RIP

Chadwick Boseman's family has a message for those saying the late actor got snubbed from an Oscar ... he was NOT snubbed, and shout out to Sir Anthony Hopkins for the win.

Chadwick's brother, Derrick Boseman, tells TMZ ... he doesn't view Chadwick not winning an Oscar for Best Actor as a snub because every nominated actor was excellent and deserving of the award. He says the family isn't upset or agitated whatsoever that Chadwick's name wasn't called at the end of the Oscars ceremony.

What's more ... Derrick tells us the family wishes Hopkins and his family all the best because, as Derrick put it, "I"m sure [Anthony] would if Chad won." Don't forget ... after AH won the award for his role in 'The Father' his gracious message included a shout-out to Chadwick.

As we first reported ... a throng of celebs felt Chadwick got snubbed following his stellar performance on 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' ... his last role before he died. Model Winnie Harlow brought it up herself ... calling it "insane" Chadwick didn't get a statue.

Keith Ellison -- the Attorney General of Minnesota responsible for leading the way to Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict -- says he felt many emotions after the ex-Minneapolis cop was convicted of George Floyd's murder ... including compassion.

The lead prosecutor in Chauvin’s trial admitted on "60 Minutes" Sunday night that he "felt a little bad" for the defendant afterward ... something he says stems from spending 16 years as a criminal defense lawyer.

Ellison says above all though, he felt gratitude, humility and a sense of satisfaction for holding Chauvin accountable for what he did. He adds that Chauvin definitely deserved to be convicted ... but Ellison wants to remind people that everyone in this process is a human being.

The Minnesota AG also gave his thoughts on how the judge should sentence Chauvin, and says he believes this wasn't a hate crime but rather a crime perpetuated by social norms ... and a lack of accountability.

He says of Chauvin ... "I think that if he looks at history, he has every reason to believe that he would never be held accountable … so history was on his side."

DMX's family and closest friends gathered together to honor the rapper one last time before he is laid to rest in New York ... and the private funeral service was full of emotion.

Sunday marked the second service for the late rapper and this one, at an NYC church, was restricted to those who knew X best. A larger event went down Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn which featured a choir, X's kids all taking the stage and words from his closest celeb friends like Nas, Eve and the original Ruff Ryders.

The church service started around 11:30 AM PT and was broadcast on BET ... as well as here. Right from the jump, the service proved to be incredibly poignant and heartfelt -- especially when some of his children stepped to the podium to remember their father.

One of X's daughters, Sasha, delivered a tearful remembrance ... sobbing throughout. She said she finds it difficult to know that the world will go on without him around, not to mention the fact that X won't be there to see her graduate college ... or walk down the aisle.

Despite this, she said X being at peace was more important than any of that -- and that she finds comfort in the fact that he's no longer in pain and resting easy in heaven. She also said she knew he'd be encouraged that all of his children had gotten together under one roof.

Her speech was very moving ... and drew a big round of applause from the crowd. More of his kids also spoke, and all of their words were touching ... with some comic relief sprinkled in as they reminisced on their dad's life and memories with him.

X's young children were so well-composed and eloquent in their remarks ... it was incredible to watch. One of his sons, Manny, joked about his dad always asking him about how many girlfriends he had ... while also relaying that X wanted his boys to listen to him, but not necessarily follow in his footsteps, as X had traveled a rocky road. Manny said he'd remember that ... and that his dad was right. The crowd responded well.

Some of X's other children -- including his younger daughters -- also spoke, reading poems and delivering parting words, including thanks ... which were brief but poignant. His kids seriously stole the spotlight throughout the beautiful church service.

There were a lot more speakers who stepped to the mic ... including members of the Ruff Ryders, and Swizz Beatz once again -- who was a lot more chill with his remarks this time around. He kind of explained why he was so fierce on Saturday ... and it became clear they were like family, so Swizz going to bat for him like he did is understandable.

Another powerful moment presented itself when two mothers of DMX's children came together at the podium -- his ex-wife, Tashera Simmons, gave a stirring speech about how she met X and their time together. Then, she intro'd DMX's fiancee, Desiree Lindstrom, who delivered a somber account of their loving relationship ... all while crying and sobbing throughout.

The two women embraced ... and it got everyone clapping and cheering. There was no shortage of tears either -- you could hear people choking up in the audience as Desiree wept, ending her remarks with "Forever X."

There was a slight disturbance toward the end of the service -- when a man who said he'd actually toured with X in recent years got up and started going on a bit of a rant ... only to be interrupted by the pastor who was running the show and walked off stage.

That didn't ruin the good vibes, though, and the event ended in a sweet prayer. The whole thing ran somewhere in the ballpark of 4 hours or so ... and it was never a dull moment, full of musical performances in between all the speeches given.

It was just over 2 weeks ago when X died in a New York hospital following complications from a drug overdose. He was on life support for a week before he passed away, and while he was hospitalized friends, family and loved ones gathered to pay their respects.

Kanye West turned out to be quite present throughout DMX's tributes this weekend -- and he'll continue to be ... because he's got a seven-figure gift for the man's family.

Sources close to Kanye tell us the custom DMX T-shirt designed by Balenciaga -- which was commissioned by the Yeezy brand and put up for sale Saturday as X's memorial got underway -- ended up cranking out huge profits quickly ... upwards of a million bucks.

Balenciaga had already said they'd be giving the net profits back to the fam -- but the fact those sales produced a million dollars is staggering. Then again, the shirt was retailing for $200 a pop ... so we suppose it makes sense. The DMX tribute shirt sold out in 24 hours.

There's another way Kanye got involved in Saturday's ceremony -- which Swizz Beatz actually alluded to during the event. Yes, we've heard Kanye and the Yeezy team did, in fact, design the stage where the Sunday Service choir performed, and where guests also spoke.

You might've noticed the elaborate set pieces at play -- the stage looked like an inverted pyramid ... or maybe even two. Our sources say Ye recruited renowned visual artist Akeem Smith to help with the layout ... and it looks like their joint efforts paid off, because it definitely made for quite a spectacle -- one that was worthy of DMX and his loved ones.

Elon Musk made a startling comment about the impending voyage to Mars, saying, "A bunch of people will probably die."

Elon was deep in conversation with Peter Diamandis, founder of the X Prize Foundation, when they talked about Musk's dream for humans to set foot on the Red Planet by 2026.  NASA's projection was 2033.

Elon waxed a little poetic, saying, "Going to Mars reads like that advert for Shackleton going to the Antarctic. You know it is dangerous. It's uncomfortable, and it's a long journey."

And then, he lowered the boom ... "You might not come back alive, but it is a glorious adventure and it will be an amazing experience ... Yeah, honestly, a bunch of people will probably die in the beginning."

Thing is ... he may be truth-telling, despite people not wanting to hear it.

Elon's take is that the upside justifies the downside ... "For the first time in the four and a half billion year history of Earth it has been possible to extend life beyond Earth and make life multi-planetary."

He went on ... "Humanity is the agent of life and we have an obligation to ensure the creatures of Earth continue even if there is a calamity on Earth, whether it is man-made or a natural calamity - if you look at the fossil record there are many mass extinctions. It is about ensuring we pass that threshold where it is self-sustaining if some calamity prevents the ships from going there."

Musk, who was barefoot during the interview, ominously asked, "What comes first - a self-sustaining city on Mars or World War Three?"

DMX is going out with a bang in the streets of New York -- where rows and rows of cars (big and small) are heading to the Barclays Center for his memorial ... including a monster truck that's carrying his casket.

Check out these videos of a straight-up monster truck that is carrying a red casket in its bed ... which some folks believe is X's. We've confirmed ... that is, in fact, DMX's casket -- making this perhaps the coolest gesture ever ... and just shows how much people love the man.

The monster truck was just one piece of the parade on wheels in Brooklyn -- like we said, the streets were jam-packed with exotic vehicles and motorcycles ... all of which seemed to be heading toward the Barclays Center, where X's celebration of life event is being held.

Of course, a majority of these whips were blasting DMX music at full blast ... which is appropriate. It speaks to the fact that X had a massive influence on street racing culture, and folks who have such rides are clearly down to pay respect to him as he's laid to rest.

X's memorial service is happening at 1 PM PT, and we'll be streaming it live here on TMZ. Not everyone from the public is allowed to go in ... due to COVID restrictions, only close friends and family will be inside. Still, from the looks of how many people (and wheels) are showing up ... something tells us the surrounding area is gonna be packed as folks look on from afar.

NYPD and Yonkers Police have already warned of traffic delays in the area -- and they were right and then some.

As we reported ... X died earlier this month after suffering a heart attack.

He was 50.

RIP

The Chicago Bulls paid tribute to a lost member of their family before Thursday's game ... with the team holding a moment of silence for Scottie Pippen's son, Antron.

Scottie's eldest child, 33-year-old Antron, passed away earlier this week ... a loss that shook the entire organization.

The team played its first home game on Thursday night since Antron's tragic death ... and honored the Bulls legend's son on the scoreboard prior to tipoff against the Charlotte Hornets.

Pippen was grateful to the team for the gesture ... saying, "Thank you, @chicagobulls, and to all of you who have reached out this week."

"I feel your love and support, and it means so much."

As we previously reported, Pippen praised his son for his passion for basketball ... saying if it weren't for his chronic asthma, the Hall of Famer truly believes Antron could have followed in his footsteps to the NBA.

"He never let that get him down, though -- Antron stayed positive and worked hard, and I am so proud of the man that he became," Scottie said on Monday.

He added ... "Please keep his mom, Karen, and all of his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers."

"No time or distance can separate us!"

That's Dak Prescott remembering his older brother, Jace, on the one-year anniversary of the 31-year-old's tragic death ... while adding, "We love you Jace and miss you daily."

The middle Prescott brother died by suicide on April 23, 2020 ... and Dak was hit tremendously hard by the news.

The NFL superstar told Graham Bensinger in an interview months after the tragedy that Jace was his best friend ... and he cried uncontrollably after learning of the death.

Dak's other older brother, Tad, was also deeply affected by the loss ... and he, too, posted about Jace on Friday morning's anniversary.

"R.I.P. little brother," Tad wrote on social media. "You're missed daily."

Dak, Tad and Jace were all extremely close ... the three were even featured in a national Campbell's Chunky Soup commercial in 2019.

In fact, Dak famously gifted Tad a diamond moose pendant for his birthday last November to remember Jace, who had earned the "Moose" nickname while growing up.

Dak has been outspoken about getting help for mental health issues since his brother's death ... reiterating repeatedly that it's OK to not be OK sometimes.

Terrence Clarke -- a 19-year-old University of Kentucky basketball player and a projected 2021 NBA Draft pick -- was killed Thursday in a car accident in Los Angeles, law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports.

We're told Clarke was driving a Genesis around 2 PM in the San Fernando Valley when his vehicle was struck by another car ... sending him smashing into a pole and before ultimately slamming into a wall.

Footage from the accident shows Clarke's vehicle completely smashed in.

Law enforcement sources tell us the accident is being investigated -- but so far, no official cause of the crash has been determined.

We're told Clarke was in Los Angeles with his Kentucky teammate, B.J. Boston -- another NBA Draft prospect.

Boston was reportedly in the car behind Clarke when the accident occurred -- but we're told he's physically okay.

Clarke was rushed to a nearby hospital ... but injuries proved too severe and doctors were unable to save his life.  He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Terrence -- a 6'7" guard -- was an absolute stud on the hardwood. Rivals rated him a 5-star recruit coming out of high school in New Hampshire ... and ranked him as the #8 overall high school player in the entire country.

He didn't play much at Kentucky -- but he clearly had the talent to succeed at the pro level and recently declared for the 2021 NBA Draft.

Some experts projected he would be a 2nd-round pick -- with tons of upside.

Tragic story.

RIP.

Shock G, famous for Digital Underground's hit song "The Humpty Dance" and his work with Tupac Shakur, is dead.

The rap legend was found dead Thursday in a hotel room in Tampa ... according to his father, Edward Racker.

We're told the cause of death is unclear but there were no signs of trauma. Shock's father says authorities will conduct and autopsy.

Shock G was the lead singer for the pioneering hip hop group Digital Underground, and he gets into character as his alter ego, "Humpty Hump," for the group's famous 1989 song and dance.

Shock was also known for his collabs with 2Pac ... he's featured on Pac's 1993 song "I Get Around" and he was one of the producers on Tupac's 1991 debut solo album, "2Pacalypse Now."

In fact, Shock G helped introduce 2Pac to the music world ... Pac was a member of Digital Underground when he appeared on the group's 1991 song and music video, "Same Song," for his first published work.

Shock G was born and raised on the East Coast, but he eventually settled in Oakland, where he formed Digital Underground in the late 1980s with Chopmaster J and Kenneth Water.

In addition to his work with 2Pac, Shock G produced songs for Dr. Dre, Prince and KRS-One, just to name a few.

Shock G was 57.

This is going to hit you right in the feels.

A man in Illinois gave the ultimate tribute to his late father this month ... by filling a bowling ball with Dad's ashes -- and then bowling a PERFECT GAME!!!

38-year-old John Hinkle -- a 2-time NCAA bowling champion from Western Illinois University -- wanted to honor his dad, John Sr., following his death in 2016.

Since his father introduced him to the sport he loves so much, John spent years trying to find someone able to fill the thumb hole of a bowling ball with John Sr.'s ashes ... and vowed to one day bowl a perfect game with it.

On April 12, John hit up his hometown alley in Peoria, Illinois ... and set his eyes on perfection.

John told his brother, Joe, about his goal before the game ... saying, "I'm shooting a 300 with this ball ... And Joe said, 'Do it!,'" he told WMBD in Illinois.

And guess what -- he did it!!

John was overcome with emotions as he approached perfection ... saying, "I had tears in my eyes in the 11th and 12th frames. I couldn’t tell you where that last ball went, I had so many tears just throwing it," he told the outlet.

John -- who has hit several perfect games over the years -- says this was the "best and definitely the hardest" 300 he's ever had in his career.

"It’s special. Dad shot 298, 299, never had a 300. I had goosebumps, chills."

Rev. Al Sharpton's eulogy for Daunte Wright -- the 20-year-old father who was killed by police during a traffic stop -- was a testament to a commitment to justice in response to people of color continuing to die at the hands of police in America.

Al, who referred to Wright as the Prince of Brooklyn Center, used analogies of air fresheners and expired tags -- the alleged reasons why Daunte was pulled over by police in the first place -- to rebuke police brutality and racism in the country.

Sharpton suggested the tide is turning though, and said the large turnout for Wright shows people have had enough of the long line of Black men taken too soon ... but he's hopeful real change is coming, and Daunte will not have died in vain.

Before the eulogy, Ben Crump spoke and gave shout-outs to other families of Black men killed by police in attendance to support Wright's family ... including members from the families of Emmett Till, Oscar Grant, Philando Castile, Jamar Clark and George Floyd. Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, is also at the funeral.

Then Crump introduced Wright's family members, who came up to reflect on their memories of Daunte ... who his siblings called the "life of the party" and said everybody loved.

Wright's parents, Katie and Aubrey, fought through tears as they spoke on how much they are going to miss him ... and Katie described how much Daunte loved his young son and was looking forward to their future together. It was heartbreaking.

Wright's funeral began with a reading of scripture, followed by a powerful prayer by Pastor Carmen Means. Means said, "There's joy and there's pain, there's loss and there's gain," and told the crowd they experienced the God of justice this week with the guilty verdict on April 20 ... praying justice would be served for Daunte as well.

After an emotional song that brought tears to the eyes of Daunte's loved ones, the audience witnessed an amazing piece of performance art by jazz musician Keyon Harrold and an artist who painted an incredible photo of Wright live on stage as Harrold trumpeted.

Harrold, you may recall, is the father of 14-year-old Keyon Jr., who was attacked in late 2020 by Miya Ponsetto in an NYC hotel when she falsely accused him of stealing her phone.

Daunte's funeral was held at Shiloh Temple International Ministries in Minneapolis ... 11 days after he was killed in the nearby city of Brooklyn Center.

His wake was held Wednesday, where Trahern Pollard -- a member of the anti-violence group We Push For Peace -- said of Wright's death ... "It's sad, man, especially right after the verdicts of the trial, that we have to go right into another moment like this."

Pollard, of course, was referring to the guilty verdicts for Derek Chauvin ... the ex-cop convicted Tuesday of murdering George Floyd nearly a year ago.

Nine days before the verdicts, on April 11, Wright was fatally shot by police officer Kim Potter just about 10 miles away from the courthouse where Chauvin was standing trial.

Potter claims she meant to use her Taser as he tried to get back in his car, but fired her gun instead. She resigned from the force soon afterward, and was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter.

As we told you ... Daunte's family is hopeful they will get justice for his killing -- especially on the heels of Chauvin being found guilty -- but today they continue mourning.

Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old from Columbus, OH, is dead after a cop shot her 4 times ... and newly released body cam shows why police were called, and why the incident's sparked new protests over another police-involved fatality.

The incident went down Tuesday -- about a half-hour before Derek Chauvin's guilty verdicts -- when police responded to a call for a fight between a few teenage girls ... one of them being Ma'Khia. The body cam shows a chaotic scene when cops arrived in the driveway of a home.

One girl was thrown to the ground at the feet of one of the officers, and you hear him yelling, "Hey, hey, hey, hey. Get down!" as Ma'Khia's seen apparently lunging with a knife at a different girl.

You see the officer quickly draw his gun and then fire 4 shots at Ma'Khia, who immediately falls to the ground. You can see a man standing nearby yell at the cop in shock, "You didn't have to shoot her. She's just a kid, man."

The cop responded, "She had a knife. She just went at her."

The shooting prompted protests near the scene of the incident, and in downtown Columbus. The officer's reportedly been taken off the streets while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigates.

Ma'Khia was reportedly taken to Mount Carmel East Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Neighbors say she was living in a foster home on the block where she was shot.

The Minnesota Timberwolves gave a special tribute to George Floyd after their victory last night ... dedicating the game ball to his family just hours after the conviction of Derek Chauvin.

The Wolves took the court against the Kings in Sacramento on Tuesday -- shortly after the ex-Minneapolis PD officer was found guilty on all 3 criminal counts stemming from the May 25, 2020 murder of Floyd.

But, it was clear the hearts and focus of the Wolves players were in Minnesota ... and right after their 134-120 victory, the team dedicated the game ball to Floyd and his family.

"Glad we were able to get the win tonight," guard Josh Okogie told reporters after the game.

"We have the game ball where we dedicated that to George Floyd's family. That's great we were able to do that."

The Wolves have consistently been honoring Floyd in the months following his death ... and have posted messages outside the Target Center calling for social injustice reform.

Karl-Anthony Towns said the guilty verdict is a good step forward ... but it doesn't bring Floyd home.

"It's unfortunate that our city has been going through this so much," KAT said during post-game interviews.

"Just because justice was served today for Mr. Floyd doesn't mean that we are gonna be bringing him back home. And that's the most unfortunate part of all of this."

Recently, the team auctioned off warm-up shirts "For Liberty and Justice FOR ALL" for Daunte Wright -- another unarmed black man killed by police in their state of Minnesota.

Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced huge hits for Meat Loaf, Air Supply, Celine Dion and Bonnie Tyler, is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Steinman died Monday in Connecticut, according to the state's medical examiner. The cause of death is unclear. We do know it appears it was sudden ... there was a medical emergency call to his home around 3:30 AM Sunday to transport a male patient.

Jim's perhaps best known for his songwriting work on Meat Loaf’s "Bat Out of Hell" -- one of the best selling albums of all time -- and "Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell" ... writing and producing the smash hit, "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)."

Steinman's got his fingerprints all over Bonnie Tyler's albums, writing and producing her biggest hit, "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Jim also wrote and composed Air Supply's "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" and Barry Manilow's "Read 'Em and Weep," which was originally written for Meat Loaf.

He's also the brainchild behind another power ballad, "It's All Coming Back To Me Now," first recorded by Pandora's Box and then made famous with Celine Dion's cover.

Jim also worked with Def Leppard, Barbra Streisand, Billy Squier and The Sisters of Mercy. You wanna talk about accomplishments ... for 3 straight weeks in 1983, Jim was responsible for the #1 and #2 songs on Billboard -- 'Total Eclipse' was in the top spot, and 'Making Love' was second.

Steinman was 73.

Walter Mondale, the influential former Senator, Vice President and Democratic nominee for president, is dead.

Mondale, who served as President Jimmy Carter's veep from 1977 to 1981, died Monday in Minneapolis ... according to his family.

Known as Fritz to loved ones, friends and voters, Mondale was the Democratic nominee for president in 1984 after transforming the VP role while serving alongside Carter ... but he lost the general election in a landslide to Ronald Reagan.

Despite missing out on the presidency, Mondale made history with his running mate Geraldine Ferraro ... making her the first woman to run for VP on a major party's ticket.

Mondale was the first VP to take on a larger role, becoming a model for those who followed ... including Joe Biden, Dick Cheney, Al Gore and George H.W. Bush.

In fact, Biden famously said Mondale was the first person he called when Barack Obama asked him to be vice president.

Mondale was born and raised in Minnesota and served as the state's U.S. Senator for 12 years from 1964 to 1976, helping boost civil rights, social programs and environmental protections during Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency.

He also served as the U.S. ambassador to Japan for 3 years, being appointed in 1993 by President Bill Clinton.

Mondale was 93.