RIP

An unreleased Notorious B.I.G. freestyle about his favorite cola is being turned into a slick commercial for Pepsi ... just in time to big him up for getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Biggie's bars were previously only heard during a HOT97 radio appearance he made in 1997 ... shortly before he was gunned down in Los Angeles. He was on with DJ Enuff when he busted the rap about Pepsi.

Not shockingly, Pepsi seized on the chance to promote with Biggie Small's own words and worked with his collaborators, Enuff and Cey Adams, to create an animated short music vid.

Some of the lyrics include, "Big slam, quick slam, tin can, whatever. Whether too cold or too hot, you got to keep Pepsi in the freezer. I keep a 3 liter for my crew. My girl like them diet joints too."

The spot shouts out Biggie's latest industry honor -- on November 7 he will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -- so, great timing.

Tony Lewis -- best known as the "Your Love" singer for the British rock band The Outfield -- has died.

Tony reportedly died Tuesday near his home in London. The cause of death was not revealed. The musician, songwriter and record producer co-founded The Outfield with Alan Jackman and John Spinks. Their music roared in the 1980s with hit tracks like "Your Love," "All The Love" and "Say It Isn't So."

The Outfield's debut album was "Play Deep" in 1985 ... which would go on to reach triple platinum sales and break the top 10 in the U.S. album charts. "Your Love" -- prominently featured in tons of TV shows, films and even commercials -- peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. It's easily one of the most recognizable songs in rock history.

Since its release over 30 years ago ... "Your Love" is played on over 1,000 radio stations and averages 2 million streams on Pandora, 1 million views on YouTube and 1 million streams on Spotify, this according to the late singer's personal website.

Tony Lewis was born on December 21, 1957 in the East End of London. He had been working on a new EP ... set to be released in Spring 2021. He's survived by his wife of 35 years, Carol, his 2 daughters -- Gemma and Rosie -- and 3 grandchildren.

He was 62.

Spencer Davis, whose namesake '60s beat band -- The Spencer Davis Group -- had the iconic hit, "Gimme Some Lovin'" ... has died.

A family source tells TMZ the Welsh musician died peacefully Monday in a California hospital of heart failure after a battle with pneumonia. Davis had an extraordinary career that spanned 6 decades ... and the source emphasized how much he'll be missed by his friends, family and loved ones.

Davis formed the British group bearing his name in 1963, which featured himself on guitar and Pete York on drums ... and he recruited a teenage Steve Winwood to sing and Steve's brother, Muff, to play the bass.

It didn't take long for the band to break out with a #1 single -- "Keep on Running" -- in 1965 ... followed by another hit, "Somebody Help Me," in 1966.

The following year, The Spencer Davis Group released their most famous track -- "Gimme Some Lovin'" -- which was a top 10 hit ... and "I'm a Man." Both singles sold over a million copies and achieved gold record status.

Though the band broke up in 1969 after just 6 years together, their music had a huge influence on the sound of the era.

Davis embarked on a solo career afterward, but was never able to reach the success of his group. He also served as an exec for Island Records in the '70s.

Davis is survived by his 3 children -- Lisa, Sarah and Gareth -- and 5 grandchildren.

Spencer was 81.

Cops are on the hunt for the person who opened fire at a youth football game in Jacksonville -- killing a 27-year-old man and wounding his 7-year-old son.

Video shows the moment the shooting took place Sunday at the football fields next to Arlington Heights Elementary School.

The footage does NOT show either of the victims.

You can see dozens of children playing football while their families watch -- and then all of the sudden, 4 gunshots ring out.

Cops describe the shooter as a man wearing a hoodie and a mask -- who jumped out of a grey SUV and fired the shots, before jumping back in the vehicle and driving away.

Officials believe it was NOT a random shooting -- they believe the 27-year-old victim was targeted.

During the shooting, most of the football players dropped to the ground to avoid being hit. Moments later, everyone on the field took off running, trying desperately to leave the area.

When the dust settled cops say the 27-year-old victim was killed in the attack -- and a 7-year-old boy (believed to be his son) was also shot, but he's expected to recover.

France's premiere soccer league -- Ligue 1 -- will pay tribute to the teacher who was killed last week in a terror attack in Paris, officials say.

47-year-old Samuel Paty -- a history teacher at Collège du Bois d'Aulne -- was attacked and beheaded on Friday while walking home from work.

Officials say the killer is 18-year-old Abdoullakh Abouyezidovitch -- who was upset Paty used caricatures of the prophet Muhammad during recent lessons.

Cops tracked down the suspect after the killing -- but when they approached, he allegedly opened fire with an airgun.

Officers fired back -- striking Abouyezidovitch 9 times, killing him. Cops say Abouyezidovitch confessed to the murder before his death.

The story has been headline news in France (and around the world) for the past few days.

Now, Ligue 1 -- home of legendary teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and more -- says the entire league will honor Paty's memory this upcoming weekend with moments of silence, armbands and more. Ligue 2 will also participate in the tributes.

"Before the matches kick off, a minute's silence will be observed in tribute to the history and geography professor beheaded on Friday in the Conflans-Sainte-Honorine attack and his portrait will be shown on giant screens in the stadiums," league officials said in a statement.

"During the match, all the players in the game (players, coaches, referees) will wear a black armband to pay tribute to him."

Principe Aéreo -- a star wrestler in Mexico -- died at 26 years old after collapsing in the ring during a match over the weekend.

The tragic scene all went down Saturday at Arena San Juan Pantitlan in Mexico City during a Mexa Wrestling event.

Principe -- real name Luis Ángel Salazar -- was performing in a tag-team match ... and everything appeared to be going smoothly.

The luchador was hamming it up for the crowd ... and then took two slaps to the chest and a kick to the stomach -- when suddenly he appeared to faint onto the mat.

Video showed his opponent and the in-ring ref immediately knew something was very wrong ... and within minutes, the wrestler was reportedly rushed out of the building by medical personnel.

Sadly, Salazer did not survive ... with MasLucha.com saying an official medical report revealed the wrestler suffered a "ruptured middle cerebral artery."

The wrestling world was shocked by the news ... with Mick Foley tweeting his condolences Sunday.

"Rest in peace Principe," the ex-WWE superstar said.

Other wrestling events in Mexico held moments of applause to honor Salazar -- who had reportedly begun wrestling a decade ago.

Snoop Dogg's hooking up his late auntie one more time ... with an assist from Cemetery Tim.

The guy who created extravagant tombstones for Eazy-E and Nate Dogg tells TMZ ... Snoop and his family reached out at the beginning of September about a tombstone for his late auntie, Annette Daniel. She died in June 2019 and is buried in L.A.'s famed Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Problem was ... we're told the place the family originally purchased a headstone had been giving them the run around for about a year now.

Snoop finally had enough ... he reached out to Cemetery Tim and he immediately started working on the design.

We're told Tim got the final approval for the design and it's now in production. It's slated to be completed in 4 weeks. No word on the cost, but you know Snoop spared no expense.

Chrissy Teigen's still healing from the unimaginable loss of their baby boy, but she's assuring fans she and John Legend are getting through it.

As you know, Chrissy's been silent on social media since sharing the devastating news just over 2 weeks ago their son, Jack, died following pregnancy complications. On Friday though, she reposted a heartwarming letter John dedicated to her, and included the caption ... "We are quiet but we are okay. Love you all so much."

For now, John's doing most of the talking for the grieving couple. In his letter to Chrissy, he said, in part, "What an awesome gift it is to be able to bring life into the world. We’ve experienced the miracle, the power and joy of this gift, and now we’ve deeply felt its inherent fragility."

Read the full letter ... it's incredibly moving, and yet another example of how open both he and Chrissy are with their fans.

As you know, John honored his wife during a touching tribute at Wednesday's Billboard Music Awards.

He performed "Never Break" ... a song he says he wrote to honor their commitment to "hold each other's hands through every tear, through every up and down, through every test."

Ex-Angels staffer Eric Kay has been indicted by a grand jury in Texas on two counts in the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, court docs show.

Kay -- who worked with the Angels in media relations for 24 years -- had previously been charged by prosecutors with distribution of the fentanyl that led to Skaggs' overdose death back in June 2019.

But, the case has since gone to a grand jury -- which has now handed down a 2-count indictment against Kay.

According to the documents, Kay was indicted on 1 count of conspiracy to possess fentanyl with the intent to distribute and 1 count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death.

Unclear why the case went to a grand jury after prosecutors had already announced a formal charge against Kay. We're working on it.

As we previously reported, 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 have said they believe Kay and Skaggs were discussing drugs ... clearly implying the exchange proves Kay is the one who supplied the pitcher with the lethal dose of the pills.

Law enforcement also claimed Kay provided "30-milligram oxycodone pills" to Skaggs on multiple occasions.

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.

He was only 27.

Although Chadwick Boseman knew for years he had terminal cancer, we now know he died without writing a will, but he made a key move months before his death to financially protect his wife.

The "Black Panther" star's widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, has filed probate docs, obtained by TMZ, in which she asks to be named administrator of Chadwick's estate. Taylor has to file the docs in probate court because he did not leave a will.

That seems odd considering Chadwick was diagnosed with colon cancer 4 years ago, and knew it was terminal. However, that also puts his marriage to Taylor, who he reportedly dated since 2015, in a new light ... and here's why.

They got engaged in late 2019, and reportedly tied the knot at some point in 2020. That's important because when a person dies without a will and without children, their surviving spouse inherits all the assets of the probate estate.

According to the docs, Taylor gets nearly $1 million in personal property and assets, but that's not a true reflection of Chadwick's wealth and success. Most likely the majority of his assets are held in separate private trusts.

In the docs, Taylor notes Chadwick is also survived by his 2 parents.

As you know, he was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and it progressed to stage IV as he silently battled through it. Chadwick died in his home surrounded by his wife and family.

An Atlanta man has been arrested and charged with murder of Thomas Jefferson Byrd ... the popular actor known for several roles in Spike Lee joints.

The Atlanta PD says they followed evidence and tips that led them to identify the suspect, Antonio Demetrice Rhynes. An arrest warrant was issued for Rhynes Wednesday and he was arrested Friday morning.

He's facing a felony murder charge for the shooting, which occurred near Byrd's Atlanta home. It's still unclear what led to the killing.

As we reported ... 70-year-old Byrd died on October 3 from multiple gunshot wounds to the back, and Spike broke the news himself on social media after learning of his murder.

Byrd had notable roles in several of Spike's films, such as "Clockers," "Get on the Bus," "Bamboozled," "He Got Game," "Red Hook Summer," "Chi-Raq" and more.

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen are returning to the daily grind, slowly but surely ... venturing out together and running some errands, two weeks after their family tragedy.

The couple went on a grocery run Thursday at a Bristol Farms in L.A., the latest indication they are getting back to some semblance of a normal life.

As you know, Chrissy and John's son, Jack, passed away moments after his premature birth, due to complications with the pregnancy ... including severe bleeding from the placenta.

John poured his heart out Wednesday night during the Billboard Music Awards with a moving performance of his song "Never Break" ... which he dedicated to Chrissy.

Great to see the couple's feeling well enough to head out for groceries. They were both wearing face masks, as required in stores.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Fred Dean -- a 2-time Super Bowl champ with the SF 49ers and a 4-time Pro Bowler -- has died after a lengthy battle with coronavirus.

He was 68 years old.

Dean's good friend and former teammate, Dwight Hicks, reportedly made the announcement on social media Thursday ... writing in a statement, "I'm sorry to say that he succumbed to complications of Covid-19."

"May peace be with his wife Pam and their families."

Dean -- 6'3", 230 lbs -- is considered one of the best defensive ends of all-time ... and was known as one of the coolest dudes to ever play the game as well.

"James Dean wasn’t cooler than Fred Dean," 49ers Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott famously said of his ex-teammate.

Sacks weren't logged as an official stat until late in Dean's career ... but in the 1983 season (the year after the NFL started keeping track), Dean recorded an epic 17.5 QB takedowns.

Arguably the greatest offensive lineman of all-time, Anthony Munoz, once called Dean "the strongest opponent I ever faced."

Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker added in a statement Thursday, "[Dean] exemplified many of the values learned from this great game -- commitment, integrity, courage -- over the course of his life."

Dean was selected in the 2nd-round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers after a Hall of Fame career at Louisiana Tech. He was traded to the 49ers in 1981 and played there until he retired in 1985.

Kottonmouth Kings rapper Saint Dog has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Saint -- whose real name is Steven Thronson -- was found dead early Wednesday morning at a friend's house in Victorville, CA. We're told SD's buddy found him struggling to breathe in one of the home's bedrooms, and called 911.

Our sources say once authorities arrived ... Saint Dog was pronounced dead at the scene. We're told there were no obvious signs of foul play -- a cause of death will be determined pending an autopsy and toxicology report.

Saint was one of the founding members of the Southern California hip-hop group, which was formed in Orange County. He was one of three MCs in the trio, alongside D-Loc and Johnny Richter. Like their band name indicates, the guys loved to rap about weed in all capacities.

He was only with the group for its initial years -- having appeared on 4 of their early projects, including ... "Stoners Reeking Havoc," "Royal Highness," "Stash Box" and "Hidden Stash." After that, he went solo ... but would eventually return to collab with KMK.

He's most known for their early hits like "Suburban Life," "Bump," "Dog's Life," "Play On," among others.

Suburban Noize Records exec Kevin Zinger tells us ... "Anyone that knew Steve saw what a big heart he had. Some of my fondest memories was watching Steve stop the music in the middle of a Kottonmouth Kings show to bring a handicapped fan in a wheelchair on stage so that he could have a better view of the show and even join in singing a few songs. That was just the kind of person Steve was and he touched so many people in a positive way."

He adds, "His legacy will live on in his music and our hearts go out to his Son Max and his entire family, friends and fans worldwide."

He was 44.

George Floyd would have been 47 today, so people are remembering him by flocking to the Minneapolis block where he was killed to leave tributes.

The makeshift memorial site for Floyd -- at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue -- is visited by hundreds weekly who grieve and protest his death ... but on Wednesday they also adorned the area with flowers and balloons in honor of his birthday.

Memorials are pouring in online as well, including from Sen. Kamala Harris, who says ... "He should still be alive today celebrating another year with his family and friends."

Along with the extra balloons and flowers, there's also a gathering planned Wednesday night at the location ... to honor Floyd's memory and the movement his death sparked in America and around the world.

As we reported ... a beautiful new mural of Floyd was also unveiled days ago in his hometown of Houston, which encourages people to "Be the Change" and "Vote."

Kenneth Walker says he and Breonna Taylor were watching a movie when they heard a loud bang at the door, and despite asking who it was they never got an answer ... until the door blasted open and bullets started flying.

Breonna's boyfriend gave his firsthand account of her fatal shooting by police on "CBS This Morning," telling Gayle King he's "a million percent sure" cops didn't announce themselves ... and insisting he and Breonna would have opened up if they would have, because they had nothing to hide.

Instead, Walker says they were scared and he thought it was a break-in, so he grabbed his gun and claims he fired one warning shot to scare off a possible burglar.

As we know, the cops responded by firing more than 30 bullets into the apartment -- 5 of which hit Breonna. Walker says he's never heard so much gunfire and compared it to war, and says he tried to pull Breonna down but she was scared ... and he knew she was hit when he heard her scream.

Walker says after the shooting stopped, cops didn't enter the apartment and he still didn't know who it was. He claims he called his mom, who told him to call 911. He tells King, "If I knew who it was, I would have said the police. I wouldn't have called the police on the police."

Walker says when he went outside he told one officer he was not hit by the gunshots, and he claims the officer replied ... "that's unfortunate."

He also says the way cops were treating him changed drastically from the time he was arrested to a few hours later -- when they were being nice to him and tried to explain to him a "little bit of miscommunication" that resulted in the raid at Breonna's apartment.

Despite all that ... Walker claims nobody told him directly that Breonna died, and he had to find out on the news.