China Eastern Crash Downed Plane May Be Deliberate Act By Pilot
The China Eastern plane that went up in flames in March after nosediving out of the sky and right into a mountain may have, in fact, been a deliberate act ... this per a new report.
Black box data from the downed Boeing 737-800 -- crashing somewhere in the mountains between Kunming and Guangzhou -- indicates no mechanical malfunction ... but rather, points to someone torpedoing the plane themselves, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The outlet, citing U.S. officials with knowledge of the investigation, says it'd been relayed to them that the plane "did what it was told to do by someone in the cockpit" -- at least that's what the preliminary assessment of this tragedy suggests thus far.
The fact that there's no indication something was wrong with the machinery has led regulators to look to the actions of the pilot manning the aircraft ... and although it seems likely they may have caused the "near-vertical" descent, WSJ notes officials aren't ruling out the possibility of somebody storming the cockpit and taking over the controls themselves.
With that said, China Eastern seems to have suggested no such storming took place -- their own investigation revealed an emergency alert to that effect was NOT sent as the passenger jet went down.
While all signs seem to point to the pilot, the airline said premature speculation could be detrimental to the investigation and to the air travel industry at large. Still, it appears this may be the most plausible explanation ... there've been ZERO bulletins issued addressing any structural problem from Boeing, so there's nothing wrong with their product.
As we reported ... the plane went into a complete freefall pitch from 29,000 feet in the air and went straight down for nearly 2 minutes -- pulling up briefly -- before ultimately slamming against a mountain range and killing all 132 people onboard.
The concern, obviously, revolves around mental health. While China Eastern has said the pilots flying this thing were in good health and in good standing ... some wonder what may have been happening behind the scenes to spur a would-be mass suicide of this magnitude.
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Boxer Musa Yamak Dead At 38 ... After Suffering Heart Attack In Ring
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Tragic news in the boxing world ... undefeated fighter Musa Yamak died during a match on Saturday -- after he suffered a heart attack in the ring and collapsed to the mat.
The awful scene went down in Germany ... when Yamak was in the middle of his fight with Hamza Wandera.
Yamak had reportedly taken at least one big blow from Wandera in the second round ... and as he was coming out of his corner for the third round of the scrap -- he stumbled, and eventually crumpled to the ground.
Trainers and other medical personnel on the scene rushed to his aid -- but, sadly, Yamak later passed away.
He was just 38 years old.
Turkish official Hasan Turan mourned the death in a social media post hours after the tragedy ... saying, "I wish God's mercy on the deceased ... my condolences to his sad family and fans."
Avrupa ve Asya şampiyonlukları olan Alucralı boksör hemşehrimiz Musa Askan Yamak'ı bir kalp krizi sonrasında genç yaşında kaybettik.
— Hasan Turan 🇹🇷🇵🇸 (@hasanturantr) May 15, 2022 @hasanturantr
Daha önce müsabaka için Ankara’ya geldiğinde TBMM’de görüştüğümüz merhuma Allah’tan rahmet, kederli ailesine ve sevenlerine başsağlığı diliyorum. pic.twitter.com/KXhiMeBoA2
Yamak -- who turned pro in 2017 -- had built an impressive resume in his career, starting 8-0. In 2021, he gained notoriety after winning the WBFed International title.
RIP.
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Buffalo Shooting Victims' Fams to Receive Thousands of Dollars Ben Crump Hired, Suits Brewing
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The families of the victims killed in the Buffalo massacre are getting a lot of help in the wake of this tragedy -- both on the crowdfunding front ... but, possibly, on the civil side too.
Fundraisers have been organized in the aftermath of Saturday's mass shooting -- which claimed the lives of 10 people after 18-year-old Payton Gendron opened fire in a supermarket in an attack that was rooted in racial hatred.
One of the campaigns was organized by Keith Blakely, CEO of OnCore Golf Technology, and has already raised around $100k.
Blakely tells TMZ ... the money came in over the course of a few days, with more than 1,400 donors making contributions ranging from $5 to $5k. Blakely says the $100k goal seemed like a tall order at first, but now ... he's aiming to give each family $10,000.
Blakely says he's teamed up with the Mayor's Office to help distribute the money ASAP. He tells us celebs have chipped in, but won't say who ... but he tipped his hand and said athletes have really stepped up.
Other GFMs have been started ... one for the Tops store, another for the slain security guard, yet another for victims' families and a 4th for resource deliveries to victims and members of the community who might be affected.
While all that dough is great, there might be an even larger amount on the horizon thanks to Ben Crump and his team ... he's already been retained by the family of Ruth Whitfield -- one of the oldest victims killed in Saturday's massacre.
Sources tell us Crump is looking to represent as many families as possible ... which we're told may include suing the gun manufacturer of the weapon used in the attack ... an AR-15-style rifle with a high capacity magazine.
We're told a massive civil suit could be brewing that'd be similar to the one filed in the Sandy Hook case, where the families received a $73 million settlement against the gunmaker, Remington.
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Bob Saget Wife Pays Tribute for 66th Bday ... 'I Miss You Beyond Words'
Bob Saget's wife, Kelly Rizzo is celebrating what would've been her husband's 66th birthday ... sharing a recent photo of the two with a sweet message.
Kelly shared a pic of the two celebrating Bob's birthday one year ago in Mexico with the caption, "Happy Birthday, my Love. I miss you beyond words."
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She continued, "I pray he can see all of the love he’s already getting from around the world today. Honey, everyone loves you so damn much. Everyone wants you to know how important and special you are on your special day, and we ALL celebrate you."
Of course, this post comes 4 months after Bob was found dead in his Ritz hotel room in Orlando Florida. Authorities believe he suffered from a brain bleed after hitting his head, most likely on the hotel bed's headboard.
Kelly and Bob tied the knot back in 2018, since his death, she's been very open in talking about her grief and their relationship.
As she's tried to do, Kelly ended her bday tribute with a light-hearted line, saying, "I know you’d want me to get a martini tonight, so I’ll oblige."
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Buffalo Shooter Gun Littered With Racist Language
The man responsible for slaughtering 10 people at a Buffalo grocery store left no question ... his attack was racially motivated, as evidenced by the hateful messaging emblazoned on his gun.
18-year-old Payton Gendron descended on the Tops store with a black Bushmaster XM-15 assault rifle littered with racist language -- "N****" on its' barrel, "Here's your reparations," "Dylan Roof," "John Earnest" and "SYGAOWN."
"SYGAOWN" is an acronym for "Stop Your Genocide Against Our White Nations." As you probably know, Dylan Roof is the man who killed 9 black worshipers at a South Carolina Church. Earnest killed one woman and shot 3 others in 2019 at a synagogue in San Diego.
This confirmed white supremacist specifically went to a low income Black neighborhood in Buffalo NY to carry out a mass shooting. These types of white supremacists are ALLOWED to sit online and plot these attacks and nothing is done to thwart this type of anti-Black terrorism. pic.twitter.com/jGmO32PyHB
— Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqnasheed) May 14, 2022 @tariqnasheed
The Buffalo shooter wrote a 180-page manifesto, largely about "replacement theory" ... a false narrative that white people are being overtaken by people of color and Jews.
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Lil Keed Complained of Serious Stomach Pain ... Days Before Death
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Lil Keed complained to his friends and family he was suffering from serious stomach pain in the days leading up to his death ... with things getting so bad he had to go to the hospital.
Multiple sources close to Keed tell us ... the YSL label rapper had his battles over the years with alcohol and drugs, but had been clean and sober of late. We're told last week he began experiencing severe stomach pain and went to an L.A. hospital to get checked out.
From there, our sources say things got worse, and Keed's organs -- his liver and kidneys -- started failing ... leading to his death.
As we reported, news of his death shocked the hip hop world over the weekend when his brother, Lil Gotit, posted, "Can't believe I seened u die today bro I did all my cries I know what u want me to do and that's go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy."
While Keed is a YSL rapper, he was not named in the recent indictment with Young Thug and Gunna.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's office is expected to do an autopsy this week.
Keed was only 24.
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2Pac Classic 'Makaveli' Album Art Goes NFT!!!
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The late Tupac Shakur's last studio album "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and it's being pushed into the digital world.
That means creating an NFT -- non-fungible token -- from the original artwork ... a controversial piece depicting Pac as Jesus Christ wearing his crown of thorns while nailed to the cross. The parental advisory sticker infamously covered his pelvic area.
Released on November 5, 1996, nearly 2 months after his murder, Pac recorded the album under the alias Makaveli ... unleashing some greatest hits material such as "Hail Mary" and "To Live In Die In L.A." -- and fueling rumors he was still alive in the process.
Riskie Forever designed and sold the painting Tupac handpicked to be the album cover back in 2015 ... but crypto/NFT wallet manager Zelus helped him recover the art, and auction house Heritage Auctions will sell it to the highest bidder.
The auction goes down starting today through June 18 in Dallas at 445 Park Avenue and fans will also have a chance to win up to $100,000 through sweepstakes on the MakaveliArt.com website starting today all the way to June 5.
Mike Tyson will host the painting Tuesday on a special episode of his "Hotboxin" podcast, where he will also run through some of his cherished Tupac memories. They enjoyed a long-running friendship during the course of Pac's life, whose last moments were spent attending the Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon fight on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas.
Iron Mike tells TMZ Hip Hop: "This episode was cool to shoot. Having the opportunity to honor Pac and have this painting here with us was awesome. It's by far the most iconic hip hop album artwork of all time."
Riskie, an iconic hip hop artist, was initially propositioned by then Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, who later introduced him to 2Pac -- and commissioned Riskie to create the album cover.
Snoop Dogg now owns the label, but most of the music remains off streaming ... for the time being.
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NFL's Johnny Stanton My Doctor Died In Laguna Woods Shooting ... 'Absolute Hero'
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Cleveland Browns fullback Johnny Stanton is praising his primary care physician, Dr. John Cheng, for sacrificing his life in the Laguna Woods shooting ... honoring the man for his heroic actions.
Officials say 52-year-old Cheng was killed as he tried to stop the gunman who opened fire at the Geneva Presbyterian Church on Sunday. 5 others were injured in the shooting ... and cops say if Cheng hadn't taken action, there would have been "numerous additional victims."
Stanton -- who grew up in California before reaching the NFL in 2018 -- paid tribute to Cheng on Twitter minutes ago ... after realizing Cheng is the man who helped him out with regular checkups over the years.
"I just found out the person killed in the Laguna Woods shooting yesterday was my primary care physician, Dr. John Cheng," Stanton said.
"Absolute hero," Stanton added. "He attacked the gunman and helped save so many in that church. I just wanted his name to be known."
"He will be missed."
68-year-old David Chou was arrested in connection to the shooting, which is being investigated as a hate crime.
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Kevin Samuels Family Refuses Funeral $$$ ... GoFundMe is a Fake
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Kevin Samuels' family says an imposter is behind a GoFundMe created to raise money for his funeral expenses, and even though they were offered the cash ... they won't accept the money.
Social media was buzzing after the fundraising page popped up, many calling Kevin's family hypocrites for seeking financial help ... as he always preached a message of financial independence without handouts.
However, a source with direct knowledge tells us they reached out to Kevin's family to verify the account and learned the family did NOT create it ... so GoFundMe scrubbed the fundraiser from its platform.
Not only that, our sources say GoFundMe offered Kevin's family the few hundred bucks raised on the fake page ... but they refused to accept it, so it was returned to donors.
TMZ broke the story, the woman Samuels was with desperately tried to save his life -- performing CPR as she dialed 911 -- but unfortunately, he didn't make it. It's believed Kevin suffered a heart attack.
He was 57.
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'Friends' Actor Mike Hagerty Died From Adverse Reaction to Antibiotic
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"Friends" actor, Mike Hagerty, died after having a strong, adverse reaction to an antibiotic in the hospital, which caused him to lapse into a coma ... TMZ has learned.
Sources close to Mike tell TMZ ... he got an infection back in April in one of his legs. He ended up recovering, but still wasn't feeling 100%.
We're told he was about to start filming the 2nd season of "Somebody Somewhere" but his energy level was still really low ... so his doctor sent him to the hospital to get checked out.
Sadly, things took a turn for the worse. He was given an antibiotic and he had a terrible reaction ... causing him to have a seizure and go into a coma.
As we reported, Mike passed away last week in the hospital. It wasn't COVID-related ... Mike had tested negative. Mike's "Somebody Somewhere" co-star Bridget Everett announced the news of his death.
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Mike is most well known for his recurring role on "Friends" ... as well as his character in HBO's "Somebody Somewhere." He appeared in lots of other shows ... including "Boston Legal," "Cheers," "Glee," "CSI," "Seinfeld" and so much more.
He was 67.
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Rapper Lil Keed Dead at 24
5:20 PM PT -- The L.A County Coroner's Office tells TMZ ... Keed died at Burbank Hospital at around 10 PM on Friday night. No cause or manner of death has been released -- officials are investigating.
Rapper Lil Keed, a rising star from Atlanta and member of Young Thug's controversial YSL label, is dead ... according to his reps and family members.
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His brother, Lil Gotit, said, "Can't believe I seened u die today bro I did all my cries I know what u want me to do and that's go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy."
Complex first reported the death after getting confirmation from Keed's reps.
Although the "Trapped on Cleveland 3" rapper was signed to YSL, he was not part of the recent indictment in Atlanta that led to Gunna, Young Thug and 26 other YSL associates getting arrested on RICO charges.
After the raid and arrests, Keed posted an impassioned declaration about his label, insisting YSL was not a criminal organization ... as the Fulton County D.A. has claimed in the 56-count indictment.
Lil Keed recorded many popular songs, including "Snake," "She Know" and "Wavy (Remix)." Keeds garnered plenty of success from his own albums and mixtapes, as well as being featured on tracks with artists like Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, Chris Brown, Future, Zaytoven and Lil Yachty.
Offset, from the popular rap trio, Migos, took to his IG story and said, "Damn twin rip."
Rapper Taylor Bennett wrote on his IG, "Keed you are the new sound of music surpassing hip hop and all genres."
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Quana Bandz, Keed's GF posted a heartbreaking tribute mourning his death on IG saying, "I love you sooooo much baby🥺 what I'm post to do with out you😤 I can't breathe right sleep right nothing. I don't even wanna talk to nobody. Keed I can't take this why you leave US bru."
Keed leaves behind his GF, Quana, and their daughter Naychur.
He was 24.
RIP
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Spanish Cliff Diver Dad Jumps to His Death in Stunt Gone Wrong ... As Family Watches
A tragic end to what was supposed to be an exciting stunt -- after a father miscalculated his cliff jump -- leading to his death as his family watched in horror.
The video is tough to watch, you see the man take a leap from the 100-foot cliff in Spain. Clearly, he knows something is wrong quickly, letting out a scream before clipping the jagged rock and hitting the water ... you hear the woman recording yell, "Oh my God!"
According to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the woman recording was the man's wife -- his son was also present -- and they had rented a boat for the day to tour the rocks on one of the Malgrats Isles by Santa Ponsa.
The report says authorities were called to the scene shortly after the accident, and they were able to locate the man's body.
It's unclear who the man was or if he was visiting the area on vacation.
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Floyd Mayweather Dubai Exhibition Fight Canceled ... Plan To Reschedule Event
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11:00 AM PT -- The people behind the now-canceled Floyd Mayweather fight are still vowing to hold the event ... just not this weekend in Dubai, as was originally planned.
The Global Titans Fight Series released a statement addressing the death of United Arab Emirates president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the subsequent shut down of businesses across the country, which put the kibosh on the event.
"Out of deepest respect and due to these unforeseen circumstances of Force Majeure, the Global Titans Dubai event which was scheduled to take place on May 14th at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah has been postponed until further notice, with a new date to be announced very soon."
"We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and reassure fans that this spectacular event will be staged in future."
No word yet on a date.
Floyd Mayweather's much-anticipated boxing match in Dubai this weekend has been called off ... TMZ Sports has learned.
Sources tell us ... the exhibition fight -- which was supposed to pit Mayweather against his former sparring partner Don Moore on Saturday on the Burj Al Arab hotel helipad -- will no longer go down following the death of United Arab Emirates President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Government officials, according to WAM, the official UAE news agency, have suspended "work in ministries, departments, federal and local institutions, and the private sector" for the next three days due to the Sheikh Khalifa's passing ... and, according to our sources, that means the Floyd fight cannot happen this weekend.
We are told, though, the two boxers could attempt to reschedule the match for sometime next week.
Floyd has yet to comment on the fight's cancelation ... though he did mourn Sheikh Khalifa's death in an Instagram post early Friday morning.
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"Sending my condolences to the entire UAE," he said. "RIP Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed."
Mayweather and Moore have both been in Dubai the past few days promoting the fight ... with Moore saying he was legitimately gunning to beat the 50-0 boxing legend.
The fight was scheduled to be just the third fight Floyd's taken since he beat Conor McGregor in 2017. Mayweather previously beat Tenshin Nasukawa in an exhibition in 2018, and seemed to easily handle Logan Paul in a non-scored exhibition in 2021.
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Tammy Sytch Bond Revoked ... WWE Legend Put Back In Jail
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WWE legend Tammy Sytch has been thrown back behind bars ... a judge just revoked her bond at a hearing on Friday morning.
Sytch initially posted the bond on May 7 ... one day after she was arrested for allegedly killing a man while driving drunk in March in Florida.
Prosecutors, though, argued that Sytch should not have been given bond -- calling her a danger to the community -- and in a Volusia County courtroom Friday morning, a judge agreed ... revoking it and putting her back in jail.
Sytch is expected to remain behind bars until at least her next court hearing on May 31.
As we reported, Sytch has been hit with eight criminal charges -- including DUI causing death -- after officials accused her of drunkenly causing a fatal car crash on March 25.
According to court documents, prosecutors say she had a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher when she crashed her car into a stopped vehicle on United States Highway 1 in Ormond Beach. Prosecutors say the collision ended up killing a 75-year-old man.
Sytch is facing serious prison time if convicted on the charges.
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Fred Ward 'Tremors' Actor Dead at 79
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1:31 PM PT -- Kevin Bacon just posted a nice tribute to Ward, saying, "So sad to hear about Fred Ward. When it came to battling underground worms I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. I will always remember chatting about his love of Django Reinhardt and jazz guitar during our long hot days in the high desert. Rest In Peace Fred."
So sad to hear about Fred Ward. When it came to battling underground worms I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. I will always remember chatting about his love of Django Reinhardt and jazz guitar during our long hot days in the high desert. Rest In Peace Fred. pic.twitter.com/WLOB0iVwkd
— Kevin Bacon (@kevinbacon) May 13, 2022 @kevinbacon
Fred Ward, who starred in "Tremors" alongside Kevin Bacon has died at the age of 79.
A rep for Ward tells TMZ he died on May 8, while a cause of death is currently unclear, his rep says the actor's last wish was for any memorial tributes to be made to the Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center.
"Tremors" was certainly Ward's most recognized role, but he won a Golden Globe as a part of the cast of "The Right Stuff." Throughout his career, Ward also had roles in "True Detective," "Grey's Anatomy," "ER," "Miami Blues," "The Player" and "Short Cuts."
While "Tremors" premiered back in 1990 ... Ward continued his Hollywood career up until 2018, his rep says he spent the last few years of his life painting.
Ward leaves behind his wife of 27 years, Marie-France Ward and his son, Django.
RIP
Originally Published -- 8:12 AM PT
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Naomi Judd Daughter Discloses Suicide by Gunshot Mental Illness was 'Catastrophic'
Naomi Judd committed suicide by firearm, and her daughter Ashley Judd explains the catastrophe of mental illness and how her mom couldn't process the love her friends, family and colleagues felt toward her.
Ashley spoke with Diane Sawyer on 'GMA' about Naomi's death, the day before she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
She explained ... "Her brain hurt, it physically hurt and I'm tasked with an exceedingly difficult task in disclosing the matter in the way my mother chose to continue to live … because we don’t want it to be part of the gossip economy I will share with you that she used a weapon mother used a firearm so that's the piece of information that we are very uncomfortable sharing but understand."
Ashley said she was the one who discovered Naomi's body ... "It was a mixed day. I visit with my mom and pop every day when I’m home in Tennessee, so I was at the house visiting as I am every day. Mom said to me, 'Will you stay with me?' and I said, 'Of course, I will.' … I went upstairs to let her know that her good friend was there and I discovered her. I have both grief and trauma from discovering her."
Ashley said there was a disconnect, or better put a wall, between the feelings the outside world had for Naomi and the way she felt about herself. The mental illness wouldn't allow Naomi to process the love and worth others showed toward her ... she only felt self-doubt.
As she put it, "Our mother couldn't hang on until she was inducted into the Hall of Fame by her peers. That was the level of catastrophe of what was going on inside her."
As you know, Ashley and her sister Wynonna were at the HOF ceremony and tearfully paid tribute to their mom.
On 'GMA' Ashley explained she wanted to put a spotlight on mental illness ... "My mother knew that she was seen and she was heard in her anguish, and she was walked home. When we're talking about mental illness, it's very important to be clear and to make the distinction between our loved one and the disease. It's very real, and it lies, it's savage."
If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK.