RIP

Pharrell Williams has certainly served as a fashion icon over the years, but that title will now hold some new weight, cause he's taking over as Louis Vuitton's new men's creative director ... a spot previously held by Virgil Abloh.

The move was announced Tuesday by LV Chairman & CEO Pietro Beccari … who welcomed The Neptunes producer with open arms and praised his past collaborations with the brand.

Pharrell's first collection with LV will debut next June during Men's Fashion Week in Paris.

Pharrell’s acquisition makes for historic news -- Virgil, who died in November 2021 after a bout with a rare cancer, was the first Black American to be a lead designer for a European luxury house, and Skateboard P is now the second!!!

Families are left devastated after a mass shooting at Michigan State University ... and "Flavor of Love" star Deelishis says her niece was among the 3 students killed.

Deelishis first posted Monday night, asking her followers to help locate her niece in the chaos following initial reports of the shooting. She wrote, "My beautiful niece @ariellediamond_ is a student at MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY… she was in her classroom in the same building as the active shooter and we have not heard from her."

She continued, "If you know her whereabouts please dm me … in the meantime my family and I ask for your prayers 🙏🏼❤️‼️ #MichiganStateUniversity #ArielleDiamond"

Unfortunately, her niece Arielle never made it out ... the reality star later pinned a comment by another family member that said, "my sweet beautiful niece... RIP baby girl".

As we reported, a gunman -- identified by police by police as Anthony McRae -- went on a shooting rampage at MSU Monday night ... killing 3 students and critically injuring 5 others.

Hours later, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Right now, cops are investigating the incident and have not yet found a motive for the tragedy.

Arne Espeel, a Belgian soccer goalkeeper, has tragically passed away after he collapsed following a saved penalty kick during a game over the weekend.

He was only 25.

The terrible incident happened during Winkel Sport B's game against Westrozebeke at Sportpark Terschueren in West Flanders Province on Feb. 11.

When Winkel was up 2-1 in the second half of the game, Espeel saved a penalty kick ... but a few seconds later, according to local reports, he dropped to the ground on the pitch.

Medical professionals tried to save Espeel with a defibrillator, but he was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy was scheduled for Monday to determine the cause of death.

Espeel's teammates mourned his loss on Monday ... placing flowers at a goal mount -- while over 1,000 fans, friends, family members reportedly showed up for a walk of silence in Sint-Eloois-Winkel.

"Winkel Sport is in very deep mourning by the sudden death of Arne Espeel," the team said in a statement following his death.

"We wish family and friends of Arne our heartfelt condolences in this heavy loss. Football is an afterthought."

The Michigan State Spartans community is showing an outpour of support for the university as it deals with the aftermath of Monday's mass shooting ... with alums like Magic Johnson, Le'Veon Bell and more sharing their condolences.

"Cookie & I are devastated to hear about the news of a shooting on Michigan State’s campus," Magic tweeted shortly after news broke of the tragedy. "We are praying for the victims, their families, students, faculty, employees & administration."

"This is such a tragic situation & our hearts go out to the MSU community, all of Lansing and East Lansing! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾"

Mat Ishbia, a 2000 national champion with the Michigan State basketball team and owner of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, released a touching tribute ... saying, "Deeply saddened by the horrific tragedy that took place at Michigan State University last night. Sending my love, thoughts, and prayers to all MSU students, the university, and the entire Spartan family."

Bell -- who played at MSU from 2010-2012 -- said, "this is sad. condolences to the victims."

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. -- who played for Sparty from 2017-18 -- also called on his followers to send their prayers.

Pro football player BJ Cunningham was shocked by the report ... saying, "This world is wild," while also sending a positive message to the families and students at his former campus.

Ex-Duke star and current San Antonio Spurs player Tre Jones sent out a statement, saying he's keeping the victims in his thoughts ... while adding shootings of this nature will keep happening until the government does something about it.

Police identified Anthony McRae as the suspect, who opened fire after entering two different buildings on campus ... killing three people and critically injuring five others before taking his own life.

Cops are investigating the tragedy ... but a motive behind the incident has not been reported.

Sharon Stone is tearfully paying tribute to her late brother who just passed away this weekend ... and it has her reflecting on the "tremendous loss" her family's endured recently.

The actress confirmed Patrick's death, posting a video Monday evening with the caption "Godspeed Patrick Joseph Stone." In the short clip, she says he did, in fact, suffer a fatal heart attack ... and noted he's the father of the late River Stone.

River was Patrick's 11-month-old son who died in 2021 after his organs failed -- and Sharon tearfully expresses how difficult these past couple years have been for her family.

SS says she's thankful for all the love and support during this time, and appreciates the condolences she's received as well ... adding that the loss they've endured is just here on earth.

Remember, Sharon lost her grandmother and godmother in 2020 to COVID-19. As she copes with all that death, she's encouraging people to continue being kind to one another.

TMZ broke the story ... Patrick went into cardiac arrest Sunday in Pennsylvania, and for now -- his death is being attributed to heart disease.

As Sharon pointed out, he's survived by his wife and 2 children. Patrick was 57.

A gunman went on a shooting rampage at Michigan State University on Monday night, killing 3 students and critically injuring 5 others before taking his own life.

The suspect, identified by police as Anthony McRae, entered two buildings on campus, turning both into shooting galleries as students ran for cover and heavily armed police officers stormed the area looking for the assailant.

Hours later, law enforcement caught up with McRae, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, cops said. During the manhunt, police released surveillance images of McRae walking inside a building while gripping an unknown object in one hand. Police later recovered a weapon.

MSU Interim Deputy Chief Chris Rozman discussed the attack at a news conference ... "I can’t even begin to imagine what that motive would be. That will obviously be part of our investigation."

Rozman added, "we are unsure of any affiliation that the suspect had to the University."

The deadly assault marked the 67th mass shooting in the country so far this year. A mass shooting is defined as 4 or more people killed or wounded in a single violent incident, not including the gunman.

Rozman said police first started receiving 911 calls of a shooting at Berkey Hall around 8:18 PM ET. When cops arrived at the building, they found two students dead.

Soon after, Rozman said, officers responded to another shooting at the nearby student union building, where they discovered the third student deceased.

Rozman confirmed that 5 other victims were listed in critical condition at a local hospital.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer described the MSU community as "reeling" from the shooting. She also said, "We mourn the loss of beautiful souls today, and pray for those who are continuing to fight for their lives."

Key Glock isn't worried he'll run out of Young Dolph verses anything time soon -- he says they recorded so many he can't even ballpark the number.

Mr. Glizock was chillin' in AZ after Super Bowl LVII when the Memphis rapper confidently told TMZ Hip Hop he has unlimited verses with his late cuzzo Young Dolph in the stash.

The Paper Route Empire team released Dolph's first posthumous album last December -- "Paper Route Frank," which Glock appears on, and he assures us Dolph's catalog will be refreshed for years to come!!!

Glock has a busy year ahead; his Glockhoma Tour kicks off next month with special guests TiaCorine, Kenny Muney, Jay Fizzle and BigXThaPlug ... and while he was tight-lipped on giving us album features other than Dolph, he did reveal a new project in the works.

Austin Majors, who made his mark as a child star on the hugely successful "NYPD Blue" has died ... TMZ has learned.

Austin died Saturday night while staying at a homeless housing facility in Los Angeles.

A source with direct knowledge of the circumstances surrounding his death tells us there's no foul play suspected ... but it is believed he may have ingested a fatal amount of fentanyl. We're told an autopsy is set to be completed Monday, with final toxicology results expected in the next few months.

Austin's family issued a statement on his death, telling us he, “Was a loving, artistic, brilliant, and kind human being. Austin took great joy and pride in his acting career. He was an active Eagle Scout and graduated Salutatorian in High School. He went on to graduate from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with a passion of directing and music producing."

The statement continues, "Austin’s younger sister, Kali, says her fondest memories with Austin were growing up on set with him, volunteering at events with “Kids With a Cause”, and backpacking together. Austin was the kind of son, brother, grandson, and nephew that made us proud and we will miss him deeply forever.”

Austin will best be remembered for his role as Theo Sipowicz for 7 seasons on "NYPD Blue." Theo was the son of the show's main character, Detective Andy Sipowicz, played by actor Dennis Franz.

There was a controversial scene from the show involving Austin back in 2003 when his character walked in on a naked Charlotte Ross in the restroom before she was about to shower.

The scene led to a ton of complaints against ABC and resulted in a $1.4 million fine from The FCC.

Austin took home some hardware during his career as well -- taking home the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Television Series in 2002 for "NYPD Blue". He was also nominated for Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role for his work on "Treasure Planet" the following year.

He also worked on other projects, including, "An Accidental Christmas", "Volare", and the 2000s show "According to Jim".

He was just 27.

Drake is trying to put the kibosh on getting deposed in the XXXTENTACION murder trial — and he's making some legal moves to try to get out of it.

The rapper filed a motion, through his attorney Bradford Cohen, asking the judge to set aside the subpoena requiring him to sit for a private deposition in late February.

As we reported, the judge was persuaded by arguments made by defense attorney Mauricio Padilla to call Drake as a witness in the case. Padilla represents Dedrick Williams, one of three defendants charged with killing XXX. The murder trial for the 3 men began last week.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Padilla sent Drake a ZOOM link for the deposition without putting it under seal, which could have compromised Drake's security given that he’s an international star.

Several days later, the docs say Padilla filed a notice with the court but failed to include details on how the ZOOM interview with Drake would be conducted. As a result, Drake says the subpoena was procedurally defective.

Per the motion, Drake also claims his name never appeared in the investigative files and there's nothing to suggest he has any relevant knowledge about the case ... he believes it's unreasonable to ask him to sit for a deposition and says doing so is just an attempt to "add more layers of celebrity and notoriety to a tragic and unfortunate event."

More heartbreak for Sharon Stone and her family ... her brother Patrick died suddenly over the weekend.

Patrick died early Sunday morning in Pennsylvania. A rep for the coroner's office tells us his death is being ruled as sudden cardiac death due to heart disease. It's unclear if he was hospitalized at the time of his death.

Pat's wife Tasha shared the devastating news with friends, writing, "My heart feels like it’s been ripped out of my chest. Patrick went to be with our sweet River ... I don’t know what else to say, he was my world."

She continued, "I’m not sure what life is supposed to look like without my husband by my side and quite honestly I don’t want to, but I will of course. I just hope that you always stay by my side watching over Hunter, Kaylee and I."

River was Tasha and Patrick's son who died in 2021 at just 11 months ... at the time, Sharon announced River's organs had failed.

Tasha continued, "Until we meet again I will forever hold you and our wonderful (and some not so wonderful but just as important) memories close to my heart and will visit those memories always. I love you honey babe. My wish through all of this is that now at least River has his daddy with him and I hope the two of you are having the best time."

Patrick was only 57.

Bam Margera and Priscilla Presley's friendship is paying off for him in a big way -- he's hooking up his dad with an iconic Elvis robe .. TMZ has learned.

Bam tells us he was first introduced to Priscilla's son Navarone Garcia -- through mutual friends in the music industry -- and since then he's formed his own relationship with Priscilla.

We're told Elvis' ex-wife -- and mother of the late Lisa Marie Presley -- heard about Bam's dad being a huge Elvis fan, so she gave Bam one of the King's personal robes ... and a ring!!!

You can tell in the video just how pumped Bam is to be able to gift the robe to his father.

As for the ring, we're told Bam gave that to rapper Yelawolf -- who you see hanging with Bam in the video -- because it fit him and Bam considers him the new king of Rock 'n' Roll.

As we reported, the former 'Jackass' star and Priscilla recently had lunch together for what seemed like a bizarre link-up... especially given the timing of everything.

As you know, Bam has been struggling with his sobriety, and friends like Steve-O have publicly voiced concern for his well-being.

Meanwhile, TMZ broke the story ... Priscilla is challenging a change to Lisa Marie's trust, which is creating a tug-of-war with her granddaughter Riley Keough.

David Jolicoeur -- also known as Dave and Trugoy the Dove, who was one of the three founding members of De La Soul -- has died.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ the rapper passed away Sunday at a hospital in Maryland. No other details, including a potential cause, have been released ... but we're told his death appears to be from natural causes, and that he was battling an undisclosed illness.

De La Soul's official social accounts have yet to say anything about Dave -- ditto for the other two members and their own pages ... Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos) and Vincent Mason (Maseo).

Dave was with DLS since the beginning, getting together in '87 and going on to crank out some of the most famous rap songs of all time. The group went on an incredible three-album run through the '90s -- with two of those being certified platinum and gold, respectively.

Some of their best-known tracks include ... "Me, Myself and I," "Eye Know," "The Magic Number," "Stakes Is High," "Ring Ring Ring," "Say No Go," "Breakadawn," "Oooh," "Buddy," "All Good," "Ghetto Thang," "I Am I Be," "Ego Trippin (Part 2)" and countless others.

De La Soul was unique in that they emerged in one decade, but seamlessly transitioned into another ... all while adapting their style and production to keep up with the times.

Three of their songs have been nominated for Grammys over the years, with one of those -- a smash hit collab with the Gorillaz in "Feel Good Inc." -- actually winning Best Pop Collaboration in 2006.

Their music has been hard to listen to in recent years ... for one reason or another, nobody has been able to stream their stuff on major platforms, but a deal was recently inked that'll finally allow their classic tunes to be played en masse starting next month.

Dave was 54.

Hollywood publicist and television personality Howard Bragman has died after a brave battle with leukemia.

Howard was set to attend a wedding in Mexico with his partner, Mike Maimone, this month -- but wanted to get checked out by his doctor before his travels for what he thought was a gum infection and mild fever.

Unfortunately, after testing, Bragman was diagnosed with the most aggressive form of leukemia a person can have -- and it progressed "explosively."

Howard was hospitalized on February 2 and died less than 2 weeks after.

Howard wasn't just a publicist for celebrities, but in a sense, he was a celebrity in his own right -- making regular television appearances on major networks. He was also an author, and his 'Where's My Fifteen Minutes?' offered real-life advice to those trying to get their company, cause or self-recognition in the world of publicity.

Howard's Rolodex of celeb clients was just as impressive, including the likes of Sharon Osbourne, Anthony Scaramucci, Steven Slater, Stevie Wonder, Chaz Bono, Don Lemon, Monica Lewinsky, Joe Manganiello, Anna Kendrick, Terrence Howard and Ricki Lake ... just to name a few.

Ryan Shepard, who acted as Eminem's stunt double in the early 2000s, has died ... tragically losing his life after getting hit while attempting to cross the street.

Ryan's brother Kyle tells TMZ ... Ryan died in Washington at the end of January after getting hit by an oncoming pickup truck. Emergency responders rushed him to a hospital, but it was too late.

Ryan worked not only as Eminem's stunt double but also as his photo double and stand-in ... appearing at the MTV Movie Awards as Eminem's superhero character, Rap Boy.

He took the stage again with the rapper for his 2002 Anger Management Tour, and on his Japan and Europe tour the following year -- he also appeared in D12's "Purple Hills" music video as Eminem's double.

Kyle tells us Ryan was incredibly intelligent ... going on to work at Disney as a ride mechanical engineer, and eventually moving to Elon Musk's SpaceX as a test automation engineer.

Ryan leaves behind his 2 children, a 7-year-old and an 11-year-old.

He was 40 years old.

The BTK serial killer is back on police radar ...but this time we're told it's to see if he has any connection to the disappearance of an Oklahoma teenager back in 1976.

BTK (real name: Dennis Rader) tells TMZ…he was interviewed January 20 by Osage County Sheriff, Eddie Virden and three other investigators at El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas. That's where BTK is serving 10 life terms for killing 10 people from 1974 to 1991. He was captured in 2005 after sending police taunting letters using the moniker, "Bind, Torture, Kill."

Rader said the Osage County cops wanted to know if he was involved in the disappearance of 16-year-old Cynthia Dawn Kinney in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, on June 23, 1976. Kinney was reportedly last seen leaving Osage Laundromat and getting into a beige 1965 Plymouth Belvedere with two people under suspicious circumstances. No one has been arrested.

BTK said police thought he might have a connection to the Kinney case because he was actively committing murders in Wichita, Kansas, during that time frame. Wichita is only about a 2-hour drive to Pawhuska.

The killer also said cops asked him about his connection to Oklahoma and the Boy Scouts. BTK admitted he was in Oklahoma as a Boy Scout, but several years before and after 1976.

BTK categorically denied any involvement in the Kinney case.

Sheriff Virden confirmed to TMZ…he and the other investigators visited BTK in prison to interview the serial killer in a roundabout way regarding the Kinney case.

Virden said investigators were pursuing leads and doing their due diligence to see if BTK fits into the Kinney case considering his criminal activities around that time.

Virden said, “There’s similarities between the time frames. She disappeared in daytime – most of [BTK's] stuff occurred in daytime hours. Some of the stuff that motivated [BTK] -- there are similarities,” but Virden declined to further elaborate.

During the interview, Virden said he also gathered personal information from BTK about his early life, military service and his murders.

Cody Longo, a young actor who made his mark in both film and television, including a role on "Days of Our Lives" has died ... TMZ has learned.

A family member tells TMZ Cody's body was found Wednesday in bed at a residence in Austin, Texas. We're told Longo's wife, Stephanie, was at work at a local dance studio and got an uneasy feeling when she couldn't reach him ... so she asked police to go and check on him.

Cops responded to the home, and when Longo didn't answer, they kicked the door down ... finding him dead in bed.

The family member tells us Cody struggled with alcohol abuse for years -- and went to rehab over the summer. At this time, an official time of death has not been released, but the family believes he relapsed and alcoholism is likely what killed him.

Longo appeared on 8 episodes of "Days of Our Lives" back in 2011, he was also in "Bring It On: Fight to The Finish" and episodes of "Nashville" in 2016. However, fans of "Hollywood Heights" will most remember him as Eddie Duran on the show ... he appeared on 78 episodes.

We spoke with Cody's wife, Stephanie, who tells us he was really working hard on himself to fight for his kids. She says, "He was an amazing father and the best husband. Our whole world is shattered."

He leaves behind his wife, a 7-year-old daughter, as well as a 5-year-old son and 1-year-old son.

Cody was only 34.