I had an unbelievable time walking in the @off____white show," Williams wrote on social media. "Virgil meant so much to me, and to walk in a collection that he was still apart of was something I could not miss."

"Thank you for the opportunity."

Supermodels Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber were among some of the other notable names to attend ... with musicians Rihanna and A$AP Rocky showing up as well.

As we previously reported, Virgil tragically died after privately battling cancer for several years. His death was felt throughout the fashion, sports, and entertainment industries.

The former artistic director for Louis Vuitton was synonymous with Off-White -- a brand he helped elevate to one of the fashion industry's powerhouse brands today.

Ned Eisenberg, famous for his work on "Law & Order: SVU" and most recently, "Mare of Easttown," has died after a battle with cancer.

Ned died over the weekend, his wife, Patricia, tells TMZ, "As Ned would say, he was attacked by two very rare assassins — cholangiocarcinoma and ocular melanoma. Over the course of two years, he bravely fought the cancers in private while continuing to work in show business to ensure that his medical coverage paid for himself and his family.”

Ned is known for playing Detective Hauser in the HBO drama "Mare of Easttown" alongside Kate Winslet. His work as defense attorney Roger Kressler in "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" made him one of the series' most regular supporting characters.

While Ned's got a ton of TV credits to his name, he's also acted in a bunch of big movies ... including "Last Man Standing" with Bruce Willis, "Limitless," "Million Dollar Baby," "The Burning," "Flags of Our Fathers" and "A Civil Action" ... just to name a few.

Ned was born and raised in New York City, and started studying acting in high school ... getting his first film credit in 1980 and also touring on the Broadway play "Brighton Beach Memoirs." He also co-founded the Naked Angels Theatre Company in 1987.

Ned is survived by Patricia and his son, Lino. He was 65.

Michael Keaton has a new trophy for his role in "Dopesick" -- a TV drama about addiction -- a subject that hits painfully close to home and had him fighting back tears at the podium.

Michael won the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series Award Sunday night at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and dedicated it to his late nephew -- also named Michael -- who, he revealed, had died from an overdose.

The actor took several seconds to collect himself, but was still choked up as he said, "I lost Michael to drugs, and it hurts." He also dedicated the award to his sister, Pam.

Keaton's nephew reportedly died in 2016 when he OD'd on heroin and fentanyl.

In the Hulu drama, Michael plays a small-town family doctor taking on big pharma to fight the country's opioid crisis.

Watching his speech Sunday night ... you can understand how emotional he is about the role, and he made it clear winning the award had a bigger meaning for him and his family.

Doctors' desperate, but futile, attempt to save a little Ukrainian girl hit by Russian bombing ... is prompting an angry, defiant and graphic message to Vladimir Putin.

This image of the 6-year-old girl being rushed out of an ambulance shows the start of a fight to save her life in the port city of Mariupol. Russians are advancing on the city, and on Sunday they shelled it heavily ... and she was taken to a hospital in very bad shape.

Her father was also bloodied and wounded, but furiously hoped doctors could save his daughter. One hospital staffer reportedly yelled, “Take her out! Take her out! We can make it!” ... as they wheeled her gurney into the hospital.

The medical team pumped her chest, gave her oxygen and even used defibrillators ... but they were unable to resuscitate the child. An AP photographer was in the ER documenting the efforts of nurses and doctors -- and, as several staffers wept, the doctor turned to the photog and said, "Show this to Putin. The eyes of this child, and crying doctors.”

Another Memphis rapper has been shot and killed ... just in the last few months.

Snootie Wild succumbed to his injuries after being shot Friday in Houston. His death was announced Saturday night on his Instagram page ... "Gone in body, but your NAME & LEGACY will live forever! #TeamYayo4Life."

Wild was shot in the neck ... discovered laying in a ditch, beside an SUV. A Houston cop told the ABC Houston station, "It looks like he backed in there accidentally. Then the other vehicle pulled up, and folks got out of the car," adding "They were talking for a little bit, and then all of a sudden, gunfire went off. Only one shot, actually."

He was rushed to a hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.

You'll recall, Young Dolph was shot and killed in Memphis outside a bakery in a clear ambush. Three people have been arrested, but Gotti was not implicated.

Kobe and Gigi Bryant's legacy continues to live on -- the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation released a hoodie celebrating the two this week ... and it sold it out in less than 24 minutes.

Thursday -- 02/24 -- was a symbolic day for the Bryant family because it features the jersey numbers Gigi and Kobe wore during their basketball career.

Vanessa Bryant says Champion donated the hoodies to support the Mamba & Mambacita Sports store launch ... and judging from how quickly they went, supporters couldn't wait to get their hands on them.

Vanessa says the hoodie is for a good cause ... with 100% of the proceeds going to support the Foundation's mission of creating equal opportunity for underserved boys and girls in athletics.

The MMSF Reverse Weave Pullover hoodie is all black ... and features the Mamba & Mambacita logo on the front in white.

The hood and sleeve feature the numbers 2, 8, and 24 ... commemorating each jersey number Kobe and Gigi wore when they hit the hardwood.

"Special thanks to Champion for donating this merchandise to our foundation," Vanessa wrote in a post on Instagram.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years. We are overwhelmed with gratitude. Our hoodie sold out in less than 24 minutes 🖤🤍."