RIP

Bobby Brown Jr. was not feeling well in the days leading up to his death and he was experiencing flu-like symptoms ... according to his family.

We broke the story ... Bobby Brown's son was found Wednesday in his L.A.-area home, and cops told us they believed there was no foul play involved.

A source connected to the family tells TMZ Bobby Jr. did not have COVID.

Bobby tells us, "Please keep my family in your prayers at this time. Losing my son at this point in our lives has devastated my family. There are no words to explain the pain.”

The Brown family says they will let authorities conduct an investigation into his death, and Bobby's asking for prayers. He says his son's death has devastated the family and there's no words to explain the pain.

Alex Trebek's heroism has never been more evident than it will be on tonight's episode of "Jeopardy!" -- it features a bittersweet message he made just for this day.

When the late host recorded the episode airing Thursday night he opened it by recognizing World Pancreatic Cancer Day ... but didn't make it about himself. Instead, Alex urged his audience to be wary of symptoms and get tested.

What's remarkable about his heartfelt plea isn't just the content, but it's clear from the raspiness in Alex's voice how much he was struggling at the time the episode was shot.

TMZ broke the story ... Alex died earlier this month after his long battle with stage-4 pancreatic cancer, but continued working up until about 10 days before he passed. The episodes he recorded will run through Christmas Day.

Bobby Brown has lost another child ... his son, Bobby Brown Jr., has died.

A source close to the family tells TMZ Bobby Jr. was found dead Wednesday in his home in the L.A. area. Police are still at the house, and our sources tell us, at this point, they do not believe there was foul play involved.

It's another horrific tragedy for the singer and his family to endure. Bobby Jr.'s half-sister, Bobbi Kristina, died when she was just 22 years old after she was found lifeless in the bathtub of her Georgia home.

She was on life support for several months before she passed in July 2015. The coroner determined Bobbi Kristina's cause of death was drowning in the tub while she had toxic levels of cocaine and alcohol in her system.

It was an eerily similar death to her mother, Whitney Houston, who had died 3 years earlier from an accidental overdose while in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Jr. is one of Bobby's seven children. He was 13 when he, along with Bobbi Kristina, appeared on the family's short-lived Bravo reality show, "Being Bobby Brown."

His mother is Kim Ward, who Bobby dated off and on for 11 years before he got engaged to Whitney.

Bobby Jr. was only 28.

RIP

A Tyson Foods plant in Iowa had no regard for coronavirus safety, and managers even wagered on how many employees would get the virus ... according to a lawsuit filed by a deceased worker's son.

Oscar Fernandez is suing the food giant and several high-ranking officials, claiming his dad, Isidro -- who died April 26 -- was infected with COVID-19 along with 1,000 other employees because the Waterloo facility did not take proper precautions.

Fernandez claims Tyson required employees to work long hours in cramped conditions despite a coronavirus outbreak, failed to provide sufficient PPE and did not implement proper social distancing measures.

Most shockingly, according to the suit ... the Waterloo plant manager organized a cash buy-in, winner-take-all betting pool for supervisors and managers to bet on how many employees would test positive for the virus.

Fernandez repeatedly claims high-ranking Tyson officials pressured workers to keep working no matter what -- and even lobbied government officials to help keep the plant open -- despite 2 dozen employees being admitted to the emergency room in April and the plant temporarily shutting down.

Tyson is being sued for fraudulent misrepresentations, gross negligence and wanton disregard for worker safety.

The company has denied many of the allegations, although their comments have not specifically addressed the alleged betting pool.

Tyson says ... "We're saddened by the loss of any Tyson team member and sympathize with their families. Our top priority is the health and safety of our workers and we've implemented a host of protective measures at Waterloo and our other facilities that meet or exceed CDC and OSHA guidance for preventing Covid-19."

Ryan Dorsey has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Naya Rivera's son ... claiming the boat Naya was in before she drowned was unsafe.

Naya's ex-husband filed the docs Tuesday on behalf of his 5-year-old son Josey Hollis Dorsey, claiming Ventura County is responsible for her death because the boat Naya and Josey were on in Lake Piru did NOT comply with safety standards.

In the docs, filed by Ryan's attorney Amjad Khan and obtained by TMZ, Ryan claims the boat was “not equipped with a safely accessible ladder, adequate rope, an anchor, a radio or any security mechanisms to prevent swimmers from being separated from their boats, nor any flotation or lifesaving devices" in violation of California law.

Ryan's claiming the boat drifted away from Naya and Josey when they jumped into the lake for a swim ... and proper safety equipment could have prevented that. The suit claims the boat was "rocking back and forth forcefully in the current and wind."

Ryan also claims in the suit there were no signs warning of the dangerous conditions of the lake -- and the person who rented the boat to Naya didn't warn her to wear the life vest that came with the boat.

As you know ... Naya and her son were reported missing on July 8. Her body was found in the lake on July 13. Josey was able to get back in the boat, and when authorities arrived for a check, he told them he and his mom were swimming and he didn't know what happened to her. She had disappeared below the surface.

According to the suit ... at least 26 other people, from children to fit adults to elders, some wearing life jackets and others not, have drowned in Lake Piru since its recreational facilities opened.

Ben Watkins, famous for competing in "MasterChef Junior," is dead after a battle with cancer.

Ben, who was undergoing treatment for an extremely rare form of cancer at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, died Monday ... according to his family.

He was diagnosed with a soft tissue tumor when he was only 13 years old, and the family says doctors told them Ben was 1 of only 6 people in the entire world diagnosed with the rare illness called Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma.

An aspiring chef, Ben used to cook and man the front counter at Big Ben's Bodacious BBQ and Delicatessen in Gary, Indiana. with his late parents, who died 3 years ago in a murder-suicide. Ben's grandma and uncle remembered him as "the strongest person we've ever known."

Ben competed in season 6 of the Gordon Ramsay-hosted cooking competition show, "MasterChef Junior," when he was only 11 years old and quickly became a fan-favorite.

Gordon and Ben's former "MasterChef Junior" competitors sent him a special video earlier this year when he was battling cancer, letting him know they were praying for him and helping raise donations for a GoFundMe, which is now a memorial fund.

Ben was 14.

This wide receiver is rockin' custom cleats to honor Alex Trebek on "Monday Night Football" ...

If that were a clue on "Jeopardy!", the answer would be "Who is Adam Thielen?" ... 'cause the Minnesota Vikings star decided to pay homage to the late game show host by wearing the amazing footwear for his game against the Chicago Bears on Monday.

The cleat artist, Dan "Mache" Gamache, posted pics of Thielen's new spikes for the evening ... and they're pretty incredible.

On one of the cleats, there's an image of Trebek with a halo and the dates 1940-2020.

On the other, there's a painted-on, "Jeopardy!"-style answer that reads, "We Will Miss You, Alex" with a price of $19,000 -- a nod to Thielen's #19 jersey number.

"For #MNF pregame tonight my guy @athielen19 will be honoring the legend Alex Trebek who passed last week," Mache said of the cleats on social media.

"I feel like no matter where you were from I feel like Jeopardy was a part of all of our lives in some way."

As we previously reported, Trebek tragically died at 80 years old earlier this month after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

Tributes from all over the world have rolled in since his death ... with officials in his hometown of Greater Sudbury, Ontario already kicking around the idea of building him a statue.

Talk about a thoughtful 25th birthday gift ...

Jordyn Woods celebrated Karl-Anthony Towns' quarter-century day over the weekend with a very special celebration -- complete with golf, gifts and some incredible tributes to his late mom.

FYI, the NBA star's mother, Jackie, passed away back in April after she contracted COVID-19.

KAT and his mother were extremely close and he was devastated when she died.

Woods decided she would use KAT's 25th birthday as an excuse to get him some very cool items to remember his mom -- including an unbelievable custom ring featuring the name "Jackie" decked out in gold and diamonds.

She also got him a fancy Louis Vuitton handbag with his mom's full name, "Jacqueline" painted on the side ... underneath a halo and a pair of angel wings.

Pretty touching gifts ...

There's more ... Woods also surprised KAT with a special golf outing at the legendary Torrey Pines course in San Diego.

She even got him a special golf-themed cake!!

The two have been dating for about a year -- and if you're wondering what KAT got Jordyn for her 23rd birthday back in Sept., those gifts weren't too shabby either!

We're talkin' 2 Birkin bags, a Chanel clutch and an autographed Michael Jordan jersey ... among other things.

Rapper Mo3 was desperate to get away from his killers before he was gunned down on a Dallas freeway ... a chase that allegedly started the minute he'd left a friend's house.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... the Dallas-based rapper left a female companion's house Wednesday morning and noticed he was being watched. It's unclear who the person tailing him was, but we're told they followed him in their vehicle from the home to a gas station.

Our sources say that's when Mo3 knew something was up, and jumped on I-35 in an attempt to lose the other vehicle. We're told he tried to get around traffic but ended up crashing on the side of the road.

That's when Mo3 got out of his car and ran for his life, before the trigger man gave chase and shot him in the back of the head. No one's been arrested for the deadly shooting, and police haven't identified a suspect yet.

TMZ broke the story ... Mo3 was shot and killed in his hometown where an innocent bystander was also shot and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Mo3 died at a hospital.

The father and son charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery are staying put in jail pending their trial ... a judge just denied their request for bond.

Travis McMichael and his father Greg McMichael were back in a Georgia courthouse Friday for the second straight day of court hearings, and that's when Judge Timothy Walmsley made his decision, saying they need to stay locked up pending their trial because they are a danger to the community.

During the hearing, the state played police body cam footage from the aftermath of the Arbery shooting ... and the judge said there was "significant danger" in the McMichaels' actions. The video shows Greg McMichael repeatedly mentioning his previous ties to local law enforcement, which prosecutors believe was an attempt to "obstruct justice."

Ahmaud's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, again spoke in the courthouse during Friday's hearing ... and was visibly emotional, saying it was the first time she'd seen the police footage.

As we reported ... Ahmaud's mom addressed the court Thursday, saying the McMichaels didn't give her son a chance to go home when they allegedly murdered him, so they shouldn't get to go home either.

Wanda also said the McMichaels are just as dangerous now as they were when Ahmaud was shot dead ... and it sounds like the judge agreed.

As you know ... the McMichaels and William "Roddie" Bryan, the man who authorities say recorded Ahmaud's slaying, were indicted by a grand jury back in June, and they're facing 9 felony charges ... including 4 counts felony murder, 1 count of malice murder, 2 counts aggravated assault, 1 count false imprisonment and 1 count criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

Paul Hornung -- a man Vince Lombardi once deemed maybe "the best all-around back ever to play football" -- has died, the Pro Football Hall of Fame just announced.

He was 84 years old.

Hornung had battled dementia for years, according to the Louisville Sports Commission, and passed away in Kentucky on Friday.

Paul is one of the most legendary football players EVER -- the guy is the only person on earth to win a Heisman Trophy, an NFL MVP award, be selected first overall in the NFL draft, AND be inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Hornung first made a name for himself at Notre Dame in the '50s ... where he was nicknamed "The Golden Boy" for his blonde hair and incredible game.

He was the team's star quarterback --- and ultimately won the Heisman Trophy in 1956.

Hornung went on to play for the Green Bay Packers and Lombardi ... and he was a superstar there as well -- winning the NFL's first-ever Super Bowl in 1967 and four other league championships prior to that.

Hornung was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986 ... and later, college football named its award for the most versatile player in the game after him.

"The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Paul Hornung," Pro Football Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker said in a statement "He was an outstanding player and an incredible man."

Kobe Bryant is still a titan of industry -- even in death -- so says Forbes which just ranked him #6 on its "Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities of 2020" list.

The NBA legend passed away on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash -- but in the months that followed, his estate pulled in an estimated $20 million in earnings, Forbes says.

The main source of income is from shoes and apparel -- with Nike reportedly raking in around $250 mil annually from Mamba items.

In addition to sneakers, Kobe's 2018 autobiography, "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play" sold more than 300,000 copies this year --TEN TIMES the number of copies it did in 2019, Forbes says.

There's more ... after the Lakers won the NBA championship in October, Bryant's jersey was the #2 seller for the organization, behind Finals MVP LeBron James.

As for the rest of the Forbes list ... Michael Jackson is still #1 with $48 mil in earnings in 2020. Dr. Seuss is #2 with $33 mil. Peanuts creator Charles Schulz is #3 with $32.5. Arnold Palmer is #4 with $25 million. And #5 is Elvis with $23 mil.

Elvis' estate has lost a ton of money this year because of the COVID pandemic -- tourism at his legendary home Graceland is a big moneymaker, but it's been hit hard by the shutdowns.

The death of 15-year-old Quawan "Bobby" Charles has all the markings of a modern-day lynching according to his family -- who say the case reminds them of the Emmett Till tragedy.

The Black teenager's body was found in a sugar cane field in Louisiana on November 3 after he'd been reported missing on October 30. Although the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office has said it's investigating the "suspicious circumstances" of his death, it has not released many details.

Cops did tell Quawan's family that he drowned and water was found in his lungs. His family, including his cousin, Celina Charles, calls that explanation "bogus" ... saying Quawan's terribly disfigured face tells a much different story.

Quawan's mother, Roxanne Nelson, chose to release a photo of his face -- apparently taken at the morgue -- which bears a tragic resemblance to Till ... the 14-year-old who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955, and whose horrific death helped spark the Civil Rights movement.

An autopsy has reportedly been performed on Quawan, but the Sheriff's Office says results could take up to 12 weeks. Quawan's family says it has not seen preliminary results nor a police report.

Quawan's family claims cops dropped the ball from the start, when he was reported missing to the Baldwin Police Dept. on Oct. 30. Quawan's family attorney says the cops gave no indication they were actively looking for him, and instead suggested he might have just gone to a football game.

According to the family, they discovered on their own that Quawan had been picked up on the day of his disappearance by a 17-year-old white friend and his mother ... but Quawan's family claims it does not know this family and did not give them permission to take him.

The family reportedly confirmed they picked up Quawan because the kids wanted to hang out, but say Quawan later left alone.

Quawan's family and civil rights advocates believe racial bias played into law enforcement's delayed investigation, and Quawan's mother wants more answers from the white family that last saw him alive.

So far, no suspects have been named in the case and it has not been designated as a homicide.

Quawan's family has launched a Gofundme to conduct an independent autopsy and help cover costs of investigating his death.

"Your opinion can eat sh*t."

Emily Cave -- the widowed wife of late Edmonton Oilers center Colby Cave -- does NOT want to hear your complaints about COVID-19 protocol ... explaining the alternatives to the safety measures are so much worse.

"My 25 year old husband died alone," Emily said in a powerful statement Thursday.

"I have no clue what his last breath was like. I have yet to have a funeral because of this global pandemic. So for goodness sake, wear a mask. Wash your freaking hands."

As we previously reported, Colby tragically died back in April after emergency surgery to remove a colloid cyst from his brain was unsuccessful.

Emily was devastated over it all ... and says the coronavirus pandemic made everything infinitely worse.

She wrote Thursday that she couldn't be with Colby during his post-operation period ... saying, she had to get a phone call that he had died rather than "being there holding his hand."

Now, she's BEGGING people to just simply follow COVID-19 restrictions ... insisting they'll help others avoid a tragic situation similar to hers.

"Today I hit my breaking point with Alberta making new restrictions," Emily said. "I personally see and hear so many people complaining. I understand a lot of people feel that they won't get it and if they did they would survive it."

"However, what would happen if your loved one became sick very fast with something else, was in a car accident, or was dying ... and then because of the COVID restrictions you weren't allowed to be with them?!?!"

Super emotional scene in the Titans' game Thursday ... Corey Davis played despite his older brother's death Wednesday -- and cameras caught the WR in tears at one point in the evening.

Davis' bro, Central Michigan football legend Titus Davis, tragically died Wednesday at the age of 27 after a lengthy battling with a rare form of kidney cancer.

Corey decided to play a little more than 24 hours later ... because he said that's what his big bro would have wanted.

And, at times during the night, the 25-year-old's heavy heart was apparent.

"As he was laying there all he kept telling my sister was to tell me to play, regardless of what happens," Corey said after the game. "He just kept telling me to play, throughout the whole process. That's my biggest fan."

Corey balled out considering the circumstances ... catching 5 passes for 67 yards in Tennessee's 34-17 loss to Indianapolis -- and afterward, he explained just how much Titus meant to him both on and off the field.

"Since I was a little kid I was always chasing after him and trying to be like him," Davis said. "I wore his number every year to copy him. He thought it was annoying, but I looked up to him tremendously."

"That was my idol, my hero. I tried to honor him tonight."

Davis continued, "I obviously miss him and wish he was here, but I know he's in a better place and that he was with me today."

Heartbreaking stuff.

Quando Rondo didn't come looking for trouble when his crew got into a violent altercation with King Von that ended in a fatal shooting ... at least according to Quando's camp.

Sources close to Quando Rondo tell TMZ ... the rapper wasn't seeking out a fight with King Von the night Von was shot dead outside an Atlanta hookah lounge, and they say Von was acting as the aggressor in the brawl that preceded gunfire.

Our sources say Quando was napping in a car outside the club and when he woke up, Von's crew was there, and things suddenly got tense. We're told Von approached Quando and his crew with anger, which led to the brawl.

New footage from outside the club appears to show King Von throwing punches at Quando Rondo's crew, and our sources claim Quando's camp was just defending itself. We're told Quando didn't know what was going on and believed his life was in danger.

As we reported ... police also opened fire while confronting the gunmen, but cops say King Von was shot during the initial shootout with Quando Rondo's group.

One of Quando Rondo's crew members was arrested for felony murder, and our law enforcement sources tell us QR is NOT under investigation and cops consider the case closed.