RIP

Sad news out of Canada ... Wayne Gretzky's father, Walter Gretzky, has died after a battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 82.

"It's with deep sadness that Janet and I share the news of the passing of my dad," Wayne said in a statement late Thursday evening.

"He bravely battled Parkinson's and other health issues these last few years, but he never let it get him down."

"For me, he was the reason I fell in love with the game of hockey. He inspired me to be the best I could be not just in the game of hockey, but in life."

The stories about Walter Gretzky's role in Wayne's career are legendary -- he served as The Great One's personal coach growing up, hammering home the fundamentals of the game.

One of his most famous lessons for Wayne focused on ANTICIPATING the action -- skate to where the puck is going, not where it's been.

Walter loved hockey -- but never played at the pro level. He played junior and senior hockey growing up in Canada but realized he wasn't good enough to make a career out of it.

His son, however ... well, we all know how that turned out.

In fact, Walter basically built a shrine to his son at the family home in Ontario -- which somebody actually burglarized back in 2020.

Family members reported roughly $500,000 worth of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia was stolen from the home .. including game-used sticks, jerseys, gloves, pants and even a Player of the Year award.

But, the story had a happy ending for Walter ... after a 3-month investigation, cops recovered a bunch of the items.

Wayne concluded his tribute to his father by saying the family is at peace knowing Wayne has been reunited with his late wife, Phyllis, who passed away in 2005.

June 2 will now be "Lou Gehrig Day" in Major League Baseball ... league officials just created the tradition to honor the baseball legend and to help try to find a cure for ALS.

MLB execs say they picked the day for two reasons -- June 2, 1925 was when the former Yankees superstar took over at first base for Wally Pipp and never looked back. June 2, 1941 was the day he tragically died.

Teams are expected to honor Gehrig by wearing patches on their uniforms. Players, according to MLB, will also have the opportunity to wear wristbands with "4-ALS" on them during games.

Gehrig passed away just days before he turned 38 ... after a two-year battle with ALS, which is also known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease."

The MLB is hopeful the new annual tradition of Lou Gehrig Day will help remember Gehrig as well as raise funds and awareness for ALS research.

"While ALS has been closely identified with our game since Lou's legendary career, the pressing need to find cures remains," league commish Rob Manfred said Thursday.

"We look forward to honoring all the individuals and families, baseball and beyond, who have been affected by ALS and hope Lou Gehrig Day advances efforts to end this disease."

Bunny Wailer -- the reggae icon and founding member of the original Wailers trio with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh -- has died in Jamaica.

Bunny, real name Neville Livingston, died Tuesday at the Medical Associates Hospital in Kingston ... according to his manager, Maxine Stowe. His cause of death's not been given, but he'd been dealing with serious medical issues since suffering his second stroke in 2020.

Born in Jamaica, Livingston befriended Marley at a young age and they'd go on to form the legendary reggae group with Tosh. Though Marley and Tosh were the primary singers and songwriters ... Bunny was known for his incredible harmonies on their songs.

In 1965 the trio released their debut album, "The Wailing Wailers," before going on hiatus and reuniting again in the '70s. Around that time, Bunny wrote and recorded one of his most famous songs, "Dreamland" ... which he later released on his solo album, "Blackheart Man," in 1976.

The Wailers achieved international fame in 1973 with the release of "Catch a Fire" and follow-up album "Burnin'" ... but this would ultimately lead to the group splitting up.

Bunny and Tosh both left the band in 1974, but Bunny would be forever linked to the rise of reggae along with Marley ... and had a successful solo career himself. He'd go on to work with Jamaican musicians, Sly and Robbie, and produce albums of several other artists.

Bunny won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 1991 for "Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley," and would go on to win 2 more ... including another tribute album in 1997.

As for other awards ... he received the Order of Merit from the Jamaican government in 2017 for his contributions and achievements. Bunny last toured in 2016 for the 40th anniversary of "Blackheart Man."

He was the last remaining member of the OG Wailers. Marley died of cancer in 1981, and Tosh was murdered by gunmen in an attempted robbery at his home in 1987.

Bunny was 73.

A rooster with a 3 INCH BLADE strapped to its leg slashed its owner to death during an illegal cockfighting event in India, officials say.

It all went down last week in Southern India where officials say a group of people gathered to watch the bloody sport in the village of Lothunur, in the state of Telangana.

Officials say the bird's owner, identified as 45-year-old Thangulla Satish, was attempting to handle the rooster when something spooked the animal, causing it to stab Satish in the groin area.

FYI, it's typical for birds to be equipped with blades on their legs during a cockfight -- which leads to bloodier and quicker matches between the roosters.

The whole thing is pretty horrific.

In this case, it sounds like the bird struck Satish's femoral artery -- causing him to bleed out at an alarming rate.

Officials say he died on the way to the hospital.

Local law enforcement has opened an investigation into the incident -- and say the event organizers could face up to 2 years in jail if convicted.

Roger Reece Kibbe -- one of America's most notorious serial killers -- was found dead in the prison cell he shared with another inmate ... and authorities say it could be homicide.

Kibbe, infamously known as the 'I-5 Strangler,' was found lying unresponsive in his California state prison cell around 12:40 AM Sunday ... and law enforcement says his cellmate, Jason Budrow, was standing next to the body.

Kibbe's body was transported to the prison's health care facility, but life-saving measures were unsuccessful and by 1:23 AM he was pronounced dead ... according to authorities, who say they are launching a homicide investigation.

81-year-old Kibbe was serving multiple life sentences at Mule Creek State Prison after pleading guilty to raping and murdering 7 people, with some of the killings dating as far back as the 1970s.

Chadwick Boseman won a Golden Globe, and his wife gave a touching and emotional acceptance speech on behalf of the late actor.

Taylor Simone Ledward accepted Boseman's Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama Sunday night during the COVID-cautious ceremony. Ledward was emotional and ran through a list of everyone her husband would have thanked if he was still alive to accept the honor.

Ledward opened her speech saying Chadwick would thank God and his parents ... she also mentioned Boseman's team, both on and off the set of "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." In closing, Taylor said, "We have to take all the moments to celebrate those we love, so thank you HFPA for this opportunity to do exactly that."

The classic white, ruffled shirt Prince wore in the climax of "Purple Rain" could be dripping off you ... IF you can pony up tens of thousands of dollars.

The iconic screen-worn wardrobe item is up for grabs, along with the rock legend's personally played and owned bright yellow Cloud Guitar, with a unique series of 18 black Prince symbols to the fretboard and top of the neck.

The guitar was custom-made for him with all the fitting flourishes in 1995. Both items -- the sexy shirt and the sleek guitar -- are expected to haul in at least $60,000 at auction.

There's more stuff fit for a Prince, too -- including the first pressing of "The Black Album," his stage-worn gold outfit from his "Jam of the Year Tour" and his "Essence" magazine photoshoot jacket ... all of which are expected to fetch more than $20k each.

Louis Nix III -- former NFL player and Notre Dame football star -- has been found dead at the age of 29 on Saturday, after he was reported missing earlier this week.

Nix -- a 6'3", 330 lb. defensive tackle -- was a star at ND ... before being selected with the 83rd overall pick (3rd rd.) by the Houston Texans in the 2014 NFL Draft. Louis bounced around the league ... spending time with the Giants, Jaguars and Washington.

Louis was reported missing on Wednesday ... with family members saying he was last seen Tuesday leaving his dad's house driving a gray 2014 Hyundai.

Now, their worst fears have come true ... Nix has been found dead, according to his mom.

Details surrounding Louis' death are unclear ... but the Jacksonville County Sheriff's Office was seen pulling a car matching Nix's from a local lake on Saturday.

The JSO announced they "located Louis Nix" -- calling off the missing person search -- but provided no additional information.

Back in December, Nix was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery in his hometown of Jacksonville. He was hospitalized for almost 2 weeks as a result of the shooting.

Nix made the now heartbreaking comment at the time ... "I know it sounds cliche, but more than anything, I'm happy to be alive."

Rest in peace.

Abigail Breslin's dad had died from COVID, and the actress has shared her grief.

The "Zombieland" star posted 78-year-old Michael Breslin passed away Friday, adding, "Hard to write this. Harder than I thought. I'm in shock and devastation ... my sweet, perfect, amazing, heroic, wonderful dada passed away after my family and I said goodbye. It was COVID-19 that cut my sweet daddy’s life too short."

Michael had been suffering from COVID this month and his condition deteriorated ... he was eventually placed on a ventilator and several days ago lost consciousness.

24-year-old Abigail's siblings, Ryan and Spencer, also shared thoughts about their dad.

Michael worked in telecommunications and worked as a computer programmer and a consultant.

He was 78.

Vincent Jackson's closest friends and family members said goodbye to the NFL star at a small private funeral service on Wednesday -- and now his body will be cremated, per his wishes.

The former NFL star was found dead by a housekeeper at the Homewood Suites hotel in Brandon, Florida on Feb. 15 ... but officials believe he could have been dead for days.

Law enforcement officials say the 38-year-old wide receiver struggled with chronic alcoholism and believe it played a significant role in his death.

Now, Jackson's body will be cremated and the ashes will remain with his family, per Allison Gorrell, the executive director of the Jackson In Action 83 Foundation.

Jackson's brain was donated to the CTE Center at Boston University -- because his family believes the NFL player suffered brain trauma during his long football career.

The CTE Center is considered a global leader in CTE research -- and the family hopes donating Vincent's brain will help doctors and scientists figure out a way to prevent and treat CTE in other athletes.

"Vincent being who he was would have wanted to help as many people as possible,” Gorrell told the New York Times last week.

Kyrie Irving is breathing new life into the movement to replace the NBA logo with an image of Kobe Bryant -- saying straight-up, "Gotta Happen."

"[I don't care] what anyone says," Irving posted on Wednesday alongside a mockup of a pretty awesome-looking Kobe logo designed by Tyson Beck.

"BLACK KINGS BUILT THE LEAGUE," Irvin added.

A bunch of Kyrie's famous friends immediately supported Irving's proposal in the comments section -- from Dez Bryant to Stephen Jackson ... even the official Bruce Lee IG account co-signed on the idea!

The "Kobe for NBA Logo" movement gained a bunch of momentum following Mamba's tragic death in January 2020 ... with huge and influential stars like Mark Cuban and Paul Pierce publicly throwing their support behind the move.

Even Justin Bieber pushed for the change. But, as time passed, the voices calling for change quieted down. Maybe Kyrie will get everyone talking again?!

As for Jerry West, the current NBA legend featured in the logo, he's previously said he's open for the league to switch it up.

In fact, Alan Siegel, who created the logo back in 1969 told Newsweek he'd be cool with a change as well.

"I'm really proud of the logo, it's been something that's been recognized around the world, but if the current players want to recognize someone that's made a difference, like Kobe, and if the commissioner wanted to do so, I would support it."

So, really ... everyone seems on board with a switch.

The league did implement some changes around the league to honor Kobe -- renaming the All-Star Game MVP trophy after him ... as well as changing the game's scoring format to include his #24.

But, will Kobe become the new logo?!

The full contents of the letter -- dated Jan. 25, 2011 -- have been posted, and there's a lot more to Ray Wood's story.

He says he worked under the NYPD's BOSSI investigative unit from 1964 to 1971, and that the work he was made to do on their behalf was done under duress and fear inflicted by his superiors. Wood says his job was to infiltrate civil rights orgs throughout NYC, and to find evidence of criminal activity so that the FBI could "discredit and arrest its leaders."

As it relates to Malcolm, Wood claims there was a plot to plant a bomb at the Statue of Liberty days before the killing -- something he claims his own supervisor/handler came up with and executed -- and that Walter Bowe and Khaleel Sultarn Sayyed got arrested in connection to the alleged attempt ... something Wood has been credited with "foiling."

Wood says reining in Bowe and Sayyed was key because the NYPD, he claims, was aware they were integral in handling Malcolm's crowd control security detail. He says as the Statue of Liberty plan was being hatched, he was unaware Malcolm X was the real target in what he describes as an elaborate ruse.

There's also this ... Wood claims that he was ordered to be at the Audubon on Feb. 21, where he says he was ID'd by witnesses while fleeing. He claims Thomas (15X) Johnson was later arrested and wrongfully convicted in connection to Malcolm's killing ... to protect his own cover and the "secrets of the FBI and NYPD."

The FBI hasn't commented on the latest allegations, but the NYPD has insisted it's turned over every relevant piece of evidence in the case file to the D.A.'s office.

Malcolm X's surviving family members are demanding his murder case be reopened after claiming they now have a letter that ropes the NYPD and FBI directly into his death.

The late civil rights leader's three daughters spoke out at a news conference this weekend, asking the Manhattan D.A. to re-open the case and take a hard look at new evidence they claim to have ... which alleges a conspiracy at the highest levels.

It's a letter written by a former NYPD officer, Raymond Wood, who often worked undercover ... and who purportedly confessed on his death bed he had been instructed by his bosses to get some of Malcolm's security guards arrested in the days leading up to his assassination.

The letter reportedly claims Wood was told by his bosses to lure a couple guards into committing crimes just days before Malcolm was killed, which then got them taken into custody ... away from the action at the Audubon Ballroom on Feb. 21, 1965.

Wood says had they not been arrested, they would've been handling door security. It's no coincidence either, per the letter. Wood explicitly says the FBI and NYPD planned for all this, so the people who fatally shot Malcolm could more easily get inside, armed.

In light of this new alleged evidence, Malcolm's family wants the whole investigation reexamined ... echoed by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who's repping the fam and leading the charge in getting the D.A. to give what he calls "restorative justice."

One note we should mention -- many accounts of the days leading up to Malcolm's murder say he himself had reduced security at speaking engagements, including door checks. While he still had his own personal detail, he wasn't rolling nearly as deep as he had been earlier in the '60s when he was still on good terms with the Nation of Islam.

The letter, as described, doesn't seem to address that -- but in any case, it's alleging bad actors beyond the men who were convicted for the assassination.

Malcolm was gunned down by three men, fatally suffering 21 shots. He was 39.

RIP

COVID-19 has claimed an astonishing number of American lives -- surpassing half a million Sunday -- more than we lost on the battlefield in three combined wars.

Compare the numbers .... there were 291,000 American deaths in WWII. There were 47,434 American battle deaths during the Vietnam War. There were 33,739 American battle deaths in the Korean War.

Compare those numbers to COVID ... as of this post 502,000 Americans have died, and the numbers keep going up. Despite the vaccines, some doctors and scientists believe there could still be a new, devastating wave of deaths because of highly-transmissible variants.

The good news, of course -- the vaccines are going into arms at a rapid pace .... lately around 1.5 million per day. Still, we are nowhere close to vaccinating enough people to achieve herd immunity. Around 70% of Americans -- possibly even more -- must be vaccinated to achieve that goal.

As you know ... there's a lot of skepticism over the vaccine for various reasons. Some people think it was rushed, and others -- especially African-Americans who endured shocking abuse in the disgraceful Tuskegee experiment -- just don't trust it or the government when it comes to vaccines.

There has been a slew of stories about the vaccines, suggesting they may not be effective as variants arise ... and lots of people resistant to the vaccines seem to be saying, what's the point?

In any case, we've lost more than half a million Americans to COVID.

Prince Markie Dee went to a hospital the day he died to deal with an apparent cardiovascular issue -- according to his manager -- but doctors weren't able to save him.

Markie's manager and best friend, Louis "Uncle Louie" Gregory, tells TMZ ... hours before he died, Markie went to a hospital where he was told he would need a stent to alleviate a blockage in his heart.

Louie says Markie had gone to the hospital because his hands and feet were swollen, and he figured something was seriously wrong. Turns out he was right. Unfortunately, Louie says Markie died in the hospital before doctors were able to put in the stent.

As we reported ... Markie, one-third of the famous '80s hip-hop group The Fat Boys, died suddenly Thursday at the age of 52.

Although the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner has not released a cause of death -- autopsy results are pending -- Louie says close family friends suspect it was a heart attack.

Louie tells us the final time he spoke to Markie was last Saturday by FaceTime, and he thought something was off -- telling us Markie wasn't up for smoking cigars like they usually did.

Prince Markie Dee, one-third of the famous '80s hip hop group The Fat Boys, has died.

Prince passed away suddenly Thursday, according to SiriusXM’s Rock The Bells channel, where he used to host a radio show. The report did not mention a cause of death.

The rapper helped start The Fat Boys, a pioneering rap group, back in the 1980s in Brooklyn. The group helped bring beatboxing to the mainstream, as they featured the sound on most of their songs -- and paved the way for artists like Biz Markie and Doug E. Fresh.

Even after The Fat Boys broke up ... Prince continued writing and producing for other artists. You'll find his credit on songs by Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Destiny's Child and Frank Ocean.

The Fat Boys had a brief Hollywood career too, as they co-starred in 2 movies ... "Krush Groove" and "Disorderlies."

Prince moved on to a solo career after The Fat Boys, signing with Columbia Records and releasing his debut album "Free" in 1992, featuring his chart-topping single, "Typical Reasons (Swing My Way)."

A career in radio followed, with Prince working as a host for Miami's 103.5 The Beat WMIB before his most recent gig as a host and DJ at Rock The Bells.

His groupmate, Darren "Buff Love" Robinson died in 1995 of a heart attack. Damon "Kool Rock-Ski" Wimbley is now the only surviving member.

Prince was 52.

Vincent Jackson likely died on or before Feb. 13 -- two days before he was discovered by law enforcement -- this according to a new death report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

The former NFL star was pronounced dead on Feb. 15 after hotel staff contacted police about an unresponsive male in a room at the Homewood Suites in Brandon, FL.

Cops had been investigating and now say hotel staff saw Jackson in the same room -- in the same slouched position -- as early as Feb. 13 ... but assumed he was sleeping.

But, on Feb. 15, a housekeeper began to realize the sad reality -- Jackson wasn't resting, he was dead -- and someone at the hotel dialed 911.

When cops arrived at the scene, they confirmed Jackson had died.

As for visible injuries, cops say he had a small laceration on his left big toe -- but that's it.

The death report also notes Jackson had a history of alcohol use, but was not a known drug user.

As we previously reported, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister announced earlier this week that Jackson likely died from issues connected to "chronic alcoholism."

Jackson had been living at the Homewood Suites hotel since January ... and his family had become concerned about him -- even filing a missing person report on Feb. 11.

Cops made contact with him at the hotel on Feb. 12, but determined he was okay. Sadly, he was not okay, and seemingly died hours later.